The voice whispered through my mind, ancient and cunning.
I am not your retirement plan. Danu checked in every single time I communed with the land, to the point where I was thinking about stripping her access to Keep land. Going that far was an escalation I'd rather not deal with, but she wrecked my conversation every time she popped in.
You could be as powerful as you desired, she said, her words a sinuous hiss in my mind.
I can do that already. Once Dad removed the lock on my power, I could sense how far I could go.
The answer frightened me. I didn't need Danu to take the earth if I wanted the world for my own. But that was the difference between us. Danu was of the old pantheon, and I was of none. I continued living life on my terms and wouldn't allow someone like her to sway me.
Danu needed me. I did not need her.
You have my answer. I've been polite to you, but the answer will always be no. If you continue to pop in when I'm refreshing my power, I'll have no choice but to ban you from this property.
Rage brushed over me, Danu's emotions electric sparks against my mind.You dare?
I do.
Soil bucked and groaned around me, Danu's temper in physical form.
I stopped the tantrum with a wave of my hand.Last warning, I said mildly.
You tempt powers you cannot imagine.
I waited a beat.And you think you do not?
A pause, one of surprise, then a derisive snort.Someone's ego has grown since last we spoke.
No need for ego. I know what I can do. Leave, Danu. Before I make you.
Her presence slipped from my mind a moment later. I sent tendrils of seeking power to see if Danu hid somewhere close, but there was no trace of her. Maybe I'd given the old bat something to ponder while she slept in her dark hold.
A nudge at my elbow made me smile. Eyes still closed, I lifted my hand and felt the soft slide of fur under my fingers. Rowan settled his enormous head by my thigh and huffed as he adjusted to the most comfortable position.
I pushed his favorite flowers, freesia, up through the ground, encouraging them to open and surround Rowan with their strawberry-like scent. His head moved as he snuffled the flowers. A satisfied bear grunt rumbled from his throat, making me smile.
I sat there for hours, siphoning my power and feeding my Lord's lands—our lands now. I'd never get used to the feeling of being a part of such an amazing stretch of land. I'd claimed Donovan's old lands months ago and was planning to giftthem to Rowan before everything happened. With our marriage, Rowan became the most powerful Lord land wise, but he'd also secured the fae crown.
Let's just say we weren't all that popular in the Lord circle at this time. They were staying out of the Caelan issue, but that interpersonal drama had endeared me to them even less.
Not that any of us had ever been friends, Rowan being the only exception.
Ethan didn't seem all that bothered by Rowan's new status or what I'd done to Caelan, which puzzled me. His lack of interest was in direct opposition to how often he had put his nose into our business before. Before Moira, if I had to guess.
Ever since he and Moira became entangled, Ethan's behavior struck me as odd. The Lord had a strong and possibly skewed sense of morality. When he and Rowan found us at the bar, he'd scooped Moira up like she weighed nothing and given her a hard smack on the ass when she'd protested, like he didn't give a shit she was a vampire and could destroy him if she tried hard enough. The Ethan I knew would not have ever made a scene like he did that night.
Didn't hurt that he was a handsome bastard, either. Moira could do worse.
Rowan nudged me with his furry head, almost like he knew what I was thinking about and didn't care for the path my thoughts were on. Our bond was a strange thing, melded with shifter and fae magic, and responsive to our moods and physical emotions. We'd know if the other was hurt or in danger, and we knew when the other was feeling a little randy.
I was neither, but apparently even thinking someone else might be handsome was enough to make Rowan twitchy.
My power trickled to a slow drip, content and lazy. I opened my eyes and ruffled Rowan's fur. “Jealous I might fancy another?”
To that, Rowan shifted in a flash and hauled me underneath him in a swift, graceful move.
He gently bit my collarbone. “Do you?”
I tilted my neck to give him more access. “Never. I merely pondered for a moment how handsome Ethan is.”
