Page 81 of Shift of Morals
Instead of attacking it, I moved it, pushing the thicker poison up, up, up until Caelan heaved, expelling the poison from his body.
I grimaced and held my breath, continuing to direct the poison out, not stopping until the last drop was gone.
Once that happened, I settled deeper into my power and began to heal the Shifter Lord’s wounds.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
CAELAN
Iawoke with a jerk, my eyes scanning an unfamiliar room.
A toxic, foul odor hit my nose first. I grunted and gagged, slowly trying to orient myself.
Evie. I was in her house. How had I gotten here? And where was she?
And what the hell was I lying in? I slowly sat up, memories coming back to me.
Finn. My hands roamed my body, hitting something wet. I grimaced and pulled my hand away, wiping whatever the hell had gotten on me on the leg of my pants.
“Evie?” My throat felt like I’d gargled glass.
What the hell happened here? Once I sat all the way up, I swung my legs over, my feet landing in more liquid.
A large something lay to the left, covered in roots, vines, and leaves. Typical Evie. Whatever it was hadn’t been there the first time I’d been here, and I assumed it was something she was growing until I stood and peered closer at it, only to see a feminine hand with long fingers sticking out of the side.
I swore and went to my knees, grimacing at the bark of pain as I landed. “Evie?”
Gently nudging a few of the roots away, I brushed Evie’s hair from her face. Her eyes were closed, bright green leaves growing on the ends of her hair. A smile tugged at my lips. Even covered in roots and leaves, she was stunning.
I murmured her name again. Evie’s eyes fluttered, opened, and went wide. “Caelan!”
Her nose wrinkled a few seconds later.
“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. “I’m not quite sure what happened here.”
“Poison,” Evie croaked. “Give me a minute.”
I took a few steps back and went to the kitchen to try to find some paper towels to sop up some of the mess. Her couch and floor were destroyed, and as more memories came back, I knew, once again, that it was my fault.
Would I never stop writing checks to Evie Quinn?
I found a roll of paper towels and went back to the scene of the crime, bending to clean up what I could while Evie extricated herself from her plant prison. Once I got what I could, I found a trash bag, stripped my shirt off, and tossed it inside. I had a second where I considered stripping my pants off, too, but I didn’t want to scandalize the poor Floromancer.
It would be fun, though.
My thoughts sobered as recent events surfaced. I’d almost died.
Again. In front of Evie Quinn.
Again.
Whoever that Finn guy was, he’d almost taken me out. Twice. I’d underestimated his strength and failed to use my full strength to take him out. He’d worn me down, using poison to worsen my condition, and almost had me.
I didn’t remember the first attack. He’d gotten me from behind and quickly overwhelmed me. This time he’d attacked from the front, and I still almost lost.
Evie and I needed to have a conversation. She knew who Finn was. I washed quickly, scrubbing every bit of what I assumed was vomit away, and rinsed my mouth out multiple times until I felt somewhat human. By the time I finished, Evie was sitting up, a look of dismay on her face as she took in the carnage.
