‘Meryn you’ll be with me today. I need to go to the Alpha barracks to meet with the other units and make sure everyone knows where they are supposed to be for tonight’s ball.’ Aiden said pouring another cup of coffee.
‘Sure. From what Lady Fairfax told me about this ‘super dress’ it won’t take me very long to get ready.’ Meryn sipped her cappuccino. She looked down at the single muffin on her plate and swallowed hard. She wasn’t hungry at all. Her stomach was doing cartwheels. Every time she thought about walking into a huge room full of people she didn’t know she felt like she was going to be sick.
‘You need to eat.’ Aiden put a spoonful of greasy potatoes on her plate next to her muffin. She watched the steam rise off her plate. The second the smell hit her nose, she stood. Covering her mouth, she bolted from the room. She nearly knocked Marius over before she made it to the downstairs bathroom. Since she had only had coffee for breakfast she was dry heaving by the time Aiden caught up with her.
‘Oh baby, it’s okay.’ He got a washcloth out and wet it with warm water. When her stomach stopped trying to turn itself inside out, she sat back against the wall. Aiden handed her a tiny cup of water. She swished the cool, clean water around her mouth and spit it out in the toilet. She leaned back again and the warm cloth was placed over her eyes.
‘I can’t tell if you being sick is from your nerves or an after effect of getting hit yesterday.’
‘Nerves. Trust me, it’s nerves.’ She removed the washcloth and got to her feet. Aiden helped steady her and they made their way back to the dining room. She was relieved that her plate had been replaced and the greasy potatoes were nowhere in sight. Marius placed a small plate of saltine crackers next to her tea.
‘Thank you Marius. I hope my squire is half as wonderful as you.’ The older man blushed a little.
‘I thought that more of my colleagues would show up for your interviews, but I am afraid they have been swayed by idle gossip.’
‘That’s not your fault.’
‘I was hoping that my nephew would be able to come, but he has taken a position in Belgium.’
‘As long as you’ll be there to help make the decision I feel pretty confident about the interviews for tomorrow.’ Meryn snacked on a cracker.
‘I will do everything I can to assist.’
‘What time will you have her back Aiden? The ball starts at eight o’clock.’ Adelaide asked.
‘Well before eight Mother. Don’t worry, you’ll get your girl time.’ Aiden teased.
‘Meryn did you want any more crackers?’ Aiden asked standing. She shook her head.
‘Little miss, I have taken the liberty of packing a few in a bag for you. Just in case.’ Marius handed her a small zip lock bag of crackers.
‘Thank you Marius. See y’all later.’ She grabbed her backpack on the way out. She stepped outside and avoided looking at the recently repainted section of the porch. It was a gruesome reminder that they couldn’t get all of the dog blood stains out of the wood. She stepped off the porch and followed Aiden to his car. She took a deep breath. Aiden held the door open for her.
‘I’ll put the windows down for the trip. Looks like the fresh air is helping.’ He closed the door and seconds later he was climbing inside. He started the car and immediately lowered the windows. She sat back and closed her eyes without saying a word, and she was comfortable with the silence. She enjoyed the sound of the road flying by, the fresh air in her face and his warm hand around hers.
When they got to the barracks Colton met them as they were getting out of the car.
‘Hey short stuff, feeling better?’
‘I’m not seeing double anymore if that’s what you mean.’
‘Good to hear. Aiden, the men are out back awaiting orders. I’ll keep an eye on Meryn since I already know I am playing escort tonight.’
‘Thanks Colton. Be back baby.’ Aiden bussed her lips and walked around to the back of the house.
‘He started drills with the men. We’re practicing fighting while blindfolded, so we can attack and defend against what we can’t see.’ Colton explained.
‘He’s really good isn’t he?’ She asked.
‘The very best. Better than our last commander.’
‘I thought Aiden took over from his father?’ Meryn asked confused.
‘Walk with me. I’ll show you around and I’ll tell you about how Aiden became Unit Commander.’ Colton took her hand and they walked towards the outbuildings.
