Page 60 of Final Shift
I leaned forward. “If it helps, he asked for you. And for your cookies.”
Pink touched Moira's cheeks.
“But I told him I wasn't sure you were free because you had a date tonight.”
Moira gasped and then let out a wicked chuckle. “You are savage sometimes. How'd he take it?”
I shrugged. “Not sure. I couldn't see his face. Rowan suspected he was furious. Ethan still asked for your cookies, though.”
Moira grinned. “I do make excellent cookies,” she admitted.
“Yes, yes you do.”
We ate in silence for a little while. “Be careful with him, Moira. I know you're an adult and can make your own decisions, but when your heart is broken, mine is too. The Lords are not like regular supernaturals. Caelan was driven by power and status, and it consumed us both in the end. I don't know Ethan well enough to gauge him, but I know there's something brewing between you two.”
I reached over and took her hand. “Soren might be the safer choice.”
Moira sighed. “He's definitely the safer choice. But Soren is a teenage boy when it comes to matters of the heart.”
And Ethan was a man. The unspoken words lay between us. “Rowan wonders if Ethan will ever seriously date someone again after what happened.”
Moira nodded. “I know. And maybe whatever this is will burn out.” Her nostrils flared. “But when I'm around him, I feel alive, Evie.”
My heart ached for her. I knew what that felt like. “Then I assume you're coming with me?”
Moira nodded. “If I'm going to be a fool, I might as well go all in, right?”
I didn't answer her. “It's cold where he is, and I'm not sure Ethan will allow us inside. You might want to bring a heavy coat and put some boots on.”
Moira looked down at herself. “The leggings are lined wool, and the top is Cashmere. I have some warm boots. Give me a minute.”
She hurried off to the back, so I grabbed another cookie.
When she came back, she was bundled in a heavy jacket and wore a pair of calf-high waterproof boots. She'd taken her hair down from its ponytail and swiped on some berry colored lip gloss and mascara. “Ready?”
“Dad is at the main house. Rowan is coming with us, but Dad will take him to Ben's territory. You have a few hours to spare?”
Moira looked around her apartment. “I'll have to cancel tonight's cocktail party, but sure.”
“Ass,” I grumbled. “Just for that I'm taking another cookie.”
Moira grinned and reached for a glass storage container. She filled it with at least a dozen cookies and tucked the container into one of the enormous jacket pockets.
“Ready when you are.”
Moira always happily tagged along on my trips, but this one made her edgy. As we walked, her eyes kept darting around, and she was fidgeting way more than usual. So much so, I gave her aside glance. “You're twitching like you're an addict needing a fix. Ethan's going to spot your nerves from a mile away.”
Moira swore and made her fingers stop tapping against her thigh. “Thanks. I don't know what's gotten into me.”
We stopped right before the back door. I dropped my voice into a whisper the others couldn't hear. “Moira. You're intelligent, gorgeous, and bake like Martha Stewart on speed. Anyone would be beyond lucky to have a chance with you. Remember that when you're in front of Ethan.”
Moira stared at me for a long moment. “You're a good friend, Evie.”
“You too. If he hurts you, I'll kill him with a poisoned rose bush. No one will ever know.”
“Thank you,” Moira said with a straight face. “I'll take your secret to the grave.”
The door opened, and Dad stepped out. He looked between the two of us, one of his eyebrows rising. “Do I want to know what you two are plotting?”
