Page 62 of Guardian of Shadows
“You mentioned Greece before? Where is it?”
“Yes, that’s where Connor and Alyssa met as children.” Tony opened a map app on his phone and showed her.
“I’d like that. By then, Nekoma will be better acclimated to living on Earth, and I won’t feel bad about leaving him alone.”
Anthony scoffed at her silliness. “You’ve seen how my family invades our home, and if they know he’s here alone, they’ll invite themselves over to keep him company.”
“True.” Elle sighed happily. “I love your family.”
“They’re your family too, you know.”
“Yeah,” Elle said softly.
Anthony knew better than to keep Elle up late when they had plans to make, but his fae enjoyed being outside, and they had watched the fire and listened to music well past midnight. When his phone buzzed, Anthony gauged the time by the lack of light streaming past the edge of the blinds. Too damn early for texts. Anthony groaned, and his mate stirred.
“I’ll make coffee.” She rolled away from him to get up, but Anthony pulled her back to his chest.
“No.”
Elle huffed, but it wasn’t in annoyance. She was used to his need to cuddle in the morning. Sometimes it led to sex, and others, he just wanted to hold her. Elle settled, running her fingers along the arm he had banded around her waist. She was patient, never demanding to be let go unless she had to pee. His beast was unusually quiet. Most mornings, it was ready to roll Elle to her back and sink into her sweet body. Maybe it realized what lie ahead of them. Instead of a text message, the phone rang, and Anthony growled.
“You might as well answer it.” Anthony pressed his lips to the back of her neck before releasing his hold. “Now I’ll make coffee.” Elle slid out of bed, and Anthony admired her ass cheeks that were barely covered by the silk panties he’d bought her. She bent down, snagging the long-sleeved tee he’d worn the night before, and slipped it over her head. The shirt swallowed her, but Elle rolled the sleeves past her hands. As she padded to the door, she pulled the collar up and inhaled deeply. His mate loved the smell of a fire, and the smoke from the night before was embedded in both their clothes.
“It’s early,” he drawled into the phone.
“I am so pissed,” his twin griped, ignoring his greeting. “I’m going to miss out on all the fun. Again.”
“I thought Mom was going to cover for you.” Anthony rolled off the bed and tugged on his boxer briefs before finding a clean pair of jeans.
“We’ve been sequestered at the hotel. Some maniac got close enough to Craig Kilbrook to threaten him with a knife last night. If his people had hired Steele Securities too, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“Shit, Tabby. Did they catch the guy?”
“Yes, but he was shouting how this wasn’t over as the cops dragged him away. The studio is demanding everyone stay put for a few days. This blows.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not as sorry as I am. Fuck!”
“Where are you? If you’re cursing this loudly, surely Trista isn’t within earshot.”
“She’s in her bedroom asleep. She has a white noise machine you can probably hear from your house to drown out any and all sounds. That woman sleeps like the dead.”
Anthony’s phone buzzed. After checking the screen, he said, “I really am sorry, Tabby. Carleigh’s calling, so I better take it.”
“Fine. Get in a good claw swipe for me.”
“Will do. Love you.”
“Love you too, Brother.”
Anthony hated that his twin would miss out on taking down Grevolus, but there was nothing for it now that she was stuck at the hotel. He switched over to speak with Carleigh, who was informing him who all she had spoken to. After disconnecting, he put the phone in his back pocket before padding into the bathroom to take a piss and wash his hands. Showering could wait. He needed coffee and another sniff of his mate. If he was addicted to her scent, that was no one’s business but his.
Chapter 20
After starting a pot of coffee, Elle gathered items for breakfast, including pancake mix. She planned enough for a houseful, assuming they would have company soon. She and Tony hadn’t talked about Elle getting a job, but since she couldn’t read or write as well as most, she didn’t know what she would be able to do for work. Tony had money, so maybe he wouldn’t mind her staying home and learning. She had yet to meet Luna’s sister, the one who made potions. That was something Elle would be good at, but Solara wasn’t in Atlanta often.
By the time Tony made it to the kitchen, the coffee was ready, so she fixed him a cup the way he liked it and held it out. He wedged the phone between his ear and shoulder, took the mug with one hand, and tapped her nose with the other. It was a sweet gesture, if odd.
