Page 27

“I know you do, but with this amount of money, you have to withdraw it in person and sign your name. Think of it as a mating present from your mom and me. Now, send me a pin of your location, and as soon as Deklan gets me the money, I’ll bring it to you.”

“Thanks, Dad. For everything. I don’t tell you often enough how much I appreciate the kind of father you are.”

“That’s...” Gregor cleared his throat. “You don’t have to thank me for being decent, Son.”

“We both know you’re more than decent. Anyway, you call Dek, and I’m going to spy on my mate and her sperm donor.”

“Be safe, and call if anything happens.”

“Will do.” Anthony disconnected and put the phone on vibrate.

He’d had to drive farther than he liked to find somewhere the Jeep wouldn’t be spotted.

His beast was itching to fly, but there were too many humans around.

He climbed down from the Jeep and locked it, then he made his way through the woods back to the farmhouse.

It had been almost forty-five minutes by the time he reached the farm.

Elle had described the property in detail, so he already knew where to hide so he could listen in.

Just in case Grevolus decided to take a stroll, Anthony chose a tree close to the house, where he perched on a thick branch.

It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but he would endure whatever was necessary to keep watch over his mate.

The back of the house was dark with no lights on in any of the rooms. Anthony reached out with his shifter hearing, but neither Elle nor Grevolus was talking.

He didn’t worry. Yet. Elle told him how she and Grevolus went days at a time without speaking, but he figured Grevolus would rip into Elle for bringing a stranger into their lives.

Then again, the stranger had offered the male an enormous amount of money.

He opened his senses and thanked the gods when he felt two strong heartbeats.

After sitting in one spot for over an hour, Anthony climbed to his feet to give his ass a break.

He hadn’t felt Elle’s emotions dipping through their bond, so he took that as a good sign.

When another hour passed with no sound coming from inside, he began to worry.

There should have been some type of noise like a television or doors closing or water running.

Elle could use magic to wash dishes, so it reasoned she could also pack their belongings the same way.

She knew Anthony was in the woods watching, so why hadn’t she given him a signal that she was okay?

A large black bird settled on a branch close to Anthony, startling him.

Its beady eyes stared at Anthony as it let out a gronk .

It turned as if to look toward the house before staring at him again, letting out another loud message.

When Anthony didn’t move, it gronked louder and flew off, landing on the roof.

The bird hopped up and down, and if Anthony didn’t know better, he would think it was yelling at him.

“What the fuck? Are you trying to tell me something?” The bird, Anthony was almost certain was a raven due to its size, bobbed its head up and down. “Holy shit. You can understand me?”

“ Gronk.”

As if the raven had called his friends, several more birds flew from the trees, landing on the roof beside the first one.

They began bobbing up and down, calling loudly.

Anthony stared in amazement as the sky was flooded with dozens of ravens, answering the call of their fellow birds.

Some landed on the house, while others circled the sky.

The back door opened, and Grevolus stepped outside.

He walked down the back steps and looked up as the birds got louder.

He waved his arms, yelling in a language Anthony didn’t understand since he didn’t have a translator.

The ravens became a whirlpool as they circled faster and faster.

Grevolus raised his hands, chanting, but the ravens started raining bird shit down on his head and arms. Anthony had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing.

Grevolus gave up on whatever he had planned for the birds and ran inside, the screen door slamming closed behind him.

His curses continued until a shower turned on somewhere in the house.

“Good job, fellas,” Anthony whispered. A particular raven responded, and Anthony held up his hands.

“And gals. Didn’t mean to discriminate.” The horde retreated to the safety of the trees surrounding the house.

Was what just happened something Elle had caused? Or was it the birds themselves who recognized evil in their presence? Whichever was the case, Anthony was glad to have been a witness.

The water shut off, and after that, the house was quiet once more.

Where the hell was Elle? She was stressed for a bit, but then she calmed down.

Maybe she was asleep? Anthony grew more worried and angrier the longer he went without having proof she was okay, but if he stormed inside, Grevolus would know Anthony hadn’t gone after the money.

Then he felt it – a push of love through their bond.

By the time his dad sent him a text the next morning stating he and Tessa were at Anthony’s Jeep, Anthony was ready to scream.

Only one person in the house was moving around.

Anthony didn’t know if it was Elle or Grevolus.

He didn’t want to leave the house, but he had to meet his parents to get the money, so he moved from tree to tree until he was far enough away to jump down without being seen.

He needed to expend some energy, so he ran full out until he reached the clearing where they were parked next to the Jeep.

“How did it go after we spoke?” Gregor asked.

“Not well. I haven’t seen nor heard Elle since she walked into the house. I did feel her emotions through the bond, so I know she’s alive. Something strange happened.” Anthony told them about the ravens, but instead of laughing, they looked at each other. “What?”

“Elle has magic. She might have called them for help.”

“They did cause a distraction, but to what end, I don’t know. I wanted to go inside and look for her, but he could have killed me. If he’s able to get to Elle halfway around the world—”

“I’m not criticizing. I was merely offering an explanation. Are you ready to do this?” his mom asked.

“Yes. I want you to hide. If he tries to pull a fast one, I don’t want all three of us in the line of fire. And if he does try to hurt me, remember, you can’t kill him because if he dies...”

“Elle does too. We remember.” Gregor clapped Anthony on the shoulder and squeezed before walking to their vehicle and grabbing a suitcase out of the trunk.

He handed it to Anthony, who stowed the case in the back of the Jeep before climbing into the driver’s seat.

Tessa got in back, and Gregor took shotgun.

He drove them back to the driveway, stopping halfway down so they could get out.

“We’ll meet you down there. Good luck,” his mom said as she climbed down. They disappeared into the trees, and Anthony counted to sixty before traversing the bumpy drive. Anthony blew out a breath as he cut the motor. Grevolus exited the house, and Anthony called out, “Where’s Elle?”

“ Odette is inside until I see the cash.”

Anthony reached out with his senses, but he couldn’t hear his mate.

He tried connecting with her through their bond, but it was like digging through molasses.

He retrieved the suitcase out of the hatch, then walked toward the house, stopping about twenty yards out.

He placed it on the ground and opened it.

“It’s all here. Give me Elle, and you can take it. ”

“I can take it regardless,” Grevolus muttered, but Anthony still heard him.

Anthony slammed the suitcase shut, then braced himself. His beast pushed to be released, but Anthony pushed back. He returned the case to the Jeep, then clicked the locks. When he faced Grevolus, the male was scowling.

“Fine. She’s inside.”

“Bring her to me,” Anthony demanded, getting madder with each second.

“No, you follow me.”

“Get ready,” he muttered, knowing his parents would hear. Anthony strode toward the male, who held the door open.

“You first.” Anthony knew it was a trap, but he needed to be inside and closer to his mate. Grevolus walked past him and opened a door at the back of the house. “She’s down here.” Anthony could sense his mate, and even though he didn’t hear her, Elle’s heartbeat was strong.

Grevolus walked down the steps with Anthony following. It was dark save some type of glowing light, floating overhead. Anthony used his Gargoyle vision to search the dank room. Elle was sitting in the corner, her eyes wide.

“Elle!” Anthony rushed to his mate. He should have never turned his back on the fae.