Noah pushed Grace inside. “She’ll stay here with me. You can go now.” He stretched his lips into a fake smile and closed the door on Lori’s face.
Grace snickered at his action. “Were you afraid I might go downstairs only to look at the angels?”
“Lori finds all guys to be hot. I’m sure they are just average-looking,” Noah claimed.
“Have you been eavesdropping on her conversations with her friends? It seems you know a lot about Lori.”
“Are you jealous now?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Since she knows we’re mates, she doesn’t say you’re hot anymore. Plus, she’s busy pretending to ignore Logan while flirting with Steve.”
“It’s a real-life soap opera in this academy,” Noah joked.
Grace relaxed her shoulders and padded to the bed. Sitting down, she observed Noah coming her way and taking a seat next to her. “What do you think my uncle came here to talk about with my grandfather?”
“I have no idea.”
“The other day, I joked about them not sending me an invite to run away to one of their sky cities. Today, I’m scared they want to take me there.”
Noah’s stomach dropped. “Vincent would never allow it.”
“What if the king ordered him? Grandpa has no way to refuse our king’s orders.”
He grabbed her hands between his. “You aren’t going anywhere without me. We’re mates, and I’m your protector. We’ll run if you don’t want to go, and they try to force you.”
Her eyes shone. “Would you run away with me?”
“Of course.” He leaned in close. “I promise you, they won’t find you. I’m good at hiding.”
Grace smiled. “I’ll think about your proposal if there are no more options left.”
Noah kissed her and deepened their kiss when she parted her lips to kiss him back.
Between kisses, Noah sighed. “I was being serious, Grace. I want you to marry me. Let’s be a couple, so your grandfather lets me follow you everywhere.”
“We’ll talk about that again when you pass your exam to join the Elite Hunter Society.”
He grinned. “I know you want me to be a model citizen of this kingdom. I’ll pass, don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried. I just want you to have a purpose in life other than mating me.”
He nibbled on her bottom lip softly. “I’m not going to steal your freedom. I promise, babe.”