A fter calling Carleigh with an update, where she came close to bursting his eardrum upon finding out the sigil was gone, Anthony phoned Mason.

His boss told him to take as much time as he needed, but Anthony knew there were other cases waiting for him since Gannon was guarding Connor and Alyssa, and the other Goyles were also on long-term assignments.

Anthony wouldn’t shirk his duties once Grevolus was taken out no matter how badly he wanted more time with Elle.

Standing at the side of the house, Anthony eavesdropped on his mate and her newly found brother.

He was grateful to Nekoma for removing the sigil and releasing Elle from her paralysis, and since Anthony had a job he couldn’t abandon, she would need someone to keep her company while he was gone.

Who better than a sibling who could protect her?

One, who by the sound of it, she was eager to get to know.

Anthony wanted that for his mate. She had been without family for so long, and while Anthony’s Clan would be there for Elle now, he would never begrudge her spending time with her brother.

Anthony waited until Elle and Nekoma returned to the kitchen to join his mate, noticing she’d not cleaned her plate. “Did you want me to fix you something different?”

“Oh, no. It was delicious, but I’m full. Tabitha loaded my plate like she was feeding you.”

Anthony pressed a kiss to her hair, feeling Nekoma’s eyes on him. “How about you? Would you like some more?” The fae’s plate was scraped clean.

“No, thank you. I’ve never eaten anything quite like that, but I enjoyed it. Especially the red stuff,” Nekoma said.

“Fae are used to eating mostly vegetables we grow and bread we bake ourselves, and if we get meat, it’s from hunting,” Elle explained.

“I have become somewhat adventurous since being on Earth. The grocery store back in Register had recipe cards a woman handed out with a sample of the meal. If I liked it, I would purchase the ingredients.”

Yari and Thran joined them, catching the conversation. “You always were a good cook, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you caught onto these new recipes easily,” Yari praised.

Elle took a sip of water, then kept the glass between her hands.

“When I was taken to Winterhaven, I had to get creative with our meals since Melisandra was stingy with the gold when she was Queen. The vegetables I was able to grow were fewer than those in Summerland too. Grevolus and Tovin were too lazy to hunt for meat often, and they wouldn’t let me out of their sight. ”

Yari let out a ha. “They were afraid you’d put an arrow in their backside.”

Thran took the seat next to Elle. “How often did you practice after leaving Summerland, or did you? You left your bow behind.”

“I didn’t practice. I would have had to borrow Tovin’s bow, and even then, I didn’t want them to know how good I was. I hadn’t shot for ten years when I stood on the hill in Evyndral.”

“You didn’t forget your training. That was some of the best archery I’ve ever witnessed.”

“Thanks, Thran. Asherah was angry that I kept ‘missing.’ She pulled a dagger on me, threatening me.”

“And we all know how well that turned out for her,” Nekoma said, grinning.

Elle arched a brow at her brother. “Where were you during the battle?”

“In a tree above you. I couldn’t fight with you, but I was ready to intervene should Queen Zarina or any of the light try to take you prisoner.”

Elle grabbed his hand. “I didn’t know you were there.”

“I didn’t want to distract you.” Nekoma squeezed, then pulled away after glancing at Anthony. The fae had gotten the memo when Anthony’s Goyle growled at him earlier. It was nothing personal. Gargoyles were territorial beasts.

“Yeah, Asherah was doing a good enough job of that.” Elle rolled her eyes, something Anthony hadn’t seen her do up to that point.

It was cute. Hell, she was cute. No, his mate was glamorous.

Whether she had on a long dress with her hair braided, or if she was wearing jeans and a sweater with her hair in a ponytail, she was something else.

“What happened to her?” Thran asked.

Elle narrowed her eyes at Yari. “You didn’t tell him?”

“Not my story to tell, Sister.”

“When she drew her dagger, I knocked it out of her hand with my bow, catching it on its way to the ground. We got into an argument, and she admitted she was the one who killed our mother, so I gutted her. Then I shoved an arrow into the wound and pushed her down the hill, making it appear as if she’d been hit by the ‘enemy’,” Elle said with no remorse. Anthony was proud of her.

“Good for you, Little Sister. I’m proud of you,” Thran echoed Anthony’s thoughts.

“Note to self,” Tabitha said from the living room. “Don’t piss off Tony’s mate.”

“We might as well join the others, since they’re listening to our conversation anyway.

