Page 45 of Guardian of Shadows

Lilly had hold of Elle’s other hand. “I’ll keep her company. Maybe I’ll tell her how your mother and I met.”

“Would you like that?” he asked.

“I would love it. Give me a kiss.”

Anthony complied, keeping it chaste. “I won’t be long.” He touched her cheek before standing and glancing at his mom.

“Take your time, Son.” Tessa got it. She might not have wings, but she had her own Goyle inside who often needed to expend energy. Anthony removed his shirt, tossing it over one of the stools at the kitchen island. Once outside, he inhaled the crisp air deeply as his wings unfurled behind him. One of the benefits of living in the middle of so much property was he didn’t worry about outing his kind to humans. Sure, there was the chance someone would fly a drone overhead, but he would hear the whirring well before it reached him.

As he took to the sky, Anthony kept his eye on Elle through the bond. He’d heard the story of how Lilly and Tessa met, and since Elle seemed happy, he figured Lilly was divulging more about their time in New Orleans, including stories of Dominic. Considering the circumstances, Elle giving off good vibes went a long way to soothe the beast. It didn’t take long before his Goyle had calmed down and was ready to be back inside with their mate.

“Connor’s here.”

“I’m on my way.” Tony didn’t linger. He made a beeline toward the house, and when he walked inside, he was glad to see Ally was with Connor. His cousin’s mate was one of the sweetest humans Anthony had ever met. She was also smart and funny. With them was Gannon, a Goyle who’d known Alyssa for many years, having been a guard at the lab where she used to work. When Alyssa moved to Atlanta, Gannon followed her, bringing his mate and three daughters. Gannon worked with Anthony at Steele Securities.

Connor, a brilliant physician, preferred to spend his time making art. Rico Di, as the outside world knew Connor, made more money with his artwork than he had at either the hospital or his clinic. Anthony had a few of his paintings scattered throughout his house, as did most everyone in their family.

Anthony snagged his shirt and pulled it on. “Con, thanks for coming so quickly.”

“Of course.”

After Anthony made the introductions, Gannon stepped outside to stand guard, and Alyssa eased down on the sofa next to Elle, taking her hand. “Gosh, you are something.” Turning to Connor, she said, “I bet her aura is pure white.”

“Actually, it’s an icy blue, but you are correct in that it is good.”

“That’s interesting,” Lilly said. “Where you see blue, I see white, except for where the sigil is.”

Connor angled his head, thinking. “I believe I see it differently because she is fae. Each type of being shows their own color of strands, and Elle’s blue strands are mixing with her good aura.” To Anthony he said, “Please tell us everything.”

Once again, Anthony recounted Elle’s story as succinctly as possible without leaving out too many important details. He wished he could have a video conference with their Clan and explain Elle’s story one time instead of having to retell it so often.

“This makes more sense now.” Connor was holding one of his infamous scrolls. Ever since he was little, Connor had visions of future occurrences, not all of them good. Anthony prayed this wasn’t an omen. He took the paper and unrolled it, placing it on the coffee table so Elle could see it too. On it was a farmhouse with dozens of ravens circling above. The house was different, but the scene was almost identical to what Anthony witnessed. The one thing that stood out was a strange man with his arms raised in the air. “That’s not Grevolus unless you were seeing him using glamour. Elle, do you recognize him?”

“No, but something feels... familiar.”

“She said he feels familiar, but she doesn’t recognize him.”

Connor sat on the arm of the sofa next to Alyssa. “If this isn’t Grevolus, then this male’s part in all of this has yet to play out.”

“The farmhouse is different, but the ravens caused a ruckus already. Is it possible this male can hide in the shadows the way Elle can, and I didn’t see him?”

“Anything is possible.” Changing the subject, Connor asked, “When was the last time Elle had something to eat?”

Anthony cursed at himself internally. Elle’s health was the most important issue at the moment. “Yesterday, when we had supper here.”

“Good. I don’t want to start PPN yet, since Elle can tolerate water.”

“What’s PPN?” Anthony asked.

“Peripheral parenteral nutrition. It’s a less concentrated solution used for short-term nutritional support. The IV goes into a peripheral vein such as in the arm instead of a more centralized one. If the paralysis continues for an extended period, we’ll need to consider a feeding tube.”

A feeding tube? Anthony’s heart squeezed in his chest. That shit was serious. He swallowed hard, doing his best to keep from yelling the house down. “Whatever you think is best. You’re the doctor.”

“Also, we need to think about continence. If Elle’s able to tell you when she needs to use the restroom, it shouldn’t be a problem. She’ll need someone with her at all times to avoid accidents, but I wouldn’t rule out using incontinence underwear.”

“She won’t be alone, and both Mom and I can carry her.”

“Well, this isn’t embarrassing at all.”

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