by Alanea Alder
Jaxon surprised her when he began to laugh. Noah grinned shaking his head. Finally Jaxon spoke. "No one has ever looked at me and seen an advantage. Not once. I wasn't sure how this was going to go, but I'm not above begging. Please let us study with you. We'll do whatever you say. We want to learn how to help the warriors like you do." His eyes blazed with passion.
Elizabeth could see that had life been different he could have easily been one of the trainees outside getting his gear. His body though seated was large and muscular. She wondered how many times he had been dismissed and shunted to one side.
"I have minions," Meryn whispered in awe.
"Gods above save us," Elizabeth muttered.
"Ryuu!" Meryn yelled.
He appeared in the doorway almost immediately. "Yes, denka?"
"I'm calling dibs on one of the guest suites downstairs for my minions, can you make sure the meatheads know?" She started rubbing her hands together. He bowed and walked out towards the front door.
"You'll teach us? We can actually stay here? Like the trainees?" Noah stuttered his questions.
"Yup! And don't think I'm going to go easy on you either. The things we'll be able to do with three of us." Meryn's eyes shone with excitement.
Minutes later Aiden a frown on his face walked in with Ryuu. "What's this about using a guest suite?"
Meryn nodded. "It's been reserved for my minions. I want them to get the larger guest suite next to the media room, which we will later be tricking out as our command central." Meryn reached down to her ever-present backpack and pulled out her laptop.
Aiden just stared then shook his head. "I'm not going to ask." He turned to Jaxon and Noah. "Welcome aboard and good luck." He walked out yelling to Colton to move Lennox to another room.
"Just like that?" Noah whispered.
"I told you buddy. I had a good feeling about this, like we were supposed to be here." Jaxon punched his friend lightly in the shoulder.
Elizabeth felt a sliver of ice slide down her spine at his words. She looked over to Ryuu and saw that he too had felt something. Jaxon was more right than he knew, they were meant to be here.
"Meryn..." Elizabeth started.
Meryn waved a hand at her. "Shush for a second, my brain is working. I think I have designed a new program, each unit in the future will get a sixth man. He'll be the unit's eyes and ears, their communication link and relay." Meryn tapped away furiously.
"So mote it be," Ryuu whispered from the other side of the room.
Elizabeth clearly saw the important role these two underestimated and overlooked men would play and why Meryn was so necessary to be, who she was, where she was, and who she was mated to.
"Ryuu, I think a bottle of champagne is in order," Elizabeth said sitting up. She was watching history unfold right before her. She also realized why she was brought to Lycaonia. Meryn may be the one creating and teaching this program but it would need someone like her to organize it and keep it running.
"I do believe you are right," Ryuu said and went to the kitchen.
Meryn, Jaxon and Noah stared at her as if she lost her mind.
Ryuu walked back in with five empty flutes glasses and an open bottle. He poured a glass for each of them handing Meryn half a glass.
They had just lifted their glasses to toast when the warriors and trainees walked in from carrying in all the luggage. They looked around in confusion. Ryuu nodded to Elizabeth.
She responded the only way she knew how.
She stood and lifted her glass to the room before reciting one of her favorite quotes of all time. "I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened. So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil."
"May we perform the jobs given to us well." Ryuu lifted his glass in salute. Together they both downed their glasses. Meryn, Jaxon and Noah grinning, drank theirs.
"I love that movie! You're like my Yoda and my Gandalf," Meryn said, easily finishing off her half glass.
Elizabeth smiled, she could think of no higher praise from Meryn.
"Whatever needs doing, Noah and I can help." Jaxon said confidently.
"Beth, love, what is going on?" Gavriel walked over to her, taking her glass from her hand and pulling her into his arms.
For a moment she simply enjoyed the feel of him. His solid frame seemed to anchor her. She thought before she spoke. She had to be careful of what she said, she didn't want to disrupt Meryn's train of thought. She looked up at her mate and shook her head smiling. "Meryn is making history. She has just changed the structure of how units will be run."
