Page 6 of Protected By the Elf Prince

Then again, my reactions were probably just from the lack of sleep, making me go a little delusional.

Yeah, that could totally be it.

Why else would I feel like something was pulling at me to hurry and get to the door.

Or maybe I was just overthinking everything.

Yeah. That seemed more likely.

When I reached the door, I hesitated for a second, scrubbing a hand over my face. I inhaled another breath, this one shakier, then opened it.

He was there.

Of course he was.

Dashiel stood on my doorstep as if he belonged there. The tips of his pointy ears peeked out through his dark shoulder-length hair. I wanted to touch them— Wait, what?

My cheeks heated while he stood tall and composed with his hands clasped loosely behind his back like he had all the time in the world.

Like he wasn’t about to completely derail my life just by existing.

His eyes met mine immediately.

And there was that look again. That same intensity from last night, but softer now.

“Landon,” he greeted, voice calm and even. Like this was normal and we’d done this a hundred times before.

I blinked at him. Once. Twice. Yep, he was still in front of me and still very real.

“Uh…” I cleared my throat, suddenly very aware of the fact I was standing in my own doorway like an idiot. “Morning?”

His gaze flicked over my face briefly, as if he was assessing something, before he inclined his head slightly. “I wished to see you,” he said. Then, after the smallest pause, he added, “But if this is too early… or unwelcome… I will leave.”

I frowned a little, caught off guard.

Last night, he’d been all “You are mine as I am yours.”

Now, he stood there ready to walk away if I said the word.

I glanced back over my shoulder. Monkey was still down the hall in the kitchen, very much pretending not to listen.

Drawing in a tired breath, I looked back at Dashiel—at the way he stood there, completely still, like he was waiting for permission to exist in my space.

Relief shifted in my chest.

He wasn’t pressuring me. He was giving me a choice to invite him in or send him away.

His reaction gave me the courage to step back and pull the door open wider.

“No. It’s fine,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “You can… come in.”

For a split second, something bright flickered across his face. But it was gone so fast, I almost thought I imagined it.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, dipping his head.

He had to duck to step inside because he was the tallest man-elf I’d ever met—also the only one I’d met—and he looked like a flawless model in his late twenties.

My gut rolled.