Page 97 of Shift of Morals
Caelan surprised me all the time, and not always in a good way. “Nothing good will come from him realizing what I am.”
“Maybe not at first. But don’t count Caelan out.”
I reached for her hand as she turned to leave. “Moira. You have to realize in twenty-four hours Caelan will be married. I’vealready acted like an asshat every time I’ve gone to the Keep. I can’t keep seeing him. I’ll screw up and I don’t want to be the kind of woman who comes in between a husband and wife. I’ve already toed the line too much.”
Moira’s eyes filled with sadness. She squeezed my fingers. “I understand. But things have a way of working out. Maybe not on the timelines we want them to, but they do.”
“I love you, vamp.”
“I love you too, monster.”
Moira trailed out of the back room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Tomorrow, I would watch the Shifter Lord marry, and I vowed not to do a thing about it.
I should have never gotten involved with him in the first place. Perhaps this was my karma to bear.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
It had cost me an arm and a leg even without the rush fee, but the gown I’d ordered from Caelan’s tailor was at my doorstep when I arrived home later that evening. Gasping with delight, I snatched up the box and went inside, excited to see what she’d come up with.
I’d given her my measurements, told her why I wanted it, and given her free rein to come up with an appropriate ensemble. The dress lay encased in a mountain of navy tissue paper. With trembling fingers, I pushed the paper aside to reveal an emerald green dress, cut in a sharp A-line, embroidered with a belt of multi-colored flowers. The bodice was off shoulder, with short cap sleeves. Magic hummed from the satin fabric, but most of it came from the embroidery.
I ran my fingers over the belt, smiling as I felt multiple types of flowers sleeping inside the stitched pistils. The dress would showcase who I was and would also serve as appropriate attire for a formal wedding without upstaging the bride.
I slipped off my clothing and tried the dress on, marveling at the fit and how flattering it was on my body. Nude high heels completed the look.
Once I was dressed in normal clothing again, I carefully hung the dress up, keeping it in the cedar lined part of my closet. Not that there were bugs inside the house. I scanned every few days for any rogue strays and gently ushered them out when I found them. But better safe than sorry.
After I fixed a quick dinner and poured myself a tiny bit of the Scotch Neit had given me, I brought my laptop over to the couch and went through the checklist for tomorrow one more time. The courier to help us transport everything was confirmed, and my van was all gassed up and ready to go. I’d put all the flowers and arrangements back into the walk-in, but I’d taken Caelan’s boutonniere home with me because I had one more tweak to make.
As much as it pained me to force him to wear the candy cane colors of his wedding, I sucked it up and created him something with dark blue delphinium flowers and privet berries, along with the same blossoms I’d used in the bonding ceremony. Different, but still matching the bride and bridesmaids.
But when the ceremony and reception was over, I’d planned for the boutonniere to collapse into ash, the final link between us severed. The bonding ceremony arrangement would do the same. Those were the two pieces of Caelan’s wedding that held the most of me. The other arrangements were just that…arrangements with no soul and no fire.
This wedding would definitively cut the bindings between us.
After tomorrow, we would no longer be Evie and Caelan.
He would be the Shifter Lord once more, and I would be the Floromancer who worked in town.
A knock on the door startled me.
With a curse, I slid everything off my lap and hurried to the door.
Simone, Caelan’s Omega, stood there. I stared through the peephole for an astonished moment before remembering I’dadded her to my wards. Once upon a time, I thought we might be friends.
Then Caelan announced his nuptials, and our relationship had turned downright chilly, and I’m still not sure how it happened.
I opened the door and stared at her.
Simone had the grace to look uncomfortable. “Evie.”
“Simone.”
If she expected me to fling open the doors and invite her in for a girl’s night, she was sorely mistaken. When I said nothing else, Simone let out an annoyed breath.
