Page 65 of Shifting Winds
He still held me firm in the circle of his arms, his warmth seeping through my bloody clothing. I put my palm on his chest and lay my head against his shoulder. Guilt filled me.
Ben was right.
I am fucking weird.
Chapter
Twenty-One
Within twenty-four hours I was ready to commit murder. Ben and Caelan had all but moved into my house and had been involved in a never-ending pissing match. I wasn’t strong enough to boot them both out yet, my power slowly trickling back to life. By tomorrow, I hoped to be at sixty percent normal. If things went well, I could toss them out on their asses if they didn’t start behaving.
In the meantime, I’d texted Moira for help. She was on her way with donuts, coffee, and hopefully a healthy dose of sense to knock into the two shifters currently shoving each other in the kitchen.
“I swear to the gods, you jealous prick,” Ben snapped when Caelan took the cream he was reaching for. “Can you cool it for five minutes?”
“I know you aren’t here for the right reasons,” Caelan said, pouring way too much cream in his mug.
“I’ll be gone in two days. You asked me here, and now Evie is my patient. I’m not trying to sneak under her covers.”
“Can you two please shut up?” I begged.
It was bad enough I had to have help to get to the bathroom. Listening to those two knuckleheads made me want to scream.
“Ben hasn’t done anything untoward, and you know it.”
“That’s because I’m here,” Caelan snapped, his eyes refusing to leave Ben’s stiff form.
Ben sighed. “If I wanted to take Evie from you, I would.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered.
“Would you now?” Caelan said, a lethal glint appearing in his eyes.
The doorbell rang. I closed my eyes in relief. “Caelan, can you get that?”
“I’d much rather beat the shit out of Ben.”
Ben rolled his eyes and went to answer the door, holding it open as Moira breezed in, her arms full of goodies.
She winked at me and headed straight to the couch. “Vanilla bean latte.”
I snatched it out of her hands and took a long sip. “Mmm. You’re a goddess.”
“Yes, yes, I know.” Moira waved her hand. “But that’s not the best part.” With a flourish, she opened the box of donuts revealing an astonishing array of wildly decorated pastries. “The new place downtown is owned by a pastry witch. You have to try the rocky road.”
Caelan and Ben came over, both reaching for a treat.
Moira jerked the box back. “Uh uh. I’ve heard both of you’ve been misbehaving. Evie gets first dibs on anything she wants.”
Ben had the grace to look sheepish. Caelan snorted and flopped onto the chair next to the couch. He exhaled. “Sorry.”
I laughed. He sounded so disgruntled. “Good thing. I’m about to kick you both out.”
Ben’s brow furrowed. “You aren’t well enough for me to leave.”
“I can stay with her,” Moira offered. “If you two hadn’t brow beat her, I’d be the one taking care of her.”
“I’m sorry,” Ben said. “Her power levels are still low. She needs at least two more days of rest before I’m comfortable leaving her in someone else’s hands.”
