by Alanea Alder
"Fuck you, Kai! You may like fawning over the warriors dreaming of the day for advancement, but I plan on advancing." Sterling swung his gaze back to Kendrick who remained seated. Kendrick licked his finger and turned the page, deliberately ignoring the man.
"I'm talking to you!" Sterling knocked the book out of Kendrick's hands.
Bad move dude.
Anne grinned openly as Kendrick stood to his full height. At six foot six, he towered over the young man.
Sterling's eyes widened as he took in Kendrick's muscled form. "B-b-but, you're a witch," he stammered.
Kendrick never said a word; he simply placed the tip of his finger on Sterling's chest. A second later, the man was convulsing on the ground.
"Kendrick!" Anne rushed over to kneel beside Sterling, who was now limp, as she reached for his wrist. She made sure he was still breathing and turned back to Kendrick. "What did you do?"
He shrugged. "A lesson in humility. I would move back if I were you."
Anne was about to ask what he meant when the smell hit her. Whatever Kendrick had done, it had caused Sterling to lose control of his bowels. She scooted back a bit and then stood. "But he's okay, right? Not a zombie or anything?"
Kendrick gave her a flat look. "No, not a zombie." He looked up at the group. "You and you, come here." He pointed to Lennox and Kai. The men straightened as if coming to attention and stepped forward.
"Yes, sir?" they said together.
Anne half expected them to salute at any moment.
"Take this child back down to where the other warriors are training, I'll let Aiden deal with him." Kendrick frowned down at the still form.
Lennox and Kai hesitated. Kendrick waved a hand over Sterling. "There, none of his filth will get on you now." He winked at the two men.
Both were visibly relieved. "Thank you, sir. We don't like touching Sterling to beat on him during drills, much less..." Lennox indicated Sterling's predicament.
"Perfectly understandable." Kendrick paused and looked over at the two other men at the door. His eyes landed on the smaller, youngest looking one with brown hair and eyes. "Basil, I presume?"
Basil nodded, went to step forward, and tripped over his own feet. If not for the quick reflexes of the man next to him, he would have ended up on the floor like Sterling.
"Sir?" he managed to squeak.
"Is it true that you would have been the one to take Keelan's place while he is... unavailable?" Kendrick asked.
Anne rolled her eyes. What was it with the men and that word?
"Yes, sir...I mean, no, sir."
Kendrick waited for a further explanation. "Well? Is it yes or no?"
"Yes, I am the witch trainee for Alpha, and in the event that Keelan is no longer able to serve in Alpha, I would take his place, but Keelan is still a part of Alpha, sir."
Kendrick smiled softly. "Excellent answer. Tell Aiden that you will be my assistant until further notice."
Basil's eyes got huge and a wide smile broke out over his face. "You really mean that sir?"
Kendrick nodded. "Normally, you wouldn't receive any further magical instruction until you have completed your responsibilities as a unit warrior; however, since I am here and will be working on magical theories while I study the necklaces, it would be a wasted opportunity not to train you further."
"Thank you, sir! If I can, I'd like to finish out my drills for the day and start tomorrow?" Basil asked hope in his eyes.
"I find that acceptable. Good of you to complete today's duties. I look forward to your assistance tomorrow."
Basil bowed and let the tall blond steer him out of the room since he seemed to be completely dazed. Lennox and Kai were teasing him about his good luck as they shut the door behind them.
Anne walked over to the table as Kendrick picked up his book and sat back in his chair.
"Why did those boys treat you like some sort of celebrity?"
Kendrick just shrugged. "I may or may not have a reputation amongst the warriors for disobeying council dictates in an effort to help warrior witches learn more, which may or may not have resulted in lives being saved."
"So basically, you're a badass?" She crossed her arms over her chest.
He looked up and winked. "Something like that. I don't like being told what to do, and I don't play well with others."
"If you don't play well with others, why did you volunteer to train Basil?"
