Page 57 of Guardian of Shadows
Harlow eyed Nekoma before saying, “I come bearing good tidings and a shadow.” She thumbed over her shoulder at the redhead. Turning to Nekoma, Harlow introduced herself and the other female. “You must be Nekoma. I’m Harlow, and this is Cailín.”
Nekoma, remembering his manners, stood and bowed his head. “Greetings Harlow and Cailín. I am Nekoma of Autumnvale, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”
Cailín’s grin morphed into a huge smile, taking her from pretty to stunning. “Luna wasn’t kidding.”
“Cailín, don’t embarrass the guy,” Tony chided.
“What am I missing?” Nekoma asked, clasping his hands behind his back.
“Luna informed us of how handsome you are, but she also said the same thing about Elle’s other brother. Thran, right?”
“All fae are similar in appearance,” Elle explained, “other than our hair color. Dark fae have dark hair, and light fae have blonde.”
Cailín angled her head to the side. “If your father has dark hair, why is yours blonde?”
“My mother was D?nthúlú, a light fae, and the—” She turned to Tony. “How do I say it? The D?nthúlú have stronger...?”
“Genes? Chromosomes? I wasn’t very good at biology in school, but I think you mean that a light fae passes on their characteristics when having a child born of both light and dark.”
“Yes, that. I’m not sure why that is, though.”
Cailín took an empty chair. “Genetics are weird, but Connor could explain it. Or maybe Alyssa. She’s a biologist.”
“I’m surprised Tabby didn’t try to convince you to take over her protection job,” Tony said to the redhead.
Cailín grinned. “Oh, she tried, but I just came off a month-long babysitting gig. I didn’t want another one so soon. I did promise that when it’s time to go after Grevolus, I’d relieve her long enough that she could join the party.”
Harlow crossed the room and took one of the chairs. “Speaking of which, we think we know which direction he’s headed. There have been two carjackings in South Carolina, and yes, carjackings aren’t that uncommon, but in both instances, the victims described the thief as an old man. Someone who appeared too frail to rip a door open and jerk the driver from the vehicle. The first was in Allendale, and the second was in Walterboro. Elle, where in South Carolina did you land when you came through the portal?”
“Charleston. From there we headed south, then west.”
Harlow, who had her phone in hand, tapped at the screen. “Okay, that tracks. He might not be headed back to Charleston, but he is traveling that direction.”
Elle shook her head. “I don’t think he’d go back there. There were too many people for one thing, and he hated the beach. He swore he would rather die than see that much sand again. The farmhouse was old, but it was still situated on quite a bit of land surrounded by trees. The four l?mméfu of Evyndral were similar in landscape. The only difference was the climate. Summerland and Springmire had milder climates, whereas Winterhaven and Autumnvale were cooler. Grevolus always complained about the heat, so maybe he decided to head north now that he has the means to?”
“What’s a lomfuh?” Cailín asked.
“It roughly translates to land. It’s what you would consider a village or small town.”
“And there are only four of them?”
“Besides Evyndral proper where the royals live, yes. But it isn’t like your towns here that are next to one another. There are great forests between them.”
“Did we lose Nekoma?” Harlow whispered. Elle glanced at her brother who had his eyes closed.
Nekoma refocused on their group. “My apologies. I was trying to track Grevolus. He isn’t moving at the moment and hasn’t been for a while.”
“What’s a while?” Cailín asked.
Nekoma looked toward the window, then motioned Elle to come with him. “The sun’s shadow was by that small tree when I first noted he had stopped.”
“About three hours then. Have you been tracking him all day? Is that what you’re doing every time you close your eyes?”
“Yes. It isn’t necessary, but it helps shut out all the noise around me.”
Elle placed a hand on her brother’s arm. “You’re amazing.” Nekoma blushed, so Elle didn’t embarrass him further. She returned to the sofa and sat back down next to Tony, grabbing his hand, and entwining their fingers. He wasn’t jealous of Nekoma, but as he’d explained, the beast didn’t want her touching anyone else and vice versa.
“If Grevolus stays where he is, how do we find him exactly?” Harlow asked.