‘Byron was chosen to be an Elder right after Adair was born, so about six hundred years before Aiden or for you about thirteen hundred years ago. Anyway. Up until Aiden’s birth, Byron held both positions, Unit Commander and Elder. Right before Aiden was born there was controversy that Byron had held the Elder seat for too long and others petitioned to put someone else in charge.’
‘Sydney told me about that. Adelaide becoming pregnant for the third time made them think Byron was doing a good job.’ Meryn interjected. Colton nodded.
‘He was able to keep his Elder seat, but with three children at home, he conceded that they needed to appoint a new Unit Commander. Edward Carthage was selected as the best warrior and he became the new Unit Commander. For a while everything went on like normal, but after about fifty years the men began getting disillusioned with their new commander. He would disappear during missions, come back drunk. Wouldn’t organize training or keep an eye on the men. After centuries of Byron’s fair and efficient leadership the difference between the two was stark.’ Colton pointed to the bench outside one of the buildings and they sat down.
‘When Aiden and I were one hundred years old we were training hard at the academy where Adair could keep an eye on us. Every so often, we would get sent out on patrols to get our feet wet. One night, Aiden was doing a standard night patrol, running the perimeter when a mission came in. Instead of sending Aiden back to the academy Edward decided to use the mission to humiliate Aiden in place of his father. The other Alpha Unit members argued, but Edward pulled rank. The men did the best they could to cover Aiden since he had never been out on a mission before. But they soon realized they didn’t need to. He took to it like he was born to it, maybe he was.’ Colton paused. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
‘The mission was worse than they were led to believe. The unit was up against three ferals, them banding together was unheard of back then. Jean-Marc, Edward’s second in command put his foot down and insisted that Aiden stay behind and watch the horses. He didn’t want him getting hurt. Edward was supposed to keep their escape route open, but he didn’t. He left. Later they found out that he had gone to the local brothel. Aiden heard the men shouting and probably for the first and last time he ignored orders. He ran into the fray and covered the men as they retreated. The entire Alpha Unit was killed that night in the streets except Jean-Marc. Aiden was able to get him to the horses and strap him down. He went back down that alley three more times, fighting against all odds to retrieve the bodies of the other Alpha Unit members. He managed to get the men onto their horses and led them to where the Beta Unit was covering the perimeter of the town to ensure no ferals escaped. He was so badly beaten and bleeding so heavily they didn’t think he was going to make it. It would be a couple days before he woke up. I was at his side the entire time. Before Jean-Marc passed away, I heard him report to Byron what had happened. To this day I’ve never seen Byron so mad. When Edward walked into the infirmary where Aiden was being treated Byron shifted into his third form and attacked. It took Beta, Delta and Gamma to pull Byron off of him.’
‘What’s third form?’ Meryn interrupted. Colton opened his eyes and looked at her.
‘As a shifter we normally have two forms. Man or animal. One or the other. But in rare instances when the man and the animal are completely in sync, when both want something with the exact same levels of intensity, we’re able to shift into a third form, half man, half animal. It’s only happened a dozen other times in our written history.’
‘And Byron was able to do that?’
‘Yes, which practically cemented him as an Elder until the day he dies. At the hearing Edward appealed to his men to testify on his behalf and every single unit member turned his back to him. Edward was tried by the council and found guilty. He was executed and cremated so that his body would not be buried within the city. His ashes were given to his sister, one Daphane Bowers, formerly Carthage.’
‘Holy shit!’ Meryn gasped.
‘It gets better. Daphane pushed to get her son assigned as Unit Commander, Donovan Bowers. He’s actually not a bad guy, but he never wanted to be a warrior. The men refused. They said they would only take orders from Aiden. The council didn’t know what to do. Aiden was so young, barely out of his teens in shifter years, though Donovan wasn’t that much older.’
‘What did they do?’ Meryn asked.
‘There was nothing they could do. It wasn’t that Aiden went back and fought alongside the Alpha Unit, it wasn’t that he cleared a path for escape despite the overwhelming odds. It was the fact that he went back for the fallen dead, that he risked his life to bring them home, showed the men that he cared more for them than his own life. That is why his orders are never questioned and why every single active or retired unit member will always defer to him.’
