Page 71 of Guardian of Shadows

“Tony.” Elle’s eyes misted as she took the baby from Nekoma. “What about her aversion to you?” she asked without taking her eyes off the bundle of fur.

“Turns out Harlow has the same ability as Tamian.” Tony stepped closer, running a finger across the kitten’s head. “When I called to ask if Tamian was going to be in town anytime soon and why, she admitted she was also an ‘animal whisperer,’ and it just so happened this little girl was available. Grace, Sebastian’s assistant, figured two kittens wouldn’t be too much trouble, but she found out differently. She mentioned it to Harlow, so I told her to do her thing, then bring her to Nekoma.”

“Thank you.” Elle held the kitten up in front of her, and as blue eyes stared back, she gave a sweet little mew.

Nekoma stuck his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his feet. “I kept her out here in the barn with me while I worked, but she has everything inside she needs. I put the litter box in the laundry room for the time being.”

“Thanks, Koma. What should I name her?”

“Do you know who she reminds me of?” her brother asked.

Elle gasped, remembering the gray cat who tried to climb the trees and chase after Novus. “Dephíne.”

Nekoma grinned. “That cat was relentless.”

Tony settled his hand on the back of Elle’s neck, rubbing it with his thumb. “How about Daphne? That’s close.”

“Daphne. I love it. And I love you. Thank you.”

“Come on. You take our girl inside while I grab the bags.”

Elle snuggled Daphne and followed Tony to the door. She turned and said, “Come on, Koma. You can show me where her stuff is.”

They hadn’t been back an hour when Tony got called in for a job, so Elle and Nekoma spent the rest of the day playing with the kitten and chatting about their weekends. Elle ran a load of laundry and cooked supper while Nekoma sat on the floor, letting Daphne crawl all over him. It was the almost perfect ending to a perfect few days. It would only have been better if Tony was there with her.

Chapter 23

The weather was unseasonably warm, and Elle was taking advantage of it. Since Anthony wanted to be near his mate, he sat beside her on the glider he had moved back to the deck. They enjoyed their coffee while Daphne pounced on bugs and leaves in the yard. She had grown quite a bit in the two weeks since they got her. The whir of a saw came from the barn as Nekoma worked on a commissioned set of patio furniture for Connor and Alyssa. A phone rang inside, and Anthony went to retrieve it so Elle didn’t have to move. Seeing it was Yari, he answered it.

“Hello, Yari.”

“Hey, Tony. Is Elle around?”

“She’s right here. Hang on.” Tony walked back outside and held it out. “It’s Yari.”

Since he could hear the conversation, she didn’t bother putting it on speaker. “Hey, Sis. What’s up?”

“I have a surprise for you, so I need to know when you and Tony can take a trip.”

“A trip? To Norway?”

“No. Evyndral.”

“What?” Elle set her coffee down, then grabbed Anthony’s arm. “Why?”

“The dragons want to honor you for your part in the battle.”

“You’re joking. And Tony can come with me?”

“I’m not joking, and yes. You will have to glamour him, of course, but he’s expected to be there.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Elle climbed onto Anthony’s lap. He checked her well-being through the bond, and she was both excited as well as nervous.

“Say you’ll be there. I need to know when so Rhoan can relay the date to his parents. They’ll want to prepare a feast.”

“Wow. That’s not necessary. Let me talk to Tony about his work schedule and I’ll call you back.”

“Sounds good, but don’t take too long. We don’t want to keep the King waiting.”

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