Elora licked her lips and blinked several times as she stared at her mom. “Funny lady,” she said sarcastically. “What I would prefer is to not discuss my love life on an airplane where everyone is shoved in like sardines and can listen to every nitty-gritty, yummy detail.”

“What!” Lisa snapped not unloudly, “there are yummy details? You were only in your room for fifteen minutes. How many freaking yummy details can there possibly be?”

“When you’re just that good, time is of no consequence,” Cush murmured.

Elora elbowed him hard as Lisa’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened.

“You are not helping,” Elora snapped at him.

Cush’s face was as sober as always as he shrugged. “Just stating the facts, Love.”

Elora felt a tap on her shoulder and she turned to see Oakley leaning in from the seats behind them. “He’s a dead elf,” he growled.

Elora threw her hands in the air. “Good grief,” she growled. She turned as best she could from her belted position and glared at her brother. “First of all, I love you, Oak, but Cush could kick your ass with all of his appendages tied and blindfolded, so no, he is not a dead elf. Second, once again, my love life is NOT up for discussion because it is just that—MINE.” She turned back around in her seat, now huffing from her rant, and folded her arms across her chest.

Cush leaned over and his lips brushed her ear as he spoke, causing a shiver to run through her.

“Feel better, Little Raven?” His voice was laced with humor even as his eyes danced with desire.

She leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes to his sexiness. “Bloody hell,” she moaned. “No, I do not feel better. I got my mom all up in my business, my brother wants to kill you, and you keep looking at me like you might try to eat me.”

“Take out the might try and replace it with definitely going to and then you would be correct,” Cush told her softly.

“You have GOT to stop saying stuff like that.” Her eyes snapped open as she turned to glare at him.

“Seriously dude, I’m sitting right here,” Lisa piped up. “Probably not in your best interest to try and seduce my daughter while I’m sitting next to her.”

“I haven’t forgotten, Lisa. Sword wielding is to be done outside of your home and I’m assuming now you also mean out of your presence.”

“I’m going to sleep,” Elora interjected before her mom could respond to his comment. “Please wake me when we land.”

She heard Cush chuckle next to her but when she looked at him his face was as serious as ever. Weird, hot elf she thought to herself as she closed her eyes again and tried to keep from climbing into his lap.

Cush watched as Elora and her momexited the restroom, and he fought the urge to grab his Chosen and force her back onto a plane bound for her home. Now that he had embraced the fact that she was his, the thought of not being able to protect her was nauseating. It was a feeling he wasn’t used to and wasn’t enjoying in the least. As soon as they had landed in the dark-elf territory, his senses had been on full alert as the dark energy swirled around him. Elora seemed to come alive as she exited the plane and a soft flush had overtaken her skin. It was as if just being in Vegas was invigorating her. The thought troubled him as he considered it and then it struck him. She was half dark elf. Of course the darkness of the city would be appealing to her. She probably wasn’t even aware of it because it was a part of her, in her make up essentially to be drawn to darkness.

His Little Raven wasn’t a goth chick by chance, she was literally living out what she was in a human fashion, but without all the evil. Her head snapped up and their eyes locked as if she had heard him. She gave him a sexy smile and a wink. Yes, his Chosen definitely had a dark side, and he had a feeling he was going to have to keep a close eye on her while they were in Sin City. That shouldn’t be too hard since he didn’t plan to let her out of his sight.

“Hey.” She smiled at him as she stopped in front of him. She had taken her ponytail down and her dark hair with red streaks was partially covering her alabaster face. He reached up and pushed the black curtain of hair away from her face and leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, needing the intimate contact if just for a minute. “Hey yourself,” he said keeping his voice low, for her ears only. “You’re beautiful.”

He loved the way her eyes widened and her lush lips parted as she looked up at him.

“Um, okay,” she said obviously taken off guard. “So where to?”

Cush heard someone clearing their throat and looked up from his Chosen to see the others standing just past her. Oakley’s eyes narrowed on his hand which was currently buried in Elora’s hair. Cush bared his teeth at her brother in a wolfish smile as he tugged her closer until she fell against his chest. Her brother was going to have to get a clue. Elora was his. He had been stupid to not grab her up the moment he had realized it, but the decision had now been made and nothing was going to take her from him. Not even her own flesh and blood.

“Possessive much,” she said and her words came out muffled because her face was pressed into his chest.

“Little Raven, you have no idea. Your brother is going to have to lose the death glare. He’s challenging me and I don’t take kindly to being challenged,” he told her quietly.

She laughed and tilted her head back so she could look up at him. “What? Are you a wolf?”