” Anthony held out a hand, and Elle placed her smaller one in his.

When she was standing, he pulled her to his chest and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

There wasn’t enough seating for everyone present, so Anthony hauled the dining chairs into the living area.

Someone had turned the football game on the TV for background noise, and Nekoma froze in front of it.

“More witchcraft?” he asked to no one in particular.

Elle sidled up next to her brother. “Pretty much.” She giggled, then did her best to explain what he was seeing.

Next, she took him to the bathroom and explained the shower and toilet.

Everything Anthony took for granted, Nekoma found fascinating since they didn’t have it on Evyndral.

When they returned, Tabitha brought up the topic of Grevolus.

“When are you taking him down?”

Anthony pulled Elle to him, placing her back against his front. It was his favorite way to hold her. “Carleigh’s working on locating him. If she can’t find him, we’ll wait until he stops and let Nekoma do his thing.”

Tabitha crossed her arms and tapped the toe of her boot. “I am not missing this the way I missed helping Sebastian and Dakota with the wolves.”

Tessa, who was sitting on Gregor’s lap, pointed at Tabitha with her rum-filled glass.

“It could take weeks to find Grevolus. Do your protection gig until that time, and if Cailín’s on another job, I’ll take your place watching the actress.

If I need to, I can wear a prosthetic pretending to be you. ”

Tabitha pumped a fist in the air. “Yes! Thanks, Mom.”

Elle squeezed Anthony’s arm. “Does your dad not care if your mom takes Tabitha’s place?”

“Nah. He knows she needs some excitement every now and then to keep her sane. She’s not the sit-at-home kind. She adores Andy, but Mom has always been an adventure seeker, and Dad understands when she gets an itch, it’s best to let her do something to scratch it.”

Seven sets of ears perked up at the sound of a car coming down the driveway. Tabitha strode to the front window. “It’s Luna.”

To Nekoma, Elle explained, “She is Lilly and Dominic’s daughter. She’s the one who designed the bracelets that turn into weapons.”

Luna knocked twice before opening the door. “Please tell me there’s leftovers of whatever smells so delicious. I’m starving.” She brushed her long hair off her face as she strode across the floor, but when she noticed Nekoma, she froze. “Whoa. Hottie alert.”

Nekoma seemed equally as entranced. He stood taller and brushed his hands down the front of his tunic. Luna arched a dark brow Tabitha’s direction, and Tabby merely smirked at their cousin, refusing to put her out of her misery.

Anthony internally rolled his eyes and made the introduction. “Luna, this is Nekoma, Elle’s half-brother.”

“Brother,” Elle corrected. “And this is Yari and Thran, my other siblings,” she said, gesturing to the twins who stood to greet Luna.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Luna went to where her parents were sitting and leaned down to kiss her papa on the cheek. She then took the tumbler from his hand and downed the little bit of rum in the glass. “Ah, that’s the good stuff.”

“But of course, Lass. There be no grog here. Now pour your papa another glass, if you will.”

Luna did as he asked. After passing the tumbler to Dom, she stalked into the kitchen, making herself at home, fixing a plate of leftovers. Elle leaned forward as far as she could with Anthony’s arms banded around her waist, watching Luna. When she stood upright, she was grinning.

“What?” Anthony asked.

“I love how everyone makes themselves at home here, even this late.”

“It’s always been that way. Our family is huge, and each home has an open-door policy.”

“What if...” Elle cut herself off, and her pointed ears pinkened.

Anthony laughed, knowing where his mate’s thoughts went. “We rarely arrive without calling or texting first. If we happen to show up unannounced, we use our shifter hearing to make sure the coast is clear.”

“The coast?”

Anthony squeezed a little tighter. “It’s another one of those sayings. It means there is nothing going on you shouldn’t walk in on.”

Nekoma, who kept glancing at Luna, asked, “Why not say what you mean then?”

It was Tabitha who answered. “Because the English language isn’t hard enough already.

We have words that sound the same but have different definitions, like there.

Spelled one way, it indicates where. Where is my brother?

He’s over there. Spelled another, it is the possessive form of whose.

Whose house is this? It’s their house. And then you have the contraction of they are. They’re a lovely couple.”

“I may need to adjust my language translator,” he mumbled.

Elle waved a hand. “Don’t bother. I’ve been here four years, and there are too many sayings that don’t make sense.”