Page 14 of The Protective Gryphen

Neither said a word.

How could they?

They were still speechless. Were they going to be the only people here at this monstrosity of a castle?

When Graham got back into the limo, he did a U-turn and headed back down the drive toward the gate. Once through it, it closed, and they were ‘locked’ in.

The only other person they’d seen was now gone.

Finally, the Marine broke the silence.

“Well, someone gives one hell of a Christmas present,” Gryphen said. “When Elizabeth goes over the edge, she really goes over the edge with gift giving. She gifted you a stay in a freaking castle, and I think we’re alone.”

Ian laughed.

“I don’t know if I’m dreaming. This definitely feels like a Christmas movie,” he said, as they checked out the snow on the ground, and the castle shrubs.

“Who does shit like this?” Gryphen asked.

Ian knew.

“A Blackhawk.”

Yeah, well, call him shocked as shit. He’d never seen a gift quite like this, and he’d been given a tricked-out truck for Christmas.

This was insane.

They took a moment to look around, and the whole castle was adorned with Christmas wreaths, boughs of festive holly, and candles in the windows. It looked like…well, they were going to be living one of those cheesy holiday movies in real life.

Because it was chilly outside, they needed to get into the monstrous castle.

So, Gryphen opened the packet.

When he pulled out a sheet of paper, he read over it and recognized the handwriting.

It was Callen’s.

‘Gryph,

Welcome to Ravensmire. We purchased it as a business acquisition for our family. It’s also a lowkey gift to Elizabeth but let’s not discuss that. She’ll kill me and Chris later.

Anyway, you’re safe here, and we want you to enjoy it. It’ll be a big bed and breakfast in the next few years, but right now, it’s a humble castle.

Enjoy your stay, have fun, and if you need anything, call us. We love you both, and Merry Christmas vacation in Scotland. Stay safe, and if we hear that Will is on the move, we’ll give you the heads-up.

Callen James.’

Gryphen was ridiculously touched that the Blackhawks were taking care of them and trying to keep them safe. Because Ian needed to see it, he showed him the note.

He laughed at the one part.

“If they haven’t told her about this, when she finds out, they’re dead,” Ian admitted. “She’ll skin them all and wear them.”

Oh, Gryphen wouldn’t take that bet. They were going to need their own protection duty when Elizabeth was made aware of this monstrosity.

“I can’t believe we’re staying in a castle,” he said. “Do you want to check it out?”

Ian snorted.

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