Page 37 of Shifting Winds
After making a coffee to go, I waited by the front door for Caelan’s driver. My stomach twisted in anticipation. The Lords were all wildly different and the thought of standing before them getting grilled about something I didn’t technically have a hand in pissed me off.
But that’s politics, baby.
True to his word, a car pulled up at the edge of the driveway, inches away from my wards. I tugged a jacket on, grabbed my purse and keys, and hurried down the driveway.
The driver was a wolf I’d never met before.
“Ma’am. I’m Cain. Is the temperature okay?” The shifter wore a dark suit and mirrored sunglasses. He had a sharp jaw and full lips, but his expression was stone faced.
“Good with me. Thanks for the ride.”
“Buckle up, ma’am. The Shifter Lord insists you arrive safe.”
I obliged. “Ready when you are.”
Seconds later we were on the road.
Cain pulled up to the entrance of a fancy hotel about forty-five minutes later. I reached for the door, but the door was opened and a tanned hand extended in.
Caelan’s smell washed over me. I slid my hand into his calloused palm and let him help me out.
“We shouldn’t be seen together,” I whispered.
“I don’t give a shit what they think this looks like. I’ll never feel guilty for the way I feel about you.”
My heart did a little skip. Something brushed against my ear, and I batted at it, thinking maybe it was a bug.
Caelan’s eyes widened, a delighted smile tipping his lips up. “Blooming for me, Evie?” he murmured, his fingers brushing against my hair. The delectable scent of jasmine rose in the air.
My mouth fell open. I lifted my hand to feel soft petals entwined in my hair.
“Shit,” I breathed.
“Don’t pluck them,” Caelan said quietly, tugging my hand down. “The Council needs to know who you are.”
Yet another weird side effect of my magic. At least I hadn’t blown anything up today. Yeesh.
My boot heels thumped against the stone ground, and I was glad I’d chosen sensible shoes. A fine mist of rain sent a chill across my skin. The sky was rapidly darkening, storm clouds rolling in from a distance, akin to the temper beginning to churn in my chest.
We hurried inside, seconds before lightning cracked in the sky and the heavens opened up. The hotel’s interior was tastefully decorated in a mix of modern touches and old-worldstyle. A wrought iron chandelier hung in the middle of the foyer casting a warm light on the tile inlay.
As we walked, my hair kept rustling, a multitude of floral and herbaceous scents wafting in the air as we moved. People gawked at me with wide eyes as Caelan kept a firm hold on my elbow, chuckling softly as my hair bloomed before their eyes.
“I’m going to look like a freak when I walk in there,” I mumbled under my breath.
Caelan escorted me to the end of the hallway. “You’re going to look like a goddess.”
He tugged me down to the bench to sit beside him. We sat next to a room with large wooden doors and a do not disturb sign.
“The Council is meeting there?”
“They changed the location four times to make it difficult for anyone to get the drop on them.”
“And they think hosting at a public hotel will be safe?”
“Everyone here belongs to one of the Lords,” Caelan said. “The Council bought the place out for forty-eight hours.”
I grimaced. “This isn’t a day trip then? Bummer.”
