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A nthony wasn’t ready to leave Norway, but he was eager for Elle to meet the females of his Clan.

He didn’t miss the wistfulness in her tone when she and Trinity were talking about having friends.

For the last fourteen years, his mate had no one other than her horrific family to spend time with.

As soon as the sigil was removed, he was going to remedy that.

Because of the time difference, they had to leave Norway right after breakfast. Since Grevolus expected Elle back the following day, they had no choice but to fly back to the States.

When it was time to leave, neither Yari nor Cassi had returned, and even though Elle smiled and laughed, her worries came through the bond.

Cruz had the jet ready to go, and they would arrive in Nashville around eight a.m., giving them time to pretend Elle was hitting a bank before having to drive south.

When he and Elle were packing, Brent knocked on the door. “What do you want me to tell Yari when she and Cassi get back?”

“If they’ve found a way to remove the sigil, please ask Yari to come to us.

We’re going back to Nashville before driving to Atlanta.

I’m still not sure how we’ll handle Grevolus, but I’m going to have Carleigh reach out to Luna and Solara.

Maybe they and Lilly will have some witchy spell to protect Elle until then. ”

“Do we need to pick up Cruz and Celeste on the way to the airport?”

“He had Lawrence drive him and Celeste since he had to ready the jet.”

Brent tapped the doorframe twice, then walked away.

Elle was staring across the room, her arms wrapped around her middle.

Anthony felt her despondence through the bond.

He closed the distance and pulled her against his chest, resting his cheek against her hair.

“We will figure this out.” Elle nodded against him but was otherwise silent.

“Come on, Sweetheart. We need to get going.”

Tony stepped back to gather their bags, but Elle stopped him, grabbing his forearm.

She then slid her hands behind his neck and kissed him.

They didn’t have a lot of time, so Anthony did his best not to get lost in his mate’s mouth, but it was difficult.

Her tongue danced with his, but before they took things too far, she pulled away. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Putting up with my issues. You didn’t want a mate, yet you got one who’s more trouble than she’s worth.”

“You don’t have issues; Grevolus does. And you are no trouble.

Do we have to navigate life from our back foot until we get this mess settled?

Yes, but like I explained before, most of our kind has to go through some type of turmoil to get to their happy ending.

As for not wanting a mate, I was an idiot.

Now that I have you, I can’t imagine being apart from you.

” Anthony tapped his chest. “I feel you in here. Your heart beats in sync with mine. You are a part of me, as I am a part of you, and I have no intention of losing you anytime soon.”

Brent appeared in the bedroom door, disrupting their tender moment. “Ready?”

“We are.” Anthony lifted both bags in one hand and placed his free one on Elle’s back.

Trinity met them downstairs, a scowl marring her face. “You have my phone number. I expect you to keep in touch.”

“I will. I promise.” Elle opened her arms, and Trinity hugged her quickly before rushing from the room.

Brent sighed, but he was smiling. “Trin is already attached to you, so expect visits once Grevolus is taken care of.”

“I’m good with visits,” Elle whispered, staring at the door Trinity had disappeared through. Anthony couldn’t wait for Elle to officially meet his cousins the next day. She needed friends in her life. Family who wouldn’t let her down.

Elle wasn’t as nervous flying the second time, but she wasn’t as excited either.

She was worried, and nothing Anthony said made her feel better.

She had expected her Queen to remove the sigil, giving Elle her life back.

When Celeste offered them something to drink, Anthony expected Elle to ask for a soda, but his mate surprised him when she requested something stronger.

Once the glass was in front of her, Elle downed the contents, hissing at the burn.

Celeste didn’t bat an eye. Instead, she poured Elle a refill.

Anthony had informed Cruz of their failure to remove the sigil, and he would have shared that with his mate.

“I’ll leave this with you.” Celeste placed the bottle on the table next to Anthony. “If you need anything, just call out.” Celeste brushed a hand across Elle’s cheek before joining Cruz in the cockpit.

Anthony lifted the bottle and wiggled it. “Is my pretty fae planning on getting sloshed?”

