Page 17 of Elven Prince

But that fucking tattoo on his chest told a different story.

It was only a matter of time before the meaning of that elven rune in the shifter’s flesh revealed itself. Rebecca had to move quickly if she wanted to stay ahead of the game and, most importantly, away from a very real potential trap of falling for the enemy.

4

When Rebecca finally reached the common room bustling with celebratory conversation, her previously growing positivity met its untimely end.

Her senses were on full alert now in every direction, including behind her.

Because even with all the noise and the jubilant atmosphere and nearly every Shade member in the common room to celebrate Nyx’s full recovery, Rebecca still knew exactly where Maxwell was.

He hadn’t stayed in the office after all.

The ever-present, gods-be-damned cord tying them to each other had only intensified again, and she felt like a physical touch his approach down the hallway toward the common room.

Toward her.

It made sense. Her Head of Security had no business in her office without the Roth-Da’al unless she’d ordered him to stay. But hewasfollowing her again.

This time, though, it felt different. Unnatural.

Was he trying to distance himself from her and give her a little more space after finally catching the hint?

Or was he trying to keep an eye on her? To watch her? To gather information on Rebecca Knox, Roth-Da’al of Shade, before sending it back to whoever had tattooed the elven rune on his chest and now expected a timely delivery of relevant intel?

Blue Hells, things were supposed to have gotten simpler after Rowan’s disappearance. Rebecca hadwantedhim gone. But nothing was simple anymore.

Was it ever?

She couldn’t stick around and wait for Maxwell to catch up with her again. Rebecca didn’t know if there was ever a right time to hash these things out with the shifter anyway. She’d come down here for a reason, though.

Her of returning to the Nexus vault wasn’t just an excuse but a viable item on her Roth-Da’al to-do list.

Ignoring the strengthening energetic pull from behind her as Maxwell drew closer down the hall, Rebecca focused instead on what existed right in front of her.

The mood in the common room was contagious, the whole task force in high spirits, and for good reason.

Nyx had returned to her own party and now stood in the center, talking and laughing with those around her, listening to the stories of what she’d missed during her time in the infirmary and briefly out of it.

Rebecca couldn’t help but notice the stark differences in her task force’s overall morale over the last few months. The magicals here were happy. Proud of themselves but not driving themselves crazy because of it.

They certainly weren’t stir-crazy anymore, either. A very good sign.

Shade had been through a lot recently, and it was good for them to celebrate the wins where they could.

Which, admittedly, were far more frequent now than they had been in the past.

After a moment of watchful appreciation for the positive changes in this place—with this family, of sorts—Rebecca found Nyx again in the crowd, standing beside Leonard.

They both looked remarkably happy, engaged in the conversation, content to be where they were because it was finally a hell of a lot better than the last decade of Shade’s recent history.

It was also easier than ever for Rebecca to pick out the faces of her old mission team before she’d taken command, as well as the other Shade operatives with whom she’d run various operations during her short but effective time as Roth-Da’al.

She recognized them all, knew their names, remembered vividly the experience and the skill sets they’d each brought to the table in one way or another.

Equally easy to discern were the five new faces among Shade’s ranks—those who had joined together and were now part of something bigger. The same something bigger that had stepped in to save them from the worst possible fate Kordus Harkennr intended to deliver to each of his victims.

Rebecca couldn’t help but smile.

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