Rowan sucked in a breath and went still.
“You would stand with a lone Floromancer against your own people?” I asked in a low, deadly tone.
Ben, not even a tenth as scared as he should be, grinned and tapped on the door jamb. “As long as she says yes when I ask her out,” he said and began whistling a tune as he shut the door behind him.
I swore and kicked Ben’s chair so hard, it shattered into pieces against the wall.
Seymour’s pot shook as the plant grew an extra foot in length, its main trap shooting out like a snake to bite me right on the arm.
“Fuck!” I snarled, numbness setting in the second Seymour drew his teeth back and slithered back to normal size.
Rowan’s hearty laughter rang throughout the room. “Should I call your healer back or do you just want to deal with it?”
“Get bent,” I snarled as I tried to stalk from the room, only for my legs to give out.
Rowan was bent over double with laughter as I fell to the floor with a hard thump.
For the next few hours, I held a massive grudge against all plant life and a beautiful Floromancer who was fast becoming a massive and literal pain in my ass.
Chapter
Thirty
The raven sat atop my roof, watchful and quiet. I waved, but didn’t bother him. After escaping my mother’s clutches, I left the bird to his own devices. He’d come when he needed me or for occasional companionship.
The Shifter Lords’ visit had left me shaken, so I stayed outside the rest of the day, working on new landscaping. I had several trees I needed to boost, and I needed to do a walk-through of the property to make sure nothing was amiss, again something I’d neglected to do over the last several months. I had a four-wheeler, but I preferred walking so I wouldn’t miss anything that required attention.
Part of me wanted to call Moira, but I didn’t want to drag her into this mess. If I pretended to be only a Floromancer of middling power, maybe the Council would leave me alone. As long as Caelan kept my secret. And why the hell would he do that?
I sighed and peppered magic at some pesky thorns that were beginning to choke my marigolds. They retreated, but not far enough away for my taste, so I popped them again.
“Stay away from the front yard and the paths I walk, you hear me?” I scolded.
Someone stepped onto my land. I stilled, straining to hear.
“I know you sense me,” a deep voice said.
I rose and turned, only to see the same shifter who’d been with Caelan last night. He was massive, a bear of a man, and handsome as sin. Magic curled from the ground, rising up through the soles of my bare feet.
“I come in peace and promise no harm,” he said, holding his hands up. “My name is Ben Walker.”
“Are you here to deliver a message?” I asked, still wary.
“Not quite. I’m here…” His voice trailed off, and he huffed a laugh. “Well, I suppose I’m here because I want to meet the woman who managed to so handily infuriate a handful of Shifter Lords.”
I rolled my eyes. “They’re overly reactive.”
Ben laughed. “I agree. May I approach?”
I tilted my head and studied him. He was well over six and a half feet tall and must have weighed two hundred and fifty pounds. If he got his hands around me, I’d have a real fight on my hands.
Ben’s brows drew together. “Do not study me like a predator,” he said quietly. “I would never put my hands on a woman without their permission.”
I swallowed hard. “Every woman studies every man like he’s a predator. Most men aren’t emotionally intelligent enough to notice.”
Ben made no move to come closer. “Look your fill, Evie. Use your magic to know me.”
My eyes narrowed. No man had ever offered to allow me to look that closely. I took a few steps closer, his unusual, fresh and clean scent washing over me. “You aren’t a wolf.”
