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“And then you have all the different languages and accents. Unlike Evyndral where everyone sounds the same, on Earth, different lands have different languages. And some of those who speak the same language have a different way of speaking the same words such as tomato and tomahto,” Yari said.

“What is a tomato?” Nekoma asked her.

“It’s similar to what we call a sipési . And what we call a disési , they call a potato.”

“I’m going to starve, aren’t I?” he asked, frowning.

Luna carried a plate of chicken parm into the room and stood beside the fae. “Not on my watch,” she said, winking.

Nekoma’s eyes widened, and his ears matched Elle’s in the pink department .

Anthony wanted to warn Luna to go easy on the male, but then again, maybe there was something she saw in the fae.

She didn’t appear to be nauseous, so Anthony doubted they were mates.

It could be that she found Nekoma attractive and wanted to spend time with him.

Luna stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork, but before shoving it in her mouth, asked, “What’s the plan with Grevolus?”

Tabitha sighed, and Luna frowned. “What?”

“We need to get Carleigh to send out a Clan-wide memo. It’s not your fault, Lu, but we’ve had this same discussion multiple times.”

“Or we could do one of those old timey phone trees, like in the movie Practical Magic. ”

Tabitha rolled her eyes. “With the number of Clan members, it’ll be Halloween before everyone receives their call.”

“You’re no fun,” Luna fussed.

“Oh, I’m all kinds of fun. Just ask—”

“La, la, la,” Gregor chanted, plugging one ear since his other arm was around Tessa’s waist. The Gargoyles laughed, the fae looked confused, and it was Tabitha’s turn to blush.

“Right. Yes, uh... Grevolus.” She explained the plan to Luna, ignoring the look Anthony was giving her. Who exactly had his twin been hanging out with? When was the last time she’d told him about a date? Now that he thought about it, it had been months.

“Something you want to tell me?”

Tabitha narrowed her eyes at him briefly, locking down their link.

What the actual fuck? In their twenty-six years, she had never blocked him from speaking silently.

It was something they could only do when in close proximity, and they didn’t do it often, but it was another thing that made their bond so special.

Elle glanced up at him, concern filling her pale blue eyes.

Anthony pressed a kiss to her temple and sent a wave of love through their bond.

He would talk to her about what was bothering him later.

Thran and Yari, who hadn’t strayed far from Elle, stepped closer. “We need to get back to Norway. Since Nekoma is staying here, we would appreciate a portal when the time comes to go after Grevolus. We don’t want you approaching him without us.”

Elle smiled at her siblings. “We can make that happen. Right, Nekoma?”

“It would be my honor.”

Everyone followed the twins outside because seeing a portal was new for the Gargoyles, and it was amazing knowing the fae could travel not only between countries but realms too. Thran and Yari waved, stepped through the opening, and then it snapped closed behind them.

“Holy goddess, that’s amazing.” Luna sidled up to Nekoma, still holding her plate of food. “What does that feel like?”

“Like stepping through a doorway that’s buzzing slightly with energy. I can show you if you’d like?”

“Really? Where would we go?”

“Now, Lass. Don’t be too hasty,” Dominic interrupted.

“But Papa, imagine if we portalled to the house in NOLA and surprised Solara?”

“You mean scare the crap out of her?” Lilly chided.

“Well, yes, but—”

“No buts. Let’s save the portalling for another day. We need to go so that Elle can get some rest. It’s late, and she’s had a traumatic day.”

Anthony appreciated Lilly’s thoughtfulness.

Being Goyles, they didn’t require much sleep.

He needed to remember that his mate did, especially after all she’d been through.

He had periodically checked Elle’s mood through the bond, and she had been upbeat.

He assumed that was from being around all her siblings.

Their group returned inside, and when Tabitha offered to do the dishes, Elle waved her off.

“I’ve got this.”

“No, really. I don’t mind. Like Lilly said, you’ve had a long day.”

“Trust her, Tabby. She’s got it. Since there are no leftovers, do your thing, Sweetheart.”

Elle waved her arms in the air, and the kitchen was immaculate.”

Tabitha gasped. “Borrowing Nekoma’s words, what is this sorcery?”

Elle winked at her. “Not sorcery. Fae magic.”

The Dubois family left soon after, and Tabitha offered to either show Nekoma to one of the guest rooms or keep him company so that Anthony could take Elle to bed.

After making sure the fae was okay with hanging out with Tabby and their parents, Anthony did exactly that.

It was going on one in the morning, and he was ready for some alone time with his mate.

After saying their goodnights, Anthony led Elle to their bedroom and closed the door.

Standing just inside the room, Elle looked around. He stepped close, hugging her from behind. “I want to take you shopping so you can buy things you like for the house.”

“I don’t need things, Tony.”

“It’s not about needing them, Sweetheart. It’s about having things that call to you. Things that make the house feel like yours. This is your home now, and I want it to reflect you and your personality. We need to shop for clothes too.”

Elle turned and slid her hands up his chest, clasping her hands behind his neck. “Okay.”

“Yeah?” Anthony rubbed his nose against hers before pressing a kiss to the edge of her mouth.

“Yeah.” Elle angled her head so that their lips aligned.

Anthony dropped his hands to her ass and lifted.

Elle wrapped her long legs around him, and he walked her to the bed, where he placed her on her feet.

He wanted to rip her clothes off and make love to her, but instead, he pulled the covers down first. Then he slowly undressed her, admiring each part of her body he unwrapped.

He’d noticed in Norway that her underwear was basic.

Anthony wondered if that was because it was cheaper or if she didn’t like lacy garments.

He planned to buy her sexy lingerie either way.

If she didn’t like wearing it, he would know through their bond.

Once they were both naked, he directed her to the bed.

Anthony covered her with his larger body and slid his cock into her wetness.

He kissed his mate to drown out her moans and words of encouragement while taking her slowly.

Sex before Elle had been good, sometimes great.

He loved the physicality of it. What he had been missing was the intimacy.

It amazed Anthony how connected they were in body and spirit.

He didn’t make her wait to find her release since she needed to sleep. Anthony ignored his beast’s request to bite her again because when that happened, his mate flew apart loudly. He wouldn’t embarrass her with his family in the house.

After cleaning her with a warm washcloth, Anthony lay down and pulled Elle close.

He needed to ask about birth control, something he should have done before claiming her in Norway.

Anthony wanted kids but not this soon into their relationship.

He wanted to have a few years together, only the two of them.

With his job, he wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with Elle as he would like, so Anthony wanted to be selfish with what time they would have together without adding a baby to the mix.

He opened his mouth to broach the subject, but Elle’s breathing had already slowed.

His poor, sweet fae. Anthony thanked the gods for sparing their lives and for Nekoma being able to remove the sigil.

He didn’t know if Elle would thank her goddess since she refused to intervene.

It was odd that Queen Zarina was the daughter of the goddess and could actually call on her mother and physically see her.

At least that’s how it sounded when they’d discussed the issue in Norway.

Anthony didn’t put a lot of thought into his gods and where they resided, but he wholeheartedly believed in them and gave them his gratitude for having such an amazing life.

And now that he had Elle? His life was even better.