"What?" Aiden and Colton asked in unison.
Aiden walked up behind Meryn. "Baby, you can't just change something that has worked for thousands of years, this, whatever it is, needs to be discussed with the council. You need to ask permission before you try to implement changes." Aiden waved at her laptop.
Meryn looked up at him from her laptop. "You mean where I go in and visit with your father the Shifter Elder, who loves me, Celyn the fae Elder, who adores me and Rowan the witch Elder, who admires me and I tell them I have this stupendous idea to save lives. That sort of thing?" she asked.
Aiden groaned. "They have spoiled you too much. Even if you were to get their blessing, this goes beyond Lycaonia. This type of unilateral change needs to be accepted in every pillar city."
Meryn patted his chest. "Which is why as Unit Commander you're going to tell them you support me one thousand percent. You can make changes to the units, I know, I looked it up last week just in case I had to pull rank again."
Aiden ran a hand through his hair. "It will never get the support from all the other cities."
Elizabeth faced Aiden. "My uncle will support it if I tell him to and I will. Her idea to add a sixth man to every unit to act as its own command central will save lives, I'm sure of it."
Aiden looked from Meryn to her back to Meryn. "That's just Lycaonia and Noctem Falls."
Darian cleared his throat. "Actually if Meryn were to suggest it, my queen would also support her. She likes Meryn and has already invited her to the fae city, which is no small feat. She finds Meryn's new outlook refreshing and inspirational. She would have the support of Éire Danu as well."
Aiden looked around a bit wild eyed.
Colton stepped forward and clapped him on the back. "Aiden, it's a good idea, in fact, it's a great idea. I know I, for one, would feel a hell of a whole lot safer if I knew someone like Meryn was watching out for us when we're called out on a mission. Hell! Do you know how much red tape she could slash through by hacking the local law enforcement systems? This could literally save lives, our lives. And I don't know about you, but knowing that my mate is on the way, I want to be around to meet her. And you have Meryn 2.0 to raise." Colton elbowed his friend.
"Meryn, can this actually work?" Aiden looked down at his mate with a serious expression.
She nodded and met his eyes. "Yes. I have my first two trainees right here. I'll get them up to speed and then train others. I'm sure there must be more men or even women that will want to join the program." Meryn looked up at Aiden resolve written on her face for everyone to see.
"Not to speak out of turn, but I'd be interested in learning as well, sir. Even when we were at the academy there were times we were laid up for a few days healing. If I could spend that time watching out for my brother warriors I would rather do that than stare at the TV waiting for bones to mend," Lennox said taking the initiative to speak. Behind him all the trainees nodded.
"Okay, Menace. You create this program and make it airtight and I will get the support of the other councils. If you and Elizabeth feel this strongly about it, then I can do no less than make it happen," Aiden said.
Meryn bounced out of her seat and jumped up and down trying to kiss his face.
Laughing, Aiden pic
ked her up. "Why do you hop around like that, you know you can't reach?"
"But I can reach, I just need your help." She peppered his face with kisses.
Blushing, he cleared his throat and turned to the trainees. "Time to start drills."
Grinning at each other the trainees nodded. "Yes Sir!" they called out and jogged for the front door.
Aiden groaned, his badass image tarnished. Meryn laughed and nuzzled her nose against his. "My teddy bear."
Colton made the mistake of laughing. Aiden's head swung to him. "Alpha Unit to join the trainees. Let's show them how it's done gentlemen, we go until they drop," he said, smiling at Colton's chagrin.
Gavriel shook his head and turned to her. "Try not to take over the world while we poor grunts are training."
She flipped her hair off her shoulder. "We make no promises."
She sat back down and picked up her champagne, they were definitely living in interesting times.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Elizabeth listened in as Meryn started describing the different operating systems and computer languages that her new 'minions' would have to learn. She jumped from topic to topic excitedly. After an hour Elizabeth took pity on Jaxon and Noah who had started to look a little shell shocked and put a halt to Meryn's 'teaching'.
