Page 29 of Final Shift
“So chess, not checkers,” Rowan said.
“Exactly,” Neit agreed.
“Why exactly are you here?” Moira said. “I don’t understand your dog in this fight, or if you have one at all.”
His eyes flashed. “When I first came here, I was searching for Cliona.”
Neit’s lips twitched. “When she proved…elusive, I spent some time getting to know this place.” He held out his hands. “There is much charm in this world and many beautiful things to see. While your world is not without its issues?—”
Moira and I grimaced at the same time, making Neit laugh.
“I believe it is worth saving. I do not wish to be a usurper, even by association.” He pinned me with his strange, violet-flecked dark eyes. “You’ve proven you can stand against her, Evie. And I fear we must do so once again. Danu must be driven from this realm.”
“And Titania?” I asked.
His teeth flashed in disgust. “Titania is a simpering fool. She is attracted to power and will follow such wherever it pops up. If you banish Danu, Titania will prove no challenge. She has no real use to us.”
“Harsh,” Moira remarked.
“True,” Neit said. “Titania holds power, but hers is nothing compared to yours. She wanted to replace Danu, but Titania could not hold more than one land at a time. Her powers function in a similar way to yours, but she cannot control the earth, only small portions.”
I shook my head. “I cannot either. While my power has grown, I am not up to my mother or father’s level yet.”
Neit’s eyes glimmered with amusement. “We both know that’s not true. Just ask the Lord when you see him.”
He looked at Rowan. “You will have my sword as long as you need to reclaim this place and banish the gods. May I visit your territory when I have need?”
“Guest rights,” Rowan said with a nod. “Harm no one and we shall do the same.”
Neit touched his chest. “On my honor.” With a nod to the rest of us, he disappeared in a shimmer of violet light.
“Well, fuck,” I said.
Chapter
Ten
“Does anyone have a plan?” Moira asked during the walk to Caelan’s.
Garrett cracked a laugh. “I do believe this might be the first time you’ve ever asked that question.”
Rowan snickered. I swatted at him, but I couldn’t help laughing either.
Moira snorted. “Assholes, the bunch of you.”
“I plan to talk to him. That’s all. Caelan has a way of escalating things, so we’ll see where it goes.”
“I always told him he had a natural talent for starting shit,” Garrett said. A tinge of sadness colored his voice.
The separation had been harder on him than Simone. When the Omega realized how Caelan was treating me, she was ready to bolt immediately. Garrett took longer to come around, but he had, and that was the most important thing. He’d tried to help Caelan, and Caelan had refused both the help and Garrett’s advice. When I almost died over Caelan’s actions, Garrett had walked away with Simone by his side.
“You don’t have to go if this is too difficult,” I said quietly.
Garrett shot me a look. “I won’t back down from a fight if it comes to that. My loyalty is to you and Rowan. Caelan was my friend, but some relationships aren’t meant to last. They’re meant to be lessons.”
Unfortunately, I understood what he meant far more than others might. I’d had a lot of those “lessons” in my life, many by Caelan’s hands. I reached over and touched his bicep. “Thank you, Garrett. I mean it.”
His eyes softened. “Of course.”
