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Tony’s Goyle rumbled, not liking Elle getting dreamy-eyed about dragons.

Ignoring it, he rubbed his stomach before leaning down to grab his tee.

“No, nothing as cool as that. We feel like we’re going to throw up.

” Elle’s eyes remained on his chest as he pulled his shirt back on, and that had his beast rumbling for a different reason.

“Earlier, you said something about being drawn to my picture.” Elle angled her head to the side, her blue eyes wide. “Am I your fated mate?” she asked softly.

“If you’ll have me.” Anthony knelt beside her knees and took her free hand in his. “The choice is yours, Elle. I don’t need an answer immediately. We can spend time getting to know each other, and if you decide you don’t want to be with me, I’ll abide by your wishes.”

“But you said these fates choose the perfect being for you, right?” Anthony nodded, rubbing his thumb against her skin. “If I say no, will you get a different mate?”

“No, Sweetheart, I won’t. I understand I’m no dragon.

” Anthony released her hand and stood, crossing the room to the large window, where he looked out across the city.

It was a rare occurrence for him to feel off-kilter.

Before meeting Elle, Athony had been content with his life, but now the thought of her choosing to walk away from him was unbearable.

Her coffee cup clinked against the glass table, and he sensed her walking toward him. Elle’s hand on his back was like a brand, but he didn’t look at her. He couldn’t. Anthony wouldn’t allow her to see how much he wanted this. It was her choice whether to accept the bond.

“Anthony, please look at me.” When he didn’t, Elle moved around him, getting between him and the window.

She placed her palms on his bearded cheeks.

“I was only asking because of the sigil. If we can’t find a way to remove it and Grevolus comes after me, I wouldn’t want you to go the rest of your life without a mate. ”

Closing his eyes, Anthony pressed his forehead to hers and placed his hands on her hips.

“I appreciate that, but rarely do the fates make it easy on us Gargoyles. There are a few who found their mate and settled easily into the bond, but in my family, almost every one of us had to overcome some obstacle, my parents included. Hell, wars were fought in their day. More recently, my cousin Sebastian, who is also our King, had to fight the Alpha of his mate’s wolfpack, even though Sebastian and Dakota were fated. ”

“Your Queen is a wolf shifter?”

“Yep. Then there are also Gryphons, polar bears, foxes, lions, and cheetahs, that we know of. My cousin Harlow is a Gargoyle-Gryphon hybrid.”

“No wonder you weren’t freaked out by my ears.”

“Freaked out? Hardly. I find them rather sexy,” Anthony husked.

Elle moved her hands from his cheeks to slide them around his neck, playing with the short hair on his nape. “Our situation with the sigil isn’t merely an obstacle. It’s an impossibility.”

Tony pressed his lips to her temple, then hugged her close. “There’s no one stronger or more powerful than Grevolus who could remove the sigil?”

“Maybe Queen Zarina, but that would mean finding a portal back to Evyndral.”

“Then we keep you away from Grevolus until we find one.”

“But with the sigil, he can locate me no matter where I am.”

“So, if I put you on a plane and flew you to the other side of the world, he would follow?”

“I mean, eventually. He has enough money to do so, but it would take him time to get a passport, which he would manage somehow.”

Elle scraped her nails against his scalp, and Anthony’s beast rumbled in his chest. Elle gasped, and he chuckled. His phone rang, and Anthony released Elle’s hips and retrieved it from the floor. After seeing who was calling, Anthony tapped the screen. “Hey, Travis. What’s up?”

“I was calling to see if you found the female you were after.”

“As a matter of fact, I did.”

“Don’t hurt her,” Travis blurted.

“Why would I do that?”

“You said she’s a thief, and I—”

“There are extenuating circumstances here, Travis. Even if there weren’t, you should know I would never harm a female unless they were trying to kill one of us.”

“You’re right, and I’m sorry. It’s just that... Is she there with you now?”

“She is. Travis, what’s this about?”

“What’s her name? Does she have siblings?”

“Her name is Elle, and she does. An older brother and sister.” He turned to Elle. “Sweetheart, what are your siblings’ names again?”

“Yaricelan and Thrandyr, why?”

“Yar, uh could you repeat those?”

