Mated to the Moon (Portal City Protectors Book 6) by Georgette Clair (little red riding hood ebook free txt) 📗

I’ll be checking in with him later today, but for now it’s a dead end.”

Russel, one of the five tenientes in the meeting, growled. They were under Raphael’s position, men who watched over different aspects of Adonis’s business and made sure things went smoothly.

“They only want the fount of magical powers, and we already know the Ales is here. She stands at the top as the bloodline of the original families. They are searching for a myth.”

“Yes, in the event it’s real, I want to control it and them. They’ve had enough power sitting over the top of paranorms and magi. Encantado is bolstered with Kalinda and the Moonstone, but more cities are beholden to their rules. Long before Skuld, we were at war with them,” Adonis finished.

“Yes,” Russel continued. “They say the artifact gave the original families their magical powers and created all paranorms in existence. It sounds more like monolithic bullshit than anything real.”

Real or not, they needed to keep an eye out just in case. An artifact with the power of every magic and paranorm gift would make anyone the most powerful being in existence. He’d be damned if he let the FBMC control it.

“Boss, you have a visitor coming,” sounded in Adonis’s earpiece.

Based on Raphael’s reaction, it was broadcast to him as well. “You expecting anyone?” his beta wondered as he got out of his seat.

“No, but the men know not to let someone in unannounced, so let’s see what it is.”

The door opened, and Adonis forgot to fucking breathe.

“Excuse me, gentlemen, I was still in the lab.”

All the men rose from their seats and bowed as the Alpha mate entered—all except for him. He simply stood and stared.

Her hair draped her down her back, but her lips were ruby-red, a black shade on her eyelids making her indigo gaze brighter. She wore a simple, floor-length white dress with thin straps on her delicate shoulders, but she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“Pequeña,” he welcomed, and she came to his side easily.

Tucked against him, she raised on her tiptoes and brought his head down enough to press a kiss to his neck over his pulse before she looked for a seat.

“Here, Alpha mate,” Raphael offered, pushing his seat at Adonis’s side out for her.

“Where will you sit?”

“I’ll stand.”

“Nonsense. Go grab a chair; we can wait.”

The men hesitated, waiting for Raph’s reaction.

“Um, yeah. I’ll do that.”

“Doesn’t normally take orders from anyone else, does he?” Fabiana quipped with a smile that relaxed the room.

Russel laughed. “Good one, Alpha mate. It’s about time he answered to someone else.”

“Maybe he likes getting orders from a woman. You see him get tongue tied?” Jayden joked, his blond hair falling over one dark eye.

“I think Kate may do that for him,” Adonis added.

“Or Ashley. That’s Doublemint fun,” Russel continued.

“It makes one wonder how full their house is, really,” Fabiana mused.

A pause, and then the room filled with laughter.

Her hand shook against thigh underneath the table, and he lifted it to his mouth for a kiss.

“Good job, mate.”

Fabiana jumped when his voice entered her head. He hadn’t used the mate pathway with her, allowing her to get used to their bond before trying.

“That wasn’t weird, was it?”

“They will love you,” he promised.

Raph returned and pushed a chair into the space before finding a way to fit in on the other side of Fabiana. She was boxed between them. She didn’t know it, but the positioning was out of respect. They’d both work to keep her safe, and Raph made it obvious to everyone in the room that he placed her above himself.

“You didn’t miss much. I’ll catch you up later.”

She nodded, and Adonis looked back to his men. “Now that my mate is here, I’d like to turn our attention to the suits she’s producing. Gentlemen, smell the space around you.”

They did as he ordered, each of them frowning.

“The room didn’t change,” Russel commented.

“The same scents that were here before are here now, but she’s sitting right next to you.”

Yanni was not a talkative man and spent most of his time watching and cataloging unless he had something to offer. He stared intently at Fabiana, and Adonis growled.

The wolf lifted his hands in the air. “I mean no disrespect. Is she wearing the suit?”

Adonis pulled the edge of the suit near her neck, breaking the seal. These men needed to know her scent to protect her. They all sat back in their chairs.

“Shit,” Jayden cursed.

“As you have just witnessed,” Fabiana began, “the suit hides all scent as long as the seal remains intact. This is something to watch for during fighting. It will move with your body and expand and contract when needed, but if you are cut or pierced, it can’t do its job.”

Russel leaned forward in his seat. “How fortified are the suits?”

“More now because of their intended use,” Adonis replied. “The built-in nanos will work on repair if something happens, but they can’t keep up with large amounts of damage. We’re using defense magic to help reenforce it to sustain moderate damage, but trust me, you’ll still feel the impact, so be careful. They won’t make you impervious to pain but will hide you for as long as possible.”

“Sometimes, that’s all the edge you need.” Yanni’s brown gaze met Adonis’s.

Raphael was a sicario, a man who knew death and destruction more than anyone—except for Yanni. Raph had been under his tutelage since he was a pup. If Yanni wanted to be more than a hired hand to remove threats, he could have been higher in the ranking system, but for now he served as Raph’s beta.

Adonis nodded imperceptively.

Fabiana gently cleared her throat and sat taller in her chair. “The