I knew who it was before he stepped in, but what I didn’t expect were the two others behind him.
“Lord Ethan,” I greeted without my usual smile. Moira reached under the desk and gripped my hand in warning. Tess went still. Her form shimmered as she fought to control her fear, but I could smell it. Just like the Lords could.
“Miss Quinn.” He held the door for two others. Both were tall, but not as massive as Ben. Well-muscled and fit, the first had shaggy brown hair and light hazel eyes. He had a friendly face and winked at me as he brushed past Ethan.
The last Lord made my palms go slick with sweat. Power sluiced through the air when he stepped inside my shop, his pale gaze sweeping through the main area, stopping on me. He didn’t drop his gaze, and I knew I should drop mine as proper deference to the Shifter Lord, but there was something about him so unnerving I couldn’t look away if I tried. My stomach dropped to my toes, and fear, unlike any I’d ever known, cut through my veins like a hot knife.
Moira squeezed my hand tighter.
“How can I help you today?” I tugged my hand from Moira’s and stepped around the desk. “Are you shopping for you or a loved one?”
“Neither I’m afraid.” Ethan’s’ tone wasn’t friendly, but it wasn’t cold, either. Neutral was the best way to describe it.
“Oh? Then I’m at a loss.” I offered a polite smile and waited.
“Rowan,” the friendlier Lord said. He offered his hand, and I took it. His palm was rough in mine, but he didn’t squeeze too hard. A nice firm, professional handshake and a smile with a hint of something. Did he have a little bit of plant mage blood? When some of my pothos shivered and moved their vines closer, I decided I liked him.
I hitched a thumb over my shoulder. “Tess is on the right. Moira is on the left. Ash is by the door, there. I couldn’t run the shop without them.”
Rowan nodded. “This is a great place you have here.” He walked over to the pothos and touched a few of their leaves. “It’s nice to see a florist have more life in her shop than just cut flowers.” He inhaled deeply. “It smells of green things and fresh life here. I could live in here, I think.”
Color touched my cheeks. I put a hand over my chest. “Extremely kind words, Lord Rowan.”
“Just Rowan, please.”
“Thank you. Rowan,” I added.
The last Shifter Lord let the door close behind him. “My name is Halvar Aster. I rule the Midwestern territory.”
His voice scratched against my brain. Although his tone was melodic with an accent I couldn’t quite place, the sound of it made me itchy. I didn’t like him here and wanted him to leave as soon as possible. I tilted my head in acknowledgment. “Lord Aster. Welcome.”
All three Lords sucked all the air from the shop. Their combined power sizzled over my skin, making me itch to release some of my own. “Would you like to browse for a little while?” I asked.
Rowan spoke before anyone else. “We would. Thank you, Evie.”
I nodded and went back behind the desk, grabbing my notepad and a pen while the Lords investigated or “browsed.”I wasn’t dumb enough to believe they were actually browsing. Well, maybe for Rowan I could believe it, but the other two looked like they were searching for something. I scrawled a note across a blank piece of paper and pushed it to Moira.
Say nothing. Their hearing is far sharper than a normal shifter’s.
Moira scrawled a note back.Do we need to worry?
I’m not sure yet.
Tess floated away from the register toward the Shifter Lords.
“Tess!” I hissed.
She sent me a reassuring smile back, but it was anything but reassuring.
“How long will you be here?” Tess asked Ethan.
The Lord flicked a glance at her. “As long as we need to be.”
“That’s a cryptic answer,” Tess mused. “Did you know one of the first signs of declining cognitive ability is giving people answers that don’t make sense?”
Moira let out a horrified gasp.
Rowan’s eyebrows went up, and he shot Tess a darkly amused look. “Is that true, banshee?”
