Page 50 of Power Shift
“I don’t care why you’re here,” Caelan growled. He glanced at me. “Are you alright?”
“Your lovely witch is just fine. We were having a great chat before you interrupted.” Finn grinned as Caelan began to glow, his power an unearthly shimmer around him.
“Stop antagonizing him and tell him why you’re here.”
Finn rolled his eyes. “You used to be so much fun.”
A small whisper of power and a row of thorny rose bushes directly behind Finn grew and popped him on the back of his thigh. He hissed in pain, eyes flaring with crimson before he let out a harsh crack of laughter. “If I knew you were into pain, things might have been different all those years ago.”
Quick as a lightning strike, Caelan’s fist slammed into Finn’s face, the crack of bone breaking loud as a gunshot.
Finn let out a bark of pain and backed up, straight into the rose bushes where he hissed again as he struggled to free his clothing. Blood streamed down his face.
“Oh shit,” I breathed.
Several people on the street had their phones raised, recording Caelan striking a defenselesswomanin public.
“Lord,” Simone urged, reaching out to touch him on the arm.
Caelan’s chest heaved with anger. “Say one word against Evie again, and I will destroy you.”
“Just like you did last time?” Finn taunted, though it came out like, “Juh ike ooh did ast time?”
“Lord Caelan, you can’t hit her again. Striking her once is bad enough. We’ll have to activate the team to destroy the footage.” Her gaze swept over the town square. “Maybe even pay some bribes,” she muttered under her breath.
“That is not ashe,” Caelan barked.
“Finn. Stop being a dick.” Exasperated, I threw my hands up in the air. “I don’t care what you say about me. We both know what you did to me, and your jokes and digs about knowing me back then are only designed to make me break. I don’t care about you, Finn. That means I don’t give a shit whether you live or die?—”
“I do,” Caelan interrupted.
“But if you don’t spit the reason you’re here out, I’m going to eviscerate you myself.”
“I’ll help,” Caelan said.
Finn’s lips quirked as Simone dug her cellphone out and frantically texted someone at the Keep, no doubt to start immediate damage control.
The optics did look bad, but there was no way to tell anyone what Finn actually was without making things a thousand percent worse.
“A new Chimera is in town. She’s intelligent, dangerous, and crafty. If you’re smart, you’ll take her for the threat she is. Not only to you, but to all of us. She has plans, and your Floromancer is part of them.” A faint smile tipped his lips up. “One final tip before I leave. Consider this a gift for taking good care of my Evie while she waited for me to return.” Caelan’s deep snarl made Finn laugh. “So grumpy,” he said in a high-pitched voice.
“Speak or die.” Caelan’s eyes washed the sidewalk in golden light.
“I see why you like him,” Finn said to me. “He’s less fun than you are.”
“Finn.” For the gods’ sakes.
He winked, and I remembered why I’d taken a chance on him that long ago night in Scotland.
“For a while there, she had more than apassingresemblance to your missing fiancée. I’d say for maybe two weeks, Rhona was a spitting image.”
Caelan froze. “Gianna. Do you know where she is?”
Finn’s gaze flicked to me, and I knew he was about to screw me over. “You should ask your lovely little flower girl.” With a quick look around, he grinned and disappeared in a flash of crimson light.
Fucking Finn.
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