Page 14 of Protected By the Elf Prince

Watching—

“Okay, that’s definitely creepy,” I muttered.

Except… I wasn’t actually uncomfortable. He didn’t give me the shivers. I wasn’t repulsed.

Annoyed, maybe.

Confused as hell. Sure.

But not uncomfortable.

That was the weird part.

After I paid for my drink, I murmured another thanks, tipping the drink in farewell before stepping back out onto the street.

The sensation on my wrist didn’t fade. He’d stayed close.

I took a sip of my coffee as I started on my trek again, my thoughts shifting despite my best efforts.

Why wasn’t he approaching?

That question had been circling since he’d started following me.

The other morning, he’d shown up at my door like it meant something. Like I meant something.

He’d been careful and respectful.

Way more than I’d expected, honestly.

But now?

Now he was just there.

Close enough that I could feel the bond, but far enough that I couldn’t see him.

I frowned slightly, glancing down the street again. “You said you wanted to get to know me,” I muttered under my breath. “Kinda hard to do that from the shadows.”

There was no answer in return.

Maybe he was just doing as I asked by giving me the time to get used to this. Used to the fact that Fate had tied me to an otherworldly creature.

Not that I thought of him as a creature.

He still didn’t look human, exactly. He was too flawless, with pointy ears that I wanted to study and touch.

I didn’t know what it was that kept him away, so I just kept moving.

Next stop was the grocery store for supplies.

What did I need again? Bread? Maybe a few other things.

Something that could keep my hands busy.

Something that could keep my mind from spiraling into territory I wasn’t ready for.

As soon as I started placing items into my cart, I knew it wasn’t distracting enough.

Too soon, my brain went right back to him.