Kendrick sat on the front porch steps and watched as people milled around him. The battle had been surprisingly short. When the reapers realized they weren’t going to get what they wanted, they turned on the hostages, wounding many and killing five before the warriors were able to get between them and their attackers. At the end of the skirmish, Kendrick ended up with more necklaces for testing.
This is what Keelan had been doing for two hundred years? How did he do it? Feeling useless, Kendrick stood and decided he had to find a way to help. He had more magic than he knew what to do with; surely he could accomplish something useful.
He was walking around trying to find Anne when he spotted Amelia. She stood in the middle of the training yard, a blank look on her face. He hurried over to her, grabbing a blanket from a nearby pile on his way. He wrapped her up and held her close.
‘Shush, it’s going to be okay Amelia.’ She began shaking under the blanket.
Looking around, he caught Darian’s eye and nodded to Amelia. Darian almost plowed people over in an effort to get to her side.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ he asked.
‘Let’s get her inside and away from these people. Then I want to look at her magic.’ Darian swept Amelia up in his arms.
Kendrick looked around and spotted Meryn. She was scowling fiercely at everyone, breathing heavily, and snapping at anyone who got close enough. He ran over and scooped her up. ‘You’re coming, too.’
‘What gives? Put me down!’ Meryn screeched.
Aiden’s head whipped around at the sound of Meryn’s yells. He charged over. ‘Kendrick, you wanna tell me why I shouldn’t kill you?’
Kendrick jerked his head toward the door. ‘Inside.’
Kendrick didn’t wait for Aiden. He hurried toward the house where Ryuu met them at the door, a relieved look on his face. ‘Thank the Gods, I was about to come find her. How did you know, Heika?’
Kendrick kept walking. ‘I had a feeling she’d be upset.’ Ryuu and Aiden followed him until they were in Aiden’s office. It was the quietest room downstairs and where Darian had chosen to go with Amelia.
Kendrick set Meryn down next to Amelia. He reached out with both hands, grasping Meryn with his left and Amelia with his right. Gently, he sent his magic through them, searching. As he had suspected, Meryn had a touch of magic. He carefully corralled their magic and secured it behind the mental doors he created. It was easy for Amelia, she had been raised thinking this way and he had done this with her once before, but Meryn’s magic was completely wild. He took his time and coaxed it behind the thick door before closing it for her.
He sat back on his heels. ‘Well, I know where you got your empathy from Amelia.’
Amelia shook her head as if trying to clear it. ‘Wait, what?’
Aiden collapsed into a chair. ‘What?’
Kendrick moved so that he could lean his back against the coffee table. These two would be the death of him. Getting their empathy under control was exhausting.
‘Is everything okay in here? We saw you carry Meryn and Amelia in and we were worried,’ a soft voice asked.
Kendrick looked up and smiled. Anne, Rheia, Elizabeth, and the rest of the Alpha Unit were walking through the door.
‘Evidently, denka has magic,’ Ryuu replied.
‘No, I don’t. I would know if I had magic,’ Meryn protested.
Kendrick raised an eyebrow at the stubborn female.
‘I don’t!’
‘Meryn, I was told that you didn’t have it easy growing up, is that correct?’
Meryn quieted immediately.
Kendrick kept going. ‘You have magic, but it’s a very small amount, just enough to be bothersome. You have empathy, the same gift as your cousin.’
‘No, she doesn’t.’ The sentiment was echoed throughout the room.
Kendrick shook his head at their denials and continued to look at Meryn. ‘It’s just enough so that you would know someone’s true feelings, just enough so that you would know when they were lying. Amelia was raised in a warm and loving home, where people said what they felt, didn’t lie, and were very kind.’ Kendrick gently held Meryn’s hands. ‘Now, this is just a guess, but I bet that wasn’t true for you.’
Meryn shook her head.
Kendrick continued. ‘I bet the people you grew up around were petty and hurtful.’
Meryn nodded silently.
Kendrick looked around the room. ‘If you have the gift of empathy and were raised in such an environment, what do you think would happen?’
Amelia hugged Meryn close. ‘She would turn away from people and keep to herself, because if she’s alone, she can’t be hurt.’
