I laughed. “My addiction to British baking shows and weakness for baked goods?”
At his silence, I sobered. “My father was mortal.”
Cernunnos rose to his feet. “Was he?”
I stared at him as he hopped off the rock.
“Cernunnos.” My throat went dry. I stared at him in horror. My father was mortal. Mom had always said…
No. No she hadn’t. I’d drawn my own conclusions, hadn’t I? I swore viciously under my breath.
The fae king turned and strode away.
“Cernunnos!”
An iridescent portal opened before him. He turned and studied me for a brief second. “You will never lose yourself once you discover who you’re truly meant to be, Evangeline.”
Cernunnos took a step backward, the portal swallowing him in a flash of bright light.
My eyes snapped open.
I was lying in bed, covered in a cold sweat.
Inside my palm lay an oak leaf the color of burnished gold.
Chapter
Seven
Aflower bouquet lay before me, but I didn’t want to touch it. Malevolent energy wafted from the wilting blooms. Tess, Moira, Ash, and I all stood in a semi-circle around the spelling table, staring down at it.
“Who brought this in?” I asked.
Moira flipped through the clipboard she held. “Um. A woman named Amy.”
“Marriage date.”
Moira’s eyes skimmed down the page. “One week ago. Her mother dropped off the bouquet for her daughter. The daughter’s name is Chloe.”
“Do we have the groom’s name?”
Ash shifted uncomfortably. “I don’t like this,” he murmured. “Those flowers are...tainted.”
Moira shook her head. “No place for it. I can add it to the sheet for next time.”
“Please do,” I murmured.
Tess rubbed her hands over her arms. “He’s a bad man. A very bad man.”
“I’m not sure he’s a man at all.”
Three sets of wide eyes swung my way. “You can tell that?” Moira asked.
I tipped my hand back and forth. “Sort of. There’s a magic imprint soaked into the blooms, but it’s faint. Men don’t normally handle their bride’s flowers.” Odd that he handled them at all. “Do you know if the couple is on their honeymoon?”
Moira shrugged. “I assumed so since the mom dropped the bouquet off, but I didn’t ask.” She took a step back, eyeing the flowers warily.
“Should we call her back and refuse the job?” Moira made a note on the clipboard. “She left her cell and an email address.”
