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Elle sat down next to her brother. “Do you know where?”

“I know the direction, but I don’t need the exact location. The raven flew overhead, showing me the property. It’s secluded, so I can open a portal.”

Anthony dug his phone out of his suit, sending a text to Carleigh, asking her to forward the information on to all who had asked to join them in taking down the male.

Nekoma placed the bottle on a lower step, then angled his body toward Elle’s. “I won’t ask you to stay behind. This is your fight more than anyone’s, but I do have to ask, are you ready for this?”

Elle took her brother’s hand. Anthony’s beast was oddly silent at the gesture. Maybe it finally got the memo that Nekoma was no threat to Elle.

“I’m ready. Grevolus should have been among those darks who were taken to Zarina’s brother’s realm.

Then again, I think even that is too good for him.

He’s evil, Nekoma. He tricked my mother into sleeping with him.

He dragged me from my home, taking me to Winterhaven where I was made to wait on him and his family while living in fear every day.

He made me steal money. He killed Mr. Johnson, an innocent man.

Who’s to say he didn’t kill someone else living at this new farmhouse?

He takes what he wants with no regard for anyone other than himself.

But the worst? He tried to kill me with the sigil.

When that didn’t work, he paralyzed Tony and me, leaving us for dead. So yes, I’m ready.”

Nekoma brushed a tendril of hair off Elle’s shoulder.

“I am proud to call you sister.” Turning to Anthony, he said, “Gather your Clan. When the time comes, I will open a portal into the woods well away from the house. For tonight, I am going to visit my mother. I will return before this time tomorrow.” Nekoma stood and walked down the steps.

He swirled his arms, and a vortex appeared.

From one second to the next, Nekoma became Novus, and the raven flew through the opening.

Elle stared at the spot where her brother had disappeared. “Do you think he’s okay?”

“Yes.” Anthony joined Elle on the steps, pulling her against his side. “I believe he has questions for Nykeela regarding their powers and how best to use them against Grevolus.” He kissed her hair, inhaling her scent. “I also think he is telling her he has a new home.”

Elle snuggled closer. “Really?”

“Mmm hmm. He has watched over you for a long time, and now he has the chance to interact with you as himself, not Novus. He has found a strange, new world that is more exciting than Evyndral. He does love his power tools,” Anthony joked.

“If you were free of Grevolus, and you and I hadn’t found each other, would you want to go back? ”

“Yes, but not to stay. I would want to see my father and tell him all about Earth and its wonders. I would ask him to come back with me though.”

“Do you think he would? Have Yari and Thran not visited him in all these years?”

“I don’t know. With everything going on, I forgot to ask them.”

“You’ll get the chance soon. I’ll text Brent and tell him we’re going after Grevolus so he can let Yari know.”

“Won’t Brent be asleep?”

“Probably, but he needs to know sooner than later in case Yari is in Evyndral.”

Elle got quiet, so Anthony allowed her to just be. His first Valentine’s Day spent with someone he loved had been better than he could imagine. Now that they had the house to themselves, he figured they would make love and then snuggle, but Elle had a different idea.

“Would it be okay if we had another fire out back? At least for a little while. And maybe you could hook your phone to the speaker again?”

“Anything you want, Sweetheart.” Anthony stood and led Elle through the house so they could change out of their date clothes.

It was a good thing they hadn’t gone straight to bed because while they were changing, his mom called.

Carleigh and Luna texted before he could get his jeans on.

By the time they made it outside, Brent had texted, and Tabitha had called.

He handed the device to Elle. “You’re in charge of communicating while I get the wood ready. ”

Anthony understood everyone wanting to get in on going after Grevolus.

It’s what they did as a Clan, but he wished they would consider he and Elle were technically still on their date.

It was the first night they’d had alone in almost two weeks.

He should have known when Carleigh relayed the message that he would be inundated with messages, but still.

As he was stacking logs over the kindling, Elle chuckled.

Then she laughed, and the sound of her joy went straight to his gut.

Elle’s happiness was the most important thing in the world to him.

While she was occupied with whomever was making her laugh, Anthony went up on the deck and lifted the glider, taking it down to the fire pit so they could snuggle.

The chairs Nekoma had built were gorgeous, but they were intended for one person.

Elle could sit in his lap, but this way, she would be more comfortable.

