They had just wrapped up another episode when they heard a loud slam. Kendrick looked over at Anne and saw her startled expression. Anne checked Keelan’s IV bag, and they headed downstairs. Kendrick could see the change in her already. When she first met him, she had been closed off, skittish. But after he expressed an interest in something she loved, she had opened up to him like a flower opening to the sun. Feeling self-congratulatory, Kendrick was sure he would be able to get her to admit that she had dreamt of him soon.
They walked down the stairs; he stopped at the bottom and pushed Anne behind him. Aiden McKenzie was two seconds away from losing his temper. Personally, Kendrick didn’t mind if he trashed the place as long as Anne wasn’t hurt in the process.
Meryn, Beth, Amelia, Jaxon, and Noah appeared from the downstairs hallway, and Rheia, Penny, and an older woman stuck their heads out of the front room.
‘Aiden! What on earth is the matter?’ Meryn rushed over to her mate.
Aiden growled and snarled, and Meryn’s eyes narrowed. She pulled her foot back and kicked his shin. Aiden’s growling stopped as he reached down to soothe the pain in his leg.
‘Meryn! You have got to stop doing that,’ he complained, rubbing his shin.
‘You were all snarly and spitting at me,’ Meryn said in an even tone of voice.
Kendrick was impressed. The Unit Commander had been an intimidating sight. Meryn seemed to think nothing of kicking him. It just proved that mates knew best how to handle each other.
Aiden took a deep breath and stood up straight. ‘I wasn’t spitting.’
‘You were, but that’s okay; I love you anyway. Kiss.’ Meryn lifted her arms.
Kendrick was confused for a moment until he realized that the only way the small woman could reach her mate’s lips was if he lifted her to them.
Aiden’s face transformed to a gentle smile as he easily lifted his mate and allowed her to kiss his face repeatedly.
‘Better?’ she asked.
‘Much. Thank you, baby.’ He set her down but kept an arm wrapped around her shoulders.
Kendrick looked around the foyer to see that the other women had responded to their mates’ anger as well. Elizabeth was rubbing her cheek over Gavriel’s hand lovingly, Rheia and Penny were taking turns kissing either side of Colton’s face, and Amelia was drawing hearts on Darian’s chest and kissing the center.
‘Would you gentlemen like to share what happened?’ Kendrick asked.
Aiden’s face tightened. ‘Family meeting in the dining room,’ he said shortly, and with his arm still around Meryn, they walked down the hallway.
The older woman plucked Penny from Colton’s arms. ‘Ryuu brought Penny’s dinner out a few minutes ago. We’ll be in the family room watching a movie and later I’ll get her up to bed.’
Rheia kissed the older woman on the cheek. ‘Thank you, Mina. I don’t know what we’d do without you. You’re the best grandmother ever.’
Anne pulled on his sleeve. ‘Does that mean us, too?’
Kendrick was thrilled that she had referred to them as ‘us’. Being the two new people to the house apparently made them a team in her mind. Kendrick couldn’t be happier.
Meryn stomped back down the hall toward them. ‘Yes, that means you two. Come on, people.’
Anne casually looped her arm through his, and they walked together down the hall. When they entered the dining room, Kendrick sat in the same chair he had the night before, and Anne sat on his other side.
Once everyone was seated, Aiden looked around the table. ‘Alpha and Gamma Units were called in by the council today for a special hearing. Evidently, certain founding families have taken exception to the way I am running the units. They have called for an inquiry and review of my performance.’
Colton growled. ‘I’d like to meet some of these unhappy founding family members. I’d love to introduce them to our new breed of ferals.’
Elizabeth rested her chin on her laced fingers. ‘They can’t do that. There is no governing body that can dictate to the Unit Commander.’
Gavriel ground his teeth together. ‘There has not been, until now.’
Kendrick sat forward. ‘What?’
Aiden turned to him. ‘A group of founding family members from the Elder Generation has come together to create what they are calling the Committee. It consists of seven men from founding families representing the four pillar cities. I’ll give you two guesses as to which city only has one representative.’
Kendrick sat back and rubbed his chin. ‘Let me guess…Lycaonia.’
Aiden nodded.
Darian gave a harsh laugh. ‘It gets even better. René Evreux is Lycaonia’s representative.’
‘That douchebag?’ Meryn exclaimed.
Anne looked up at him. ‘I know nothing about your world or how things are normally run. But when a group is formed like this, it’s usually done with a purpose in mind, and I don’t think it has anything to do with Aiden’s performance.’
