Page 32 of Protected By the Elf Prince

“Would you like me to do anything?”

He shook his head and pointed vaguely down the hallway. “You remember the kitchen’s through there?”

I nodded.

But then he hesitated, like he wanted to say something else. I waited, and soon he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly while muttering, “Make yourself comfortable.”

The words spread heat through me embarrassingly fast. I dipped my head. “Thank you.”

Landon disappeared down another hallway, and I remained still for several seconds, simply listening to the sounds of him moving through the house.

Drawers opened, his footsteps padded across carpet, and then there was the soft rustle of fabric. Desire filled me, and my body reacted in a way any mate’s would when they were close to theirs and thinking of them naked.

Our mate mark hummed quietly with contentment on my neck.

Swallowing thickly, I then moved toward the kitchen, where I turned on the light and took in the details surrounding me. The countertops were clean despite clear signs of frequent use. A half-completed crossword sat near the fruit bowl, while paperwork occupied one corner of the table.

I touched the back of one chair lightly before my gaze drifted toward the refrigerator and the photographs stuck upon it with magnets.

Monkey appeared in most of them, while others showed unfamiliar humans that I assumed were friends or family.

Then I found another photograph of Landon. He was younger and standing beside a woman with warm eyes and a bright smile.

His deceased mate.

She had never been his fated. But a human whom he had loved, nonetheless.

Something complicated settled inside me at the realization. I would never call it jealousy. That would dishonor both Landon and the dead. This felt something quieter. Maybe an understanding that another had once been important enough to hold his heart.

Would there ever truly be room for me in there too?

Before I could examine the thought further, the front door slammed open, and every instinct within me detonated instantly.

Danger.

Protect.

My power surged before conscious thought caught up. Fire erupted across my hands in violent gold and crimson. Heat roared through the kitchen as I turned sharply toward the approaching sound.

The need to protect my beloved screamed through me.

I froze when Monkey filled the doorway, staring at me with wide eyes. Or, more importantly, at the flames wrapped around my hands.

“What the fuck?” he yelled.

Footsteps thundered down the hallway immediately afterward.

Landon appeared wearing jeans and a fitted shirt, hair still damp from a quick rinse. His eyes landed on the fire covering my hands before widening in alarm. “Dashiel!”

I extinguished the flames instantly.

The kitchen plunged back into normal light.

“I apologize,” I said immediately, though my gaze remained fixed on the doorway. “I sensed someone entering aggressively.”

Monkey still stared at me like I had personally set his brain on fire. “You had actual fire in your hands,” he blurted.

“Yes.”