Elle handed him the phone, threw some fireballs at the kindling, then ended up on his lap anyway. He opened the music app, telling Elle to choose what they listened to. Where Anthony preferred hard rock most of the time, his mate enjoyed all genres. She chose what he referred to as island music.

“Why island music?”

Elle snuggled against his chest as the fire caught.

“I like the sound of steel drums. As bad as living with Grevolus was, when we were in South Carolina, there was a restaurant where a band played on the patio overlooking the water. I used to walk along the beach to get away from him, and I always ended up outside that restaurant. The music mixed with the waves rolling in was peaceful. It wasn’t until we moved to the farmhouse and I had access to a computer that I figured out what steel drums were called. ”

“Our Clan owns a lot of property all around the world, including Atokos Island in Greece. When the weather gets warmer, you and I can take a vacation there. We’ll have to provide our own music since it’s secluded, but I think you’ll enjoy the scenery.”

“You mentioned Greece before? Where is it?”

“Yes, that’s where Connor and Alyssa met as children.” Tony opened a map app on his phone and showed her.

“I’d like that. By then, Nekoma will be better acclimated to living on Earth, and I won’t feel bad about leaving him alone.”

Anthony scoffed at her silliness. “You’ve seen how my family invades our home, and if they know he’s here alone, they’ll invite themselves over to keep him company.”

“True.” Elle sighed happily. “I love your family.”

“They’re your family too, you know.”

“Yeah,” Elle said softly.

Anthony knew better than to keep Elle up late when they had plans to make, but his fae enjoyed being outside, and they had watched the fire and listened to music well past midnight.

When his phone buzzed, Anthony gauged the time by the lack of light streaming past the edge of the blinds.

Too damn early for texts. Anthony groaned, and his mate stirred.

“I’ll make coffee.” She rolled away from him to get up, but Anthony pulled her back to his chest.

“No.”

Elle huffed, but it wasn’t in annoyance.

She was used to his need to cuddle in the morning.

Sometimes it led to sex, and others, he just wanted to hold her.

Elle settled, running her fingers along the arm he had banded around her waist. She was patient, never demanding to be let go unless she had to pee.

His beast was unusually quiet. Most mornings, it was ready to roll Elle to her back and sink into her sweet body.

Maybe it realized what lie ahead of them.

Instead of a text message, the phone rang, and Anthony growled.

“You might as well answer it.” Anthony pressed his lips to the back of her neck before releasing his hold.

“Now I’ll make coffee.” Elle slid out of bed, and Anthony admired her ass cheeks that were barely covered by the silk panties he’d bought her.

She bent down, snagging the long-sleeved tee he’d worn the night before, and slipped it over her head.

The shirt swallowed her, but Elle rolled the sleeves past her hands.

As she padded to the door, she pulled the collar up and inhaled deeply.

His mate loved the smell of a fire, and the smoke from the night before was embedded in both their clothes.

“It’s early,” he drawled into the phone.

“I am so pissed,” his twin griped, ignoring his greeting. “I’m going to miss out on all the fun. Again.”

“I thought Mom was going to cover for you.” Anthony rolled off the bed and tugged on his boxer briefs before finding a clean pair of jeans.

“We’ve been sequestered at the hotel. Some maniac got close enough to Craig Kilbrook to threaten him with a knife last night. If his people had hired Steele Securities too, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Shit, Tabby. Did they catch the guy?”

“Yes, but he was shouting how this wasn’t over as the cops dragged him away. The studio is demanding everyone stay put for a few days. This blows.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Not as sorry as I am. Fuck!”

“Where are you? If you’re cursing this loudly, surely Trista isn’t within earshot.”

“She’s in her bedroom asleep. She has a white noise machine you can probably hear from your house to drown out any and all sounds. That woman sleeps like the dead.”

Anthony’s phone buzzed. After checking the screen, he said, “I really am sorry, Tabby. Carleigh’s calling, so I better take it.”

“Fine. Get in a good claw swipe for me.”

“Will do. Love you.”

“Love you too, Brother.”

Anthony hated that his twin would miss out on taking down Grevolus, but there was nothing for it now that she was stuck at the hotel.

He switched over to speak with Carleigh, who was informing him who all she had spoken to.

After disconnecting, he put the phone in his back pocket before padding into the bathroom to take a piss and wash his hands.

Showering could wait. He needed coffee and another sniff of his mate.

If he was addicted to her scent, that was no one’s business but his.