"Holy shit, that was awesome!" Meryn exclaimed.
She turned to Rex. "Hey flex your arm," she asked.
Grinning, her mate's brother lifted his bicep and flexed. Meryn jumped up and began dangling from his arm. When the door opened, Aiden, Adriel, Gavriel, and Declan stood there looking confused and shocked.
"What happened?" Adriel demanded.
Kari jerked her thumb to the wall. "The guard said that there were no shifters allowed and that these were closed-door proceedings."
"And evidently he doesn't recognize any of the elders here," Rex added, still holding his arm up for the giggling Meryn.
Aiden stepped forward. "Meryn, get off the Elder." He lifted her up and into his arms.
Declan was laughing. "Maybe if you visited more often, the locals would know what you looked like."
Kari smiled and walked past Rex. She wrapped her arms around Declan's neck and gave him a kiss. "I missed you this morning."
Declan smiled wide down at her. "I missed you too."
Magnus walked past them to stand beside Rex, looking at the wall. "For fuck's sake!" he exclaimed.
"Magnus cussed!" Meryn announced laughing.
Magnus turned to Rex. "My apologies. I had no idea that the guard was even here. He was not watching the door when we arrived."
Rex shrugged. "Shall we begin?"
They made their way inside the room, and the door closed behind them. DuBois and DeLaFontaine sat at one desk, Declan and Adriel at the other. Both desks faced a four-chair panel where the Elders sat. To the right were seats for any witnesses. Kari joined Aiden, Meryn, Beth, and Gavriel there. Rex glared at DuBois. Kari began to understand the term if looks could kill. Rex looked like he was two seconds away from ripping the man's head off.
"For the record, shifter Elder Rex Lionhart, vampire Elder Magnus Rioux, witch Elder Alastair Primrose, and fae Elder Dagda Vi'Ilsimir will be presiding over this case." Rex motioned with his hand to the men sitting beside him at the long desk. The witch Elder wore a deep green cloak over his clothes with the emblem of the triple moon embroidered on the chest in silver thread. The fae Elder wore a long gold and ivory formal robe, with a high collar that only seemed to accentuate his ethereal features. Both men stared at Ivan and Gerald with a flat look in their eyes.
"For the record, we need you to speak your name," Rex ordered Gerald.
Gerald DuBois stood. "My name is douchebag." Silence filled the room.
He frowned. "My name is douchebag!" he exclaimed.
Magnus and Rex along with the other elders' eyes went wide.
DuBois slammed his hands against the desktop. "I am douchebag." He looked around the room frantically.
Rex and Magnus could barely contain their chuckles. Elder Primrose flat out laughed, and Elder Vi'Ilsimir looked on, eyes wide and mouth twitching fiercely. When Gerald said, "I am douchebag," again, the fae Elder lost his sense of composure and began to pound on the elders' desk and laughing uproariously.
After a few minutes the Elders regained their composure. Rex, wiping his eyes, spoke first. "We will skip your name for now."
Ivan DeLaFontaine stood. "I was told that the son of the head of one of my Noble Houses was assaulted by Declan Lionhart yesterday," he began.
Elder Primrose waved a hand. "He was not assaulted. He received retribution for threatening a warrior's mate. He was taken to the detention cells for treatment and is fine. We are here today to address the charges against Gerald DuBois." Ivan sat down, looking thwarted.
Rex didn't even make a pretense of looking at any of the papers in front of him.
"Your sentence is..."
DeLaFontaine stood quickly, his chair hitting the floor.
"Sentence? I thought this was a trial."
Rex looked the man flatly. "It has been determined by the council that Gerald DuBois would not need a trial. Over two dozen witnesses have stepped forward to give statements. Regardless of the reason he assaulted a unit warrior and the fact remains that he resorted to violence." He turned to Gerald DuBois. "You are to pay a ten-million dollar fine for your assault on Declan Lionhart." Gerald's eyes bulged. Rex continued. "That money is to be set aside in a trust for any Noctem Falls citizen who may discover their mate among shifters and finds themselves needing assistance in starting over."