Meryn’s heart ached for what Aiden had gone through, but more than that she felt an overwhelming sense of pride.
‘Not that I don’t want to learn more about Aiden, I do. It’s just …’
‘Why did I tell you?’
‘Hmm’
‘Tonight you will see a different side of Aiden. I don’t really know if I can put it into words.’ Colton grew silent and thought for a minute.
‘Aiden commands the respect of the most powerful men in the city, but more than that he has their undying loyalty, love and trust. Nearly all of Lycaonia’s unit members will be there, past, present and future, since trainees are allowed to attend in uniform. Even if he weren’t Byron’s heir, which is prestigious enough, their support alone makes him a voice to be heard.’
‘You mean in Lycaonia right?’
Colton shook his head.
‘Darling, when Aiden takes over from Byron he becomes the shifter’s Elder.’
‘Right, in Lycaonia, since there are four cities and four council members per city.’ Meryn said. Colton stared at her for a second.
‘You don’t understand. Meryn, Lycaonia is the shifter capital of the world. Byron is the shifter Elder that represents all shifters. The other three shifter Elders report to him. In Noctem Falls, the vampire city Magnus Rioux is the vampire Elder, all vampire Elders report to him. In the witch’s city of Storm Keep Caiden Ironwood is the witch Elder, all witch Elders report to him and in the fae city of Éire Danu Brennus Vi’Eirlea is the fae queen’s consort and fae Elder, all fae Elders report to him.’
‘Oh my God.’ The enormity of what Colton had just explained sunk in.
‘Aiden commands every single unit warrior across all four cities. Right now that plays a small part in our politics, but when he takes over from Byron he will literally be the most powerful man in our world. Did you really think that an average unit member’s mate would get this much protection detail?’ He bumped her shoulder with his. Meryn put a hand over her stomach. So tonight was actually going to be a million times worse than she had imagined.
‘You okay?’ Colton jumped to his feet.
‘I need my crackers.’ Meryn gagged over the words. Colton dove into her backpack and practically threw the bag of crackers at her. Breathing through her nose, she slowly nibbled a cracker.
‘You’re really not a people person are you?’
‘Nope. You guys don’t bother me, but tonight is going to be all these important people and now you tell me that Aiden is this super celebrity and I’ll have to stand next to him all night and smile and nod and shit…’ She took another deep breath.
‘Listen, you concentrate on getting through the first half hour of introductions. Leave the rest to me.’
She pinned him with her eyes. ‘You promise?’
‘I swear. Just keep it together for thirty minutes.’ Meryn grabbed one last cracker and put the bag away.
‘I can do thirty minutes.’
‘Good, you’re getting some color back in your cheeks. For a second you went milk white.’
Meryn stood. ‘So what now?’
Colton looked around and pointed to a smaller building off to one side.
‘Wanna see the armory?’
Meryn brightened. ‘Guns?’ She asked.
Colton hesitated. ‘Yes. Why do you look so excited all of a sudden?’
‘I want a gun. After getting attacked twice. I want a gun.’
Colton rubbed his chin. ‘That’s actually not a bad idea. Can you shoot?’
‘Yup. Just never got around to purchasing one. What do you have?’
‘What don’t we have?’ Colton led the way to the small, white building and reached for his keys. He unlocked the door and they stepped inside. Above them the lights came on automatically. Meryn looked around. Weapons of all kinds and from every century were stacked from floor to ceiling.
‘Are those nunchucks?’
‘Don’t touch.’
‘But…’
‘No.’
‘Fine, then do you have the Smith and Wesson’s Bodyguard?’ Colton looked impressed.
‘You do know something about guns. Let me check. I think we have the smaller guns in this chest.’ Meryn followed him back to a tall steel cabinet. He unlocked the doors and started pulling out drawers. He handed her a small box. She opened it and inside was the gun of her dreams. It even had a box of ammo and a shoulder holster.
‘Thank you! I’ve been dying to get one, but they are expensive.’
