Page 73 of Power Shift
Cernunnos laughed. “She told me nothing, young child. Evie clings to her secret as a child would their blanket.”
“Why are you so interested in her?” I’d been wondering this for months now and hadn’t come up with a single thing other than Evie’s powers. Cernunnos ruled over green things and Evie was a Floromancer. Was she under his rule or was there something else going on?
“Humans have a custom. I think you call it meddling in-laws. Is that correct?”
I stilled. “In-laws.” He couldn’t actually be saying what I thought he was saying.
“Consider me a meddler,” Cernunnos said.
A moment later, a massive stag stood before me, its antlers dripping with moss and magic. Before I could respond, the stag leapt into the air to rejoin the Hunt, and the skies closed, leaving me alone in Evie’s driveway wondering what the hell was going on.
In-laws. That meant…
No. Surely not.
Chapter
Twenty-Three
Ispent most of the day in the greenhouse, doing my best to clear my head of any stress and worry over the seed and what its appearance in my life might mean. It worked, for the most part, but when the sun began to set over the horizon, all the worry crawled back into my heart.
Everyone would arrive in a couple of hours. I stomped my boots on the outdoor rug and shook out my hair and jacket before heading inside and straight to the showers.
I had a lot of spell-woven protections against ticks and other bitey things, but I could never protect against everything. Occasionally a spider or some other creature ended up hitching a ride back to the house.
After a delightful shower and a scrub that left me pink from head to toe, I dressed, leaving my hair wet for now, and went into the kitchen to start dinner. Magic expended a lot of energy, so I planned something protein and carb heavy: chicken fried steak, homemade mac and cheese, and balsamic-glazed, roasted Brussels sprouts. We’d eat first, then cast the spell to ward the seed until I knew its purpose and how it wished to be used.
The next hour passed in a blur. Folk rock poured from the Bluetooth speaker as I finished the last of the food prep.Everyone would be here in forty-five minutes which gave me enough time to finish drying my hair and put some magic appropriate clothing on.
Once that was finished, I went and unlocked the door for Moira, who always arrived early. I took care of some necessary plant maintenance, and when that was done, I prepped a large skillet, dipped the first steak into the egg wash and batter, and started the main course.
Ten minutes later, Moira breezed in holding a bulging canvas bag that clinked when she walked.
“We are not drinking all that tonight!” I yelled.
“Party pooper,” Moira said with a grin. The vamp wore similar clothing. Loose, flowy pants, sandals, a tank top, and a long cardigan.
I’d texted Caelan earlier to tell him. Magic required freedom in all things and restrictive clothing tended to stagnate magic. I’d put on a pair of wide-leg cotton pants, a t-shirt, and also wore sandals I could slip off. My hair was arranged in a messy bun, and I wore no makeup or jewelry.
What we planned tonight was different from the other magic I used daily. Most Floromancy was intuitive, but I had the ability to perform ritualistic spells, though I usually chose not to. Such spells required strict adherence to the rules, and I much preferred natural magic, which had few rules.
Ash spent much of the day working on the spell’s wording, and I had gathered almost all the spell’s ingredients from either the greenhouse or around the property. What I couldn’t gather, Tess had stepped up to bring.
“You ready?” Moira asked, peering over my shoulder at the bubbling steak.
“Whatever gets Cliona off my back.”
She squeezed my shoulder and claimed one of the stools to perch on. “Are you worried about what jewelry Caelan is going to bring?”
At my dark look, she grinned. “Maybe it will be a huge engagement ring.”
“Perish the thought. He knows I’d stab him.”
“I don’t think Caelan would hate that. He seems to like feisty women.”
My stomach dropped at the thought of him with any other women, and wasn’t that annoying? “Well,” I said lightly. “I’m sure there’s a lot of them in Joy Springs.”
Moira rolled her eyes. “Keep denying your feelings and you’ll lose him.”
