Page 33 of Power Shift
Seymour took umbrage and snapped at Soren’s boots, cracking a piece of the rubber sole off. He happily munched on it as Soren looked on in horror.
“Because he’s a good deterrent against guests,” I muttered.
Soren’s bark of laughter made me snort. “There’s more of Evie inside that thing than I expected.”
“She can be quite prickly,” I admitted as I took a seat on the couch. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
Simone came inside at that moment, spotted Soren, rolled her eyes and sat on the opposite side of the couch. “Do I need to take notes?”
Soren leaned forward, his eyes glittering. “Do you ever put that pen down?”
Simone leaned into his space. “Only when I use it to stab someone in the eye.”
Soren grinned. “How much does Caelan pay you?”
“Enough to make your bank account shrivel up and die,” Simone said sweetly.
“Try to steal her and I’ll let Seymour eat you.” It was true. I paid Simone an exorbitant amount of money, directly equivalent to the amount of bullshit she had to deal with. Being a Shifter Lord meant Simone was up to her eyeballs in bullshit, and the less I had to deal with, the more I happily shelled out to her.
The woman was worth every wince from my accountant when he direct deposited her monthly paycheck.
Soren sat back. “Do you have a sister as equally competent? A niece or friend?”
“I have no friends,” Simone said deadpan.
The Lord rolled his eyes. “Fine. This discussion isn’t over, though.”
Simone flicked her fingers. “I’m not leaving. A pretty face and pretty words will never be enough to win my loyalty.”
“So you think I’m pretty then?” Soren said, his lips twitching.
“For the love of the gods, can we get on with it?” I wanted to sit in peace for a while and unravel everything that happened this morning, and I couldn’t do so with these two knuckleheads verbally sparring in my presence.
“Chimera energy is popping up all over your territory.”
I straightened. “Where?”
“I went for a run in the woods behind your property and sensed a disturbance at the town edge. After that, I stopped at a coffee shop, Mer-owned, I think, and sensed it again. We should reach out to the other Lords and see if they’ve sensed the same.”
“We don’t want to cause a panic. If Donovan smells blood in the water, he’ll complicate shit.”
“True. Rowan then?”
I nodded. “Rowan first. We’ll discuss telling the others once we know if Rowan’s territory remains stable.”
“That’s not all.” Soren’s expression sobered. “There are whispers about your Floromancer. I’ve not heard anything directly, but my Second has caught wind of her name mixed up with rumors of magical anomalies in your territory.”
Had to be the gods. I nodded, keeping my face blank. “We all know Evie herself is an anomaly with the strength of her Floromancy. I’ll send Garrett out and see if he can substantiate any of the rumors.”
“She’s a weakness, Caelan.” Soren’s voice was solemn, his voice lacking the usual teasing note.
“One man’s weakness is another man’s strength,” I responded, not bothering to deny the observation.
“Are you sure she’s yours?”
“She’s obstinate and refuses to have much to do with me, so right now she’s merely my on-retainer florist.”
Soren laughed and rose. “When you want to formalize things with her, call me first and I’ll try to soften up the others.”
