Page 13 of Power Shift
She reached over and patted my knee. “Let’s go somewhere tamer. How about Burning Man?”
The look I gave her sent her into a spiral of giggles. “How about somewhere with good food and good shopping?”
“I like both of those things far more than I should,” Moira admitted.
“But not snobby shopping. Cool shopping. Like artisan stuff. Things we won’t find anywhere else.”
Moira and I pondered as we drove, arriving at Caelan’s a short time later. As the gates opened without us having to use the call box, Moira snapped her fingers. “New Orleans. How about it?”
I’d never been there, though everyone knew the place was steeped in old magic. “Hmm. Invite Tess and Ash or just you and me?”
Moira’s eyes glittered. “We invite them both. I can’t wait to see what Tess does when someone throws beads and screams at her to show some skin.”
“Maybe we should avoid Bourbon,” I murmured. The street was infamous even to humans, who congregated there on weekends for debauchery and sin. I’d like to see it once, but a place like that wasn’t high on my bucket list. I slid a look at the vampire and had to laugh at her dejected look. “Fine. One night on Bourbon, as long as we spend most of our time in the Art and Garden districts.”
“Done.” She came to a stop and handed the keys to a handsome, young shifter. He grinned in appreciation as she slid from the car, showing a long swath of pale, lean thigh when her dress rode up. “It’s vintage,” she said. “Try not to drool too much when you drive it away.”
The shifter blinked as he looked at the keys and realized he was about to drive a Honda away.
Moira blew him a kiss and took me by the arm. “You ready?” she murmured softly.
“How bad could it be?”
We both laughed as we walked up the steps to the Keep’s mansion.
“My gods,”Moira murmured as we stopped not too far into the entrance of the Keep.
Blood rushed to my face, and my back broke into a cold sweat. My fists clenched at my sides. “What in the absolute hell?” I whispered.
“Oh, Caelan,” the vampire said, her voice thick with amusement. “What have you done?”
A banner hung above the interior hall emblazoned with floral typography announcing the name of the event. All fine. All normal.
But below it, in slightly smaller letters, but no less aggressive, were the words that struck horror in my soul.
Honoring Evie Quinn
“I am going to cut off his legs and shove a rod up his ass all the way through his mouth. Then I’m going to cook him like I’m the chef at a Louisiana pig roast.”
Moira choked. “Vivid,” she wheezed.
“Then I’m going to fillet him into tiny pieces and feed him to all the carnivorous plants in his yard that will start growing in the next five minutes.”
Cool fingers gripped my hand. “Try to calm down. We have to set up the event first. Then you can retaliate to your heart’s content. But maybe try to think this through.” Moira leaned closer. “I’ve seen at least two of the other Lords. Remember. The best revenge is one they never see coming.”
I sucked in a strangled breath of air and let my eyes flutter shut while I counted to five. “You’re right.”
“As much as I’d love to see you skewer him over this fucked up paranormal debutante ball Caelan has planned, I think youshould take some time. Plant some seeds on the way out. Be in it for the long game.”
I squared my shoulders and nodded. “I like the long game.”
Moira squeezed my fingers. “I know you do. There you go.” She fished through her purse and handed me a tube of lipstick. “You’ve chewed all yours off. Put your lips back on, add a smile, and pretend you do not give a shit about this.”
I swiped on my favorite color, the one Moira always carried because she knew I’d forget mine, smoothed my skirt down, and slapped on a smile.
“Maybe tone down the crazy a few more notches,” she whispered. “You look like you’ve just been released from the asylum.”
I snorted and tried again.
