She turned on the stool to face him. "Why?"
He hesitated, dropping his hands with the knit work to his lap. "I'm not a small man."
Ellie inhaled, her eyes going immediately to his yarn covered crotch. "You're not?"
He looked down and blushed furiously. "That's not what I meant, though..." He shook his head. "Never mind. What I was trying to say is that I'm very strong, even for my size. I don't want to hurt you."
"Oh." She smiled, feeling protected by someone other than family for the first time. "Maybe that's why Fate gave me to you; I'm built pretty solid," she laughed weakly.
"Why do you do that?"
"What?"
"Put yourself down so much."
She shrugged. "I think I learned growing up that it was easier to poke fun at myself and laugh than it was to hear it from someone else."
"You don't have to do that with me. You never have to do that with me. I think you're the most perfect woman I have ever seen. If others were too stupid to recognize that, it's their loss." His eyes filled with emotion. "There were so many long nights where I stared up at the sky and dreamed of having a mate of my own that it became a gnawing hunger. I plan on worshiping and devouring every single inch of you." His eyes darkened, and she shivered at his ravenous expression.
"I'm looking forward to it," she replied breathlessly.
Grant was about to respond when a loud beeping noise interrupted him. Ellie began unbuttoning her lab coat. "That's the alarm I set for midnight. Time to go give the children their last dose."
Grant carefully put his knitting back into the nondescript bag and, as usual, placed a warm hand on her lower back as they walked out of the lab and down the hall toward the tunnel. True to his word, Hawthorne waited for them.
She thought the warrior would disappear when they got to Level Six, but he stuck with them as they walked to the courtyard. His face looked pinched when he saw the children sniffling on their cots.
They quickly got the children their medicine while Adora and Demetrio walked between the cots, smiling down at the children. Ellie frowned when she noticed it was taking longer for the medicine to take effect.
Hawthorne quietly walked into the middle of the room in huge exaggerated steps, making the children laugh. He lifted a finger to his lips and raised his face to the ceiling. He spoke softly, and when he was done, the children were whispering in wonder.
Using his magic, he had dimmed the lights in the courtyard and created a perfect desert night sky above them, complete with moon and shooting stars. Ellie could almost smell the scent of earth. One by one, lulled by the faint sound of the non-existent wind, the children dropped off to sleep.
Hawthorne made his way over to them. "It's not much, but I had to do something."
Ellie was touched at his gesture, and she wasn't the only one. Around them, the parents gathered to whisper their thanks as well. Across the courtyard, Ellie saw her grandmother wave and leave. It had been a very long day for the both of them.
Before they left, she saw Hawthorne lean in and whisper something to her mate. His eyes widened, and he pulled the witch into a bear hug, pounding him on the back. Hawthorne laughed and stepped back. He gave Grant a mock salute and headed through the open doorway.
"What was that about?" she asked curiously.
He shook his head. "I'll tell you when we get home."
Ellie's stomach began to quake at the word home. She had been dreaming for decades of someone saying that word to her. Unless she was willing to pull Grant from his duties, this was home to her now.
When he extended his hand toward her, she noticed that it shook slightly. She grasped it tightly.
"Let's go to bed, my mate."
Ellie swallowed repeatedly to keep her tears from falling. "Please."
CHAPTER FIVE
When they got back to the house, Ellie made a mad dash upstairs. She wanted to hurry and change before he could watch her undress. Grabbing her suitcase, she darted into the bathroom.
She quickly changed into her oversized sleep shirt before opening the door and easing into the room. She rolled her suitcase over to the wall and procrastinated heading over to the bed where her mate, now half naked, waited for her. Or was he completely naked? The edge of the covers was pulled up to his lap as he leaned against the headboard.
"Baby, we don't have to do anything tonight," Grant said, watching her inch toward him.