Page 20 of Final Shift
The moment I stepped over the threshold, she snatched the thermos of coffee and slammed the door.
“Misty had a wild night?” I ventured.
Moira grunted again while she opened the thermos and poured herself a cup. She took a sip, grimaced, but took another sip. I went straight to the kitchen and put on the kettle.
Moira would always prefer tea to coffee, but she drank coffee when someone offered the beverage. If it were caffeinated, she'd drink whatever someone put into her hands.
I rummaged through her cabinets until I found her London Fog canister and set up her mug with a teaspoon of the fragrant blend. She already had the steamer set up, so I poured a little of the milk she kept in a glass bottle into the metal carafe and turned the machine on, after I added a dash of cinnamon to the liquid.
Moira kept a glass jar of vanilla bean sugar by the kettle. When the tea finished brewing, I added a little sugar and carefully spooned in the steamed milk, gently stirring to combine everything in the exact way I knew she liked it.
I felt her eyes on me, curious and loving. When I turned to hand her the mug, she took it. “You never make me tea. Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine,” I assured her. “I'm here to check on you and hang out. I don't want to be the kind of friend who fades away because one of us gets married.”
Her lips twitched. “And you're here to see the baby?”
“And I'm here to see the baby.”
We laughed together. Moira was usually up with the sun, but last night was her time to have Misty. The abandoned Chimera baby was flourishing in her new home at the Keep, even as the vast majority of shifters were a little sleep deprived after a night with her. We made a calendar for anyone who volunteered to help, and little Misty was happily keeping those volunteers up allnight. At first, we wondered if bouncing her around might harm her development, but shifters always banded together. None of the volunteers abandoned her and visited her wherever she was that day.
Misty had taken to everyone like a fish to water. There wasn't a single shifter in the Keep she didn't like. Gummy smiles and baby laughs were payment enough for a rough night's sleep, and everyone seemed happy to pay.
“When did she fall asleep?”
Moira sighed and took a fortifying sip of her chai latte. “Two. Before that, she was up every hour and a half. But I think she's beginning to see longer stretches of sleep. In a few weeks, the little nightmare might be sleeping through the night.”
They'd taken it easy on me through my honeymoon period and had gone as far as to remove our name from the volunteer calendar. I wouldn't let it go on too much longer. Partly to be fair, but also because I wanted baby snuggles just as much as the rest of them.
And soon enough, the Keep would be filled with babies. Several shifters were heavily pregnant after I'd come onto Rowan's land and started working my magic. I had no idea earth magic could work that way, but I'd really let go once I felt safe which resulted in a whole lot of sexy time and a ton of unplanned babies.
Not that anyone was angry about it. The complete opposite, in fact. They borderline worshipped the ground I walked on for a while, which made things uncomfortable for me. Now that everyone was used to me and things had settled down, they treated me as Rowan's lady and not some unapproachable deity.
The arm wrestling incident had solidified me as flesh and blood, and Rick, the Navy vet I'd beaten, still acted as my driver when Rowan wasn't around. He was a good guy who was stillbegging me for a rematch. I had yet to give him one, but one day I might surprise him.
I still planned to win.
“How are things with Ethan?” She had yet to take Rowan up on his offer of knocking on his shifter's door for some companionship, and I sent up a little prayer every time she refrained. Yes, having some after hours entertainment might knock the edge off, but Moira had never been that kind of person. She had boyfriends in the past, but no one serious and no one long lasting. What she didn't have was a revolving door of men, and I hoped she didn't start.
Moira's eyes darkened. She and the other Lord had a short, but interesting history. I'd never seen her crush on someone the way she was crushing on him, but he wasn't making it easy on her. I wanted to tell her to find another distraction, maybe a hapless human in town who didn't mind being casual.
Shifters and paranormals came with their own troubles. I know I sure as hell did. For a while, I was a walking red flag. Human troubles were a lot less dangerous, and after hanging out with me and all my surrounding drama, Moira could use some down time.
Her eyes narrowed. “You're staring at me like you're about to give an unasked for piece of advice. Please don't.”
When I first met Moira, I was taken aback by how freely she spoke. All these years later, I appreciated knowing where I always stood with her. “I only want you to be happy.”
“Ethan won't make me happy. He's got more baggage than an international flight.” She rolled her eyes. “He's hot in the physical sense, but cold everywhere else.”
The temper snapping in his eyes when he hauled her out of that bar months ago begged to differ, but I kept my mouth shut. “Hmm,” was all I said.
“I've been eyeing a shifter who lives on the other side of the Keep. Beautiful, mysterious, quiet. He makes these little wood carvings I find all over the place.”
I watched her. “Are you thinking about knocking on his door?”
She stretched her long legs out and wiggled her pink toes. “Maybe. I'm not into Rowan's idea of having a revolving door of shifters, but I wouldn't mind having a man around. It's been a while.”
My heart ached for her, even as I knew the lack of men was my fault. When your best friend became surrounded by dangerous predators and gods trying to kill her at every turn, having a boyfriend took the back seat to survival.
