Page 19 of Final Shift
Rowan's jaw tightened.
“What is with you two?” I asked in a low voice.
My mate shook his head once. “He's a puppet master, tugging on everyone's strings.”
“Has he ever tugged on yours?”
“Mm.” A faint smile tipped his lips up. “He tried. More than once.”
My eyebrows lifted. “Oh? I take it that things didn't go well?”
I wondered before. Dad inserted himselfeverywhere. He was the equivalent of an HOA president slow rolling past the neighborhood houses on the weekend, trying to catch someone stepping one inch out of line. Rowan never said anything and always treated my father with respect. Not because he was the king but because he was my father.
“No.” Rowan snorted. “I never participated in his schemes. Which is why I think he messed with me less than the others.”
“I don't think he's spoken to any of the other Lords.”
Rowan eyed me, amusement sparkling in the hazel depths of his gaze. “Your father has spoken with all of us. I'd wager my entire Keep.”
“He's such a nosy Nellie.” I looped my arm through Rowan's. “Come on. I made an angel food cake for dessert.”
Rowan gasped. “Did you make the cream, too?”
I had no idea he had such a sweet tooth until I moved into the main house. Dude had never met a baked good he didn't like.
“With the vanilla bean,” I assured him.
“Gods, I love you,” Rowan breathed. He tugged his arm loose and jogged ahead to the kitchen.
Moira watched him go. When I made it to the patio, she rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. You made dessert?”
“Angel food cake,” I confirmed. “With the sweetened whipped cream.”
“You're spoiling him,” Mom observed with a grin. “Good for you.”
“He deserves it.” I followed Rowan into the kitchen. He'd already pulled the cake and the cream out and held a stack of plates and forks, an eager expression on his face.
I took the cake and whipped cream. “You can have the first slice.”
“Yesssss,” Rowan hissed under his breath.
With him around, life felt so easy, and I tried to relax.
In two days, I would see Caelan again, the break Rowan and I had taken over for the foreseeable future. I'd be a fool to believe I'd walk away from the other Lord's territory unscathed.
Chapter
Seven
Iawoke in the circle of Rowan's arms. Pressing a kiss to his chest, I slipped away to pull on a heavy cashmere cardigan and a pair of slip-on sneakers and slipped out of the bedroom.
Moira's apartment was half a mile away, an easy walk for anyone living on Keep grounds. I made a pot of coffee and pulled out a few pastries from the fridge. While the coffee was brewing, I tied my hair into a messy bun and brushed my teeth.
With a thermos of coffee and the pastries balanced in my hands, I headed out to make the short walk.
Moira answered the door, bleary-eyed and wearing a silk nightgown that hit the tops of her thighs. My bestie was stunning, though she never thought so. Moira used her beauty when it benefited her. Otherwise, she was perfectly content to lounge around in joggers, tanks, and bare feet, or nightgown and slippers.
Her dark hair fell loose and wavy around her shoulders. Dark brown, almost black eyes squinted at me. She grunted when she saw what I was holding and stepped back, holding the door open.