Aiden got up and sat beside Meryn. He pulled her into his lap and rubbed his chin on the top of her head. ‘My poor baby.’
Meryn settled in against her mate. ‘It wasn’t all bad, and it brought me to you.’ She tilted her head back, and he placed kisses all over her face.
‘It could also explain why she can see sprites,’ Gavriel theorized.
There was a knock at the door and then it swung open. A blond man Kendrick hadn’t met walked in. ‘Aiden, we have just about everyone sorted. The units are escorting the people into the city and your committee members just left.’
Aiden sighed. ‘Thanks Ben, I had forgotten about them.’ He turned to Kendrick. ‘Will there really be an article about Meryn in the paper?’
Kendrick nodded. ‘Yes. The committee should be well behaved little kittens after I pulled their fangs and claws.’ He turned to Elizabeth. ‘Though I must say, it was a much easier task thanks to you.’
Elizabeth smiled. ‘One of the benefits growing up in a noble household.’
Rheia clapped her hands together. ‘It’s been a long evening, everyone should wash up and grab some dinner.’
Ryuu stepped forward. ‘Tonight’s meal is a variety of different soups. They have been simmering all day. If you leave me your choices I can have your dinner waiting for you when you come down.’
Colton grabbed a pen and piece paper off of Aiden’s desk and began organizing their selections. Anne shocked Kendrick when she chose the beef stew, he had pegged her for a vegetable kind of girl. He chose the lentil soup and made his way over to Anne. Smiling, he held out his hand. ‘Let’s go check on our boy.’ Anne’s face lit up and she grasped his hand. He took a moment to enjoy the simple act of walking hand-in-hand with her up the stairs. It was time to tell her the truth.
*****
Anne walked into the bathroom, her heart in her mouth. The walk up to her room had been too short. She wanted to enjoy holding Kendrick’s hand a bit longer. Looking in the mirror, she had to face the realization that she was already half in love with Kendrick. She didn’t know what she was going to do if they found out she was truly Keelan’s mate. She took a deep breath and smiled at herself. This was something her mother taught her to do as a child. When things get difficult, smile at yourself in the mirror. Your body is tricked into thinking that it’s happy, and your smiling face mentally bolsters you. Today, she bared her teeth then stuck her tongue out for good measure.
She took the world’s quickest shower and dried off with one of the softest towels she had ever used. She looked at the clothes she had chosen and sighed. What she really wanted to wear was her anime sweatshirt, but the only other person who dressed like that for dinner was Meryn, and she had a feeling Meryn could get away with just about anything. She compromised with herself and wore her favorite jeans, but picked out a dressier shirt. The bright coral color set off her teal eyes, but the buttons on her shirt pulled slightly across her chest. She sighed and accepted the fact that she wouldn’t be comfortable again until bedtime.
She towel-dried her hair one last time before walking out into the room with her brush and a hair tie in hand. Kendrick was sitting on the edge of her bed, presumably waiting for her. Seeing him sitting there wreaked havoc with her body. She needed to stay away from him, especially him and any sort of flat surface, like the bed. Images of throwing the man backward and straddling him had her pulling a throw off a nearby chair and settling on the floor to do her hair.
Slowly she began to brush and finger-comb her hair.
‘I spoke with Darian,’ he said quietly.
She froze. ‘And what did he say?’
Kendrick stood and walked over to sit down behind her. He extended his legs out on either side of her. Before he answered, he took the brush from her hand and began sliding it through her hair. Carefully he began to twist the hair into a braid.
‘He said that Keelan admitted to him that he wasn’t attracted to you.’ She felt him secure the hair tie around the briad.
The words stung. Not because she had to face the fact that Keelan hadn’t been attracted to her, but because now Kendrick knew how his brother felt. Would that sway his mind?
‘I wasn’t really attracted to him either. I was too comfortable around him to be attracted. He was more like a best friend than boyfriend,’ she confessed.
‘Anne, I don’t think that you and Keelan are mates.’
Anne stood and began to pace the length of the room. ‘Then why did he say he dreamt of me?’
‘Because he did, but those were premonitions, not mating dreams,’ Kendrick explained. ‘Anne, who did you dream of?’ His voice deepened, and she turned to face him. When she took in the scene at her feet, she gasped. Just like in her dream, he was sitting on a blanket waiting for her with a patient smile. She felt tears fill her eyes and then drip down her cheeks. ‘You. I so wanted it to be you.’ She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands.