"Because, despite his frothing at the mouth and self interest, Sterling was right. Basil should have moved up to Alpha. Since I have chosen to stay and act in my brother's stead, I can do the next best thing."
"What is that?"
Kendrick looked up and gave her a heart-stopping, boyish grin. "I can make him my minion. I can't wait to tell Meryn I have one, too," he said smugly.
Anne threw her arms up in the air. "Men!"
Kendrick ignored her outburst. "Put our anime back on."
Grinning, she ran back over to her chair and resumed their show.
CHAPTER FIVE
They had just wrapped up another episode when they heard a loud slam. Kendrick looked over at Anne and saw her startled expression. Anne checked Keelan's IV bag, and they headed downstairs. Kendrick could see the change in her already. When she first met him, she had been closed off, skittish. But after he expressed an interest in something she loved, she had opened up to him like a flower opening to the sun. Feeling self-congratulatory, Kendrick was sure he would be able to get her to admit that she had dreamt of him soon.
They walked down the stairs; he stopped at the bottom and pushed Anne behind him. Aiden McKenzie was two seconds away from losing his temper. Personally, Kendrick didn't mind if he trashed the place as long as Anne wasn't hurt in the process.
Meryn, Beth, Amelia, Jaxon, and Noah appeared from the downstairs hallway, and Rheia, Penny, and an older woman stuck their heads out of the front room.
"Aiden! What on earth is the matter?" Meryn rushed over to her mate.
Aiden growled and snarled, and Meryn's eyes narrowed. She pulled her foot back and kicked his shin. Aiden's growling stopped as he reached down to soothe the pain in his leg.
"Meryn! You have got to stop doing that," he complained, rubbing his shin.
"You were all snarly and spitting at me," Meryn said in an even tone of voice.
Kendrick was impressed. The Unit Commander had been an intimidating sight. Meryn seemed to think nothing of kicking him. It just proved that mates knew best how to handle each other.
Aiden took a deep breath and stood up straight. "I wasn't spitting."
"You were, but that's okay; I love you anyway. Kiss." Meryn lifted her arms.
Kendrick was confused for a moment until he realized that the only way the small woman could reach her mate's lips was if he lifted her to them.
Aiden's face transformed to a gentle smile as he easily lifted his mate and allowed her to kiss his face repeatedly.
"Better?" she asked.
"Much. Thank you, baby." He set her down but kept an arm wrapped around her shoulders.
Kendrick looked around the foyer to see that the other women had responded to their mates' anger as well. Elizabeth was rubbing her cheek over Gavriel's hand lovingly, Rheia and Penny were taking turns kissing either side of Colton's face, and Amelia was drawing hearts on Darian's chest and kissing the center.
"Would you gentlemen like to share what happened?" Kendrick asked.
Aiden's face tightened. "Family meeting in the dining room," he said shortly, and with his arm still around Meryn, they walked down the hallway.
The older woman plucked Penny from Colton's arms. "Ryuu brought Penny's dinner out a few minutes ago. We'll be in the family room watching a movie and later I'll get her up to bed."
Rheia kissed the older woman on the cheek. "Thank you, Mina. I don't know what we'd do without you. You're the best grandmother ever."
Anne pulled on his sleeve. "Does that mean us, too?"
Kendrick was thrilled that
she had referred to them as 'us'. Being the two new people to the house apparently made them a team in her mind. Kendrick couldn't be happier.
Meryn stomped back down the hall toward them. "Yes, that means you two. Come on, people."
Anne casually looped her arm through his, and they walked together down the hall. When they entered the dining room, Kendrick sat in the same chair he had the night before, and Anne sat on his other side.
Once everyone was seated, Aiden looked around the table. "Alpha and Gamma Units were called in by the council today for a special hearing. Evidently, certain founding families have taken exception to the way I am running the units. They have called for an inquiry and review of my performance."
Colton growled. "I'd like to meet some of these unhappy founding family members. I'd love to introduce them to our new breed of ferals."
Elizabeth rested her chin on her laced fingers. "They can't do that. There is no governing body that can dictate to the Unit Commander."