"This is biased panel! I demand that we replace Rex Lionhart with Elder Evreux for more neutral and impartial deliberation. The defendant's own brother should not be part of the Council panel," Ivan DeLaFontaine protested.
Elder Primrose's eyes flashed. "Denied! If he does not want to be at the mercy of an elder whose family member he nearly killed, then he should not go around attacking people. He is lucky it wasn't my brother. He would have been gutted and the warriors would still be looking for his spleen."
Elder Vi'Ilsimir cleared his throat, smirking as he looked at Ivan DeLaFontaine. "Funds are to be transferred by close of business today. Do you have anything to add as the Founding Family head?"
Ivan turned to Magnus. "I will see you tonight for dinner, Prince Magnus."
Magnus inclined his head. "Of course."
Gerald stood and he and Ivan walked toward the door and left. Once the door closed behind them, Meryn broke down into a contagious fit of giggles. First Bethy and finally Kari got wrapped up in the infectious laughter. Elder Primrose chuckled along with them and turned to Magnus.
"I can see why you requested that Leif and Travis come back."
Magnus turned to him, an innocent look on his face. "Whatever do you mean?"
Elder Primrose winked. "I'm not saying Mr. DuBois was under a spell with Nigel and Neil Morninglory's magical signature all over it, but if he was, I would recommend that someone teach them a concealment spell."
"Good idea," Meryn murmured.
Elder Vi'Ilsimir bowed. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Meryn McKenzie. I received a report from Etain in regards to the standing invitation to Éire Danu by our Queen." He walked around the desk and up to the sections of seats where they had observed the sentencing. He handed her a small gold card. "If you need anything, anything at all, use that and it will contact me."
Magnus' eyes bugged out, and he practically raced around the desk to look at it.
"Cool beans. May I friend you on Facebook?" Meryn asked.
The Elder chuckled. "I think my mate has already friended you. She enjoys your hilarious updates."
Meryn winced. "I need to work on my phrasing."
"Oh, I do not know; I think your phrasing is just right," he said teasingly.
Meryn stuck the card in her pocket.
Aiden grimaced. "Meryn, that is a very, very important gift. It has been spelled so that it will allow you to contact Elder Vi'Ilsimir directly anytime you wish. If you stick it in your pocket, you may lose it."
"Dani wouldn't lose it. Besides changing into cool clothes, she is really good about keeping stuff in my pockets safe."
"Dani?" Elder Vi'Ilsimir asked, choking on the word. "Gods! Is that?"
Meryn nodded. "The Gown of Éire Danu," Meryn said, plucking at her T-shirt.
The fae Elder looked down at the small human and took in her scruffy shoes, her baggy jeans, Star Wars T-shirt, and large hoodie.
"That is the coveted Gown of Éire Danu?" he asked.
"Yeah, but that got to be a mouthful, now I call her Danu or Dani."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a flash drive, two pieces of gum, five salt packets, a small stone, and what looked like to be a sonic screwdriver.
"See, she keeps things safe."
Aiden looked over her shoulder and down at her hands.
"Packets of salt?" he asked.
Meryn looked up, and with a very serious expression, said, "For demons."
The witch and the fae elders both turned deathly pale.
"There are demons here?" Elder Primrose whispered as if he were almost afraid to say the word.
Meryn paled and stuck the salt back in her pocket. "Wait, they
're real, like, really real?"
They nodded. Elder Vi'Ilsimir turned to her. "Yes, but they have not been seen for many centuries, ever since their battle with the Dark Prince."
"I only started carrying them around since I started watching Supernatural."
The witch Elder shuddered. "The representation of witches in that show is ghastly."
Magnus nodded his agreement. "How do you think we feel about vampires? They made us look like piranhas."
Both the witch and fae Elders gave a half bow. "Well, if you'll excuse us, we've been asked to consult on different projects for the upcoming fair," Elder Primrose said, smiling.
Rex shook their hands. "Thank you for your help."
"I am sorry it happened at all," Magnus replied.
