Page 67 of Protected By the Elf Prince

I pointed at him. “I liked you better when you were younger and couldn’t talk.”

Monkey scoffed. “Bullshit.” The smile slipped from Monkey’s face and concern returned. “Pops.”

The seriousness in his voice immediately got my attention. “Yeah?”

He searched my face carefully. “Are you really okay?” His jaw clenched.

Monkey had been terrified for me.

His father had disappeared, and there hadn’t been anything he could do about it.

I understood that feeling.

I’d spent enough years raising him to know exactly how helpless he must’ve felt.

I reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m okay.”

His eyes narrowed. “You sure?”

I nodded, smiling. “Yeah.”

I should’ve been shaken. Should’ve been rattled and angry.

Maybe I was a little.

But what I felt mostly was relief.

Monkey studied me for another few seconds. “You didn’t look scared when we arrived, Pops.”

Honestly, the fear had disappeared the second those warehouse doors exploded inward.

No, it was actually the second I’d heard that roar and felt the tattoo warm.

A small smile pulled at my mouth. “I knew he’d come.”

Monkey blinked. Then followed my gaze toward the warehouse. My son’s expression softened. “When I saw him, he apologized for not protecting you⁠—”

“He couldn’t have predicted this.”

“That’s pretty much what I told him. And I knew, from the worry, the fear, and anger I saw in him, he would’ve burned down the whole city to find you.”

I completely believed that, which was probably something that should’ve worried me too. Instead, it made warmth spread through my chest because nobody had ever looked at me the way Dashiel did.

To him, I mattered. I was precious, and losing me would have destroyed him.

Movement near the warehouse drew my attention as people emerged through the damaged doorway. Spade and Soren were first. Then several more royal guards followed. They immediately spread out around the area, taking up positions like they expected a war to break out.

Soon after, three figures appeared. They were Dashiel’s family.

The king and two brothers. All of them seemed similar to Dashiel.

Wait…. He was the king, and he was approaching me.

More importantly, he was my potential father-in-law.

Jesus Christ.

I really needed a drink.