Seconds later, she felt him pull her close. ‘I dreamt of you, too, my love.’
She pulled back and looked up at him. ‘What did you see?’
‘The day your father died.’
‘Oh.’
He held her close and started to sway back and forth. ‘You’ve always lived for others. First, your parents, then your patients, and now Keelan. Will you allow me to put you first? I’ve waited a very, very long time to meet you.’
She wrapped her arms around his waist. ‘How old are you anyway?’
‘Older than anyone believes.’
‘Older than Aiden?’ Kendrick nodded.
‘Older than Darian?’ Kendrick chuckled and Anne looked up. He was looking down at her with such a sad look on his face. She reached up and soothed the area between his brows with her thumb.
He smiled. ‘There you go, taking care of me again.’
‘I don’t mind as long as it’s you.’
He leaned in very slowly, giving her every opportunity to turn away. When he was about to kiss her, she couldn’t help it and began to giggle.
Looking confused, he smiled at her. ‘What brought that on?’
She waved a hand at him. ‘You. Being so careful. If you’re going to kiss me, kiss me, and be sure you do a damn fine job of it.’
He took her at her word and took possession of her mouth. He gently ran his tongue along her lips until she opened for him. She gave him an inch and he took a mile. His tongue teased the roof of her mouth before he began to nibble on her lips. He explored and dominated every part of her mouth.
When there was a knock on the door, they broke apart, both breathing heavily.
‘Dinner is ready, peeps,’ Meryn announced.
‘Be right down,’ Anne croaked.
She looked up and felt a bit of satisfaction that Kendrick was just as affected as she was. ‘That was amazing.’
Kendrick nodded then glanced back at the bed.
She swatted his arm, laughing. ‘Hold your horses Romeo, I don’t even know your middle name.’
Kendrick blinked. ‘I don’t have one. Is that going to be a problem?’
Anne laughed. ‘No, of course not. Why don’t you have a middle name?’
He shrugged. ‘We didn’t use them back then.’
She put her hands on her hips. ‘How old are you?’
Kendrick’s teasing gaze made her knees go weak. ‘Kiss me again and I’ll tell you.’
She took a step back at his devilish expression. ‘Hmmm. Nope.’ She turned on her heel and marched toward the door.
He caught up to her immediately and wrapped his arms around her. He began to kiss the back of her neck, sending chills throughout her body. ‘Stop that!’
Kendrick spun her in his arms. ‘You seem different.’
Anne thought about it for a moment. ‘I do?’
‘You seem more sure of yourself.’
She nodded. ‘I think I am. Before, when there was confusion about Keelan, I wasn’t sure where I belonged. Guilt at my attraction to you made me doubt who I was, but now…’–she wrapped her arms around his neck–‘…now I know that’s it’s okay to be in love with you.’
His eyes widened.
Oops!
She smiled brightly and bolted for the door. ‘Dinner smells great!’
She was halfway down the stairs when she heard him running. She squealed, and laughing hard, she ran for the dinning room. She burst into the room and everyone looked up in surprise. Grinning, she braced herself against the closed door. Seconds later, she was jolted by the impact of Kendrick hitting the door.
‘Sonofabitch!’
Laughing, she ran for her chair. Everyone around the table was grinning.
Kendrick swung the door open and stepped through slowly, his eyes narrowed dangerously. ‘I know that Anne wouldn’t block the door against me, causing me to bump my nose.’ He glared at her.
Anne shook her head. ‘You’re right. It was Colton.’ She pointed at the blond whose mouth dropped open at the accusation.
Kendrick crossed his arms over his chest and began to tap his finger against his elbow. ‘I see. So Colton, why would you want to keep me from my mate?’
At his question, there were gasps around the table. Anne scowled at him. ‘You could have told them in a better way.’
Kendrick shrugged and walked over to stand beside her chair. He looked around the table. ‘This isn’t going to be a problem, is it gentlemen?’