Kendrick looked down the table. Anne’s words rang true. ‘So what are they really after?’ she asked.
Aiden hesitated and looked around. ‘Ryuu?’
Ryuu appeared in the doorway. ‘Sir?’
‘Could you step into the room please?’ Aiden asked.
Ryuu stepped inside completely, and when Aiden turned back to Kendrick, their eyes met. Without having to be asked, Kendrick closed his eyes and cast a soundproofing spell.
He opened his eyes. ‘Done.’
Aiden relaxed back in his chair. ‘Thank you.’
Ryuu walked over until he was standing behind Meryn. ‘I take it from my requested presence that my input is also welcome?’
Aiden turned his head and looked up at the squire. ‘Yes. I’m not too proud to ask for opinions and help. Except for the women, with Keelan laid up, Colton and I are the two youngest paranormals in the room. I have a feeling that whatever is bubbling to the surface, started brewing a long time ago.’
Gavriel turned to Aiden. ‘The Elder Generation has never been satisfied with the division of power after the Great War. Many of them held seats of great influence before the four pillar cities were created and we became more diverse. With the exception of Evreux, all of the Committee members I saw today have much to gain if they garner the people’s favor by uncovering nefarious deeds performed by everyone’s most trusted Unit Commander.’
‘So, it’s a witch hunt?’ Anne asked then gasped. She looked up at him. ‘Sorry.’
He smiled at her. ‘No offense taken, the term is used correctly. What grievances have they brought forward?’
Aiden sat back, his eyes closed. He looked too exhausted to answer. Knowing how most bureaucratic bodies worked, Kendrick guessed that he had probably been raked over the coals all afternoon.
Colton spoke for his friend. ‘Offenses include, but are not limited to: allowing Meryn to command the units; being responsible for Amelia destroying the town square; being responsible for damages caused by Meryn’s flour spell that made the invisible ferals visible; Aiden leaving Lycaonia while it was under attack; Aiden taking units away from Lycaonia while the city was under attack; unilateral decisions regarding technology; unilateral decisions regarding warrior training; placing unit warriors in positions of power to gain more influence; allowing a unit witch to cast the perimeter spell over the whole city, and finally, allowing a unit warrior to be compromised by the enemy.’
Meryn paled. ‘Holy shit balls, that’s mostly crap I’ve done,’ she declared.
Amelia’s cheeks were flushed with anger as her eyes flashed dangerously. ‘They are daring to complain about the square and Meryn’s flour spell? We saved lives! Or does that not matter anymore?’
Rheia’s voice trembled. ‘I can’t believe they are using what happened to Keelan as a grievance, and we have no idea who cast the perimeter spell.’
Elizabeth turned to Aiden. ‘Who are they talking about when they said you put a warrior is a position to gain more influence?’
Aiden sat up and sighed heavily. ‘Caiden. He’s been performing two roles since Amelia was born. When his father, the witch elder, decided to travel with his mate, Caiden picked up the duties since it didn’t require a lot of attention. He’s been acting as Storm Keep’s witch elder and unit leader for decades. I don’t see why it’s such a big deal now.’
Elizabeth pursed her lips together. ‘I’ll bet you my favorite day planner they use that as a platform to put someone else of their choosing in that role–‘temporarily’, of course. Aiden, you have to be prepared to lose him as a unit leader; he’s too valuable as an elder to lose that seat due to positional jockeying.’
Gavriel agreed. ‘Beth is correct. We need every ally we can get at the council level.’
Aiden nodded. ‘I’ll start looking at rosters.’
Anne frowned and looked around the room. ‘So, basically, what you’re saying is that the charges are technically accurate?’ Her question was met with silence. She continued. ‘Then what you need is a good, old fashioned, spin doctor.’
Colton blinked. ‘A what?’
Amelia clapped her hands excitedly. ‘She’s right! This so-called Committee is trying to launch a smear campaign, so what we need to do to counter that is share all the great things that Aiden and Meryn have been doing.’
Darian didn’t look convinced. ‘Do you think that will work?’
Elizabeth nodded slowly. ‘If done correctly, yes, it could definitely work. But we need to avoid giving them new ammunition against us.’
Everyone at the table turned as one to look at Meryn.
‘What?’ she demanded.
Amelia wagged a finger at her. ‘You know what. Be good.’
