“Gray rock him.”
I frowned. “What?”
“Become as interesting as a rock. Have zero sense of humor. Respond only to the questions he asks with short, limited conversation. Reveal nothing about yourself. You need to become the most uninteresting person on the planet. Normal Floromancer magic. Nothing flashy. No more of those fancy automatons that got our shop destroyed. No more fairy-tale gardens.”
I watched my friend, saw the tremble in her pale, slim fingers, and heard the quiver in her words, realizing for the first time she was truly afraid for me.
“Shifter Lords exist to keep the peace between our people. You never want to gain their interest, Evie, and you are failing terribly. If you don’t do it for me, do it for you. Chimera blood is a death sentence, and if Caelan discovers it, he will put you to death. No discussion. No trial. No nothing.”
I opened my mouth to plead my case, but the look in her eyes stopped me. So I nodded. “Okay.” Clearing my throat, I spoke again, my voice thick with emotion. “I promise. Gray rock from now on. Interesting as a bag of dried beans.”
“Good. But nothing interesting like heirloom beans or those Adzuki beans. Be a regular old pinto.”
“Got it. Pinto it is.”
“Or even a Lima bean. Most people hate those and avoid them like the plague.”
“Sure. Of course. Want me to stop brushing my hair or maybe disappear for a while and come back with an internet addiction or something?”
Moira grinned. “Pinto bean is fine. If you go too far with it, you run the risk of becoming interesting again.”
“Heaven forbid.”
We grinned at each other. Moira let go and grabbed her wine. “You’re allowed to be as interesting as you’d like around us.”
“And if I ever get a boyfriend?”
Moira’s eyebrows rose to her hairline. “Are you looking for one?”
I scoffed. “Not even a little. But I might have to be interesting to land one.”
The vampire laughed. “My dear, all you have to do is flutter those pretty eyes at a man, and they’ll trip at your feet like an obsessed puppy.”
“What you’re saying is don’t speak, just be pretty?”
“That’s all I’ve ever had to do.”
I laughed and tossed a throw pillow at her. We sat and chatted for a while before Moira rose and stretched. “I’m heading home. Be careful tonight and stay incognito tomorrow. It may take some time for Caelan’s interest to wear off.”
“Interesting as a bean. Got it.”
I walked Moira to the door, and she grabbed me, pulling me in for a tight hug. “Come over next week. I’ve been neglectful of my house plants, and I think they hate me. They could use a friend.”
“How about Monday?”
“I’ll tell them. They always perk up when Aunt Evie visits.”
I laughed and waved her away, watching as she jogged down the steps to her car. Once her tail lights disappeared, I went back inside and locked the door.
My magic slumbered for the first time in a long time, curled up inside me like a contented cat. I’d expended a ton of power on Caelan’s property, and I wish there was a way I could do that daily because I felt amazing. Exhausted, but in a good way for once.
After another glass of wine, I showered and headed to bed.
Maybe tomorrow I’d work on restoring the greenhouse. That should expend quite a bit of power.
The dream shimmered into existence,revealing Cernunnos sitting on the same rock as the last time I’d seen him. He beckoned me over and held a hand out. Once I was settled beside him, we stared at the heavy moon hanging in the sky.
“You’re here because of what I did tonight, I assume.”