Elder Primrose clapped him on the back. "It is not your fault. On a different topic entirely, I wanted to thank you for hosting this fair; I haven't seen my mate this excited in decades."
Elder Vi'Ilsimir also smiled. "My mate is also very anxious to see what Noctem Falls' first fair will be like. You have given us something to look forward to." Together they left, and the door closed behind them.
"Speaking of the fair," Kari started. "What will everybody be contributing?"
Meryn waved her hand in the air. "I can use my drone to take pictures for people. That way we will have the entire thing documented."
Declan pointed to himself and Bethy. "We're talking to the vendors up on Level Six to make sure we have enough food. We've been having to place extra orders to the city estate. If the taste testing is a reflection of what will be available at the fair, I'm going to hurt myself eating."
Adriel looked at his clipboard. "Looks like Goddard is working with the units. They are going to be doing unit led activities for the children, including games. Eta has been acting as escorts for any vampire from the Noble and Founding Families to go to Level Six, but so far, there have been no new matches." He flipped a page. "Nigel and Neil are now with Emlyn Blackwood working on the net. It ripped when someone kicked Mr. DeLaFontaine into it."
Meryn lifted her foot and punched the air. "Ninja kick!"
Adriel laughed and ruffled her hair.
"You and my mate should not be allowed to be together."
"Don't hate on our badassery."
"Well, it sounds like we at least have starting points for the rest of the day," Magnus added. He looked at Kari. "I will see you in the office."
She nodded. "Of course."
They left as a group and everyone scattered to go their different ways. Kari was surprised when Meryn hung back with Ryuu. She matched her pace to Meryn's. They walked slowly back towards Magnus' quarters.
Meryn looked up at her, stopping. "Doesn't your company also deal with security?"
Kari smiled. "Well knowing you, I am pretty sure you have already looked at that. You know we do."
"Can I hire them?" Meryn asked.
"You are mated to the Unit Commander. You are a guest of Prince Magnus, in his personal quarters. You have an amazing squire, and you are surrounded by unit warriors. Why on earth would you need additional security?"
Meryn shrugged and began scuffing her foot on the stone floor.
"It's just that eventually when shit really hits the fan, and it will, I'm afraid that even Adriel will hesitate between protecting Magnus and Aiden. In his hesitation, we could lose them both."
Kari had a moment of clarity. "That was why you were really upset. It was not because Doctor Who was removed from Netflix. After Declan got hurt, it all started to come together for you. It got real."
Meryn looked up and met her eyes. "I was upset when I first heard about Declan's injuries. Then everybody was racing around helping, and I realized it could have just as easily been Aiden. He is just like Declan; he's the type to just jump right in, and he could have gotten really hurt. Then I thought if that could happen by accident, what could happen if someone was actually trying to hurt them. Adriel's loyalties would be torn between his Unit Commander and his prince. The vampires of the unit warriors would be torn. I think most of the shifters would help Aiden. I'm not sure about the fae or the witches. I think in those chaotic few seconds of confusion, we could lose a lot of people."
"Meryn, you are brilliant."
"Yeah, I know."
"If you do not mind, I can make some suggestions to Declan about hosting some drills or maybe just assigning the men people to protect, that way the men know instinctively where to go."
Meryn shrugged. "I think practicing will help, but how much practice can they possibly get to override centuries of association? It's the Prince of the Vampires we're talking about."
"Good point. Listen, I will call the head of security myself this afternoon. Since most of the security that works for me are paranormals, they should be able to get here right away. They just have to go to the closest portal."
"They will report to me right? Not Magnus or Adriel or Aiden. To me," she asked.
"Yes. That is the way it works. If you enter into the contract, they will belong to you. You can have them protect you, Bethy, Aiden, anyone. They will report to you and do as you ask."
"Good." Relief filled Meryn's eyes.
They had just walked past the transport tunnel when Kari began to feel dizzy again. She called out to Meryn, but then looked down. She watched the floor move under her feet, and suddenly, she was looking down the Transport Tunnel.
"Kari?" she heard a voice ask.