‘Why does everyone always say that to me? I’m never really bad.’ Meryn pouted dramatically.
Aiden chuckled. ‘My little angel.’
Meryn grinned devilishly up at her mate before looking around the table. ‘On to the next order of business, ferals.’ Meryn pulled her legs up until she was sitting cross-legged in her chair. ‘Okay, so what do we know? I’m not sure how much information Kendrick had available to him. There’s no telling what was released by the officials at Storm Keep, and I know Anne is clueless, so let’s lay it all out for them.’
Amelia wrapped her arms around herself. ‘We now know that the necklaces are made from souls.’
Darian wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. ‘We know that the necklaces are being created for the express purpose of giving the wearer shifter abilities, halt physical and mental degradation, and they can sometimes render the user invisible.’
Elizabeth turned to Gavriel. ‘We know they are actively trying to recruit warriors by any means necessary.’
‘We know that the necklaces glow bright green when you break them.’ Aiden grimaced. ‘We’ve already broken a few–one by accident and the others because they were hurting Amelia.’
Meryn tapped her fingers on the table as if she was typing on an imaginary keyboard. ‘We also know they have been organizing for a long time; this shit didn’t happen overnight.’
Anne leaned forward. ‘Not to sound like a five-year-old, but why? What are they after?’
Kendrick looked up. ‘The number one reason for every cause of misery in the paranormal world since the dawn of time.’
Everyone looked at him expectantly.
Kendrick looked around the table. ‘Power.’
Meryn scrunched up her face. ‘That’s stupid. Power to do what?’ She curled her fingers in air quotes. ‘Rule the world?’
Kendrick remained silent. He had been around a long time; he had seen what the taste of power could do to people.
Meryn’s mouth dropped. ‘Seriously? We’re dealing with a paranormal version of Pinky and the Brain?’
Kendrick blinked at her. He couldn’t help himself; he started to laugh. How did she do it? How did she manage to reduce the most serious threat to their world since the Great War down to a cartoon?
‘Meryn, I love you,’ he said and wiped his eyes. Around the table, everywhere he looked, he was met with confused expressions. Only Rheia and Anne were smiling.
Kendrick scowled at the men. ‘Don’t any of you watch television?’
Darian shook his head. ‘Not really, though I’m surprised that you understand Meryn’s references.’
Kendrick sighed. ‘I don’t get out much. Television is a welcome change of pace when I need a break from my studies.’
Anne giggled at his side. ‘And he doesn’t play well with others.’
Aiden frowned. ‘Why does that sound familiar?’ He glanced down at Meryn.
Gavriel cleared his throat. ‘So we have the Committee using our current crisis with the ferals to gain political leverage to change our current power structure…’–he laid his head back with a sigh–‘all while we are scrambling to deal with the destruction and chaos the super ferals are creating.’
Meryn reached under the table and pulled out her laptop. ‘Are we going with the term ‘super feral’ as the official name?’
Gavriel raised his head and stared at her. ‘You know, you are right. We have not come up with a name for them as of yet.’
Colton shook his head. ‘I don’t like it. It makes them sound more impressive than they really are.’
‘What about reapers?’ Anne asked softly. ‘They’re responsible for taking people’s souls right?’
Meryn smiled at her. ‘That’s perfect! So the rambling, brainless monsters that y’all are used to are ferals. The ones that wear the soul necklaces and lead armies of ferals are now called reapers.’ Meryn tapped away on her laptop.
Kendrick noticed that Anne had turned white. He leaned down. ‘What’s the matter?’
She looked up at him, her blue eyes wide. ‘She said rambling, brainless monsters. That sounds a whole hell of a lot like zombies to me!’
Meryn looked at her. ‘They are not zombies because they don’t go after people’s brains; they kinda eat all the body parts.’
Kendrick watched as Anne started to sway in her seat. ‘Just breathe. Nothing can get to you here, I promise.’
Meryn shook her head. ‘Actually we’ve been attacked here twice.’
‘Meryn! Remember what I told you about being more observant to social cues?’ Elizabeth hissed.
Meryn looked over at Anne, and her eyes got wide. ‘Sorry!’
Kendrick wrapped and arm around Anne and pulled her close. ‘That was before I was here. Nothing can attack this house and survive.’
Anne looked up. ‘Promise? I swear, I normally have nerves of steel, but I just can’t do zombies. When I was a kid I stayed up after my parents went to bed and watched Night of the Living Dead, I’ve been having nightmares ever since.’
