Page 18 of Guardian of Shadows

Elle was fascinated with these two females, especially when Carleigh turned and placed her fist on her palm, and the two did some kind of ritual several times until Carleigh yelled, “Ha! Scissors cut paper.”

“Best two out of three,” Harlow countered.

“Nope. I won fair and square. Elle, are there any electronics in the house where Grevolus is? A laptop, security cameras, or anything I can use to spy on him?”

“There’s a laptop, and he has a phone.”

“Excellent. Please tell me the address and his phone number. I’m going to do a little snooping.”

After Elle relayed the information, Tony said, “We need to head to the airport. C, I guess we’ll see you in a few days, and Harlow, we’ll talk soon.”

“Yep. Talk soon.” With that, the video went away, and Tony shut down his laptop.

“I need to call my boss and let him know what’s going on. I’ll do that while I pack and then we’ll go.”

Elle stood and walked over to the window looking out at the city. She hadn’t been able to see much of Nashville, but that was okay. She was getting on a plane for the first time, headed to a different country. Like the other two times her life had changed in a matter of minutes, Elle had a feeling this was another turning point for her. Only this time, she prayed to the goddess it would end up for the better instead of worse.

Chapter 7

Anthony had never flown with Cruz and Celeste, but the Goyle and his mate were lovely. Once they were in the air, Celeste set them up with snacks and drinks, then moved to the cockpit with Cruz to give Tony and Elle some privacy, as much as you could have with the others having shifter hearing. Elle was glamoured, although he couldn’t see what she looked like. He waited until they were in the air to make sure Elle wasn’t going to freak out over the takeoff. She had squealed and clapped her hands. “That was exciting!”

Settled on one of the leather sofas with drinks in hand, Anthony asked, “What kind of glamour are you wearing?

“A cross between Carleigh and Harlow. Your cousins are beautiful.”

“Eh, they’re okay, but you, my dear fae, are stunning.” That earned him a quick kiss on the lips. “What’s the fae word for mate?” Anthony wasn’t giving up on claiming Elle.

“Ars?lnun.”

“Or-suh-noon?” he repeated.

“Yes. We haven’t really talked at length about what that means, other than you only get one. Is there a ritual you perform to claim each other?”

Anthony took a sip of beer, then cradled the cold bottle between his hands. “No ritual. When we decide we’re ready to seal the bond, the Gargoyle will bite their intended.” He reached out and touched the skin on Elle’s shoulder where he would sink his fangs. “I’ve heard it doesn’t hurt the one getting bitten since it usually happens during sex, and emotions are already heightened.” Elle shivered, and Anthony removed his hand. “Does that scare you?”

“Oh, no. I was thinking about... Anyway.” Her pointed ears turned pink, and he ran his finger down the shell of one. Elle took a deep drink of her soda. “Is there a courting season beforehand?”

Elle’s questions gave Tony hope she was considering accepting the inevitable, regardless of the sigil. “There can be. If one of the mates isn’t of age, the other will wait until the younger one is old enough. Sometimes that means staying away for a while, and sometimes, it means being friends. Take your dragon princess for example. Travis said Cassi has been visiting Brent for the last four years. He would have been fifteen when they met. Gargoyles age faster than humans, but he still wasn’t considered an adult at that age, so they courted, I guess you’d call it, in the meantime. Full-blooded Goyles transition for the first time when they reach puberty, but half-bloods don’t transition until they meet their mate. That can really suck because it could be anyone they’ve come into contact with. As for you and me, we’ll take this however slow or fast you want. That is, if you want to be my mate.”

Elle took a sip from her glass and licked her lips before asking, “What do you want?”

“Not gonna lie, Sweetheart. I was ready to seal the deal back at the hotel.”

Elle’s blonde brows dipped. “I want that too, but I’m afraid of what the sigil will do to our bond. What if Grevolus gets irate and kills me? Will the bond kill you too?”

“I doubt it, but instead of worrying about that, let’s focus on seeing your sister and getting you back to Evyndral. Tell me about Yari.”

Elle’s smile was fond. “She’s a warrior. She and Thran spent every day sparring from the time they were old enough to hold a sword. I wanted to be just like Yari, so I started off with a bow and arrow. They were planning on attending the dragon guard trials right before Grevolus took me away, but I had no doubt they would be chosen. Then I saw Thran fighting amongst the D?nthúlú during the battle. I didn’t see Yari until she stepped through the portal with Princess Cassiopa and Prince Rhoan. Since Yari was with the royal siblings, that means she was assigned to watch over Cassi, and only the best of the warriors would be chosen for such an honor.”

“Is she going to take my head when we meet?” Anthony joked.

“Why would she do that?” The plane shook with a little turbulence, and Elle squeaked, dropping her glass, and jumping onto Anthony’s lap.

“We hit an air pocket, nothing to worry about.” He placed his free arm around her waist, and Elle leaned her head onto his shoulder. Being as tall as he was, Anthony dwarfed most women he slept with. Never had anyone fit so perfectly against his side. Then again, Anthony rarely snuggled anyone. The last female he spent any amount of time with after sex was Jolee, Dakota’s packmate, and then, he’d been trying to get information from the female. Anthony pressed a kiss to Elle’s hair. “Do you want Celeste to get you another drink?”

“Not right now. I’ll probably spill it too.” Elle leaned forward, waved her hand, and the glass reappeared on the table in front of them. The carpet was dry where the soda spilled.

“That’s a handy gift to have.”

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