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“You got it. Anything else?”
“That’s it.” He passed a twenty across the counter. “Keep the change.”
“Wow, are you sure?”
Erus smiled for the first time since entering the bakery. “I’m sure.”
“Thanks!”
A couple of minutes later, he had a teal paper cup warming his hand, and a small matching box that contained his mate’s muffin. Not wanting to cause a panic, he waited until he was outside on the sidewalk again before phasing back to his seat at the breakfast table in Colorado.
Smirking, he placed the treats in front of his mate.
A hint of pink tinted Orrin’s cheeks as he smiled back at him. “Thank you.”
“Where’s mine?” Pepper asked with a quirked eyebrow.
Erus didn’t even spare him a passing glance. “There’s a café in the lobby.”
“Asshole.”
He shrugged. The truth wouldn’t hurt his feelings. Done with the conversational detour, he refocused on his mate.
“Can I get you anything else, asteraki?”
Orrin pursed his lips while he considered the question. “I want a unicorn.”
He dipped his head again and started to rise. He really should make more time to visit the Glade anyway.
“Wait! No.” Orrin threw his hands out in front of him and waved them back and forth. “I was just taking the piss out. I didn’t really think—” He flopped back in his chair and rubbed his temples. “Unicorns are real?”
It was said that all myths had some basis in truth, and unicorns were no exception. Once upon a time, thousands had roamed wild in the forests of Europe. After being hunted to near extinction, the few dozen that remained had been given sanctuary in the Glade.
His mate listened with rapt attention as he told the story, his gaze focused and his lips twitching as he struggled not to interrupt. Only when Erus had finished the story did he finally speak.
“What is the Glade?”
“It’s a place known by many names. Elysium. Valhalla. Shangri La. Avalon. Just to name a few.” Every culture, religion, and legend had their own idea of the Glade. “You might know it as Heaven.”
“Brilliant. Will you take me sometime?”
“That’s not—”
Erus stepped on Pepper’s foot under the table to shut him up.
He knew exactly what his assistant was going to say. The Glade wasn’t a summer camp or a tourist stop. It was a final destination, and there was only one way for regular people to get there. Be that as it may, there were always exceptions to the rules, and if this was something Orrin wanted, he would find a way to make it happen.
“Of course, asteraki. Anything you want.”
Chapter Six
The end of the week approached with a swiftness that seemed to defy logic. To Orrin, it felt as if he had just arrived at Blackhaven Manor. Yet, he only had two more nights at the hotel before he was scheduled to return to Ireland.
Granted, much had happened in those five days.
His Guard had indeed been recalled for additional training. A summons they had all steadfastly ignored. According to Erus, the same was happening with other Guardians all over the world, which seemed to delight him to no end.
Orrin thought he might have made a new friend in Pepper, but honestly, he couldn’t be sure. The guy rarely smiled or showed any type of emotion beyond vague annoyance. His outburst about the new Director had been as animated as Orrin had yet to see him.