Darian shook his head and looked around at the other men. ‘Keelan admitted to me that he wasn’t attracted to Anne. Kendrick and I worked out that the dreams he had been having were premonitions to keep her safe, not mating dreams.’ He looked up at Kendrick. ‘I’m assuming that you both have been dreaming about each other?’
Anne nodded and looked up at Kendrick; he winked at her and sat down.
‘Have you claimed each other yet?’ Meryn asked.
‘Meryn!’ Elizabeth exclaimed.
‘What?’ Meryn looked at Anne and Kendrick. ‘Too personal?’
Kendrick shrugged, and Anne just smiled at Meryn; the odd woman had grown on her. ‘I don’t mind telling you when he claims me, but I’m not going into detail. Something tells me it will be too scandalous to share.’ She leered up at her mate. He just nodded and picked up his water glass.
Meryn giggled and held up her fist. Anne lifted her hand and gave the woman her imaginary fist bump. Meryn sighed happily. ‘I knew you’d fit in.’
Colton watched her with a careful look. ‘She was hiding her crazy,’ he accused.
Rheia laughed and shook her head. ‘She was probably very conflicted about how she felt about Kendrick, especially considering what we told her about Keelan. Now that she’s settled, I bet we see more of the real Anne Bennett.’
Anne nodded. ‘She’s right. Before, I knew I wasn’t attracted to Keelan in that way, but everyone was calling me his mate. Then I met Kendrick, and I was drawn to my supposed mate’s brother. I felt like utter shit.’
Amelia reached around Kendrick to pat her on the shoulder. ‘Don’t feel bad, that’s five for five for relationships starting on the wrong foot in this house.’ All the women were nodding.
‘At least you didn’t beat Kendrick with any plumbing fixtures.’ Aiden commented.
Meryn threw her hands in the air. ‘Still?’ She looked over at Anne. ‘At least he didn’t lock you in his trunk.’ She turned and stuck her tongue out at her mate.
Laughing, Elizabeth chimed in. ‘I almost bled to death a couple of times.’
Rheia hugged Colton’s arm to her. ‘I surprised Colton with a daughter the day we met.’
Amelia turned and held up her hand. ‘Don’t even get me started about feeling guilty. Darian and I have you beat hands down.’
Anne’s face hurt from smiling so much. Everyone was trying so hard to make this less awkward for her and to help her feel like part of the family. ‘You’ll have to tell me your stories later; they sound amazing.’
‘There’s never a dull moment around here, that’s for certain,’ Ryuu said, pushing the serving tray into the room. He had ladled out everyone’s soup of choice and began serving as he made his way around the table.
‘Sorry I stole your man, Ryuu,’ Anne joked.
Ryuu smiled down at her as he placed her dinner in front of her. ‘How shall I go on?’
Amelia clapped her hands together. ‘I know! Let’s find a mate for Noah!’
Anne nodded enthusiastically. ‘I’m in. He’s so beautiful; he deserves an amazing man.’
Meryn began to bounce in her chair too. ‘Smart like the Doctor.’
Anne nodded. ‘Handsome like Tezuka.’
‘Faithful like Rory.’ Meryn sighed.
‘Considerate like Yuri.’ Anne added.
They looked at each other and Anne grinned. ‘I think our geekdoms overlapped.’
Meryn threw her arm in the air. ‘Score!’
Elizabeth unfolded her napkin. ‘I don’t think I have a geekdom, but I do like to organize things.’
‘I love make-up,’ Amelia confessed.
Anne turned to Rheia for her interests. Rheia shook her head and laughed. ‘I have a four-year-old; I can barely see straight at the end of the day, much less do make-up or keep to any organized plan.’
Meryn picked up her spoon. ‘Yeah, I’ve pretty much given up on the smokey eye; my new nemesis is liquid lipsticks. They make me look like I’ve been kissing clowns.’ Grinning, she looked over at Aiden.
‘Hey!’ he laughed.
Anne thought about it for a moment. ‘I don’t really have a lot of hobbies besides anime and cosplay when I had the odd weekend off.’ She paused. ‘Does baking count?’
Elizabeth nodded. ‘Absolutely. What is your favorite thing to make?’
Anne shrugged. ‘Anything really. I like cakes more than cookies though. When you make cookies, you roll everything out into one-inch balls. It takes forever to roll out two hundred and forty one-inch balls.’ She shuddered at the memory of last Christmas.
