He shook his head, a flash of disappointment in his swirling eyes. “Do you think you are evil?”
“Not usually.”
“A Chimera is not good, nor is it evil. Neither are humans. Or vampires. Or shifters. There are many facets to everyone and everything. If you are not evil, why do you think your Chimera will be?”
“It hungers,” I said softly.
Cernunnos sighed and rose in one graceful motion. He crouched and lay his hand on my shoulder, his face very close to mine. “Then feed it.”
He stepped off the edge of the rock and turned into a massive stag. With one last glance, he bounded away into the dark forest.
I awoke in my bed covered in a sheen of sweat, weak sunlight streaming through the windows.
Groaning, I rolled over and covered my head with the pillow.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Every time Cernunnos visited me in my dreams, I woke up feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. What that told me was his visits were not dreams at all. I walked to the coffee pot like a zombie and made twice as much as usual, not doing anything at all until I’d downed two cups. Only then was I ready to check my email and make some notes about inventory for next week. Hattie’s order was coming due, so I added as much cheery color as I could to my notes. I’d work on the bouquet when I got back to the shop.
After a couple hours of admin work, I rose and changed into some outdoor clothing. My property was on the outskirts of town, secluded from other neighbors because of the nature of my magic, and surrounded by eight additional acres of uncleared land. The greenhouse was set toward the back side of the house and had seen better days. I’d meant to restore it over the years, but I’d gotten busy with other projects and had neglected to do anything other than bolster the foundation so it wouldn’t fall down around my ears when I worked inside.
But it had been quite a while since I’d grown anything inside, and I wasn’t sure why other than my own neglect, so I went outside with my sketchbook I used to draw up arrangementideas and studied the greenhouse from every angle, trying to figure out how I could best utilize the space.
I needed a functional and comfortable space to work in during the summer, and that was easier said than done in Joy Springs. After I’d sketched out the ideal greenhouse with notes about hydroponics and a heating and cooling system, I forced open the creaky doors and went inside.
The greenhouse was empty except for several old pots and some gardening tools that had seen better days. I’d bought the place because of the privacy it offered and this greenhouse, but my magic had grown by leaps and bounds since then, and I needed something more than a simple growing setup.
But I’d just written Caelan a huge check, and it would be awhile before my bank account replenished itself. While I could afford an electrician and a carpenter, I always kept a large chunk of cash just in case I needed to start over. With my behavior over the last couple of weeks, that likelihood was looking more like an inevitability than a slight chance.
Grimacing at my own stupidity, I grabbed the lone shovel sitting against the wall to put in my shed, and stepped back outside, only to see two black SUVs pulling into my driveway. I watched way too much television to be calm about their appearance.
Vehicles like that could mean only a few things.
I was about to be the victim of heavy gunfire.
The mob was about to make me a deal I couldn’t refuse.
The cartel was about to make me the same deal, but with a handsome drug lord garnering the deal I couldn’t help but fall in love with.
Or the Shifter Lords had arrived at my doorstep.
When Caelan stepped out from the first vehicle wearing a suit and a grim expression, I had a moment of deep regret that it wasn’t the cartel. They’d be easier to deal with.
A lean man with silver at the edge of his temples and an air of violence surrounding him slid from the driver’s seat of the same vehicle Caelan had just exited.
I began funneling magic up through my feet, spooling it through my veins in anticipation of violence. Caelan gave me a warning look as the second Lord approached me.
Several other males exited the second vehicle and followed behind Caelan and the other one, a Lord, I presumed.
The lean man stopped before me. He was smaller than Caelan, but not weak. Magic snapped around his aura, different from Caelan’s. His eyes were dark and flat, and he studied me like I was prey, which pissed me off.
Cernunnos’ and Moira’s warnings rang in my mind.
Gray rock. Be the most uninteresting thing in the room.
My fingers gripped the shovel I held. “Can I help you?”
