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.
I didn’t think I could fear a guy as nice as Dashiel.
So, I figured what I was feeling was safe.
Like nothing could touch me.
Like if something did try, it wouldn’t end well for them.
My steps slowed just a fraction before I forced myself to keep moving.
“This is all still weird,” I muttered under my breath.
I’d never had that sense of safety before. I made myself safe. No one else had the job.
No one wanted it, though.
Shaking my head, I ran a hand over the back of my neck, glancing around again.
What am I even thinking?
I didn’t need anyone to take care of me. I’d done it for so long, and nothing had happened to me so far.
I should be annoyed by his constant attention.
“It’s a bit creepy,” I added, quieter this time.
Because it was.
But…. My gaze dropped to my wrist again. The warmth there didn’t feel threatening or invasive.
If anything, it felt steady. Like a comfort.
Like he wasn’t watching to control anything.
Just guarding?
Yeah, that’s the same as protecting. Idiot.
But why wasn’t I bothered by having my own personal stalker?
I huffed out a breath. “Yeah, okay, don’t unpack that,” I told myself. Because that was a whole other thing I wasn’t ready to deal with.
I pushed open the door to the café on the corner, the familiar scent of coffee hitting me immediately.
This was exactly what I needed.
“Hey, Landon,” the barista greeted with a smile. “Your usual?”
“Yeah, thanks,” I said, grateful for the routine.
I stepped aside while they got started. Just as I was leaning against the counter to wait, my wrist pulsed warmer.
I didn’t even bother looking around this time.
He was still there. Closer than before, maybe.
Watching me walk in.
Watching me stand here.
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.
Dashiel.
And I thought of the way he looked at me, the way he spoke so formally.
God.
I scrubbed a hand down my face, letting out a quiet breath. “This is ridiculous.” I grabbed what I needed, paid, and stepped back outside again.
The air felt cooler now, but I was distracted by the warmth pulsing at my wrist again.
He was back to being close, which meant he hadn’t come inside the store.
“You’re really not going to show yourself, huh?” I muttered.
Could he hear me? He’d be able to, right? He was supernatural.
An elf.
I really wanted to see his ears and find out if he had powers.
It still blew my mind that I’d been around shifters and vampires at my son’s compound. How did Monkey seem so put together and not spiraling when he learned about those things on the same night I did?
Hell, he’d even dropped in a few times and made jokes about it all.
Then again, he wasn’t fated to one of them. Maybe then it’d be a different story.
My heart stumbled.
I was fated to an elf.
“A fated bond,” I said under my breath, testing the words again.
Still sounded insane and like something out of a movie.
Except, this was real
My gaze dropped briefly to my wrist again, where the proof lay.
I exhaled slowly. “Could I even be with a… guy?” I asked quietly.
I wasn’t into them. I’d said it to myself so many times now, it was like a broken record in my mind.
Women had always been it for me. Simple. Straightforward. Nothing else had crossed my mind.
Until now.
Now there was Dashiel.
Tall. Composed. Intense as hell and good-looking.
Yeah.
“All right, let’s not lie to yourself,” I muttered.
He was more than good-looking.
He was—
I paused mid-step, frowning slightly before I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “Doesn’t matter,” I cut myself off.
Because it didn’t.
Not really.
Not in the way that mattered.
Finding someone good-looking didn’t mean I could…. Didn’t mean I would…. Didn’t mean I wanted to….
My thoughts tripped over themselves as frustration built. “Jesus,” I muttered, dragging my free hand through my hair, before I started walking again.
Seriously, could I be with a man?
Though, he wasn’t just a man.
He was an elf.
Could I wake up next to him every day?
Could I—I stopped walking entirely, staring down at the pavement as I whispered, “For the rest of my life?”
The words felt heavier aloud.
Because that was the deal, wasn’t it?
This wasn’t something casual or temporary.
He was talking about forever.
I let out a slow breath, my grip tightening slightly on the grocery bags in my hand.
“I don’t even know you,” I muttered.
But that wasn’t entirely true. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me and that he meant what he said.
And I knew that the look in his eyes wasn’t fake.
This wasn’t a game for him.
I exhaled again, longer this time. “Yeah, this is a problem.”
Because I didn’t even know what I was thinking or why I was allowing the thought of forever with a man to cross my mind.
And what did it say about me when I wasn’t immediately shutting those thoughts down?
I huffed out a breath. “I’m confused and probably going crazy. But there‘s no way I’m going to make a quick decision on this.”
I started walking again, slower this time, knowing that if I was going to figure this out, really figure it out, then I needed to be sure.
“All right,” I muttered.
I needed a plan.
My steps faltered when an idea popped into my mind. Maybe if I went out for a drink in a bar, I could see how I reacted if a woman approached.
Who am I kidding? Of course I’ll be into them.
My attraction for women hadn’t diminished in the past couple of days.
But still… it’d be worth trying.
A drink out could help clear my head a bit.
My gaze flicked down to my wrist one more time. “You’re probably not going to like this idea,” I muttered. But still, it didn’t stop me rushing to put this plan into action.