Gavriel ground his teeth together. "There has not been, until now."
Kendrick sat forward. "What?"
Aiden turned to him. "A group of founding family members from the Elder Generation has come together to create what they are calling the Committee. It consists of seven men from founding families representing the four pillar cities. I'll give you two guesses as to which city only has one representative."
Kendrick sat back and rubbed his chin. "Let me guess...Lycaonia."
Aiden nodded.
Darian gave a harsh laugh. "It gets even better. René Evreux is Lycaonia's representative."
"That douchebag?" Meryn exclaimed.
Anne looked up at him. "I know nothing about your world or how things are normally run. But when a group is formed like this, it's usually done with a purpose in mind, and I don't think it has anything to do with Aiden's performance."
Kendrick looked down the table. Anne's words rang true. "So what are they really after?" she asked.
Aiden hesitated and looked around. "Ryuu?"
Ryuu appeared in the doorway. "Sir?"
"Could you step into the room please?" Aiden asked.
Ryuu stepped inside completely, and when Aiden turned back to Kendrick, their eyes met. Without having to be asked, Kendrick closed his eyes and cast a soundproofing spell.
He opened his eyes. "Done."
Aiden relaxed back in his chair. "Thank you."
Ryuu walked over until he was standing behind Meryn. "I take it from my requested presence that my input is also welcome?"
Aiden turned his head and looked up at the squire. "Yes. I'm not too proud to ask for opinions and help. Except for the women, with Keelan laid up, Colton and I are the two youngest paranormals in the room. I have a feeling that whatever is bubbling to the surface, started brewing a long time ago."
Gavriel turned to Aiden. "The Elder Generation has never been satisfied with the division of power after the Great War. Many of them held seats of great influence before the four pillar cities were created and we became more diverse. With the exception of Evreux, all of the Committee members I saw today have much to gain if they garner the people's favor by uncovering nefarious deeds performed by everyone's most trusted Unit Commander."
"So, it's a witch hunt?" Anne asked then gasped. She looked up at him. "Sorry."
He smiled at her. "No offense taken, the term is used correctly. What grievances have they brought forward?"
Aiden sat back, his eyes closed. He looked too exhausted to answer. Knowing how most bureaucratic bodies worked, Kendrick guessed that he had probably been raked over the coals all afternoon.
Colton spoke for his friend. "Offenses include, but are not limited to: allowing Meryn to command the units; being responsible for Amelia destroying the town square; being responsible for damages caused by Meryn's flour spell that made the invisible ferals visible; Aiden leaving Lycaonia while it was under attack; Aiden taking units away from Lycaonia while the city was under attack; unilateral decisions regarding technology; unilateral decisions regarding warrior training; placing unit warriors in positions of power to gain more influence; allowing a unit witch to cast the perimeter spell over the whole city, and finally, allowing a unit warrior to be compromised by the enemy."
Meryn paled. "Holy shit balls, that's mostly crap I've done," she declared.
Amelia's cheeks were flushed with anger as her eyes flashed dangerously. "They are daring to complain about the square and Meryn's flour spell? We saved lives! Or does that not matter anymore?"
Rheia's voice trembled. "I can't believe they are using what happened to Keelan as a grievance, and we have no idea who cast the perimeter spell."
Elizabeth turned to Aiden. "Who are they talking about when they said you put a warrior is a position to gain more influence?"
Aiden sat up and sighed heavily. "Caiden. He's been performing two roles since Amelia was born. When his father, the witch elder, decided to travel with his mate, Caiden picked up the duties since it didn't require a lot of attention. He's been acting as Storm Keep's witch elder and unit leader for decades. I don't see why it's such a big deal now."
Elizabeth pursed her lips together. "I'll bet you my favorite day planner they use that as a platform to put someone else of their choosing in that role--'temporarily', of course. Aiden, you have to be prepared to lose him as a unit leader; he's too valuable as an elder to lose that seat due to positional jockeying."
Gavriel agreed. "Beth is correct. We need every ally we can get at the council level."
