Page 28 of Guardian of Shadows

They joined Trinity on the sidewalk, and after she oohed and aahed over the ring, they found a restaurant for lunch where they tried fårikål, a lamb stew with cabbage and potatoes, and jøttkaker, which were meatballs smothered in gravy. Elle wasn’t picky when it came to food, and trying new dishes was a treat. Walking hand-in-hand with her mate and new friend was something she never imagined for herself. Elle often prayed to the goddess to help her, but this time, she sent a message of gratitude. Then again, knowing that same goddess refused to send help to remove the sigil had Elle thinking it might be Tony’s gods who were to thank for her blessings.

When they got back to the house, Trinity dropped them off, then drove to her uncles’ house to give them some privacy. Tony carried Elle’s packages to the laundry room, and after taking the tags off everything, she put the clothes in the washer. He then led Elle upstairs to the room they were sharing, and Elle fell backward onto the bed.

Tony removed Elle’s boots before doing the same to his own, then stretched out beside her. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a nap.”

Elle curled up against his side, resting her cheek on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. “Liar. Gargoyles don’t need sleep.”

He scoffed, splaying his free hand above hers. “You wound me, woman. I love a good siesta.”

“Is siesta another word for sex?” she asked seriously.

Tony tapped her nose. “It’s a Spanish word that means nap. I’m pretty sure it has an origin story, but basically it’s the same thing. At least I think it is.”

“If we siesta now, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“Yeah?”

Elle slid her hand under Tony’s tee, scratching her nails gently down his chest. “I know something we could do to pass the time while my clothes wash.” She pushed his shirt up and kissed his stomach.

“I like where this is going,” he husked. Reaching behind his head, he dragged his shirt up and off, tossing it on the floor. Elle rose and straddled his lap, admiring the view. Tony removed the band from her hair, tossing it onto the nightstand, and threaded his fingers through her long tresses. “Do you ever cut your hair?”

“I do because if I didn’t, it would grow past my butt, and sitting on it isn’t fun. When I was taken to live with Grevolus, he made me glamour the blonde so that I fit in with him and his family. The Und?nthú have dark hair. He caught me without the glamour and beat me so badly I couldn’t get out of bed for days. When I could finally walk, I chopped it all off. He never knew that because of the glamour, but it also served another purpose. The dark fae weren’t given as much gold from their queen, and they didn’t have access to the better things in life like good shampoo. We were made to wash our hair with the same soap we bathed with. That was hell on my hair, so having it short was easier.”

“When did you let it grow back out?”

“After I began stealing money from the bank. I always kept enough from the takings to buy groceries and toiletries. Since I could afford shampoo and conditioner, I stopped cutting it.”

“He didn’t berate you for keeping some of the cash?”

“No. I told him I kept enough for food, and since he was getting better meals than he’d ever eaten, he didn’t complain. What he didn’t know was exactly how much I was keeping. He always thought I took the same amount from the bank each time, but it varied by a few thousand dollars. Once I was home, I would wait until he went to town to find a female, then I would take the extra money out into the woods and bury it. I don’t know why I did it. It wasn’t as if I would ever be able to get away from him.”

“Until now.”

“True, but for how long? When I don’t show up Tuesday...”

“We’ll cross that bridge then, Sweetheart.”

“Let’s talk about something else. In fact, let’s not talk at all.” Elle removed her shirt, leaving no doubt as to her intentions. For the next hour, Tony cherished her body with his hands, mouth, and cock, leaving Elle boneless. He carried her to the bathroom where they showered together, then they dressed and made their way downstairs. Elle swapped her new clothes from the washer to the dryer, then went to the kitchen to see what was available to cook for supper, only to find it filled with people. Or Gargoyles. Were they still considered people if they were shifters? Elle thought back to making love with Tony. How loud had she been? Knowing the Goyles had exceptional hearing, she blushed, but no one looked at her funny.

Supper was a lively affair with everyone asking her questions about being fae and how they lived on Evyndral. “I’m surprised Yari hasn’t told you all of this,” Elle said to Skylar, one of Banyan and Urijah’s human kids.

It was Brent who answered. “She has spoken about growing up in Summerland and training with Thran, but your sister is a guardian, so she prefers to talk about life at the castle.”

“Being in the royal guard was all they ever wanted.”

“Yari talks about you a lot, too. She mentioned you were quite something with a bow and arrow,” Banyan said.

“I was. Since they sparred with swords, I had to find something to do alone, and archery is a good solo activity. Except I wasn’t really alone. There was this raven. I named him Novus. He watched me from the trees and cheered me on. I miss that bird.”

Tony caressed her shoulder with his fingertips. “Yari mentioned him. She said you sent him to warn her.”

“He followed me when I was taken to Winterhaven. Since I wasn’t allowed outside that often, he and I didn’t interact like we once did. I hadn’t seen him for months, so it surprised me when he showed up on the road to Evyndral.”

“How were you able to send a message with him? Didn’t talking to a raven raise suspicion?”

“Everyone was either riding in a wagon or on a horse. I was walking behind the procession, and I guess Grevolus figured I couldn’t outrun his horse, so he didn’t keep a close watch on me. I was eating a c?lim?gh– what you call a sandwich – as I walked and dropping bits of bread on the ground for Novus. I waited until the others had rounded a bend, and I fashioned a warning out of the last bit of bread, praying he understood my words. He did.”

“They made you walk while everyone else rode?” Tony seethed.

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