‘I don’t think Aiden will mind shelling out money for your self-defense.’ She tucked the box in her backpack and zipped it closed.
‘Give me a second to lock up the cabinet and then we can find Aiden.’
‘Sure.’ Meryn walked around peeking in boxes, smiling she pulled out a small hand grenade. Colton walked up.
‘What do you have?’
Laughing, she held up the grenade and pulled the pin. His face dropped. Moving faster than she had ever seen anyone move in her life he ripped the grenade from her hand ran to the entrance and threw the grenade in the woods.
‘Grenade!’ He yelled at the top of his lungs before knocking her down in a diving tackle. Seconds later a deafening explosion rocked the small building they were in. When the smoke started to clear Colton slowly got to his feet and looked down at her with an anxious expression. He helped her to her feet and began checking her over.
‘Colton! Meryn!’ There was no mistaking the fear in Aiden’s voice. Meryn stepped out of the building and looked over to the new clearing that the small grenade had created. Coughing, she waved a hand in front of her face to try to clear the smoke.
‘My bad! My bad!’ She coughed again trying to clear her airways.
Aiden and the other twenty eight unit warriors formed a circle around the doorway. Meryn fought the urge to go back inside and hide. Out of nowhere hands grabbed her from behind, they turned her around. She looked up. Colton’s expression was furious. His eyes were wild and his entire body was trembling. With his hands on her upper arms, he shook her like a rag doll.
‘What … In … The … Hell … Is … Wrong … With … You?!’ He shouted in her face. She opened her mouth but couldn’t form any words. She’d never had anyone be this angry with her before.
‘I’m so s … sorry! I thought it was like in the cartoons and you could put the pin back.’ She burst into tears. Colton pulled her into a tight hug.
‘You crazy little idiot!’ She wailed into his shirt.
‘Give her to me.’ Aiden’s voice was barely human. Colton pulled her away from his chest and kissed her forehead.
‘Stop almost dying. I’m finally getting used to you.’ He gently pushed her into Aiden’s arms.
‘No more. I can’t take this anymore!’ Aiden scooped her up and ran. Before she could stop wiping her eyes, he had her in the house, upstairs and in his room. He kicked the door shut and didn’t stop walking until his legs hit the bed. He dropped her before stepping back. Wordlessly, he began to strip off his clothes.
‘No more waiting Meryn. I need to make you mine, body and soul.’ He pulled his black tee over his head. She licked her lips. He was just as beautiful as she remembered. There was no turning back, she wanted this man more than she wanted her next breath. She rose to her knees on the bed and lifted the hem of her shirt over her body. She let it drop on the floor next to his. Grinning wickedly she unsnapped her bra and dropped it on top of her shirt. She brought her hands up and cupped her breasts. His eyes never left her body as his hands moved to his belt. She heard the metal of the buckle and then the soft whisper of his zipper. When his pants dropped she could see his erection straining against the material of his boxer briefs. She squeezed her legs together, she could already feel the wetness on her panties. He reached out and pulled her close by the top of her jeans. He unbuttoned them slowly and slid them over her hips. When she went to lay back to slide them off completely he stopped her. He ran a finger down the front of her panties, slowly he ran his finger between her folds, the only thing separating them was the saturated material of her underwear. When he pushed a little harder and scraped her clit she gasped. His hand on her chest pushed her backward before he jerked her jeans off her legs. He removed his boxers and her mouth went dry. He palmed his heavy cock.
‘Before you came into my life all I had was the unit, training drills and missions. But now I wake up and I think of you, I go to bed with your soft body next to mine. I look forward to my meals because I know you’ll be there to share them.’ He climbed onto the bed and crawled over her. He pulled her panties down and threw them across the room. She had never felt more alive or desired in her life. The possessiveness in his eyes sent an electric pulse to her core. She belonged to him, she had from the first day, she had just been too stubborn to admit it. He moved between her legs and spread them wide.
‘I have been fighting all my life, protecting my people, keeping the city safe. Every single day. I just didn’t know that I was doing it for you.’ He eased a finger inside her and she moaned deep in her throat.
