Page 87 of Power Shift
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
CAELAN
Ishouldn’t be here, I thought, even as I crept along the underbrush in wolf form. The night was chillier than usual, a precursor to a longer winter than normal. Dew clung to the underside of my fur as I breached Evie’s territory lines.
The wards slid over my skin, allowing me entrance, and I paused, debating whether to turn back and return to the Keep.
Evie’s breaking heart had woken me from a sound sleep, the sound of her anguished cry something that would live forever in my nightmares. I couldn’t help myself as I slipped out of the Keep, knowing I had to go to her, to see if she was okay.
Once I saw her, I’d return home.
To my surprise, she sat on the back deck, wrapped in a duster sweater and a lap blanket. She held a steaming mug.
I lifted my nose.
Coffee. Dark roast.
Evie had no plans to return to sleep.
“Caelan,” she said, her voice raw.
I jogged to the porch, staying in wolf form.
My animal form was so large, our faces were at the same level. I dug my cold nose into the crook of her neck, making her squawk.
“You’re freezing!”
But she laughed and that made the man and the beast happy. I licked her cheek and sat beside her, nudging her with my head.
Evie snorted. “You’re incorrigible.” She dug her fingers into the ruff of my neck and scratched.
I let out a happy growl and stretched to allow her the most access before I braved the consequences and lay my head in her lap.
Evie sighed. “I’ll allow it. Only tonight,” she warned.
I’d take it. She rubbed her hand down my face, smoothing the damp fur, sliding down my neck and back. Few people touched me, and I allowed no one the liberties Evie was taking with me now.
But damned if I wasn’t starved for touch.
Or maybe hers. But as Evie stroked me, I felt her heartbeat slow, and her sadness diminish.
“I know about the link,” she said a few minutes later.
I whined.
“Yep. We’re both smart enough to figure it out. I can’t take the pendant off, but we’re looking for an alternative.”
A growl escaped me.
Evie laughed, though the sound was touched with sadness. “I know why you’re here. I’m sorry those dreams touched you. It’s been a while since I dreamed of him.”
I wanted to shift into human form, but I knew Evie would clam up. So I lay perfectly still, allowing her to touch me in whatever way she wanted. The stroke of her fingers and soft words mesmerized me, allowing her to weave whatever spell she was casting over me as she spoke.
“I never wanted to get married, but I didn’t realize it until later. Maybe it was Griffin, or maybe it was the first feeling I had of ever being truly loved. When everything was over, I realizedall I wanted was love. Griffin wanted the whole package, the quintessential American life. But it was my fault as much as his.”
I turned my head and nipped at her arm for that last part. It was not her fault, and if it wouldn’t break Evie’s heart, I’d find this Griffin and tear him into tiny chunks to help the vultures devour him faster.
