Later that evening, after dinner, Anne found herself back in Keelan’s room with Kendrick. Throughout the day, Kendrick had been attentive and supportive. He hadn’t judged her for watching anime and even began watching it along with her, despite it being a boy’s love series.
She peeked out at him from behind her iPad. She had tried to dive into a new book, but found that, for once, reality was better than fiction. Every time she started a sentence, her mind wandered back to Kendrick. Every time they touched, she could feel a jolt of raw need race through her body. When she had been scared at the thought of killer zombies, he comforted her. His arm had been warm, and the second he pulled her close, she realized she had never felt safer in her life.
But Keelan was her mate, wasn’t he? She shook her head. He had to be; he had told his family that she was.
‘Kendrick?’
‘Hmmm?’ Kendrick’s eyes stayed glued to the massive book he had been reading earlier.
‘Has anyone ever made a mistake claiming their mate?’ she asked.
He closed the heavy tome and turned in his chair to face her. ‘There have been a few documented cases, mostly amongst witches, where a mistake was made. Why?’
‘Why witches? Why not the others?’
‘Because witches are the only race that finds its mates by having dreams; we rely on sight alone. Vampires and shifters can smell their mates, although with vampires, it’s their mate’s blood they scent, not their bodies. The fae can see the aura of their mates, but witches have only their dreams,’ he explained.
‘But Colton said that he had dreamt of Rheia, and he’s a shifter, right?’
Kendrick set the book down on the long table in front of him. ‘Sometime last year, the matriarchs of Lycaonia went to Elder Airgead with concerns that their sons’ mates were out in the world and dying. So, the elder cast a spell that would bring their mates to them. Aiden was the first to dream of his mate, which was Meryn.’
‘All of the warriors are dreaming of their mates, even if they aren’t witches?’
He nodded. ‘I believe that, since it was a witch who cast the spell, it influenced how the men would find their mates.’
‘And the women dreamt too?’ Anne hugged her iPad to her chest.
Kendrick looked at her with a serious expression. ‘So I’ve been told. Why? Did you have dreams as well?’
Anne looked away. ‘Yes.’
‘Dreams are tricky. People usually remember what they see but not how they felt, and that can change the dream dramatically. Personally, I think they are the worst way to find one’s mate, but who am I to judge?’
She heard him turn, and when she looked back, he had picked up his book again and was reading. Wasn’t he going to ask her who she had dreamt of? Did he not ask because he knew she was Keelan’s? This was so confusing!
She stood. ‘Keelan is all set for the night, I think I’ll turn in. It’s been the longest day of my life.’
Kendrick stood, which made her smile. All of the men had courtly manners; the simple gesture made her feel special.
‘Despite the outrageous changes in your life, I have to say you handled yourself with grace and intelligence. I know of much older individuals who would have broken down today, yet you came through the day shining brightly.’
Anne felt her cheeks begin to burn. ‘I did faint when they first told me about Keelan.’
Kendrick inclined his head. ‘As any normal person would do after finding out the dire circumstances of someone they care about.’
Anne felt her eyes fill at his praise. ‘I don’t think I could have done so well without you. Thank you, Kendrick.’
‘You are most welcome. Sweet dreams, Anne.’ Kendrick gave a slight bow.
Unsure whether she should curtsey in response, she did the next best thing. ‘ ‘Night,’ she mumbled and ran from the room.
She didn’t stop running until she was leaning against the closed door to her own guest room. Drat that man for affecting her so much.
Mindlessly, she changed out of her clothes and into a sleep shirt. A quick trip to the bathroom left her with a clean face and freshly brushed teeth. She pulled back the covers and slid between icy sheets.
I bet Kendrick could warm these for me.
I mean with magic! Ahhh! Stupid hormones!
Anne pulled the covers over her head.
I wish I knew what to do!
Slowly her own body heat began to warm the bed and she drifted off to sleep.
*****
‘Hurry up! Kendrick and the boys are waiting!’ Keelan pulled her hand as they ran through the woods.
‘Keelan, slow down!’ Anne laughed. Keelan looked back at her, his usual smile shining brightly.
‘I’m sorry for the confusion, it’s my fault.’ Keelan navigated them through branches and low hanging limbs.
She was about to ask him what he was talking about when they ran out into a clearing. In front of them, a large picnic was laid out in the afternoon sun. Kendrick was laughing and wrestling with three auburn haired little boys who looked to be about three.
‘Come on.’ Keelan tugged at her hand, but she couldn’t move forward.
