by Alanea Alder
He looked down at her, his eyes blue again. Laugh lines creased the corner of his eyes and a gentle smile greeted her. There would be no other man after him, how could any other compare? In less than one afternoon he had changed her life forever. Yet it felt so perfect she was scared to trust it.
"I'm so fucked." She exhaled and glared up at him.
"Not yet." He winked and in that moment he reminded her of his father. Maybe there was something about shifters that meant that they would never grow up and stay little boys forever. Looking up at his smiling face, she couldn't really find anything wrong with that.
*****
She and Aiden joined the others in what Adelaide called her drawing room. She sat next to his mother and he took a seat in one of the many wingback chairs. Aiden kept staring at her as if seeing her for the first time. She felt conflicted. This man was a growly, horrible brute who had manhandled and kidnapped her. But he was also gorgeous, pouted adorably and lit her body on fire. To call the police or not call the police that was the question.
"Do you like baking?" Adelaide asked, her eyes alight with enthusiasm.
Meryn shrugged. "I guess, I mean, who doesn't like homemade chocolate chip cookie dough?"
"You eat the dough? You don't bake it?" Adelaide asked eyes wide.
"Wait, you've never eaten cookie dough before?" Meryn couldn't believe this crazy talk. Poor woman.
"Marius, do we have the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies?" Adelaide turned to her squire.
He nodded. "Of course, my lady."
She squealed happily and turned back to Meryn.
"I've always dreamed of making cookies with a daughter." Her eyes were shining with unshed tears. Meryn sighed. Yup, so not calling the police. This woman was too sweet. She couldn't have her son arrested. Her stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. She flushed with embarrassment. Marius leaned forward.
"What would little miss like for supper?"
"Anything would be great, I'm not picky."
"Sirs?" Marius turned to Aiden and Colton.
"One of your famous sandwiches would be amazing right now Marius." Colton licked his lips.
"Yeah, that sounds perfect." Aiden nodded.
"Are they that good?" Meryn asked curious. Both men nodded.
"Can I have one too?"
"Of course. I'll be back presently." Marius gave another half bow and left the room.
"He is so cool!" Meryn smiled at Adelaide.
"That he is. He was a gift from my mother."
Meryn turned. "Huh? Like you own him? Isn't that illegal?"
Adelaide gave a tinkling laugh.
"No darling, he is my employee, but it goes beyond that. When I mated to Byron my mother knew I would assume the role of Lady McKenzie since Byron as Unit Commander was anticipated to become the Council Elder for shifters and lead our people. She knew I would need an ally, someone to help me run the household. Things were different then." She sighed. "My mother arranged for one of the most highly trained squires to take the position. He has been with me ever since." Adelaide explained.
"We couldn't do without him. He helped run the house, raise the boys and assist with social functions. I was leery at first, after all there was another man helping to take care of my mate, but looking back we never could have made it this far without him. It helped that he soon found his own mate. A lovely woman who took on the role of keeping the other servants organized. It has allowed me to concentrate on council work and Aiden's mother to assist with various charities." Byron explained.
Meryn shot a scared look to Aiden. He looked back at her in concern.
"What is it? What has you looking so terrified?" He asked leaning forward.
"I can't do the social thing or the charity thing. In fact, I can't do the servant thing either. I can't be like that." Meryn felt her breathing pick up. She hated being around a lot of people. There was no way in hell she could become like Adelaide.
"It's okay darling, breathe. It won't happen overnight, you and Aiden have plenty of time before Aiden takes over for his father. By that time you'll be more comfortable with our society, even the social parties and backbiting." Adelaide rubbed her back soothingly.
"Backbiting?"
"Oh my, yes. Society here can be very cruel. There is a lot of keeping up appearances if you know what I mean."
"People are mean to you? Why don't you just punch them in the face?" Meryn asked. Adelaide looked at her appalled. Colton chuckled.
"We definitely have time before you take over dear." Byron laughed.
"Have you never had a circle of girlfriends where one friend would deliberately invite another to spite you? That sort of thing?"
"Nope. I didn't have friends growing up, I mostly stayed to myself." Meryn shrugged. Adelaide chewed on her lower lip in consternation.
"She'll be fine darling, a breath of fresh air." Byron nodded at Meryn encouragingly.
"Little miss, sirs, your supper." Marius announced from the door before wheeling in a large cart. He lifted the silver domed lids and Meryn gasped. Marius placed a napkin in her lap and handed her a plate. The sandwich looked scrumptious. The vinegar and oil glistened from the lettuce mix, the ham and turkey looked fresh cut and he had added two different types of cheeses.