‘That is a lot of cookies,’ Gavriel said.
‘I donate to the women’s shelters around the holidays. They hardly get anything homemade like that,’ Anne confessed.
‘What a wonderful idea! How did you manage to do that and go to school?’ Elizabeth asked.
Anne smiled. ‘It’s not like I go out much. I’m pretty content staying at home watching television and making cookies. The sugar helped around exam time.’
Colton exhaled in relief. ‘She’s normal crazy, not like that one.’ He pointed to Meryn.
Meryn didn’t even look in his direction. ‘I enjoy my crazy, thank you very much. I noticed a long time ago that those who value normalcy to the point of making someone else feel like shit for being different were assholes. I stopped caring about what people thought of me after that.’
‘We enjoy your crazy, too, Menace,’ Colton teased.
Anne laughed. ‘Why do they call you Menace?’
‘Because that’s what she is,’ Darian answered. ‘She likes to mess with us poor, hard-working unit warriors.’
Amelia bumped shoulders with her mate. ‘She does not.’
Darian gave Amelia a look. ‘Then answer me this: Why did Meryn have binoculars to give you right after you first arrived?’
Amelia opened her mouth then closed it. She looked over at Meryn. ‘Why did you have binoculars?’
‘She likes to bird watch,’ Aiden answered.
Anne looked around the table to see if she was the only one who didn’t believe that. She leaned forward in her chair to see Rheia’s expression. Okay, that would be a big, fat no.
Meryn grinned. ‘Yup, I like to watch.’
‘Oh, Meryn.’ Elizabeth hid her face against Gavriel’s upper arm. Gavriel’s lips twitched as he tried not to laugh, but every once in a while, a snicker would escape.
Colton and Darian were exchanging looks. Colton nodded toward Aiden. Darian shook his head and pointed to Colton.
And the winner is? Anne wondered who would be brave enough to tell Aiden the truth.
Colton cleared his throat. ‘You know, Aiden, I don’t really think Meryn is bird watching.’
Aiden frowned. ‘What else would she be doing with binoculars?’
Kendrick raised his spoon and sipped his soup. ‘I assume you have a ranking system?’
Meryn laughed and nodded. ‘I even created a database.’
Kendrick nodded in approval. ‘You’ll have to show me how it works. I’d love to get some of the reference materials I’ve accumulated over the years into an easier to search format.’
‘Ranking system?’ Aiden frowned.
Meryn ignored Aiden’s question. ‘Sure, swing by the office any time,’ Meryn offered.
‘Excellent,’ Kendrick agreed. ‘By the way, where did I rank?’
Meryn shook her head. ‘We haven’t placed you yet since you haven’t worked out with your shirt off.’
Realization dawned on Aiden’s face. ‘Meryn!’ he bellowed.
‘What? It gets boring around here,’ she complained.
‘To whom is she referring, when she says ‘we’?’ Gavriel asked, his lips dancing along Elizabeth’s neck as he spoke.
Elizabeth laughed, her cheeks flushed. ‘Noah. They only have me judge in the event of a tie.’
Colton turned to Rheia. ‘Did you know about this?’
Rheia nodded. ‘I helped supply the chest measurements they needed for some of the more closely contested ranks.’
Colton became thoughtful then turned to Meryn. ‘Am I at least in the top ten?’
Meryn nodded. ‘Your smile saved you.’
Colton beamed a bright smile around the table. ‘Yes!’
Anne looked at Kendrick then at Meryn. ‘Can I help judge when Kendrick is shirtless?’
Meryn nodded enthusiastically. ‘If we have three judges we won’t have ties anymore.’
Kendrick looked at her. ‘What makes you think I’m going to train shirtless with these lunatics?’
Anne flashed him a sultry look to show him how she felt about the thought of seeing him bare chested. Kendrick’s amber eyes darkened before he turned to Aiden. ‘What time do you muscle heads start in the morning?’
Anne winked at Meryn who was all smiles.
‘Between never and never thirty,’ Aiden replied sourly.
Kendrick shrugged. ‘I guess I can walk around shirtless in the house.’
Gavriel growled. ‘We start right after breakfast. Keep your clothes on in the house when you are around my mate.’
