Page 31 of Guardian of Shadows

“That’s not good. If he realizes I’m not in Tennessee—” Elle’s phone rang, and she turned wide eyes to Anthony. He stood and retrieved her purse from the overhead bin, handing it to her.

She swapped the washcloth for her phone, her hand trembling. “It’s him. What do I tell him? He’ll keep calling until I answer, and I can’t lie to him.”

Anthony tossed the damp cloth toward the galley, then retook his seat, placing his arm around Elle’s shoulder. “Be as vague as possible.”

Elle blew out a breath, slid her finger across the screen, then put it to her ear. “H-hello?”

“Where the hell are you?” Anthony couldn’t understand the words, but the male’s tone was clearly pissed off.

Elle jumped to her feet and ran to the bedroom. Anthony followed, sitting next to her when she flopped down on the bed. “I’m in bed.” His mate was smart. Being fae, she couldn’t lie.

“Where specifically are you, Odette?”

Anthony took the phone and hit the mute button. “I can’t understand him.”

“He wants to know where I am specifically. Hang on.” Elle searched the bedroom until she grabbed a coaster. She pressed her hand to it, muttering under her breath. “Hold this. It’s a language translator.”

“Good thinking. Tell him the hotel you stayed at, but only the name. I’ll call Carleigh and have her do her computer voodoo.”

“Odette? Odette, fucking answer me.”

Elle unmuted the phone. “The name of the hotel is Compton Suites.”

“In what fucking city? Your sigil shows you’re halfway across this goddess forsaken planet.”

“How would I even travel that far, Grevolus? I don’t have a passport, which means I can’t get a plane ticket or take a boat. And if I knew how to open a portal, don’t you think I’d have taken us back to our realm?”

“Cops came sniffing around today. Did you have something to do with that?”

“Why would I call the police? I don’t want to go to jail. What did they want?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Grevolus muttered kent under his breath. Anthony didn’t know if it was a fae word or someone’s name, but by the way Elle blanched, he figured it was the former. “I need to move, so get your ass back here and pack up the house.”

He said I, not we. Was he not taking Elle with him? “Wouldn’t it be better for me to stay and get more money? We’re going to need it if we move.”

“Fine, but I’m not packing all this shit by myself. Do the job, then come straight here. And Odette? If you are somehow lying to me, you won’t like the consequences.” With that, he hung up. Elle tossed the phone on the bed and scrubbed her hands down her face.

Anthony pressed his thigh against hers. “Do you think he believed you?”

Elle dropped her hands onto her lap. “I don’t know.”

Anthony knelt beside the bed and removed Elle’s boots. He kicked his own off, pulled his phone out of his back pocket and placed it on the nightstand, then climbed on the bed, leaning against the headboard. “Come here.” When he opened his arms, Elle slid closer and rested against his chest. Anthony was at a loss for words. He had never been scared a day in his life, until now. Anthony could wield a sword. He had claws that could rip a body in two. Fangs that could tear out someone’s throat. What he didn’t have was the knowledge or capabilities to combat dark fae magic. The elder members of his Clan, his parents included, had fought for their mates, but their opponents had been other Goyles or humans. Sebastian had fought an alpha wolf. Lydia had tackled polar bears. Anthony didn’t regret Elle being something different. He was proud to have a fae for a mate, but he didn’t know how to save her, and that chapped his ass.

Anthony reached for his phone and opened the music app, connecting it to the Bluetooth speakers in the bedroom. Instead of choosing his hard rock playlist, Anthony scrolled until he found something softer and more soothing.

Elle was quiet for about half an hour before pressing a kiss to his neck. Anthony thought she was going to continue exploring, but instead she sat up and leaned against the pillows. “Can I see the photos on the phone of your house?”

“Of course.” Anthony pulled up the folder that showed his property when it was all trees. “Remember how I told you Sebastian is an architect? Rafael is too, but where Rafe builds commercial buildings, Bas creates residences. I told him what I wanted, and he drew up the plans.” Anthony scrolled slowly through the photos, showing each phase from clearing the property, to pouring the concrete for the foundation, all the way through to the final product.

“I love it.”

“When I had Bas design it, I wanted somewhere big enough for my future family. I know I said I didn’t want a mate, but I also knew it was inevitable. It didn’t make sense to build something small when I have plenty of relatives who would visit. My parents and aunts and uncles lived in Atlanta a long time, and since they don’t age, most of them moved to avoid having to wear prosthetics.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s sort of like your glamour, but it’s a physical mask. Jonas, Lilly’s father, is a doctor and a scientist. He created the prosthetics so he could remain in Atlanta as the chief of staff at the hospital where he worked. He taught several of us how to make them, and my uncle Julian came up with a voice modulator. It’s a tiny piece of technology that allows us to sound like anyone. Tabitha and I use them sometimes in our work. Anyway, my generation can remain in Atlanta for twenty years or so before humans begin to get suspicious that we aren’t aging.”

Anthony kept scrolling, showing Elle the interior. “Since this is now your house too, I want you to feel free to make any changes. If you don’t like the furniture, we’ll get new stuff. Don’t like the color of the paint? We’ll change that too.”

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