She knew without a shadow of doubt that the boys were hers. Tears filled her eyes; the children were so beautiful.
A cloud moved overhead, casting a long shadow. She looked at Kendrick then at Keelan. Who was the father of her sons? She looked back at Kendrick. He was sitting up, watching the boys as they started eating their lunches. He was waiting patiently, a gentle smile on his face.
‘Who is my mate?’ she whispered.
Keelan leaned in and kissed her on the forehead. ‘Ask Darian.’
She turned to ask him what he meant, but the dream began to fade. She screamed, reaching for the boys to protect them from the darkness.
‘Anne!’ She heard Kendrick calling out to her.
She opened her eyes and sat up, gasping for air.
‘Anne! Are you okay?’ Kendrick sat at the edge of her bed, a worried look on his face.
Remembering the happy dream with Keelan and her sons made the darkness of reality that much harder to face. She buried her face in her hands and wept. There was no happy family for her. Keelan still lay in a coma in the next room, and the boys’ laughter was a fading memory.
Warm arms enveloped her in a tight embrace. She held on to Kendrick’s solid frame and laid her head against his chest. She let the rhythmic thudding of his heartbeat soothe her. For the first time since her parents had passed away, she didn’t feel like she was all alone. Everyday in school, she had passed by people, never receiving more than a second glance or a nod as they walked by. At the hospital where she had trained, the only physical contact she had was when she reached out to help a patient. Did he know how intoxicating the very warmth of his skin was to her?
After a few minutes, he broke the silence. ‘Do you want to talk about it?’
She sniffled. ‘How did you know I was dreaming?’
‘I heard you call out.’
‘Oh, no! Do you think I woke anyone?’ She didn’t think she could face anyone else if they came to see if she was okay.
She felt him shake his head. ‘I don’t think so. The only reason I heard you was because I had just awakened from a dream myself and was reading.’
‘What did you dream?’
‘It was a warm dream. It was bittersweet because it was wonderful but had to end.’
‘It was almost like because it was so wonderful the act of waking made it a nightmare,’ she whispered.
He pulled back and cupped her face with both hands. ‘Did you see Keelan?’
She nodded.
He dropped his hands to rest on either side of her body. ‘I did as well. He looked healthy and happy. He was smiling.’
‘It was like the sun was shining because he was smiling.’ She felt the dream starting to slip away.
‘Did he say anything to you?’
She nodded again. ‘He told me to ‘ask Darian’.’
Kendrick frowned. ‘Ask him about what?’
Anne stared down at the bedding. ‘I asked Keelan about matings; that’s when he told me to ask Darian.’
Kendrick put a finger under her chin and gently tilted her head up. ‘This is important. Did he say anything else?’
‘That all the confusion was his fault.’
Kendrick leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead exactly as Keelan had. ‘Get some rest, I’ll speak with Darian in the morning.’
Anne was too afraid to ask him about the children; she nodded and lay back down. ‘Keelan? He’s out there somewhere, isn’t he?’
Kendrick’s expression was sad as he nodded. ‘Yes, but don’t worry. I’ll find him, I swear it.’ He stood and quietly left the room, leaving her with more questions and mixed emotions. Did she want it to be Kendrick because he was here and able to comfort her?
‘Dammit it all!’ she muttered, turning on her side. She hugged a pillow close and closed her eyes. When she slept this time, there were no dreams to haunt her.
*****
Anne lingered in the hallway upstairs. She heard the other couples walk by on their way downstairs and had waited until they had gone before she left her room to wait by Kendrick’s door. She didn’t feel quite like an outsider; it was more like she and Kendrick were a team, and it felt wrong to go downstairs without him.
When Kendrick opened the door and stepped into the hall, she felt a wave of relief. He saw her expression and frowned. ‘Were you waiting for me?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Kendrick!’ a male voice called.
They turned to see a blond young man jogging toward them with a package in his hands.
‘Yes?’ Kendrick asked, stepping forward.
‘My name is Noah Calloway. I work with Meryn. This package just arrived for you from a vampire courier.’ Noah held out a small box wrapped in brown paper.
‘Thank you, Noah.’
‘No problem. Well, I better get back to work. Meryn will be finished with breakfast soon, and she’ll want to look over my coding.’ Noah crossed his eyes and made a face.
Anne laughed. ‘Good luck.’
‘Thanks!’ He waved and ran back the way he came.
Anne looked down at the package. ‘What do you think it is?’
