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His broad grin made her heart do another little flip.
    She couldn’t help but smile at him. “Good morning. So, where are we? How did we get here? The last thing I remember is being chased by that rabid, flea-infested Sasquatch.”
    A guilty expression crossed his features before he straightened his shoulders and met her gaze head-on. “We’re in an apartment we’ve secured to use when we’re in this city. I used our combined energies to get us from your apartment to here. Neither of us was at full strength and I needed to get us out of there fast. I’d normally ask for permission first but, considering the circumstances, I decided to get us out of there and explain later. That’s why you dozed off, so to speak.”
    Her laughter echoed in the room. “You did what? You beamed me up? I don’t understand. And for future reference, feel free to beam me up any time Cujo threatens us. I’d rather take a nap than be turned into Puppy Chow.”
    “Both your psychic and physical power were depleted, by me.” His gaze didn’t waver. “I don’t know who this Cujo is, but if anything or anyone comes near, I will defend you with my life. You have my word. Neither he, nor any other, will be able to come near your life essence while blood still flows in my veins and breath still fills my lungs.”
    Her eyebrows shot up. She waited for the humor to shine in his eyes, for his smile to tell her he was joking, but it didn’t appear. The protective energy pouring toward her was unmistakable.
    “Drake, Cujo was a fictional beast in a movie in the early eighties. It was a rabid dog that went nuts and wreaked havoc on everyone. It’s not an actual person. I was talking about the creature at my apartment. What are those things anyway?”
    “That beast, my Queen, was an Erritrol.”
    Her gasp sounded loud in the quiet room. Had she heard him right?
    She shook her head. “Whoa. Hold the bus. What did you just call me?” Her voice rose with every word.
    Okay, maybe she wasn’t the crazy one after all. What did she know about him? Almost nothing. And what she did know was what he himself had told her.
    He closed his eyes for a second before answering. “I called you my Queen, Queen Rhiannon. It is the title befitting your post.”
    Her heart began to race. Her eyes darted past him to the door leading to the rest of the apartment. “Okay, enough is enough.”
    “I would have told you more yesterday but we were interrupted when the Erritrol returned, and we’ve not had a chance to speak since.”
    She took a small step to get around him, gauging his reaction. “I—I’m going to go now. I know you believe what you’re telling me, but I’m not a queen. I’m just not. You’ve got the wrong person.”
    His arms remained relaxed at his sides. “It’s not safe for you to leave. I swear I tell the truth. It is both my duty, and my privilege to protect you. Your brothers would peel the very flesh from my bones if I let any harm come to you.”
    She took another step closer to the door. “This is crazy. Why am I even listening to this?” Why did the gorgeous ones have to be crazy?
    “You listen because deep down, you know the truth. You’re not like these people, and you never will be, because you’re Avalorian, not human.”
    If he thought she was the queen of his people, then at least she should be safe for the time being, besides, he’d saved her from the monster yesterday. If he’d wanted to hurt her, he wouldn’t have done that, would he? “I’ll tell you what, I’ll listen to what you have to say, but if I don’t buy into it, then you’ll let me go. I mean it, you won’t follow me, and you won’t get in my way.” She didn’t wait for a response as she walked past him, allowing plenty of room between them in case she had to make a run for it.
    Elbows on his knees, Drake fought the urge to roll his eyes as he sat in the leather chair watching Rhiannon’s every move. The tall windows at the end of the living