Page 12 of Protected By the Elf Prince

The king grunted. “Keep me informed,” Father added. “And when the time comes, we will be ready to welcome him.”

“I will keep you updated.”

“Good.” The line went quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “And Dashiel?”

“Yes?”

“May fortune favor you in this.”

It already had. “I believe it has.”

A quiet hum of agreement met me, then the call ended.

I lowered the device slowly, my gaze returning to the building.

To him.

My beloved.

I had one month to prove to Landon that this bond between us was not something to fear. It was to be cherished.

I tucked the phone away and rested my hands at my sides as my resolve settled.

“I will not fail you,” I murmured quietly.

One way or another, I would earn my Landon.

CHAPTER THREE

Landon

Even days later, my brain still felt like it’d been dropped into a blender. Numbers I could handle. Spreadsheets, reports, and balancing accounts all made sense to me as long as I followed the rules all accountants did to make those things easy.

Today, though? Not so much.

Once again, I’d spent half the day at work staring at my screen and the other half staring at my wrist when no one else was around. If someone was, I kept the tattoo hidden under my long-sleeved shirt. If asked, I knew I could play it off by saying I wanted to be adventurous, which was why I got the ink, but I wasn’t really ready to share that story.

Then again, I was new, and I doubted anyone would ask. I’d made a couple of friends within the company, but they hadn’t seen me in anything other than a long-sleeved shirt, so really, I wouldn’t have to explain that it was new.

When I stepped out onto the sidewalk after work, I exhaled slowly, rolling my shoulders like I could shake off the tension clinging to me.

“Right, home,” I muttered. It was a simple and normal plan, which was exactly what I needed.

Only, as I started walking, it didn’t take long before I felt that same awareness from the previous days when I’d made my way home.

My gaze dropped to the faint glow under my shirt. The tattoo pulsed warmer.

Yeah, I gathered that meant he was close.

Dashiel.

I swallowed, glancing around without making it obvious. People moved past me like nothing was wrong, their lives going on exactly as they always did.

But mine was different now. I had an elf waiting and watching me.

The thought should’ve freaked me out, and maybe it had the first day—who wouldn’t be unsettled knowing someone could be nearby without you spotting them?

But now the feeling had changed. Altered. And it wasn’t fear.