‘Only one way to find out.’ He held his door open, and they walked inside. Kendrick immediately went to his table. Carefully, he cut the twine that held the wrapping in place. When he opened the box, his eyebrows shot up. ‘I must have done something right.’ He reached into the box and pulled out six black necklaces. The faint stench of death made Anne take a step back.
Eager and smiling like a child, Kendrick began placing the necklaces onto individual stone crystal plates. As each necklace touched the respective plates, it began to glow in different colors.
Kendrick stood back, a satisfied look on his face. ‘We should get preliminary results by tomorrow.’
They walked back out into the hallway and Kendrick closed the door behind them. He whispered a spell then turned to Anne. ‘Place your hand on the doorknob.’
She reached forward and grasped the metal knob. ‘What am I doing?’
‘These necklaces are probably the most important things in the city. If I had a separate room for study I would lock them in there. Since they are in the same room as my unconscious little brother, I’m not taking any chances. I’ve bespelled the door so that only you and I can enter.’
‘What would happen if someone other than you or I tried to enter the room?’ she asked curiously.
He gave her a wolfish grin. ‘It would not be pleasant.’
He straightened beside her and offered her his arm. She blinked at his elbow and looked up at him. Smiling, he reached down, took her hand, and placed it on his arm.
‘It would be an honor to escort you downstairs.’ He turned and walked them down the stairs and into the dining room. When they walked in, the other men stood, and Kendrick pulled her chair out for her. She smiled at him and sat down. The men took their seats, and Ryuu began going around the table with his serving cart handing out cups of coffee.
‘Ryuu! Come back here and let me sniff Kendrick’s drink some more,’ Meryn pleaded.
Ryuu sighed and looked at his charge. ‘Why torture yourself?’
Meryn dropped her head to the table. ‘I want coffee.’ She sounded so pitiful, Anne thought for a moment Ryuu would relent; instead, he reached down to the second shelf of the cart and pulled out a small bowl of coffee beans. He walked over and set this in front of Meryn ‘You can smell these to your heart’s content.’
Meryn scowled at the squire fiercely. Anne realized that the small woman had been planning to sneak sips all along.
Ryuu rounded the table and passed Kendrick a cup that smelled faintly of chocolate before turning to her. ‘I wasn’t sure what would be to your taste, so I waited to see what you might like this morning.’
Anne turned to Kendrick. ‘May I try some?’
He nodded and carefully handed her his hot cup. She blew on the liquid and took a tentative sip. The mixture of chocolate and coffee was perfect.
‘Oh my goodness.’
When she went to hand the cup back to Kendrick, he smiled and shook his head. ‘You keep that one. Ryuu, one more please.’
Ryuu bowed. ‘Of course.’
Kendrick raised a hand. ‘Ryuu, before you go, since everyone is here, I have a small announcement. I received the necklaces from the council this morning for testing. To keep them and my brother safe, I’ve placed a warding spell on the door, if anyone other than myself or Anne tries to enter the room, they will be severely injured.’
‘Understood.’ Ryuu said and went into the kitchen.
Rheia stood. ‘I’ll let Penny, Noah, Jaxon, and Mina know.’ She hurried out of the dining room.
Colton scowled. ‘Do you really think something so dangerous is necessary in the house?’
‘I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t.’ Kendrick said casually as he eyed the pastries in the basket at the center of the table.
Darian slumped back in his chair. ‘First Keelan, then the Committee, now we’re reduced to warding spells in our own home. What have our lives come to?’
Colton cut his roll in half and smeared a layer of thick jam on each side. ‘At least we have the perimeter. No matter who cast it, it’s keeping those damn ferals out of the city.’
Rheia came back in and sat down next to her mate. She eyed his gooey roll and shuddered. He had lathered it on so thick, it was almost as if he was eating jam with a bit of roll.
Ryuu reentered the room carrying a cup of steaming coffee. He placed it beside Kendrick and went to Meryn. ‘Denka, you have to eat something.’ The squire had a worried look on his face.
‘Not hungry,’ Meryn muttered, her face still on the table.
Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at Meryn. Anne wondered why that was so surprising.
Aiden turned in his chair and scooped Meryn into his lap. ‘What’s wrong, baby? You’ve been eating three breakfasts lately; why aren’t you hungry?’
Meryn didn’t answer, she just turned her head into his chest. ‘I’m tired.’