‘I didn’t know that one day it would all be worth it. That Fate would send me the most perplexing, complicated and precious gift.’ He added a second finger to the first and began to stroke that elusive spot deep inside of her.
‘Aiden, I am no gift.’
‘You are my gift, my treasure. I would relive those barren centuries a thousand times over without complaint if I knew I had you waiting for me at the end.’ He slowly added a third finger stretching her completely.
‘You are the gift Aiden, I don’t know what I would do without you. You’re my shield.’ She couldn’t hold back the tears as he slowly brought her closer and closer to the edge. He removed his fingers and reached between them to guide his thick cock to her entrance. Slowly he eased forward. She wanted him to go slow so that she could savor every second of feeling him stretch her for the first time, but she was also desperate to get him completely inside of her. She arched her back and wrapped her legs around his waist. His hands came up under her thighs to support her weight. Soon he was thrusting in rapid succession. He moved his hands from under her body and reached forward, each hand captured one of her breasts and he teased her tightened nipples mercilessly.
‘Aiden!’ She could barely get his name out. Each time he ran his nail over her nipples she felt a line a pleasure connect to her clit which had her bearing down and convulsing around him. When he twisted them, she threw her head back. He grabbed her hips and began to thrust inside of her at a frenzied pace. She gave herself up to the sole sensation of his body filling hers. When he rose above her, eyes jet black she knew he was close. He leaned forward and thrust deep, his body stilled and he bit down savagely where her neck met her shoulder.
A wave a pain took her by surprise. It wasn’t until he thrust again that the pain receded and her pleasure came roaring back magnified a thousand fold. She felt as if she was lifting out of her body and then all at once the most perfect and overwhelming sense of peace and love expanded and embraced her. She slammed back down into her body as her orgasm exploded through her. She screamed and screamed. Above her Aiden roared and she could feel hot jets of cum fill her. He pulled out of her and slumped to one side. Breathing hard, he barely had the strength to pull her close.
‘Finally, our souls are one. I can feel you now. Your soul feels like a tiny hummingbird dancing around my heart. I swear I will love you for the rest of my life.’ Meryn realized that the warm, safe feeling she had was Aiden’s soul protecting hers. She reached up and brushed the hair away from his eyes.
‘And I will love you forever.’ Slowly their breathing returned to normal. Aiden got up and on wobbly legs walked to the bathroom. He returned with a warm washcloth. Gently he cleaned her, kissing her inner thighs and biting down on her knees until she was laughing and squirming to get away. When he got back in bed, he frowned at her, his fingers tracing her side.
‘What are these? They look like scars.’ Meryn glanced down and realized he was talking about her stretch marks. Had he never seen stretch marks before?
‘Those are called stretch marks.’
‘Stretch marks? How did you get them?’
‘Human females get them when we grow. If we grow too fast our skin rips apart and heals. It’s a very painful process.’ Meryn lied through her teeth. There was no way she was going to discuss stretch marks after the most mind blowing sex of her life. Nope. Wasn’t going to happen. Aiden’s expression became reverent.
‘Human females are amazing creatures, you endure so much pain yet are so fragile.’ He kissed each shiny line.
I’m going to hell.
Meryn smiled. She didn’t care. He was worth it.
‘Promise me something?’ He asked.
‘What?’
‘Promise me you’ll never touch another grenade for as long as we live.’
‘How about you teach me about grenades instead?’ Aiden buried his face in her stomach.
‘Gods help me.’
‘Someone better.’ She squealed when he pinched her butt. She retaliated by poking him in the side.
A couple hours and two orgasms later they finally left their bed. They took a shower, washing each other lovingly before leaving to go back to his parent’s house so that she could get ready for the ball.
They lingered saying goodbye, not wanting to give up their newborn intimacy.
‘I’ll meet you there. I’ll be doing a security sweep before everyone arrives.’ He kissed her gently.
‘See you in a couple of hours.’ She kissed him one last time and then went inside. She closed the front door and leaned against it. She fought the urge to chase after him. She placed her hand over her heart. She could still feel him, his strength guarding her soul. She missed him already.