She stood and clapped her hands together, all three looked up at her.
"How about this? Since the two of you will be moving in let's make arrangements to get your things here. I'll put together a rough curriculum with reading materials and Meryn will be on hand for any questions." She almost laughed out loud at the enthusiastic nodding from the men.
"Sounds good to me, I'm not very good at organizing stuff," Meryn admitted. Elizabeth watched as both men looked away, not saying a word.
Bless their hearts.
Noah looked at Jaxon. "We don't have much. I can run to the apartment and get our stuff and come back. We pay monthly so we don't have to worry about breaking a lease."
Jaxon frowned and looked down at his chair before sighing. "I wish I could help."
Noah shrugged. "It's not a lot."
"Maybe Sydney and Justice can help. They live in the city." Meryn interjected.
"Sydney Fairfax and Justice O'Malley?" Noah squeaked, turning pink.
Jaxon laughed. "They're Noah's idols; he admires them for living their life on their own terms."
"Plus they're both hot." Noah mumbled.
Elizabeth looked from Jaxon to Noah and back again. "Are the two of you lovers?"
Noah shook his head frantically. "No, Jaxon is my best friend."
Jaxon ruffled Noah's hair. "I'm straight, but even if I weren't, I'm too ugly. Noah likes pretty boys," he teased.
Noah turned to Jaxon, "You're not ugly and there's nothing wrong with liking pretty boys," he countered.
Elizabeth agreed, "You're absolutely right Noah, they're my favorite too." She winked at him and he smiled, then frowned. "But you're mated."
"Mated honey, not dead. Besides you've met my mate, a girl would have to be crazy to do more than window shop with a mate like that," Elizabeth sighed happily.
"He is very handsome," Noah admitted.
Meryn laughed staring down at her phone, her tiny fingers moving a mile a minute. She looked up and gave a thumbs up to Noah. "Justice said he can help you move out. I'll give you his number so you can text him the address." Meryn wrote down the number on a piece of paper and handed it to Noah.
Noah took the piece of paper and held it as if it were the Holy Grail.
"I have Justice O'Malley's phone number in my hand," he whispered.
"And the sooner you use it, the sooner you can get our stuff and the sooner we can move in," Jaxon prompted, nudging Noah.
Noah stood and nodded. "Right. Be back later." Beaming, he practically ran for the door.
When he left, Jaxon shook his head. "It'll be a miracle if our stuff gets here in one piece he's so excited."
"He seems very young," Elizabeth observed.
Jaxon nodded. "We're both one hundred years old. But he's always been like that. Even though we're the same age he always seemed like a little brother to me. Since paranormals view our one hundredth year as the year we become legal adults, Noah and I were promptly kicked out of our homes on our birthdays. My parents no longer wanted to be associated with a son who was broken and Noah's parents don't believe in same sex matings."
"That's very young to be on your own." Elizabeth frowned. Granted she was only one hundred and fifty, but she had grown a lot in the past fifty years.
"Pffft. I'm only thirty-four so compared to him I must be an infant," Meryn joked.
"Humans age differently than paranormals. You may be thirty-four but if you were a normal unmated human that would represent one-third of your life span. As a shifter one thousand years to fifteen hundred years represents one-third of our life span. Since you're mated to Aiden, you will live as long as he does. Since I'm mated to Gavriel, I am now immortal," Elizabeth explained.
"So in paranormal to human conversions I'm older than Aiden?" Meryn asked.
Elizabeth thought about it for a moment and nodded. "If you were going by straight numbers, but in your case I think it may be skewed."
Meryn stuck her tongue out at her.
Elizabeth laughed. "And on that note, I'm going to help Ryuu get their room ready. Meryn try, not to make Jaxon's head explode with explanations while I'm gone." Elizabeth turned to the door.
"He'll be fine." Meryn reached over and patted Jaxon's leg. He shot her a look that clearly said, 'Please hurry'.
