"You are going to kill us with all of this gross cuteness that you keep doing." Delainey groaned and covered her face with her hands.
"Okay, but you're not holding his hand anymore." Serena leaned forward, eyes narrowing.
This seemed even bigger than admitting she was dating a werewolf. "I put a spark of my magic inside of him to fool the spell into thinking he was part of the coven."
Serena's mouth dropped open, and even Briana had to blink a few times as she took that in.
"He let you do that to him?" Delainey sat up straighter.
"Does he understand that you could—" Aya cut herself off, leaving the question hanging in the air.
"I told him I could use it against him, but I wouldn't because I love him."
Delainey groaned again and let her head fall back.
Serena flicked her hand in the air, and a pulse of magic burst in the room. "There, I let go of the tracking spell." Serena settled back in her chair. "Your boyfriend will be safe now."
"Thank you." Elise smiled, and warmth spread through her chest. She hoped that maybe, eventually, the coven might actually accept him more than grudgingly.
She yawned, and it was quickly echoed around the kitchen. The early hour and the cost of all the magic they'd used was finally getting to them.
Elise stood. "I'm going to bed."
But before she could leave the kitchen, Delainey stopped her. "Hey, it really is good to have you back."
Elise smiled and went to bed.
Chapter
Forty
Nico wasn't nearly astense as he had been the first time he sat in the zoo parking lot.
It wasn't dark today, and he wasn't there under false pretenses. The investigation going into his theft had clearly gone nowhere. And if something came of it, Cole had a couple of lawyers on speed dial. Nico knew not to say a word to the cops.
He spotted Elise coming out the front entrance and smiled. Any worries about potential criminal investigations evaporated.
It had been three weeks since, well, everything. The abduction. The revelation that his mate was basically a princess among witches. The truce between the coven and the pack. It was holding.
He and Elise were still going strong.
She climbed in the passenger seat and leaned over to give him a kiss. When she pulled back, Nico leaned in, ran his fingers through her hair, pulled her closer, and kissed her thoroughly.
He wasn't worried about charges for the robbery. But if they stayed in the truck for much longer, there could very easily be an indecent exposure charge.
Elise pulled back and grinned at him.
"Miss me?" she asked, still close enough that her breath warmed his lips.
"It's been too long," he said, brushing his thumb along her jaw.
"It's been thirty-six hours." She was smiling.
They picked up some tacos and ended up in a hotel in the center of the city, which was technically neutral territory. Plenty of the restaurants in the city were also considered neutral, but Elise and Nico weren't taking their chances.
Neither of them expected Dawson to go back on his word. But there were independent operators and other small packs and covens in town who might get ideas. They would have to figure out something eventually. But for now, they were both enjoying the privacy.
And as for the hotel, well … the grief Nico had gotten the few times he had stayed over at the coven house, and the way Elise flinched every time one of the wolves in the pack glared at her, made alternative arrangements easier.