She blinked, and it seemed like the blink took forever. She blinked again; the dizziness overwhelmed her, and just before she lost consciousness, she heard a scream.
*****
When she woke up, she looked around and groaned; she was back in the infirmary.
"I am really beginning to hate this place," she muttered.
She opened her eyes and looked over to see Tarragon at her side.
"If I didn't know any better I would say you had Bethy's luck."
She looked to her left where Declan was clutching her hand with a sick look on his face.
"I am okay," she assured him.
He just shook his head, unable to speak.
She swallowed hard at the desperate look in his eyes. "Please tell me someone broke this to Avery gently?" she asked, noticing her brother's absence.
Tarragon winced. "I had to sedate him. I think he has had too much thrown at him in the past couple days. Warrick is watching over him. He promised that they would spend a relaxing day in Avery's room, followed up with a quiet dinner."
She looked down at Declan. "How bad?" she whispered.
"If it weren't for Meryn, we would have lost you," he replied, his voice cracking.
She frowned and looked past Declan to see Meryn looking pale sitting in Aiden's lap. She had her arm in a sling.
"Are you okay?"
Aiden shared Declan's sick look. "She jumped in after you."
"I used my stone," Meryn said, smiling weakly. "I think it reacted to my sense of urgency. I was able to fly down the tunnel after you, but I'm not that strong so my arm got pulled a little."
"Denka reacted very quickly to your fall," Ryuu said, his voice tight. Fear and anger was coming off of him in waves. Kari knew that the fear stemmed from almost losing Meryn. She was willing to bet that the anger was directed at himself for not stopping her.
"Oh Meryn, you should not have put yourself in danger like that." Kari felt terrible. She tried to sit up and groaned. Her head began to pound. "What exactly happened?"
Declan gently ran a hand over her hair. "Don't you remember?"
"I remember feeling dizzy, looking down the tunnel, and I think I fell." She looked over at Meryn. "I think you screamed."
Meryn nodded. "Your face got a funny look, and then you literally turned around and walked back toward the tunnel. I don't think you fell; it looked like you jumped in."
"How did you catch me?"
Meryn shrugged. "Kinda knew it was going to happen, so I was right behind you." She looked
back at her squire, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you mad; I just moved before I knew it."
Ryuu was kneeling down beside her in an instant. "I would not change your courage for all the world. It just means I will have to work that much harder to be deserving of you as my charge."
"Just keep feeding me and we're cool," Meryn said, looking uncomfortable at her squire's compliment.
Ryuu simply brought her knuckles to his lips and raised them to his forehead in a sort of benediction. "Whatever you wish, denka." He stood and went back to his normal position of standing behind his charge.
Kari was touched at Ryuu's devotion. She couldn't imagine Meryn with any other squire. She looked around the room. "Is no one going to ask how she knew?"
Declan looked at Aiden who looked at Tarragon who shrugged.
Meryn sighed. "Don't ask, I have no idea; it might be this empathy thing."
Tarragon shook his head, bewildered, before he turned his attention back to Kari. "Is there any chance you could be pregnant?"
She shook her head and then blushed. "Wait...yes, it is a possibility."
"It only takes once," Meryn teased.
Tarragon just nodded before handing a small stone to Declan. "Would you like some privacy?" he asked. Declan nodded.
Tarragon turned to Aiden and Meryn. "Okay young lady, now that the major emergency is over, lets go work on that shoulder."
Aiden cradled his mate carefully to his chest, and he and Ryuu followed Tarragon out the door.
When the door closed, Declan just looked at her. "What do you want?"
"I do not know. What about you?"
"You know if you had asked me that this morning I would have been happy either way." He took a deep breath. "I heard the scream, and I knew it was you. So, I want it to be yes. I want a piece of you, a piece of us that we can raise and love. What about you? Yes? No?"
"Everything so crazy right now, but maybe that is why it should be yes. Maybe that is why it would be okay. It is important to hold onto the things that matter. Two days ago, I would have said no; I had too much changing. But now, maybe a little version of you would not be so bad. So, yes, I think I would be okay if I were."