Kendrick turned to Elizabeth. ‘No offense, but I’m attracted to teal-eyed nurses who like to introduce me to anime shows and then don’t let me watch the endings.’
Anne smiled wide. ‘I didn’t know you liked the show that much.’
Kendrick groaned. ‘Was that all you heard?’
Anne blinked. ‘Huh?’
‘Nothing.’ Kendrick shook his head.
‘I can’t wait to tell my minion we have someone else to help us,’ Meryn said, swirling her soup with her spoon.
Kendrick smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. ‘Minion! I completely forgot about Basil! After we got back, I told him to inventory his new supplies along with what he already had. I promised to show him the crystal spells today. I hadn’t anticipated helping in pitched battles with ferals this evening.’
‘You got a minion too?’ Meryn asked excitedly.
Kendrick nodded. ‘Basil Barberry. I felt horrible about taking his spot on Alpha so I decided to show him some higher-level magic while I’m here. I can’t believe I forgot about him.’
Darian chuckled. ‘Don’t worry about that one. He’s sharp as a tack and a hard worker. As soon as he saw everyone mobilizing, he volunteered to help escort the hostages. He and the other trainees helped to get them settled in the city. I bet you anything he’ll be here first thing after breakfast and ready to go.’
Kendrick slumped back in his seat, looking relieved. ‘Thank the Gods. I’m glad he wasn’t upset.’
Colton laughed. ‘Our trainees are great, well, except for Sterling. But you’ve already handled him.’
Aiden laughed loudly. ‘It made my morning coming back from that council meeting to find Sterling stewing in his own shit. I’m going to talk to my father. There has to be something that can be done about him, he’s not cut out to be a warrior. He’s too rank-conscious.’
Colton was about to respond when they heard a knock at the door.
Meryn jumped up and ran out of the room toward the door.
Everyone stood and hurried after the small woman.
‘Don’t answer it, Meryn!’ Aiden yelled.
Meryn froze mid-step, hand extended toward the doorknob. She straightened. ‘I told you, bad guys don’t knock.’
Aiden strode past her. ‘Only in your own little world.’
Meryn rolled her eyes and pointed to the door.
Aiden opened it. ‘Can I help you?’
Anne stayed back with Kendrick. They couldn’t see the visitors past Aiden’s large body.
‘Is Meryn or Amelia here?’ A female voice asked. Aiden opened the door further. Anne could see a man and woman standing on the porch.
‘Mother!’ Amelia cried and flew past Aiden into the arms of a dark haired woman and tall, silver-eyed man.
‘Amelia! It’s so good to see you! Let me look at you.’ The woman turned Amelia around taking in every inch. ‘I’ve been so worried! We got reports on the road that ferals attacked the city. Of course, I told your father to drive faster so we could get here to help.’
‘Lily and Marshall Ironwood, I presume,’ Aiden said, opening the door completely to allow the couple to walk in, Amelia wedged between them.
Marshall stopped and offered Aiden his hand, and they clasped forearms in greeting. ‘It’s great to finally be able to meet you, Commander. I have heard nothing but wonderful things from my sons.’
‘They are a credit to your line. I trust them implicitly with running the units in Storm Keep,’ Aiden said, smiling at the older man.
Anne’s attention wasn’t on Aiden or Marshall; she was watching Meryn who had quietly walked behind the men and closed the door. She was hunched in on herself, trying to appear as small as possible. It was clear, at least to Anne, that she was scared to death to meet her relatives.
Finally, Amelia’s head popped up and she looked around. She spotted Meryn off to one side, went to her, and had to practically drag her by the arm to stand in front of her parents.
‘Mother, Father, this is Meryn. She’s my baby sister-cousin.’
Lily pulled Meryn into her arms. ‘My dear, sweet child.’ She pulled back and looked at Meryn carefully. ‘You look just like your mother.’
Meryn looked like she was about to bolt at any second. Anne was about to go to her when Ryuu appeared at Meryn’s side. ‘Denka, perhaps everyone would be more comfortable if we returned to the dining room?’ he suggested.
Wordlessly, Meryn nodded and led the way.
Anne didn’t know a lot about Meryn’s past, but when boisterous people got quiet, it was never for a good reason.