Aiden looked at Ryuu and Ryuu nodded. ‘Denka, how about a very small cup of coffee, with chocolate in it. Just like what Heika is drinking.’
Meryn turned her head slowly to look up at her squire and nodded. ‘Please.’
At first, Anne thought Meryn was just playing to get some coffee, but the worried expressions on the faces around the table told her that this was a severe deviation from Meryn’s normal behavior.
In less time than it took him to make Kendrick’s drink, Ryuu returned with a cup for Meryn. Anne thought that she would gulp down the sweet beverage, but when Meryn only took a single sip and set the cup down, she knew that this was serious.
Ryuu took Meryn’s wrist between his fingers and closed his eyes. When they opened, he turned to Kendrick. ‘Heika, could you please?’
Kendrick stood immediately and hurried around the table. He eyed the blue tattoo and raised a brow at Ryuu, who shrugged. Turning his attention back to Meryn, he gently held her hand between both of his.
Anne found herself holding her breath as she waited to see what Kendrick would find. When his eyes popped open, she almost fell out of her chair. She was surprised at how quickly she had come to care for the odd woman.
Kendrick’s astonished expression turned to Amelia and then back to Meryn. ‘Extraordinary.’
‘What?’ Aiden growled.
Kendrick smiled. ‘Fate is a mischievous female. I am constantly amazed by her woven designs.’ He began to whisper, and when he was done, he placed Meryn’s hand back in her lap.
She blinked and looked around the table. ‘I feel much better.’ Before anyone could tell her not to, she snatched up the mocha and began to down it’s contents. When she was done, she exhaled loudly and set the cup back on the table. ‘That was fucking awesome!’
Kendrick watched Meryn, a bemused expression on his face. Beside him, Ryuu sighed. Kendrick clapped him on the back. ‘She deserved a little pick-me-up.’
Meryn wiggled until Aiden set her back in her chair. ‘I think that coffee made me hungry.’ She turned and looked up at Ryuu. ‘Do we have any pancakes? And bacon? And hash browns?’
Ryuu’s smile was indulgent. ‘That’s what you requested for breakfast yesterday.’
Meryn smiled. ‘Does that mean I can’t have it again today?’
Ryuu shook his head. ‘You can have whatever you want. It’s a good thing I froze the leftover pancakes yesterday.’ He bowed to Kendrick and headed into the kitchen.
Kendrick patted Meryn on the head as if she were a puppy and walked back to his chair.
‘Wait a damn minute. What happened there?’ Aiden demanded.
Kendrick sipped his coffee. ‘What do you mean?’
‘What I mean is what was wrong with my mate?’ Aiden growled.
‘I’m not quite sure, but I have an idea.’
‘An idea? Care to share?’
‘No.’
‘No! What do you mean, no?’ Aiden glared at Kendrick from across the table.
Anne had had enough. Kendrick didn’t deserve any of this. She stood and slammed both hands down on the table. ‘That’s enough!’
Aiden sat back his eyes wide. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you, but I have to know what happened to my mate.’
‘Then you should ask politely like a normal person!’ She crossed her arms over her chest. ‘I’ve known Kendrick just as long as the rest of you. Magic abilities not withstanding, I know that he isn’t the type of person who would withhold information to hurt someone. If he says he doesn’t know, that means he needs to look into it further before he makes a diagnosis. If he announces it’s one thing and it turns out to be another you’d blame him for that, too.
‘I know I’m the new kid around here, but the unwarranted hostility you have shown him is obvious. For Keelan’s sake, I’ll only say this once: Stow your shit!’ Anne was breathing heavily, and her emotions were spiraling out of control. She hated it that, every time she got upset about something, she cried. People always assumed it was because she was weak when, in truth, she was trying really hard not to kill people.
Rheia stood. ‘She’s absolutely right. I was going to let Kendrick’s actions dictate my own, but you all are upsetting Anne, and she has enough to deal with right now. I see this type of behavior all the time as a doctor. People expect us to have all the answers; sometimes, we don’t. Sometimes, it’s better not to say anything at all without having all the facts. I know you men miss Keelan; I do, too. Nevertheless, that is no excuse to treat his brother so poorly.’
Elizabeth rose to her feet elegantly. ‘We are a family, every single one of us in the house. Look at Anne and Amelia.’ The men looked at Anne who was still fighting back tears and to Amelia whose face buried in Darian’s chest. ‘We have enough challenges from those outside this house attacking us; we don’t need conflict in the house as well.’
