Page 72 of Power Shift
He slowly nodded. “I do. But those people also want my power. They aren’t content to run a flower shop.”
“You aren’t afraid I’ll one day grow mad with power and come after you?”
Caelan’s teeth glinted. “I’d like to see that. Could be fun.”
I leaned against the door jam. “You’re right. I don’t care about amassing power. I’d been here for years before you came into my shop.”
Caelan fished his keys from his pocket. “I wish I would have known you sooner.”
My heart did an annoying little skip thump. “So we could be fighting for years instead of months?”
His lips tipped in a smile. “I don’t think we’ll be fighting for years, flower girl. Something’s gotta give before then.”
I watched as he turned and headed toward the vehicle. “See you soon, Evangeline.”
Shaking my head, I went back inside and shut the door. Freaking shifters.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
CAELAN
I’d made it all of three steps before the Fae King appeared by my vehicle, his antlers gone, dressed in a pair of joggers and a t-shirt. My footsteps slowed, and I watched him warily.
“Lord,” Cernunnos said.
“Why’d you do it?” I asked, unable to keep the question to myself.
“Why do the fae do anything?” he said, wearing an enigmatic smile.
I shook my head and kept walking, eager for a shower and my bed.
“Evie has many challenges coming her way,” Cernunnos said when he realized I wasn’t going to answer his question. “She needs strong allies in her corner.”
“I would have gained her trust eventually.” Believing that was one of the few things keeping me going. Now that I knew more of Evie’s background, her reticence made a lot more sense.
“Not soon enough.” Cernunnos jerked ahead toward Evie’s house. “You love her.”
It wasn’t a question. “And if I do?”
“She isn’t ready to accept how you feel about her. Evie is…damaged.”
My lips pulled away from my teeth. “She is not damaged goods,” I snapped.
Cernunnos’s eyes swirled with unfathomable magic. “You misunderstand. Her heart is damaged, and she does not trust people, with good reason. If someone is to be with her, they must accept all of her.”
The fae king tilted his head and studied me, his power cleaving me to the bone. Cernunnos didn’t harm me, but I stood there under his judgment, knowing he saw everything about me. “You are not ready to do so.”
“You don’t know a thing about my heart.”
Cernunnos straightened to his full height, the antlers reappearing on his head. Above us, the sky opened, revealing a host of transparent warrior riders and animals the likes of which I’d never seen before.
The Wild Hunt. I stood there awestruck by his simple display of unfathomable power, knowing if Cernunnos ever decided to strike me down, I was helpless to defend myself.
“I know everything about you, Shifter Lord.” His voice rumbled across Evie’s land. “And I know you will lose her if you aren’t ready to bear her pain.”
“You know what she’s hiding.” I stopped at the driver’s side door, watching him carefully. “Why would she tell you and not me?”
