“Informal?” I blurted. “With all that money he spent on just the flowers?”
“He’s filthy rich, Evie,” Ash said, rolling his eyes. “The cost for him is equivalent to a drop of rain.”
“Still.” I thought about it. “Maybe I should have charged him more.”
The vampire reached over and patted my knee. “That’s our Evie. Business woman ’til the end.”
“There’s one more thing.” Ash rubbed his hand over his face. “I’ve heard some rumblings about divine magic popping up in some of the smaller towns.”
I froze. “What kind of divine magic?” Was my mother acting up again?
“No idea. But I think we should all be on guard. We all know what happens when the gods start walking the world again.”
Silence fell. Yes, we did. And I knew more than most considering one of them was my mother.
Chapter
Eighteen
CAELAN
“You’re an idiot,” Simone breathed.
“He’s a stupid motherfucker, is what he is,” Garrett growled. “Are you insane?”
I sat at my desk glaring at my Omega and my Beta. “You’re very lucky you’re my closest friends.”
Garrett scoffed. “We might be, but it doesn’t mean you listen to a single word we say.”
His tone pissed me off. Garrett always said what he meant, and I usually appreciated it, but not when I fully realized how badly I’d fucked up over the last twenty-four hours.
Simone didn’t say much, her direct stare unnerving.
I decided not to tell them I’d broken into Evie’s house. The damage I’d done to her store was bad enough. Trespassing and breaking and entering were felonies. So was destruction of property, but as Shifter Lord, I had much more discretion about how I handled issues.
And Evie, like it or not, was becoming an issue.
“It’s taken care of,” I growled.
Garrett made a disgusted noise. “How is it taken care of? Did you threaten the girl or throw money at the problem?”
I gritted my teeth.
“Garrett,” Simone cautioned.
He waved a dismissive hand. “You should have killed her the second she moved here. What were you thinking?”
I tamped my rage down. Garrett was my oldest, dearest friend. His temper was an issue, but he was a born strategist and could one day be a Lord. If he reined his temper in.
“Just like everyone else, she applied to live here as a florist. A Floromancer. There was no reason to look twice at her application, and you know it.”
“That display was more than Floromancy,” Simone said quietly.
“I agree.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “But this was partly my fault.” I bit down on the smile threatening to form. “I baited and threatened her, assuming she would roll over and do what I wanted.”
Simone chuckled. “And she did.”
I inclined my head. “Yes. Her stunt was the textbook definition of malicious compliance. I’d all but forced her to be our florist, and I specifically requested a display of power. She went above and beyond.”
