Page 48 of Shifting Winds
“It doesn’t mean your care is up to necessary standards,” Thalia said in an arch voice. She unslung a pack from her shoulders. “Is there a place where I can get some blue jeans? Ol’ deer guy refuses to stock pants in his 14th century fortress.”
My brows went up. Probably not a lover then.
“I’ll take you,” Garrett said, stepping up to offer his arm to Thalia.
The woman stared at him with suspicion. “And who are you?”
I lay a hand over my chest. “I am Caelan, Lord of this territory. This is my Second, Garrett.”
“Second what?” Thalia asked, confusion flashing over her face.
Garrett watched her with the intensity of a predator discovering something interesting. A flash of worry shuddered through me, but I cast it aside. This was Garrett. Not some lovesick teenager. Even if he was attracted to this irate woman, and I couldn’t imagine why he would be, he’d do his job.
“A Second is integral to the structure of the Pack,” Garrett said. “We help the Lord maintain order, structure, and discipline.”
“Garrett is also a trusted advisor and a protector for everyone in our Pack and those who’ve received our protection,” I added.
Thalia looked at Cernunnos. “How long will I be here?”
“For the foreseeable future.”
Thalia rolled his eyes. “Until you can decide what to do with me?”
The king’s expression darkened. “I’m doing this to help you.”
Thalia rolled her eyes and finally took Garrett’s outstretched arm. “A cage with no bars is still a cage.”
Lightning cracked in the sky, a physical representation of Cernunnos’s fury. His eyes swirled with rage, and he stepped forward as if to grab her.
Thalia snorted. “You stopped scaring me a long time ago. Honestly, it’d be a relief if you killed me.”
Garrett stiffened, a low snarl ripping from his throat.
“Know your place, wolf,” Cernunnos said, his voice a rumble in the night.
I stepped forward. “Thalia is under our protection now. You have no say over her welfare until you decide our watch is over.”
For a moment, I thought Cernunnos might call the entire thing off. His eyes swirled as he watched Thalia, her fingers wrapped around Garrett’s forearm. His usually reliable second’s posture was stiff, the rings of his watchful eyes flaring a bright gold. If I ever left, there was a good possibility Garrett would step into my position. A shifter’s power only grew as they aged, and Garrett was almost as powerful as a Lord. It took incredible willpower for him to hold his position as my Second and not to get into dominance challenges with the other wolves.
Garrett was deadly enough to win most challenges that came his way, but intelligent and emotionally mature enough to defuse most before they resulted in a full out fight. Young shifters were full of testosterone and violence, and sometimesthe only way to temper the urge to fight was for a more dominant wolf to put them on the ground.
“She is not your plaything,” Cernunnos warned Garrett, seeing the potential of trouble as well as I did.
Garrett held the Fae King’s gaze. “I’d never force a woman,” he said, the wolf riding his voice.
Thalia dropped Garrett’s arm. “I swear,” she snapped. “If it’s not one ridiculous thing, it’s another. The last thing I want is some man bossing me around all the time. And a shifter to boot?” She rolled her eyes. “All the snarling and growling and possessiveness?” Thalia shuddered. “No thank you.”
Garrett blinked owlishly at her. I ducked my head to hide my smile.
My Second cleared his throat. “My apologies. Please allow me to escort you to your apartment.”
Thalia studied Garrett for a moment before nodding. “Fine.”
“Do you have anything other than your backpack?” he asked.
“No. It’s difficult packing ballgowns and corsets,” she said with a dark glare at Cernunnos.
“My court is traditional,” he gritted out.
