"It's his job," Grant interjected.
Declan gave him a shit eating grin. "Exactly and he'll be the only doctor here when Ellie gets pregnant, so it's really convenient that you feel that way."
On her other side, Grant began to growl so loud they attracted the attention of the others in the room. Adriel raised an eyebrow. "Problem?"
Grant snarled. "No one is touching my mate."
Adriel looked around. "Was someone going to?"
Ellie patted his leg. "Don't worry, when the time comes, my grandmother will take care of all that. She is a nurse, remember."
Grant visibly relaxed. When Declan chuckled, Grant picked up a decorative wooden apple from the arrangement on the coffee table and beaned Declan in the head.
Declan hissed and rubbed his head. He turned to his mate, pouting like a four-year-old. "I think I'm bleeding."
Kari sighed. "You kind of deserved that."
"Meryn, breathe!" Aiden shouted, kneeling beside his mate who had toppled off her gaming chair.
"It... it... bounced off." Meryn rolled around holding her stomach. "Poor Simba!"
Ellie leaned forward. "Is she okay?"
"She's turning red!" Aiden tried to get his mate to stop laughing.
Grant tapped Ellie on her arm and pointed to Ryuu who hadn't twitched a muscle. Ellie exhaled and sat back. If the squire wasn't concerned, the small human was fine. While Meryn was enjoying Declan's pain, Ellie noticed a familiar pair of bright blue eyes staring at her from above the top of the other gaming chair.
He stood and rotated his chair so he faced them. "Hey Ellie."
"He's Fluffy; you should get along great with him, Pillows," Meryn informed them, trying to catch her breath.
"We know each other from when we used to live in the same city, Meryn." She turned to Avery. "I see you got a nickname too."
Avery grinned. "She said I was sweet and fluffy." Ellie noticed the mountain of a man who had been sitting close to Avery stood and casually made his way closer.
She eyed him carefully, and he smiled, pointing at Avery. "We are mates. My name is Warrick DuBois."
"Mates?" Ellie looked at Avery. "Mates?"
Avery's face turned ten shades of pink. He shook his head. "Sort of, but not legally."
"Sort of?" Ellie asked.
"You know I don't turn one hundred for a couple weeks."
She turned and looked at Warrick, pinning him with her fiercest glare. He held up both hands. "We are waiting, I swear." He swallowed and looked down at his mate. "Tell her I have been a gentleman before she guts me."
Grant leaned forward and caught her expression. He smirked and leaned back. "And I used to think I would be the overprotective parent."
Kari chuckled. "He has been very understanding and proper with Avery." Kari looked over at Warrick. "I am sorry, I should have warned you that Ellie takes her role as Avery's aunt very seriously."
Ellie continued to glare at the large warrior. He looked like he ate kittens for breakfast; he would hurt her sweet Avery!
Warrick turned to Grant. "Please tell your mate to quit looking at me that way. We will be living on the same level, and I do not need her sneaking into my home and conducting weird experiments on me."
Grant shrugged. "If Avery is Ellie's nephew, that means he is mine as well." He gave the warrior an evil grin.
Looking absolutely dejected, Warrick's shoulders slumped. "I am not a bad person."