Page 85 of Power Shift
I bared my teeth at her.
Moira held both hands up. “Whoa. Listen. You have your reasons for not getting emotionally involved. And we all get it and do not blame you.”
My brows drew together. “Why does this sound like you’re about to, though?”
Moira took both my hands and held them. “Maybe it’s time to trust someone else. You’ve had only us to rely on. Caelan is powerful.”
“And he wants you,” Ash added. “Men that head over heels are willing to overlook many things.”
I stared at my friends. “Do you honestly believe Caelan won’t turn me over to the Council or worse once he finds out?”
“I do,” Moira said. “Things might be rocky for a while, but they have a way of working out.”
Fear had driven all my decisions for so long. I knew they were right. Maybe it was time to take a leap of fate.
“And…” Moira hedged. “You’ve been kind of a baby about this for a while now. It’s time to take a chance.”
Ash winced. “Moira. There’s a better way to say what needs to be said.”
She let go of my hands and held them up. “Sometimes you gotta rip off the bandage even if it takes some skin off.”
My gaze bounced between them. “You both think I’m acting like a brat?”
“No one said brat,” Ash responded.
“That’s because everyone is too nice,” Tess said before floating away to the back.
“Tess,” Ash breathed. He rubbed a hand over his face. “Your mother’s presence has rattled her. She’ll be better in a few days.”
“I’m not mad at her,” I assured him. “I’d rather hear it straight, and I agree with you. Maybe I have dragged this on long enough.”
“You’ll tell him?”
“I doubt it.”
Groans all around. I laughed. “Not until it comes up naturally. He’s bound to have tons of questions about Cernunnos. That’s a large enough realization. Having a god in his territory is questionable at best.”
Moira let out a breath. “A god. Spoken aloud that makes it seem real.” She squinted her eyes at me. “You seem exactly the same.”
“Which is good?” I didn’t feel any different. Not that I would. My DNA had always been this way. Even being aware wouldn’t have changed my magic. Would it?
I needed to track my errant father down and have some words with him. “Back to this pendant and resonance. I’ll tackle research on my end, but you all have different ways of finding out information I may not be able to access. Can we reconvene tomorrow and discuss any info we might uncover?”
Ash and Moira nodded, and the conversation turned to work issues.
Before I knew it, the day was over, and everyone had gone home. I stayed behind to finish up a few things and work on the centerpieces for Caelan’s fall event. When I was ready to go, I rose, wincing as stiff muscles in my back pulled. Sitting for so long wasn’t good for anyone, not even a god.
I shuddered at the thought. Now that I knew, would Cernunnos begin to demand things from me? After cashing out the register and taking care of the closing tasks, the sun had set,leaving Joy Springs in full dusk. I stepped out, locked the door behind me, and headed to the car.
“Hello, Evie.”
A voice from behind stopped me in my tracks. My grip tightened on my bag as I slowly turned to face Rhona.
“What do you want?”
The Chimera smiled. “So touchy. Did I frighten you?”
Everything about Chimeras frightened me. Rhona was dressed in high-waisted cream-colored pants, brown boots, and a thin burgundy sweater. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders. In the dark, the red color looked like congealed blood.
