Arthur cleared his throat, threading his hands and resting them over his stomach. “We should take our seats. They’re heading up the stairs.”
MacGregor chuckled and nodded like they were old chums. He rested his hand on Mistress McKay’s lower back and guidedher toward the bench. They'd barely gotten themselves settled when the door opened again.
Her mates entered first, their expressions giving nothing away. She rose to her feet, scanning them for any injury, nearly sagging in relief when she found none, and the anxiety gripping her eased. They immediately came to her side, Ascher and Draven standing farther down the table on either side of Atlas and Caedmon. Kincade took the position to her right, which made sense, since he was basically second in charge. She was shocked when Ryder took the spot to her left, not sure what it meant.
She had no more time to ponder the question when four elven guards appeared in the doorway, surrounding a single woman. Her first impression was tall, each of them around six feet or more.
But when she got a good look at their faces, she nearly gaped in shock.
The similarities to Atlas were startling, the elves closely related to her mate in some way, possibly cousins, and her heart lurched in her chest.
She glanced at him quickly, only to see that he didn’t react to them in any way, his face stoic.
The guards weren’t so circumspect. One appeared indifferent, barely glancing at him like he was a stranger. Two others couldn’t control the grimace of disgust, something so small that she didn’t think she would’ve noticed if she hadn’t been staring directly at them. Only one appeared sad, his eyes darkening just slightly, the only reaction he allowed himself.
Then their expressions were wiped clean.
It all took place in a matter of seconds. With her limited knowledge, the fae might as well have just screamed their emotions.
So far, she was less than impressed with them.
She expected them to be dressed as warriors, but they came in such finery, she had to bite her lip to stop it from curling in disgust.
No doubt that they thought to intimidate her.
Not a fucking chance.
The men were lithe, their eyes scanning the room, assessing the threats…and deemed them harmless.
More fool them.
The guys parted, revealing a woman who wore a dress that looked like it had been created from gossamer wings, the fabric glittering like a rainbow when the light struck it. The full-length skirt just skimmed the ground, and she walked in a way that made her appear like she was floating. The bodice clung to her shape, the material looking like it was made out of leaves that trailed down to the top of the skirt. Silver, lavished jewels cinched in her waist and decorated the edges along her bosom.
What made Morgan suck in a sharp breath wasn’t her nearly alien beauty but her resemblance to Atlas.
Because damned if she wasn’t looking at his mother.
The woman’s eyes didn’t even flicker in acknowledgement of her son.
Like they were complete strangers.
Morgan could almost feel ice forming at the chilly reception, and it took physical effort not to growl at the fucking bitch, protocol be damned.
When the woman’s attention landed on Caedmon, her gaze widened just a fraction before she could control herself. Avarice made her light blue eyes gleam, and she all but rubbed her hands together with glee. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Caedmon.”
Morgan stiffened with outrage, cursing herself for a fool.
She’d hoped meeting with the fae would have averted any future altercations. Now she very much feared she made things worse by making Caedmon a target.
The air thickened, the hairs on her arms rising as the beast in him lifted his massive head, the threat of violence almost physical. She slid protectively in front of Caedmon—which did little to block him since he was well over six feet.
But her action had the desired effect.
His beast gave a curious rumble, sending a puff of warm airagainst the back of her neck before retreating. The magic that was unique to him alone slowly dissipated.
When she glanced around the rest of the room, the hope that no one noticed the interaction between them crumbled to dust.
They saw and noted everything.
