Page 54 of Guardian of Shadows

“Not my story to tell, Sister.”

“When she drew her dagger, I knocked it out of her hand with my bow, catching it on its way to the ground. We got into an argument, and she admitted she was the one who killed our mother, so I gutted her. Then I shoved an arrow into the wound and pushed her down the hill, making it appear as if she’d been hit by the ‘enemy’,” Elle said with no remorse. Anthony was proud of her.

“Good for you, Little Sister. I’m proud of you,” Thran echoed Anthony’s thoughts.

“Note to self,” Tabitha said from the living room. “Don’t piss off Tony’s mate.”

“We might as well join the others, since they’re listening to our conversation anyway.” Anthony held out a hand, and Elle placed her smaller one in his. When she was standing, he pulled her to his chest and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. There wasn’t enough seating for everyone present, so Anthony hauled the dining chairs into the living area. Someone had turned the football game on the TV for background noise, and Nekoma froze in front of it.

“More witchcraft?” he asked to no one in particular.

Elle sidled up next to her brother. “Pretty much.” She giggled, then did her best to explain what he was seeing. Next, she took him to the bathroom and explained the shower and toilet. Everything Anthony took for granted, Nekoma found fascinating since they didn’t have it on Evyndral. When they returned, Tabitha brought up the topic of Grevolus.

“When are you taking him down?”

Anthony pulled Elle to him, placing her back against his front. It was his favorite way to hold her. “Carleigh’s working on locating him. If she can’t find him, we’ll wait until he stops and let Nekoma do his thing.”

Tabitha crossed her arms and tapped the toe of her boot. “I am not missing this the way I missed helping Sebastian and Dakota with the wolves.”

Tessa, who was sitting on Gregor’s lap, pointed at Tabitha with her rum-filled glass. “It could take weeks to find Grevolus. Do your protection gig until that time, and if Cailín’s on another job, I’ll take your place watching the actress. If I need to, I can wear a prosthetic pretending to be you.”

Tabitha pumped a fist in the air. “Yes! Thanks, Mom.”

Elle squeezed Anthony’s arm. “Does your dad not care if your mom takes Tabitha’s place?”

“Nah. He knows she needs some excitement every now and then to keep her sane. She’s not the sit-at-home kind. She adores Andy, but Mom has always been an adventure seeker, and Dad understands when she gets an itch, it’s best to let her do something to scratch it.”

Seven sets of ears perked up at the sound of a car coming down the driveway. Tabitha strode to the front window. “It’s Luna.”

To Nekoma, Elle explained, “She is Lilly and Dominic’s daughter. She’s the one who designed the bracelets that turn into weapons.”

Luna knocked twice before opening the door. “Please tell me there’s leftovers of whatever smells so delicious. I’m starving.” She brushed her long hair off her face as she strode across the floor, but when she noticed Nekoma, she froze. “Whoa. Hottie alert.”

Nekoma seemed equally as entranced. He stood taller and brushed his hands down the front of his tunic. Luna arched a dark brow Tabitha’s direction, and Tabby merely smirked at their cousin, refusing to put her out of her misery.

Anthony internally rolled his eyes and made the introduction. “Luna, this is Nekoma, Elle’s half-brother.”

“Brother,” Elle corrected. “And this is Yari and Thran, my other siblings,” she said, gesturing to the twins who stood to greet Luna.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Luna went to where her parents were sitting and leaned down to kiss her papa on the cheek. She then took the tumbler from his hand and downed the little bit of rum in the glass. “Ah, that’s the good stuff.”

“But of course, Lass. There be no grog here. Now pour your papa another glass, if you will.”

Luna did as he asked. After passing the tumbler to Dom, she stalked into the kitchen, making herself at home, fixing a plate of leftovers. Elle leaned forward as far as she could with Anthony’s arms banded around her waist, watching Luna. When she stood upright, she was grinning.

“What?” Anthony asked.

“I love how everyone makes themselves at home here, even this late.”

“It’s always been that way. Our family is huge, and each home has an open-door policy.”

“What if...” Elle cut herself off, and her pointed ears pinkened.

Anthony laughed, knowing where his mate’s thoughts went. “We rarely arrive without calling or texting first. If we happen to show up unannounced, we use our shifter hearing to make sure the coast is clear.”

“The coast?”

Anthony squeezed a little tighter. “It’s another one of those sayings. It means there is nothing going on you shouldn’t walk in on.”

---