Page 94 of Enchanted

“Oh,” Ethan said, flustered. “That’s not necessary, I’m sure I can manage.”

Dahlia smiled sweetly, reaching over to ruffle his curls. “Wasn’t an offer, sweetheart, therefore you can’t refuse. We’ll take both our cars. I’m sure we can do it in a single run.”

Sadly, I suspected they wouldn’t even need one car. But this had all been agreed over the phone too. Harlow had returned to remove the wards on Ethan’s old place the day before yesterday. The Seraphim had guarded it around the clock, waiting to see if their removal made Damien come sniffing around.

But he never did.

Not knowing what he wanted with Ethan, if anything, was driving me fucking crazy. If the mating bond was in place, I’d have nothing to worry about. But it wasn’t.

I wasn’t rushing Ethan for anything though—not even unhinged, dangerous vampires with hidden agendas.

Without the wards, there was nothing stopping Dahlia and Darius from going into the house to help Ethan pack up. The two of them would keep him safe, and even if Dave was home, either one of them was capable of keeping him from speaking to Ethan.

Ethan could decide when to speak to him again. If ever. Wouldn’t lie, I’d be happy if it was the latter. But if Ethan needed closure, I wasn’t going to stand in his way.

Despite both demons going with him, we were taking extra precautions. Nox and Jeremiah would also be close by, just in case Damien chose that moment to appear.

In an ideal world, I’d be the one taking him, but this wasn’t an ideal world, and I was needed elsewhere. Micah’s phone call this morning had warned me of an impending visit, one I definitely wanted to be present for.

Especially as it could impact Ethan.

The three demons scattered from the room, kindly giving me a moment alone with my mate. Dahlia claimed she needed to clean out her back seat, while Darius muttered something about lost car keys. Quill didn’t give an excuse, just saluted Ethan before vanishing upstairs.

Ethan exhaled slowly, shaking his head. “Wow, talk about moving fast.”

“If it’s too fast, you can still stay in a hotel for a few nights,” I said, wanting to give him the option. “I can pay for it.”

“Absolutely not.”

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Sam can give you an advance on your next shoot with me.”

He bit his bottom lip as he played with a button on my shirt. “And when might that be?”

“I’m not sure yet,” I admitted. It all depended on what our visitors back at the compound had to tell us. “Soon. Why?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Just wondered when I might see you again, that’s all.”

“Eth.” I touched his chin lightly until his gaze met mine. “You don’t need a shoot for that. You’re going to see me so often you’ll be sick of me.”

“Promise?”

“Pinky promise.” I bent to kiss his lips softly. “If I didn’t have Micah waiting on me, I’d be helping you move. Will you be okay with Dahlia and Darius?”

“Oh yes, they seem lovely. I’m happy to move in here tonight. Relieved, actually.” He sighed, leaning his head against my chest. “Is it bad that I’m hoping Dave isn’t there?”

“Not at all.” I cupped the back of his neck. “Even if he is, you don’t have to talk to him. Darius and Dahlia are like pitbulls—one word from you and they’ll have him backing off.”

He huffed a laugh. “I can actually imagine that.”

“If you decide to have a conversation with Dave, it needs to be on your terms, not his. Remember that.”

He lifted his head to smile at me. “Shouldn’t you be telling me to never give him another minute of my time?”

“I want to say that,” I confessed. “But, honestly? You guys were together for a long time. If you want closure, you should take it. But only if you want it. Not him. I don’t give a fuck about him.”

“Neither do I.” Ethan leaned up to kiss me. “Not even a little bit.”

All of the Seraphim except Micah were in the conference room when I entered. Nox and Jeremiah were guarding Ethan’s home while he moved out. Sam was nowhere to be seen, which made sense. He didn’t sit in on official business.