Elizabeth wiggled her fingers at them. "Have fun."
She walked out and found that Ryuu had already moved a second bed into the guest suite that would belong to Noah and Jaxon and had a stack of sheets sat on each bed.
"Ryuu I can make the beds if you have something else you need to be doing," she offered.
He moved the second bed into place and stood back. He faced her and nodded. "That would be most appreciated. I need to start dinner and need the extra time since we're feeding more than twice our usual numbers. I have made arrangements with Aiden that the trainees including Meryn's minions will eat two hours prior to the warriors, pushing back your normal mealtime by one hour to begin at seven pm. That will keep some separation between the two groups and make it easier to serve. As big as the dining room is, I don't think it was meant for seventeen people."
Elizabeth counted in her head and looked at him questioningly. "Seventeen?"
"I have factored for each warrior finding a mate. It's best if we establish separate dining times from the start," he explained.
"Good idea. You go on ahead, I'll finish up here." She walked over and picked up the sheets.
Ryuu bowed. "Thank you. I'll let Meryn and young Mr. Darrow know of our new eating arrangements and let him know I have ordered bars for the bathroom for his ease of use."
"That was considerate of you, I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
"If you'll excuse me," he said and left.
Elizabeth looked around the room, in such a short amount of time he had done everything he could to arrange the furniture so that Jaxon's wheelchair could maneuver. The man was a credit to his profession.
Humming she began to make the beds. Chores like this always relaxed her. They were uncomplicated tasks that allowed her mind to wander. She was just finishing the second bed when she heard footsteps behind her. She didn't think anything of it until she heard an unfamiliar male voice.
"Look, my room comes with entertainment." The voice belonged to a tall, well-muscled shifter. He had blond hair and cold blue eyes. He had classic good looks that were tainted by a sneering upper lip and the lecherous look in his eyes.
"I think you're mistaken," Elizabeth said walking towards the door. She wanted to get to Gavriel and Aiden and find out who this man was. When she went to walk past him he blocked the doorway.
"Don't be like that, let's get to know each other better," he said reaching ou
t to touch her hair. She pulled back and glared at him.
"Move. Now." She leveled her eyes at him and he smirked. He was enjoying this.
"I have connections sweetheart, I can make your life easier. Come 'work' for me and you won't have to make anyone else's bed but mine," he offered.
He thinks I'm a servant.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're mistaken, I'm mated and I live here. Now move!" She went to shoulder her way past and he grabbed her and pushed her back.
"I suggest you leave her alone." Ryuu said walking up behind her adversary his eyes completely devoid of emotion. Elizabeth had never been happier to see anyone in her life.
"Ryuu, thank goodness you're here." She breathed a sigh of relief.
The man turned and looked Ryuu up and down, taking in the apron he laughed. "Your mate is a servant. Go ahead and provoke me China man, my family will bury you," he threatened.
Ryuu looked past him and met her eyes. He raised a single eyebrow in question. She spread her hands and shrugged.
"I have no idea who he is, but he's a complete idiot. And Ryuu is Japanese you twit not Chinese." She crossed her arms over her chest.
Snarling he turned and reached for her again. Ryuu simply extended his hand and wrapped it around the back of the man's neck, a spark of blue flared. The man's eyes rolled back and he went down. Ryuu let him fall hard, Elizabeth winced as the man's face made contact with the hardwood.
Ryuu extended a hand to help her step over the odious man that now blocked the doorway. Smiling, she took his hand and he easily lifted her across.
"If you could return to where Meryn and young Mr. Darrow are, I'll fetch Aiden and your mate," Ryuu offered.
"Thank you, Ryuu." Elizabeth followed him out. He went out the front door to head towards the training grounds.
"There you are. We were looking for you," Meryn said walking up. Jaxon wheeled along beside her.
"Meryn, let's go back to the office. It's not safe here." Elizabeth wrapped an arm around her shoulders to steer her back from where they had just come.
Meryn resisted. "What in the hell do you mean it's not safe?" she asked.