Page 4 of Power Shift
Three pairs of innocent eyes avoided looking at each other.
“Guys…” My voice held a note of warning.
“Normally, we would never consider an intervention, especially not for you, but things with the Shifter Lord have gotten out of hand. And with Finn back in the picture, we think you should have more of a presence.”
I gave her a flat look. “Presence? What exactly does that mean?”
Ash rolled his eyes. “She means stop hiding at home and the shop and maybe get out into the community and do some things for yourself. You haven’t even gotten takeout since the wedding!”
“Are you depressed?” Tess asked.
“What? No!” An exasperated breath escaped me. They didn’t know about Gianna and the discovery in my backyard. Plausible deniability is what I kept telling myself. I’d destroyed any trace of Caelan’s ex-fiancée in the unique way only a Floromancer could.
The poor woman was officially part of the Joy Springs ecosystem, not a single recognizable or identifiable piece of her left because I’d turned her to mulch, and I was now the brand-new owner of a large, unusually healthy Japanese maple planted in the spot where someone had buried her. To make it less suspicious, I planted a small grove in a circle and dug out a fire pit in the middle. A little morbid for some since I liked to take mytea out in my new cozy space, but from the universe we came and to the universe we returned.
Eventually.
Many things bothered me about Gianna’s death, but the main one I hadn’t come to terms with was my belief that I’d never met the real woman. She’d been dead for at least two weeks before we found her, but it’s possible she’d been gone for longer. Had all my dealings been with Gianna, or had I been speaking with another Chimera the entire time?
And if I had, who was it?
And why had Finn told me I was the only one left? Was he as much in the dark as I was?
Impossible.
“I’m not depressed. I’m cautious. That’s all. I wanted things to die down before I resumed normal life.”
Ash, who had a strange knack for unearthing secrets I wanted to keep buried, gave me a long look, but he didn’t pry.
Not in front of everyone.
He’d catch me when I was alone and twist my arm until I spilled the beans.
Or try to, at least.
Keeping my friends safe would mean this is one secret that would have to stay buried.
Chapter
Two
Ash and Tess busied themselves with finishing up Hattie’s autumn arrangement, a gorgeous mix of fall-colored blooms in a pretty handmade wicker basket I’d sourced from a witch down the street while I finished up Caelan’s arrangements.
I cursed myself for not looking over that contract earlier, assuming Simone, Caelan’s Omega, had taken my restrictions to heart before bringing it to the shop.
But blaming her wasn’t right. She was beholden to the Shifter Lord, and he was infamous for pushing boundaries to get what he wanted.
For hours now, I’d mulled over my friends’ words, and as much as I desired to push back and deny everything, they were right. Hiding became a way of life for me, and I’d diminished myself. Not only when I arrived in Joy Springs, but years prior, right around the time my marriage had fallen apart.
For so long, I’d prevented myself from doing the one thing my body craved.
Bloom.
I’d used my magic to coax other things to bloom and had held myself back from doing the same. First, because my worldhad fallen apart after I fled Seattle. Or so I’d thought. Only after Scotland had I truly diminished myself, became someone small and meek andafraid.
Disgust at myself filled me, and I shook my head, even as I tried to shake those thoughts off. But they stubbornly refused to go.
Look at me, they whispered.
