“Thanks.” I headed over to the stunning display, pleased to find small stepping stones allowing me to traverse the garden without stepping on any of the flowers.
With no further ado, I settled myself into the garden and got to work.
When I returned homewith Pax in tow, everyone was sitting outside on our patio. Declan was the first to rise, followed by Hope, whose eyebrows went up. Pax was a gorgeous male, and she’d have to be blind not to notice. And none of the women on Rowan’s lands were blind.
I made introductions and left Pax to get acquainted. Rowan followed me inside the house and watched me carefully.
“How’d he win you over?”
“He planted the most incredible garden I’d ever seen because he had a crush on me.”
Rowan stared at me for a beat before he burst out laughing. “To think, if I would have known that I would have planted the finest garden in creation years ago.”
He sighed and opened his arms. I stepped into the circle and laid my head against his chest.
“Danu is still here,” I murmured.
“I know.”
“I have one more thing to do tonight before I get some rest. Tomorrow, I plan to go out and settle this once and for all.”
Rowan exhaled a deep sigh. “Figured as much.”
“I don’t think she will have many allies. And if she does, if things go well tonight, she won’t have them for long.”
“Dare I ask?”
I had hope and a plan. Nothing concrete. “Mum’s the word, just in case it doesn’t work.”
He sighed against my hair. “Evie, international woman of mystery.”
I pulled away and went straight to the fridge. A tray of sandwiches made by Rowan’s cook was calling my name. Rowangrabbed the lemonade and we headed back outside to help Pax get acclimated to his new home.
A couple of hours later, I retreated back to the old cottage I stayed in when I first arrived. I kept a lot of plants in here and occasionally used it as a workspace, but tonight, I had something very specific I was working on.
Mom shimmered in half an hour into my experiment. I asked her to come to see if what I was thinking might be viable. I’d spent the last few hours hunched over the coffee table, carefully creating something I’d never done before.
When I made Seymour, I was pissed off. When I made Hannah, I was in a softer mood and wanted to give a plant lover a special gift. Both had turned out unique but not quite right.
Mom got onto her knees beside me. She tied her hair in a knot and fastened in on top of her head.
The sound of soft pecking alerted me to a new presence. I turned and smiled as I saw who awaited me at the window.
“Mind if I let him in?”
Mom glanced over her shoulder to see Poe. “Oh!” She smiled. “Not at all.”
I got up to open the back door. Just as I was reaching for the handle, Mom spoke again. “You can invite the phoenix you stole from me in, too.”
I winced. “How long have you known?”
Mom’s soft snort of laughter made guilt churn in my stomach. “How long did you think it would take before someone noticed a multi-colored glowing bird flying through the air over a Shifter Lord’s Keep?” She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Evie. And not only that, the Lord you were dating at the time.”
“In my defense, you were the wicked stepmother back then.”
“I’m well aware,” Mom said primly. “But I would like to meet Poe’s companion if you’ll allow it.”
I opened the back door. “Fetch Fee,” I said.
