Page 12 of Power Shift
Within seconds, she’d texted back saying she was in, but she’d have to dig up something to wear.
Like that was a problem. The woman had a closet with one of those rotating rods in it because she had so many clothes, she lost track of them all.
We agreed to meet in an hour, and I hurried to the bathroom to get ready, leaving the dress box unopened on the bed. Caelan’s wolves had texted a few minutes ago letting me know everything arrived safely and all the arrangements were unloaded and still in their boxes.
Twenty minutes later, clean, shaved, plucked, moisturized and made up, I hovered over the box with trepidation, wondering what he’d done this time. Moments later, I held up a tea-length deep blue dress, every inch of it embroidered with flowers.
I sucked in a shocked gasp. Running my fingers down the intricate blooms, tears filled my eyes at the natural magic pulsing from the threads. Not every flower had a seed in it this time, but seventy-five percent held some form of life nestledwithin. But as stunning as that was, there were other things in the box. I pulled out three additional wrapped items, two in small boxes and one in an oblong shape.
Curious, I opened the larger one first, only to see a pair of matching shoes. In my size. Because of course Caelan would have gone through my closet at some point to note it.
“Weirdo,” I said on a sigh.
Moving on to the first box, I opened it to reveal a stunning amethyst necklace, the gems rose cut and sparkling, encased in meticulous silver scrollwork of leaves and blooms. The earrings were a mix of aquamarine and amethyst, smaller and set in silver, and a delicate bracelet with a focal stone of carved aquamarine in the shape of a helichrysum flower.
My throat closed for a moment, and I wondered what would have happened if I’d met Caelan under different circumstances when I’d just been me, a simple Floromancer with a complicated family history, instead of the Evie now, a woman with the same nutso family, but with a curse in her blood that could ruin everything.
Shaking those thoughts away, I carefully set the jewelry down and stepped into the dress, unsurprised when it fit like a glove. I fastened the jewelry next and ignored the shoes until the last moment.
I left my hair down, quickly running over the ends with a curling iron before shaking the curls out to loosen them. A couple spritzes of perfume and a mad dash to the closet to find a small purse that would work, and I was rushing to the door, hopping as I shoved my feet into those surprisingly comfortable heels.
Moira had just pulled into the driveway and was sliding out of the vehicle when she spotted me. She wolf-whistled and gestured me over. “I’ll drive tonight. Take a load off.”
Without arguing, I got into the vehicle, and we were off.
“That’s a fantastic dress,” Moira observed. “Is it heavy with all that embroidery?”
“Not at all. That tailor is magnificent.”
“With all the money that poor Lord is paying you, maybe you can retain him on an indefinite basis.”
“True,” I said with a laugh. We’d walk out of Caelan’s keep with a massive paycheck this evening.
“Now that you’ve had time to think about it, you’d still go to Vegas?”
“Absolutely. But if Vegas was out, I’d go to Ibiza.”
“Gracious. Don’t they have a ton of drugs there?”
Moira laughed. “There are drugs everywhere if you know the right questions to ask.”
I blinked. “Do you know the right questions?”
Moira stayed silent.
I gasped. “Moira! Are you a closet party girl?”
“I’m a vacation party girl. Big difference. I’m content with my life here, but if I get the chance to let my hair down far away from here, I’ll take it.”
Her words made me sad. “You can, you know. Any time you want. Just say the word.”
Moira clicked her tongue. “You sap. I know I can. I’m not that girl all the time, nor do I want to be. Plus, I don’t have anyone to go with me right now. We’ve only been in Joy Springs for a few years, and we all know how paranoid magical people can be about trusting others.” She pointedly did not look at me.
“I’m aware,” I said dryly. “Maybe I’ll go with you one day.”
She looked at me with horror. “Absolutely not. You’re far too pretty to be set loose in a party situation. There could be an international incident.”
“Moira!” I snickered. “You’re such an ass sometimes.”
