Page 49 of Guardian of Shadows
“He’s my brother? Why didn’t he say something?”
“Elle wants to know why you didn’t tell her you were related.”
“I didn’t hear her speak. Are you a mind reader?” Nekoma angled his head to the side the same way he did in raven form, which would be cute if Elle wasn’t freaking out. She had another brother.
“Elle is my mate. We can communicate silently. Now answer the question.”
Nekoma’s face lit up. “Mates? That is wonderful news, and by the females standing between us, it seems Elledan has worthy warriors to protect her.”
“That she does. The sigil?” Tony prodded.
“Unlike Elledan’s mother, mine, Nykeela, had relations with Grevolus willingly. He was handsome, and she was lonely. Then he met Asherah and forgot all about my mother. When she learned she was pregnant with me, she hid us away so he wouldn’t know he had sired a son. Nykeela is skilled in many arts, and she cast a spell on me, one in which I was able to change forms so that I could travel about undetected. When she heard of Grevolus’s treachery with Elledan’s mother, she confided in me that I had a half-sister. I was curious, so I kept to my raven while spending time with her. With you, Elledan. Watching you grow from a small child into a formidable young woman was the highlight of my days. When Grevolus took you away from Summerland to Winterhaven, I couldn’t spend as much time with you. I couldn’t risk Grevolus finding out about me, and for that I am sorry. As for the sigil, like I said, I learned much from my mother. May I approach to look at the mark?”
“What do you think, Sweetheart? Do you trust him?”
“Ask him to turn into his raven.”
“Elle requests that you shift to your raven first.”
“But of course.” From one second to the next, Nekoma went from a dark fae to a familiar feathered bird. Gronk.
“When he shifts back, ask him what I tasked him with on the road to Evyndral.”
“Please shift back,” Tony requested. When Nekoma was once more a person, Tony asked, “On the road to Evyndral, what did Elle task you with?”
“She fashioned a warning out of a piece of bread and scratched a sigil into it with her fingernail. She then said, ‘Trouble is coming for the dragons. Please find your way to Evyndral and give this to Yari.’ I pecked at it to ensure it wouldn’t crumble, and she closed her fingers around it and chided me, ‘Do not eat this. It’s a message. Can you take it to Yari?’ I then clasped it in my talon and flew to do as she asked.”
“Oh, my goddess. It really is him. Ask how he came to be here and not in Norway.”
“How did you manage to travel from Norway to here so quickly?”
“I opened a portal. You learn much when those around you aren’t aware of your presence.”
“You may approach,” Tony relinquished. “Slowly, but toss down your bow first.”
Nekoma angled his head, studying Tony. “You can see it?”
“Glamour doesn’t work on me.”
Nekoma removed his bow from around his chest, placing it on the ground, before walking toward them. Tabitha and Tessa made each step he did, their swords at the ready. He stopped a few feet away from Lilly. After a few seconds, Lilly stepped to the side, nodding her approval.
“I’m trusting you, Fae. Elle is my whole world, and if you do anything to harm her, there is nowhere you can hide that I won’t find you,” Tony warned.
Nekoma spread his hands. “I would expect nothing less. We may not have grown up together as siblings, but Elledan means much to me as well. You have my word that I will not harm her in anyway.”
“He cannot lie, Tony. Remove my parka so he can see the sigil.”
Tony placed Elle on the glider, pulled her left arm out of the coat, and pushed her sleeve up past the mark.
“May I?” Nekoma asked.
Tony nodded, but he wasn’t as sure of the male as Elle was. She could feel his reluctance through their bond. Right as Nekoma took the first step, a portal opened.
“Do not touch her,” Yari yelled. Queen Zarina walked through next, followed by Thran.
Nekoma dropped to one knee, bowing his head. “My Queen.”
“Who are you?” Zarina asked after creating several orbs of light, which floated in the air around them.
