Page 73 of Shift of Morals
“I don’t think they ever expected it back at all,” Moira said. “They brought it here for Evie.”
“I’m in agreement.” Hazel stepped closer to the table, her hands held out. A ball of purple fire swirled between her palms.
The moment her magic touched the bouquet, powers rapidly fell from the main stem, decomposing into black goo. A foul smell poured forth. Moira gagged, and I breathed through my mouth, trying not to do the same.
Hazel touched each bloom, carefully moving toward the center. I watched in horror as she unveiled a small, glowing red orb in the heart of the bouquet. “Gotcha,” Hazel said softly.
She dropped her magic and wiped her forehead with the back of her forearm. “Want the good news first?”
“Is there good news?” I asked, staring in horror at the poor, suffering plant.
Hazel snorted. “This thing wasn’t meant to kill you.”
“That feels almost miraculous these days,” Moira said dryly, laughing when I nudged her with my elbow.
“Every time you’ve worked on it, the spell inside slowly siphoned your magic, destabilizing you even more than normal.” Hazel eyed me. “Have you felt off lately?”
I stared.
Hazel let out a soft chuckle. “Right. The thing also has a tracker. Your Chimera has known where you are from the first time you’ve touched it.”
That explained some things. “I’m not unpredictable with my whereabouts. Not really.”
“True,” Ash said. “If she’s not at work, she’s at home. The only anomaly is her deliveries.”
“Finn could have gotten to you at any time,” Moira said.
Tess stared at the bouquet, not saying anything, but her energy was off. Her slight frame quivered, and her eyes stayed fixed on the bouquet. Ash spotted me eyeing her and sidled closer.
“You okay?” he whispered.
“Bad,” Tess said, her voice querulous. “Whoever made that is bad.”
“Yes, child,” Hazel agreed. “But we’re going to find them and make sure this never happens again.”
Tess didn’t respond, only kept her eyes locked on the bouquet.
“If you’re ready, I’m going to crack the spell,” Hazel said.
“Should we leave?” Ash asked.
“Not necessary. Now that I know it a little better, I should have no trouble containing any magical backlash.” Hazel sent out a simple spark of magic toward the center of the bouquet. Asnap sounded in the air, followed by a violent crack, and a beam of magic sailed straight for me.
Before I could dodge, Hazel barked a command, and the red beam froze in mid-air.
Ash let out a low curse. My heart beat like a frightened rabbit. “Are you sure it’s not trying to kill me?” I said hoarsely.
Hazel shook her head. “That one was meant to trigger a transformation. Naughty Chimera.”
I moved out of its path just in case Hazel’s spell broke. She snorted and slowly started dragging the magic in. “I’ve got the shifter’s essence.” Once Hazel had the spell contained, she pulled out a small vial and took just a touch of that red glow from the middle, carefully corking the vial and tucking it into her pocket.
“Is it safe to send that by courier?” I asked.
“As long as we don’t get a curious one,” Hazel said.
“I’ll use one of our regulars. They know not to go poking around inside of our deliveries.” Still unnerved, I headed to the door, with the others behind me. Hazel lingered back, still poking at the bouquet.
“One of Hattie’s deliveries bit someone. That guy sweated blue for an entire week.” Tess grinned. The banshee always loved when our flora got out of hand.