"Thank you Marius." Aiden accepted his plate.
"Thanks Marius, as always, this is amazing." Colton had already inhaled half of his sandwich. Meryn took a bite and practically moaned.
"Nummy!"
"Glad you think so." Marius smiled down at her.
"Marius, can you arrange for squire interviews for Meryn? I think having someone at her side showing her society would help her acclimate to our world." Adelaide snagged a chip from Meryn's plate.
"Of course my lady, I'll get word out immediately." Marius bowed again and left, taking the cart with him. Meryn was munching away on her sandwich when she realized what Adelaide said.
"What do you mean world?"
"You're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy." Colton chimed. Meryn looked to Aiden who nodded.
"Where exactly am I then?" Meryn set her sandwich down.
"May I be the first to welcome you to Lycaonia, one of four hidden paranormal cities in the United States." Byron placed a hand over his heart and gave a half bow from his seat.
"One of?" Meryn squeaked.
"There are four major paranormal cities, we call them pillar cities. Lycaonia is the shifter city; Noctem Falls is the vampire city; Danu Éire is the fae city; and Storm Keep is the witches' city. Each city is home to a four person council that rules our people. The council in each city has one council member from each race represented." Byron began.
"Lycaonia protects the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic region. Danu Éire protects the Northeast and Midwest region. Noctem Falls protects the Pacific Northwest region and Storm Keep protects the Southwest region." Adelaide continued.
"So four cities, four council members per city. That means you have a twelve person council that rules your people. What do you do in the instance of a tie?" Meryn was fascinated. This was better than watching the history channel.
"I am the tie breaking vote as Unit Commander." Aiden said.
"What are units?"
"Colton and I are part of a unit. Units are made up of five men. For Lycaonia that means a shifter leader, a vampire as second in command, a shifter as third in command, a fae and a witch." Aiden explained carefully. Meryn could tell that he was watching for signs of eminent freak out.
"Okay, so shifters, vampires, witches and fae, oh my!" Meryn grinned at Colton, who gave her a mock salute for running with the Wizard of Oz reference.
"You're the leader?" She turned to Aiden and he nodded.
"You must be third in command since you shift into a dog." Meryn grinned at Colton.
"I am not a dog! I am a wolf!" Colton protested loudly.
"Mangy mutt." Aiden laughed and punched Colton in the shoulder. Meryn liked this side of Aiden, he seemed almost normal.
"How many units are there?"
"There are six units per city." Adelaide answered. Meryn looked down at her fingers.
"So there are one hundred and twenty unit members? Who's in charge of all of them?" Meryn asked.
"I am." Aiden's smile was somewhat sad. Meryn couldn't tell if he was unhappy with being the Unit Commander or if there were just some aspects to the job he didn't like.
"You're doing a fine job son." Byron clapped a hand on Aiden's shoulder. Aiden nodded and his face cleared. Meryn stared at him thoughtfully.
"And that is why he needs you." Adelaide whispered in her ear. When Meryn looked up she could tell the older woman had caught that sad look too.
"What?" Byron and Aiden asked together.
"Nothing." Meryn and Adelaide answered in response. Meryn looked at Adelaide and they both started giggling.
"So what do you have all of these warriors for? Keeping humans out?" Meryn bit into her sandwich. She chewed and noticed everyone got quiet.
"Wha?" She asked, her mouth full.
"Unit warriors are needed to protect other paranormals and humans from something we have always called ferals. Ferals are men and sometimes women who willingly give up their souls for the rush of the kill. They give in to their dark nature. For shifters, they lose the ability to shift, but retain an unnatural amount of strength and revel in brutality. Vampires lose their great speed and the ability to manipulate minds, and their bloodlust compounds. The fae lose most of their magic except for some illusion spells, which they delight in using to drive people insane. Witches lose all of their magic, but gain something like a demon familiar, but without the religious context. The exist only to kill, to create chaos and to destroy lives." Aiden spoke in soft tones as he tried to break this upsetting news to her gently. She turned to him.
"Is it safe here?" She whispered. He nodded.
"There's no safer place to be, than here in Lycaonia with the Alpha Unit." He winked at her trying to get her to smile. She immediately frowned.
"You jokers?" She pointed to him and Colton.
"Hey!" Colton protested.
Aiden laughed and nodded. "We are the best of the very best."
