“If we can take the power from them, we can put them somewhere they won't bother anyone else.”
“Danu will be more difficult than Titania. She's ancient, probably close to Mom in power level, if not Dad. I'm not sure if I can keep her trapped forever.”
“You're more powerful,” Moira said matter-of-factly.
I snorted. “Your faith in me is heartwarming, but I'm not sure that's true.”
Moira rolled her eyes. “The evening your father ripped that lock off you, Seattle registered a series of small earthquakes.”
I stared at her, my mind going blank for a moment. “Seattle has mini earthquakes all the time. Something to do with a fault line or something.” Earthquakes and weather never interested me all that much. I was careful to avoid tender spots under the earth's surface when communing with the land, but I rarely paid attention to such things unless they made the news and I happened to be sitting in front of the television. Even then, I never thought too much about them. Sometimes the earth shifted. Balance had to be restored. Nature always took what it needed, so there was no reason for me to investigate natural phenomena unless it turned unnatural.
“Yes,” Moira said patiently, “but what are the odds of those earthquakes happening at the same exact time your father was reaching down into the earth to pull you back up? The second he ripped that lock from you, power erupted through the world.”
Garrett's brow furrowed. “When were you going to say something?”
Moria studied her nails. “I can't help none of you pay attention to anything but your muscles in your bathroom mirror.”
Garrett let out a surprised bark of laughter. “Well, vampire, we were all a little busy at that moment.”
Caelan leaned forward, his eyes intent on Moira. “You think Evie would win if she went head to head with Danu?”
Moira's eyes flashed crimson. “Evie always wins,” she said simply.
Tears burned the backs of my eyes. Moira's faith in me had always been unshakeable. “That's not quite true,” I said hoarsely.
My BFF scoffed. “Please. Even with your power dampened, you managed to rip your way out of a magical tree that shot you straight into the space/time continuum and then murder said tree horribly, consuming its power. You took down your abuser and his boss, which were freaking Chimeras and almost impossible to kill. You went head to head with almost all of the Shifter Lords and walked out unscathed, and now we're sitting in one of those Lords' dining rooms having delicious lemon mousse. All the while, you have his property held in an iron grip and Caelan trapped like Rapunzel locked in a tower. Except there's no prince to save him. He was supposed tobethe prince. But you found your own, didn't you? And now you're the fae queen.”
Moira shrugged as if all that was in a day's work. “You'll figure it out and kick Danu's ass. As far as Titania, I'm sure Neit would help. Not to mention your Mom and Dad, and whoever else you can bring onto your shiny ship of sidekicks.”
I held my breath and waited for Caelan's eruption. But when he didn't get angry at Moira's unflattering description, I started to wonder. Had the Lord truly turned over a new leaf?
That took us to new business. I put down my spoon and shifted. “Releasing my hold on your land will both help and harm you.”
Caelan's attention turned to me, those stormy gray eyes lingering on my face. “How so?”
“Danu will have access to Keep property.”
His lips thinned with displeasure. “And she'll show up here to kill me.”
I made a back and forth gesture with my hand. “She may not have to. My grip on the land has prevented Danu's spell from multiplying. Once I release the Keep, her spell will pick up right where it left off.”
Caelan let out a heavy breath and looked up at the ceiling. “And I was infected.”
I gave him a sad smile. “There's a solution.”
The Lord's jaw tightened. “And here I sat thinking we'd made so much progress today.”
“It doesn't have to end,” I said softly. “But it does require trust.”
“You want to claim my land until the threat is over, just like you've done with the other Lords.”
“Until Danu is neutralized, no one's land is safe.” I smiled apologetically. “As soon as we figure out a solution, I plan to happily give everything back.”
And that was a true statement. Everyone's land held a different signature. Ethan's was surprisingly calm and wild. Rowan's felt like home. Caelan's felt familiar but also sad, like the land mourned what had become of its steward.
I leaned forward. “You don't have to answer now. But I want you to think about all our dealings, all the times you had to trust me and ask yourself two questions. Have I ever betrayed you? And have I ever retaliated when I was not under direct threat?”
Caelan's eyes darkened. “And if my answer to your solution is no?”
