Page 20 of Protected By the Elf Prince

Warm skin.

And beneath it all was something entirely and uniquely Landon.

The bond fluttered. But it was only a half-made one. The completion would come if we were intimate.

I forced my focus elsewhere.

After Landon glanced around for a moment, brows tight, he leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice. “Can people see you as you really are?”

I turned toward him fully. “What do you mean?”

His eyes flicked briefly toward my hair, to the ears hidden beneath glamour—well, hidden to everyone else but him, since he was my fated. “No one’s reacting,” he whispered. “You’re a tall elf sitting in the middle of a packed bar.”

Understanding settled quickly. “It is the glamour,” I explained softly. “Humans see what their minds find acceptable. Something that is familiar and safe for them.”

His brows rose. “So, they don’t actually see…” He gestured vaguely toward me. “All this?”

A faint smile touched my lips. “No.”

“That’s…. Okay, it’s pretty cool that they can’t see you and only I can.”

“I like that you think so.”

He snorted softly. “Of course you do.” Landon took another sip of his drink before muttering, “You’ve been following me.”

“I have.”

“At least you’re honest.”

“I would never lie to you.”

Landon’s fingers tightened slightly around his glass before he exhaled. “I figured you were nearby,” he admitted quietly. “The tattoo reacts when you’re close.”

My gaze drifted briefly toward the hidden mark beneath his sleeve. The urge to touch it nearly overpowered me, but I managed to resist it. Barely.

“I attempted to remain distant to give you time, but also while I… watched over you,” I said.

His stare turned incredulous. “So, you became my magical stalker.” A small smile threatened. He was being cute.

“I am sorry if it makes you uncomfortable. I cannot seem to stop myself from wanting to make sure no harm comes to you. But if you wish for me to back away, just tell me and I will.”

Landon stared at me as a slight blush rose to his cheeks. He cleared his throat and shrugged. “It’s probably a supernatural thing, right?”

There was no true anger in his voice, only confusion and curiosity. And beneath it all, I believed, or merely hoped, there was something softer.

Did he like that I watched over him? Had no one done this for him in his life?

I nodded. “When finding our mate, we cannot resist keeping them safe.”

His blushed deepened. He glanced around as he thought over my words.

Would this be the moment when he told me to leave him alone?

While my heart would shatter, if he truly wanted it, I would follow through with his wishes.

“Also, please tell me if anything I do displeases you. I am not… fully aware of what humans like or need.”

Landon blew out a heavy breath.