Kendrick took one more moment to enjoy the feel of her tucked in close before he gave her a final squeeze and let her go. ‘Promise. An army of those things could attack and they wouldn’t make it to the first step of the porch.’
Aiden snorted. ‘Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Those things are strong and ruthless. They think and they learn. They aren’t like normal ferals.’
‘Reapers, call them reapers,’ Meryn interjected.
Kendrick looked across the table. ‘I never make promises I can’t keep.’
Colton laughed. ‘Come on Kendrick, you versus an army?’
Kendrick just stared at him.
Colton quieted. ‘Seriously?’
Kendrick decided that it was time to give the men a reality check. ‘Gentlemen, I have more than enough power to handle these so-called reapers and not break a sweat. You’re used to working with witches that are under five hundred years old. Storm Keep will only allow young witches to serve in the units outside of Storm Keep. Once they hit five hundred years old, they have to return to the city where they continue their studies and are assessed. If they are deemed too weak to serve the city as a witch, they can resume their positions amongst the units; however, most do fairly well and go on to master their chosen field of magic.’
Aiden stood, his face a mask of anger. ‘Why? Why are we struggling and losing good men when Storm Keep could turn the tide easily by sending out older witches?’
Kendrick shrugged lazily. ‘Why doesn’t Noctem Falls send out their older vampires, those capable of mind control and illusions? Why doesn’t Éire Danu let warriors use their portals? No, race is willing to give up their best and brightest; nor are they willing to share valuable secrets. These terms were agreed to when the pillar cities were formed and the units created. Besides, I don’t think it’s a simple case of throwing magic at something. Even if you had the power of the older witches at your command, it wouldn’t do you much good. Most of them specialize in only one form of magic. I know men who have dedicated centuries to perfecting a single spell. You might get one or two spells out of them, and then they would be cannon fodder. You’re actually better off with younger witches who can take orders and cast multiple types of spells repeatedly.’
Aiden sat back down his brows pulled together. ‘What about you? I doubt you would end up cannon fodder.’
Behind Aiden, Ryuu began to chuckle. ‘Heika is an exception to the general rule when it comes to the witches.’
‘So we kinda lucked out that he’s Keelan’s brother?’ Meryn asked.
Kendrick smiled at her. ‘Pretty much.’
Aiden scowled up at the squire. ‘Any other words of wisdom?’
Ryuu nodded. ‘You remember the old saying about these types of tricky situations?’
‘Follow the money?’ Meryn quipped.
Ryuu shook his head. ‘No. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.’
‘I don’t want to be closer to that douchebag,’ Meryn complained.
Kendrick snapped his fingers. ‘Meryn, you’ve given me a great idea.’
‘You’re going to follow the money?’ she asked.
‘No, but if I can get ahold of enough necklaces, I may be able to trace the magic back to the caster. It all depends on how they were created.’
‘What do you mean?’ Anne asked.
Kendrick wondered how he could explain higher magic in terms they would understand. ‘For everyday magic, the caster relies on his own power; it’s like a well stored inside of them. But for higher, more complicated magic, a caster has two options: gain the power of a higher being or offer the universe something in exchange for what you are asking.’
Anne’s eyes lit up. ‘I know what you’re talking about!’
Kendrick stared at her in shock. ‘You do?’
She nodded. ‘I saw this in Fullmetal Alchemist. I think it goes something like, ‘Humankind cannot obtain anything without first giving up something in return. To obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost; that is alchemy’s First Law Of Equivalent Exchange.’ In the show, two brothers try to resurrect their dead mother, but the price was too great. Just making the attempt cost one brother an arm and a leg and the other his entire body. His soul had to be attached to a suit of armor.’
Kendrick fumed. ‘Between video games and anime, any teenager can learn the sacred arts; it isn’t right.’
‘What video game? If it teaches magic, I’m so in.’ Meryn declared.
‘It’s an RPG; I can show you later,’ Anne promised.
Aiden, looking a bit pale, turned to Kendrick. ‘It’s just a game right? They can’t really learn magic, can they?’
Kendrick growled and thumped his fingers on the table. ‘I have no idea. Then again, I didn’t know they were teaching the masses alchemy via anime either. Knowledge gained with no effort is like handing a child a loaded weapon.’
Gavriel cleared his throat. ‘Your idea? I believe you were going to explain how you could discover the identity of the necklace creator.’
