Page 100 of Power Shift
I noticed his careful wording. “Nope.”
“Getting involved is a direct violation of our law, Cliona. Walk away now or tangle with me.”
Rage flashed over my mother’s face, there and gone in an instant. A second later, her eyes softened and went limpid.
A soft laugh escaped Neit as Cliona floated toward him, her dress flowing away from her body like a fae queen. Commotion from behind and the scent of fresh greenery told me Ash and the others were here. I shifted closer to Caelan and turned.
Ash and Moira walked toward us, Tess nowhere to be seen, but I knew she was here. I could feel her.
“Where is she?” I whispered in Moira’s ear.
“Close, but she won’t engage unless it’s the last resort.”
It made sense. Tess had terrible magic and spent years getting it under control. “Thank you for coming.”
Moira nudged me with her shoulder. “We’re besties. I love family drama.”
Neit didn’t let Cliona get too close. He met her in the middle. She reached out a pale hand and traced an elegant finger down his armor. “Neit. Don’t let my daughter stand in the way of this. She’s nothing, a demigod. The seed will reject her once it realizes how little power she possesses.”
Moira leaned over. “What the fuck is she talking about?”
“I think Mom has some baby daddy paternity confusion,” I whispered. “She thinks I’m still half human.”
Moira’s eyes widened. “Holy shit.” A grin spread across her face. “This is going to be epic.”
Dozens of birds appeared in the sky behind my mother, floating behind her like a dark, feathered cloud.
Oh. Fuck. I sent a desperate look to Caelan.
“Fee,” I whispered.
Caelan stiffened. He snatched his cell phone from his back pocket and fired off a quick text. “Simone will handle it.”
I hoped so. If my mother was pissed off now, wait until she saw the phoenix. Not to mention the complications if Fee revealed herself. The seed might not belong to her, but Fee…under fae law, she belonged to my mother.
Once he put his cell back in his pocket, Caelan moved.
One moment he stood right next to me. The next, Caelan held his rogue shifter by the neck with one hand. A savage howl tore from the Lord’s throat seconds before he used his other hand to tear the shifter’s head off. The sound of snapping tendons and breaking bones would live forever in my nightmares.
Blood sprayed in an arc, covering Caelan’s face in a crimson truth. A Shifter Lord never allowed a traitor to live.
Caelan tossed the body aside like trash and stalked toward the other Lord. Donovan paled and took a step back, his hands held out. “I have information you need,” he blurted.
My magic tugged from my stomach, a sickening lurch of power. I swayed on my feet. Cliona was no longer staring at Neit. A small smile curved her lips as our eyes met.
“Evangeline. Are you okay?” False concern made my mother’s voice an octave higher.
A ripping pain tore through my chest. Blood bubbled from my lips.
The earth responded. Trees ripped from the ground, shooting toward the sky. Vines slithered across the ground. Sleeping bulbs sprouted, sending fully grown stalks up, blooms unfurling to send an intoxicating aroma through the air.
I went to my knees. Moira went down beside me, her hands stroking over me with urgency, searching for a wound that wasn’t there.
Ash crouched beside me, his eyes pained. Emerald light glowed in his palms. He touched my back and closed his eyes. Earth magic poured into me, but Ash’s magic was no use against such power.
“Cliona!” Neit barked. “Release her!”
“I’m not doing a thing,” my mother said. She floated over and bent at the waist, a cool hand reaching out to brush my hair from my brow. “Poor thing.” Her tongue clicked. “You don’t look so good.”