Aiden nodded. "I'll start looking at rosters."
Anne frowned and looked around the room. "So, basically, what you're saying is that the charges are technically accurate?" Her question was met with silence. She continued. "Then what you need is a good, old fashioned, spin doctor."
Colton blinked. "A what?"
Amelia clapped her hands excitedly. "She's right! This so-called Committee is trying to launch a smear campaign, so what we need to do to counter that is share all the great things that Aiden and Meryn have been doing."
Darian didn't look convinced. "Do you think that will work?"
Elizabeth nodded slowly. "If done correctly, yes, it could definitely work. But we need to avoid giving them new ammunition against us."
Everyone at the table turned as one to look at Meryn.
"What?" she demanded.
Amelia wagged a finger at her. "You know what. Be good."
"Why does everyone always say that to me? I'm never really bad." Meryn pouted dramatically.
Aiden chuckled. "My little angel."
Meryn grinned devilishly up at her mate before looking around the table. "On to the next order of business, ferals." Meryn pulled her legs up until she was sitting cross-legged in her chair. "Okay, so what do we know? I'm not sure how much information Kendrick had available to him. There's no telling what was released by the officials at Storm Keep, and I know Anne is clueless, so let's lay it all out for them."
Amelia wrapped her arms around herself. "We now know that the necklaces are made from souls."
Darian wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "We know that the necklaces are being created for the express purpose of giving the wearer shifter abilities, halt physical and mental degradation, and they can sometimes render the user invisible."
Elizabeth turned to Gavriel. "We know they are actively trying to recruit warriors by any means necessary."
"We know that the necklaces glow bright green when you break them." Aiden grimaced. "We've already broken a few--one by accident and the others because they were hurting Amelia."
Meryn tapped her fingers on the table as if she was typing on an imaginary keyboard. "We also know they have been organizing for a long time; this shit didn't happen overnight."
Anne leaned forward. "Not to sound like a five-year-old, but why? What are they after?"
Kendrick looked up. "The number one reason for every cause of misery in the paranormal world since the dawn of time."
<
br /> Everyone looked at him expectantly.
Kendrick looked around the table. "Power."
Meryn scrunched up her face. "That's stupid. Power to do what?" She curled her fingers in air quotes. "Rule the world?"
Kendrick remained silent. He had been around a long time; he had seen what the taste of power could do to people.
Meryn's mouth dropped. "Seriously? We're dealing with a paranormal version of Pinky and the Brain?"
Kendrick blinked at her. He couldn't help himself; he started to laugh. How did she do it? How did she manage to reduce the most serious threat to their world since the Great War down to a cartoon?
"Meryn, I love you," he said and wiped his eyes. Around the table, everywhere he looked, he was met with confused expressions. Only Rheia and Anne were smiling.
Kendrick scowled at the men. "Don't any of you watch television?"
Darian shook his head. "Not really, though I'm surprised that you understand Meryn's references."
Kendrick sighed. "I don't get out much. Television is a welcome change of pace when I need a break from my studies."
Anne giggled at his side. "And he doesn't play well with others."
Aiden frowned. "Why does that sound familiar?" He glanced down at Meryn.
Gavriel cleared his throat. "So we have the Committee using our current crisis with the ferals to gain political leverage to change our current power structure..."--he laid his head back with a sigh--"all while we are scrambling to deal with the destruction and chaos the super ferals are creating."
Meryn reached under the table and pulled out her laptop. "Are we going with the term 'super feral' as the official name?"
Gavriel raised his head and stared at her. "You know, you are right. We have not come up with a name for them as of yet."
Colton shook his head. "I don't like it. It makes them sound more impressive than they really are."
"What about reapers?" Anne asked softly. "They're responsible for taking people's souls right?"
Meryn smiled at her. "That's perfect! So the rambling, brainless monsters that y'all are used to are ferals. The ones that wear the soul necklaces and lead armies of ferals are now called reapers." Meryn tapped away on her laptop.