“Yari and Thran. Anthony, what’s going on?” He held up a finger and relayed their names to Travis.

“You called her sweetheart. Tony, were you flirting, or is she your mate?”

“The second one, but we’ve only discussed that briefly. Now please tell me what the fuck this is about.”

“Tony, you’re not going to believe this. Yari is in Norway. She and Brent’s mate, Cassi, have been visiting for the last four years until Brent was old enough for a relationship. Thran visits sometimes with Cassi’s brother to check on them.”

“Holy gods, this is amazing. We need to get to Norway, but Elle has a sigil on her arm that allows her sperm donor to track her. Maybe they’ll know how to remove it. Hang on, Travis.” Anthony held the phone against his chest. “Elle, Yari is in Norway at one of our Clanmate’s home.”

When Elle burst out crying, Tony told Travis he’d call him back.

He set the phone down, and Elle threw herself at his chest, sobbing.

If he weren’t a Goyle, he’d probably have landed on his ass.

Hmm, that wasn’t a bad idea. Tony led Elle to the sofa and sat, pulling her down onto his lap.

He wrapped his arms around his pretty fae, rocking her back and forth as her tears soaked his T-shirt.

After several minutes, Elle brushed the wetness from her face and looked up. “Tell me you aren’t joking.”

“I’m not joking. Someone named Cassi is Travis’s son’s mate, and she and your sister have been coming to Earth for the last four years.”

“But Cassi’s the dragon princess. How did that even happen?”

“Didn’t you say they came through a portal from somewhere when Grevolus dragged you through it and ended up here? I’m willing to bet that’s how it happened.”

“Yes, but Cassi is a princess,” Elle repeated.

“That doesn’t seem to be a factor here, Sweetheart. Not if she’s been visiting Brent all this time.”

“I want to see them, but...” Elle leaned her face against Tony’s neck and cried harder.

Tony pressed his lips to Elle’s hair, inhaling her scent.

When he caught up to her earlier in the parking lot, he felt like he was going to throw up.

That alone was proof she was his mate. When she pulled the dagger on him, he thanked the gods she was brave enough to stand up for herself. Now, he was going to be strong for her.

“Then we’ll go see them. Since your sister has been coming and going, maybe she can get you back to see your Queen.”

Elle wiped her face again, her mouth downcast. “But I don’t have a passport.”

“If you fly in a private jet and have the locals pick you up at a small airfield, you don’t need one.”

Elle blinked back the wetness. “Do you know someone with a private jet?”

Tony brushed her pale blonde hair off her face where it was sticking to her cheek. “As a matter of fact, I do. My Clan has several, and at least one should be available. So, what do you say? Are you ready to go to Norway?”

“I don’t even know where that is, but yes.” Elle smacked a kiss on his lips, climbed off his lap, and took off toward her bedroom.

Momentarily stunned by her lips on his, Tony stared after her retreating form. “Where are you going?”

“Norway. Now, Tony.”

Laughing, he climbed to his feet and retrieved his phone, calling Sebastian. Keeping his voice low, Tony briefly recounted everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. Bas was thrilled Tony had found his mate, but he was equally disturbed by the fact that Grevolus had marked Elle.

“Gods be damned, Tony. Can’t the fates let one of us have a boring mate? Then again, if any of us were to have something this exciting happen, it would be you.”

“Hey, I resemble that remark. But yeah, a fae, Bas. Can you believe it? And dragons? Holy shit, this is next level.”

“It truly is. I take it you’re getting ready to travel to Norway?”

“Yes. Grevolus doesn’t have a passport, and that will give us time to figure out how to remove the sigil. I’m calling to borrow the jet.”

“I was afraid of that. Lydia and Beck took it to Canada to visit Beck’s father and ask him to be on the shifter council. They aren’t expected back for a few days, but with Connor and Alyssa holed up in the lab, I bet you could borrow his.”

“Yeah, I’ll give him a call. Give Dakota my best, and I’ll keep you posted.

” They said their goodbyes, and Anthony called Connor who readily agreed to send his pilot, Cruz Lopez, and his mate, Celeste, in his plane.

Connor gave him Cruz’s number so they could arrange when and where to meet.

By the time Anthony had the flight arranged, Elle was standing in the living room with her bags.