Meryn reached for a roll. ‘He’s not Keelan,’ she declared. ‘He looks like Keelan, but he isn’t him. I know that each one of you feel like shit because you think you should have been able to save Keelan, but don’t take that out on Kendrick. He hasn’t blamed us once, and he has every right to.’
Anne looked around the table and met the eyes of the other women. She’d never had close friends before, and their support and gentle smiles were her undoing. She covered her face with her hands and started to ball like a baby.
She felt Kendrick move beside her, and before she knew it, she was safe in his arms. ‘Shush now. Us poor men have our marching orders; cut us some slack okay?’ He rubbed her back.
She sniffed and opened her eyes. ‘I’m sorry!’
Aiden stood, a concerned look on his face. ‘You have no reason to be sorry, Anne. I’m the one who should apologize. Thank you for having the courage to stand up for Kendrick.’ Aiden turned to the rest of the men. ‘They’re right, all of our ladies. I do feel guilty. I think I kept expecting Kendrick to lash out, so I was always on the defensive.’ He looked straight at Kendrick. ‘I am sorry.’
Kendrick shook his head. ‘I’m pretty thick skinned, Aiden. It will take more than your baby bear growls to shake me.’
Aiden looked down at the table. ‘No. I’m sorry I couldn’t save him. He was my responsibility, and I failed him.’
Colton and Gavriel stood quickly. ‘It was not your fault. We are the ones who had to drag you out of that building; we are the ones who abandoned him.’ Gavriel’s face was a mask of pain.
Darian turned his head away from Kendrick to stare at the floor. ‘I was the one who walked away. He was right in front of me, and I left him there.’
Under her hands, Anne could feel the effect the men’s words were having on Kendrick. His entire body tensed and his breathing became more rapid in what seemed to be an effort to stay in control. She did the only thing she could in that moment. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.
Kendrick drew a shuddering breath. ‘Thank you.’ Everyone turned and stared at him. Anne looked up and was shocked to see a steady stream of tears coursing down his cheeks. ‘Thank you,’ he repeated. He looked up and the men flinched at the stark grief on his face. ‘Thank you for loving my brother as if he were your own flesh and blood. If I had any doubts about your loyalties, they have been washed away by your confessions. If anyone is to blame, it is I. I knew over two hundred years ago he would die as a member of the Alpha Unit.
‘I could have done so many things to turn him from the path he chose, but to do so would have crushed Keelan’s kindness. I would have turned him into something he would have hated. So, I let him live his own life knowing what would happen. I was so confident in my own power, I was sure I could see any impending doom and swoop in and save the day.’ He gave a hollow laugh. ‘I guess I wasn’t as all-seeing and powerful as I thought I was, and my brother paid the price.’
Anne shook her head. ‘I don’t know what happened to him, but I like to think I know Keelan pretty well.’ She looked around the table. ‘His face would light up when he spoke of you all. He called you his brothers, and I don’t think he could have been more proud to call you family. If he made the decision to protect you, then that is exactly what he wanted, because if any of you had been hurt–or worse, killed–and he lived knowing he could have saved you, it would have destroyed him.’ She turned to look at Kendrick. ‘The way he described you, I was half expecting you to have a cape. There was no one he looked up to more.’
Beside them, Amelia wiped her face. ‘It’s true, Athair. He told me that he fully intended to call you and my brothers if things got too dangerous. I think everything happened so fast, there wasn’t time.’
Gavriel wrapped an arm around his mate, and she slumped against him. ‘So what do we do now?’
She felt Kendrick straighten. ‘We’re going to listen to a very wise little girl and be happy.’
Anne watched as slow smiles began to appear around the table. Everyone sat down and kept smiling. Anne reached under the table and took Kendrick’s hand. He didn’t change expression or give any outward indication that he noticed her gesture, yet his long, warm fingers squeezed her hand and didn’t let go.
Anne took a deep breath and looked around. She realized everyone needed this to begin moving past their own guilt.
As she was looking around, she caught Meryn’s eye and Meryn winked. ‘You’re officially family now; you’ve cussed at the breakfast table.’
Anne made a face and Meryn laughed in response.
‘Then you were officially family in the first thirty seconds after you sat at the breakfast table for the first time. I distinctly remember you threatening to castrate Colton.’ Gavriel teased.
Colton groaned. ‘Don’t remind me.’
Anne kept her left hand wrapped around Kendrick’s and picked up her coffee with her right. For the first time in a very long time, she felt like she had a family again, cussing, jokes, and all.
