Page 71 of Power Shift
Moira pressed her lips together, eyes sparkling with mirth.
“Nothing ridiculous,” I snapped. “Something simple, Caelan. Cheap. Something I can wear on a day-to-day basis. Alright?”
He held both hands up, his face screaming innocence. “Of course. I am yours to command.”
“No diamonds or rare stones or anything to make me stand out. Simple and elegant and on a chain or ring or bracelet that I won’t lose.”
Caelan’s nostrils flared. “A ring?”
I pinched the space between my brows. “Do not make this weird.”
“Oh, he’s going to make it weird,” Moira said with delight.
“So weird,” Tess said. She leaned closer to Ash. “Can you use my magic too?”
Ash blinked. “Of course. Why wouldn’t we?”
Tess dropped her eyes. “Mine is volatile. My true magic. Not the small things I do around the shop.”
“Tess. Yes. We’ll infuse the jewelry with a part of each of us, and you are always included.”
A pretty pink blush colored her cheeks. “Thank you.”
“And me?” Caelan growled. “What about me?”
I opened my mouth to say absolutely not, but there was a look in his eyes, and a hopeful look on his face that gave me pause. Caelan made me so snappy all the time, it became my first instinct to deny him. But this was a small ask. And Cernunnos had told me to trust him.
“Do you want to be included?” I asked quietly.
The Lord swallowed. “I do.”
I felt like I stood on the opposite side of a chasm from Caelan, and this moment would start building a bridge between us. Whether that was good or bad, only time would tell. “Then consider it done. Procure the jewelry and once we have it and see what we’re working with, then we’ll put together the spell.”
I turned to the others. “Will that work?”
Ash and Moira gaped at me. The vampire was the first to recover. “Uh. Yes. Caelan will need to be there for the spell. Right, Ash?”
“Yes. Until then, I don’t think Evie should leave her land.”
At my strangled protest, Ash shook his head. “This is too important, and we can’t risk Cliona coming back to the shop. We’ll open the store tomorrow.”
He focused on Caelan. “It’s a lot to ask, but can you have something ready by tomorrow evening?”
The Shifter Lord didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Meet here at seven?”
Everyone agreed and started cleaning up the remnants of dinner. Ash, Tess, and Moira headed out, Caelan lingering behind. He stopped on the porch, right by the front door.
The warm light of the porch picked up the gold highlights in his eyes; the smoke blue of his sweater, setting off the stormy gray irises. His dark hair brushed against the collar, and he shoved one hand into the pocket of his dark blue jeans, the other holding Hannah.
“Thank you.”
I tilted my head. “For what?”
“For not dismissing me. I want you to know you can trust me and my Pack. It’s not often someone in town has the ability to take us all on, and we’d rather work together than be enemies.”
How much of this was sincere and how much was him trying to placate me? Or force my hand? I hated how suspicious I was all the time, but the paranoia served me well most of my life, and it was difficult breaking habits. Especially since I wasn’t sure of his angle, if there was one at all.
“You normally kick people out of town who have the ability to challenge you, don’t you?”