Kendrick shook his head. He would have Anne show him this anime about alchemy later. ‘Right, my idea. So basically, exactly what Anne said. If the person who created the necklaces could not contract help with a higher being, then they would be subject to the laws of equal exchange. If that’s the case, I can easily trace it back to the spell caster.’
‘How?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘Oh! Because the caster would have had to offer up something of equal value, something they themselves owned. I bet it was their own soul,’ Anne suggested.
Kendrick stared down at her in amazement. ‘Are you sure you’re human? So far, you have understood every aspect of magic I have discussed.’
Anne nodded. ‘Of course I am, but I have always loved reading books about fantasy, playing RPGs, and watching anime.’ She smiled up at him.
‘That is so cool! You know way more than I do about this stuff, and I’ve been living here for months. I bet you like Doctor Who, too.’ Meryn grinned.
Anne shook her head. ‘Sorry, no.’
Meryn’s smile disappeared.
Elizabeth chuckled. ‘It was bound to happen sooner or later.’
‘Wait!’ Meryn stood. ‘You mean you don’t watch Doctor Who? Like, at all?’
Anne shook her head again. ‘Nope.’
‘Does not compute! Does not compute!’ Meryn waved her hands in the air.
‘Denka, calm down. We need to start your meditation lessons sooner than I anticipated.’ Ryuu clucked as he gently pushed her back down into her chair.
Meryn took a deep breath and turned her gaze back to Anne. ‘You have to be in-Doctor-nated. Clear your schedule. Besides taking care of Keelan, you will be learning about the Doctor.’
Anne crossed her arms over her chest. ‘Fine, only if you agree to watch my favorite anime shows with me.’
Meryn nodded. ‘Deal.’
Anne nodded. ‘Deal.’
Colton shuddered. ‘Why do I feel like I just watched an unholy union?’
Rheia bumped shoulders with him. ‘Goof! I’d like to watch some of the anime shows, too.’
Elizabeth looked at Amelia who nodded. ‘Count us in, too.’
Anne’s smile lit up her whole face. ‘I’ve never had anyone else interested enough to watch with me before, just Keelan and Kendrick.’
Colton looked at Kendrick. ‘Really?’
Kendrick grinned at him. ‘It had a great story. You should watch the one Anne introduced me to earlier.’
Anne giggled.
Colton smiled at his mate. ‘Why not? I watch Digimon with Penny, and that’s not too bad.’
‘You’ll love it,’ Kendrick promised wickedly.
‘If most of the serious discussions have concluded, I need to finish preparing dinner.’ Ryuu looked at his watch.
Aiden stood, rubbing his stomach. ‘Food sounds like an excellent idea. After a day like today, I’m looking forward to dinner.’
‘By the way Aiden, how did your father take the news about the Committee?’ Elizabeth asked.
Aiden shook his head. ‘Mother will probably be making him his favorite Honey Bun cake for weeks.’ Aiden looked down at Meryn. ‘I wish you would learn how to make that cake; it is perfect for stressful days.’
Meryn looked up at him confused. ‘You don’t want blow jobs anymore?’
Aiden turned bright red. ‘Meryn!’
‘What? Cake or blowjobs? You’re not getting both,’ Meryn insisted.
Around the table the men turned their faces to hide their laughter.
Aiden got a calculating look on his face. ‘Let’s go upstairs and discuss it.’
Meryn giggled and jumped to her feet. Aiden swept her up and dashed from the room.
Once the couple was out of sight, everyone gave up on being dignified and laughed.
‘He needed that levity; I’ve never seen Aiden so stressed,’ Elizabeth commented as everyone stood to leave the room.
‘What Aiden forgot to mention is that the Committee will be stopping by sometime tomorrow to meet with you ladies. I am sure he is upstairs laying ground rules with Meryn now. Be prepared,’ Gavriel advised them.
Anne looked nervous. ‘Does that include me?’
Darian smiled at her in sympathy. ‘I’m afraid so. However, since you haven’t been here long, they probably won’t ask you any questions besides your name.’
‘Gods above, give me strength to help Meryn tomorrow,’ Elizabeth murmured in prayer.
‘So mote it be,’ the men echoed together.
Kendrick had a feeling it would take every God listening to keep that spitfire under control. Smiling, he escorted Anne back upstairs to check on Keelan. He knew no matter what, Meryn was going to be Meryn. Without a doubt, he would be sitting in on those introductions with the Committee; he wouldn’t miss it for the world.
