Page 66 of Shifting Winds
“She is right here,” I grumbled, choosing a rocky road and a coconut and pecan donut.
Moira lifted a questioning brow. “Do they deserve one?” she whispered.
“No.”
Ben acted like he’d been shot, pulling a reluctant grin from me.
“Fine. But if anyone eats the blueberry one, there will be hell to pay.”
Ben asked no questions, and neither did Caelan. Soon all conversation had died, and we were in a sugar coma.
Moira was the first to stir. She got up and made a new pot of coffee, then came back over and gently lifted my feet up before she sat down next to me. I wiggled my toes at her.
“Thanks for the coffee and donuts. How’s the shop?”
“Just fine. Ash and Tess are back, and things are mostly back to normal.”
“Ash is okay?”
Her eyes softened. “He will be. Tess is giving him space, and Ash is healing.” She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Things are going to be okay.”
“Good.” My heart lightened. Ash had always been secretive about his relationships until the one with Tess. While I knew he wasn’t a saint and had other relationships, I’d never seen him as happy as he was with the banshee. But sometimes, things weren’t meant to work out. Maybe it wasn’t their time, or maybe this really was the end. Either way, I wanted my friends to be okay.
I wanted us all to be okay.
Ben and Caelan went outside, and as soon as the door shut, Moira leaned in. “Are they driving you insane?”
I lay my head against the back of the couch and groaned. “It could have been the perfect scenario for a romance novel. Two hot shifters caring for me, making sure I had everything I needed, being a little over possessive. The tension between them and us rises in the air culminating in an explosive threesome where I have multiple orgasms and somehow wind up with a harem of sexy shifters who catered to my every need.”
Moira cackled. “Since you’re scowling on the couch, I assume it didn’t go to plan.”
“No. I’m getting ready to murder them both.”
“Those are both glorious specimens of men. It’d be a shame for them to die.”
I sighed. “Something good came out of this. Ben no longer wants to strangle me.”
“Small favors.” Moira yawned before a short laugh escaped her. “Before I forget, I thought you should know the entire town is talking about Caelan’s new tree.”
“He’s not happy about it.” Caelan hadn’t said much about the World Tree in his backyard, but I could hear him discussing matters on the phone when he thought I wasn’t listening.
“Who would be?” She rose, gently moving my feet off, and went into the kitchen. “Want another cup of coffee?”
“Not yet. I’m still nursing my latte.”
She brought back a cup and sat down. “I’ll stay if you want me to.” Her eyes softened. “You look like shit.”
I laughed, wincing as the still healing muscles in my stomach pulled. “Thanks.”
“I’m serious. I’ve never seen you so laid up.” She reached for her purse and dug around in her bag. “Have Ben or Grumpy make you some tea with this. It will help.”
I took the small organza bag she handed me and held it up to my nose. Lavender, rose, cinnamon, and a few others I couldn’t identify. Moira’s lineage was a little mysterious. She was a vampire but not a full-blooded one. No fangs unless she decided to flash them at you, which was rare, and she preferred tea over blood. Her herbal concoctions were nothing to sneeze at, and I knew she had a brisk side hustle selling a cold and flu tea she’d come up with a few years back. Moira might be my best friend, but she held her secrets close.
I knew she had witch blood, but some of her talents made me think she might even have a little fae blood, both contributing to her leanly muscled, fine-boned appearance, not to mention her traffic-stopping beauty. She rarely talked about her past and didn’t offer too many tidbits about herself, but she always had my back and that was the most important thing, especially given my own muddied heritage.
“What’s in it?”
“A little of this, a little of that,” she demurred. “It’ll taste good and should help speed up your healing.”