Elle slumped against the leather sofa. “No. I just...” She blew out a breath, staring into the amber liquid. “I don’t understand why Cassi is allowed to move between realms when that isn’t life or death, yet my situation is, and the goddess won’t allow someone through who can help me.”

“Do you think the goddess is aware? I mean, are the higher powers really all-knowing? Or is that what we’re told so we behave?” Anthony tipped the bottle back and took a swig of whiskey. “Your Queen might be with her now explaining how dire the situation is.”

Elle bobbed her head. “Then why is it taking so long? She’s had days to convince her. It’s not like Zarina can’t get in touch with her. D?nthú’s her mother.” Elle swapped the glass from her right hand to her left, then scratched at her sigil.

“Is your sigil bothering you?”

“Yeah, it’s itching for some reason.”

Anthony replaced the cap on the bottle and set it on the table. “Has that ever happened before?”

“Yes, but not like this. Before, it was more of a slight tingle.”

“Hang on.” Anthony rose and went to the bathroom where he looked through the cabinet.

This was Connor’s jet, but Alyssa was human, so she could have medicine stored there.

When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he wet a washcloth and wrung it out.

He returned to the seating area and placed the cloth over Elle’s arm.

“Sweetheart, can you remember when your arm tingled? Did it ever happen at home, or was it always when you were away from Grevolus?”

“It... crap. He’s doing this, isn’t he? It was always when I was on my trips.”

Anthony brushed Elle’s hair off her shoulder. “I’m afraid he’s tracking you.”

“That’s not good. If he realizes I’m not in Tennessee—” Elle’s phone rang, and she turned wide eyes to Anthony. He stood and retrieved her purse from the overhead bin, handing it to her.

She swapped the washcloth for her phone, her hand trembling. “It’s him. What do I tell him? He’ll keep calling until I answer, and I can’t lie to him.”

Anthony tossed the damp cloth toward the galley, then retook his seat, placing his arm around Elle’s shoulder. “Be as vague as possible.”

Elle blew out a breath, slid her finger across the screen, then put it to her ear. “H-hello?”

“Where the hell are you?” Anthony couldn’t understand the words, but the male’s tone was clearly pissed off.

Elle jumped to her feet and ran to the bedroom. Anthony followed, sitting next to her when she flopped down on the bed. “I’m in bed.” His mate was smart. Being fae, she couldn’t lie.

“Where specifically are you, Odette?”

Anthony took the phone and hit the mute button. “I can’t understand him.”

“He wants to know where I am specifically. Hang on.” Elle searched the bedroom until she grabbed a coaster. She pressed her hand to it, muttering under her breath. “Hold this. It’s a language translator.”

“Good thinking. Tell him the hotel you stayed at, but only the name. I’ll call Carleigh and have her do her computer voodoo.”

“Odette? Odette, fucking answer me.”

Elle unmuted the phone. “The name of the hotel is Compton Suites.”

“In what fucking city? Your sigil shows you’re halfway across this goddess forsaken planet.”

“How would I even travel that far, Grevolus? I don’t have a passport, which means I can’t get a plane ticket or take a boat. And if I knew how to open a portal, don’t you think I’d have taken us back to our realm?”

“Cops came sniffing around today. Did you have something to do with that?”

“Why would I call the police? I don’t want to go to jail. What did they want?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Grevolus muttered kent under his breath. Anthony didn’t know if it was a fae word or someone’s name, but by the way Elle blanched, he figured it was the former. “I need to move, so get your ass back here and pack up the house.”

He said I, not we. Was he not taking Elle with him? “Wouldn’t it be better for me to stay and get more money? We’re going to need it if we move.”

“Fine, but I’m not packing all this shit by myself. Do the job, then come straight here. And Odette? If you are somehow lying to me, you won’t like the consequences.” With that, he hung up. Elle tossed the phone on the bed and scrubbed her hands down her face.

Anthony pressed his thigh against hers. “Do you think he believed you?”

Elle dropped her hands onto her lap. “I don’t know.”