"Well, I'm reassured. I knocked your ass out with your own toilet today." She sighed and resumed eating the rest of her sandwich.
Someone snorted. Meryn thought that it was Colton but to her surprise Adelaide gave another undignified snort and laughed loudly. This of course set off her mate with Aiden and Colton following suit.
"Ferals better watch out for you then." Aiden grinned at her. Meryn grinned back before a yawn escaped her.
"Oh my, look at the time. Aiden can you show Meryn up to your old room?" Adelaide asked, winking at her son who blushed furiously.
"Of course."
Meryn stood when Aiden did and set her empty plate down on the table.
"Colton your room, as usual is ready for you. I swear you spend more time here than you do at your parents' house."
"Thank you Mother." Colton kissed Adelaide on the cheek and left the room.
Meryn turned to Aiden's mother. "Thank you for making this not so crazy." Meryn didn't know how to thank someone for easing her into this freaky life.
"It gets better, dear, you'll see." Adelaide kissed her cheek and picked up the empty plate. Byron kissed her forehead and followed his mate as she headed towards the kitchen.
"Shall we?" Aiden asked offering her his arm. She smiled at him. She could get used to this treatment. It was a damn sight better than being locked in a trunk.
*****
"What do you mean you're sleeping in here too?" Meryn demanded. She should have known he was being too nice.
"This is my room for when I stay here."
"Fine, take me to a guest room." Meryn fumed.
"We don't have guest rooms." Aiden muttered under his breath. Even Meryn knew that was a lie, this house had to have close to a hundred rooms.
"I call bullshit! Fine, I can sleep on the couch!"
"No way in hell. I'm not letting you out of my sight." He crossed his formidable arms over an even more formidable chest. A girl could really get in trouble with those muscles.
"Fine, but there are rules."
"Rules?"
"Yes, rules. Rule number one: stay on your side of the bed. Rule number two: don't touch me, breathe on me or do anything weird to me in my sleep. Rule number three: don't cross the Great Wall." She counted off each rule on her fingers.
"Great Wall?" He looked puzzled.
She walked over and pulled the bedding down. She then proceeded to pile every extra pillow in the room down the center of the bed. She pointed to one side, then the other.
"My side, your side. Capiche?"
"Fine, let's just get some rest. I didn't get any sleep last night and we did drills today, I'm exhausted. You want the shower first?" He asked. She shook her head. He shrugged.
"Suit yourself." He walked into the bathroom and shut the door. She flung herself on the bed. Oh Meryn girl, what are you doing? Breaking and entering, getting kidnapped, assaulting your abductor with a toilet lid and then sexually assaulting said abductor. What sane person does this? She rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Funny thing was that this was the first time she had felt calm in months.
She had moved to the nearby town two weeks ago. The sudden desire to live somewhere new had driven her crazy. Finally, she had thrown a dart at a map and ended up here. That's when the strange dreams started. At first they had been pleasant, her Prince Charming would find her in a clearing and they would laugh and chat. Some nights turned down right steamy, she enjoyed those dreams. But then they started getting scary. Someone was moving in the shadows in the woods and every night for the past week she was murdered. She couldn't help but notice how much Aiden resembled her Prince Charming, though he was nicer in the dream.
She smiled. Even if he was, evidently, a bear shifter, she felt safe with him. She liked the feeling. She would ride this out and see where it took her. She was still grinning up at the ceiling when Aiden walked out with a towel slung low on his hips.
"Did the ceiling say something funny?" He asked, towel drying his hair. She was too busy trying not to swallow her tongue to respond. She rolled onto her stomach.
"You okay?" He asked. She nodded, still staring.
"Shower's free."
She nodded again.
"You getting in?" He asked, looking amused. She nodded then shook her head as if to clear it.
"Yup, be right back." She hopped off the bed and as she passed him she couldn't help herself. The devil made her do it. She grabbed the edge of the towel and yanked. He gave a yelp and covered his groin with his hands. Laughing, she flung his towel at him.
"You have a great ass too." Giggling she ran into the bathroom. Once inside she leaned against the door. She took a deep breath, she was in trouble, because that man really did have the most perfect ass.
*****
Meryn stared at the ceiling. She could practically feel his body heat radiating from his side of the bed. Was he awake? She turned over on her right. The image of his naked body teased her. Why did she think she was being clever when she yanked that towel off? She was paying the price now. She turned over to her left.
"Can't sleep?" Aiden sounded amused.
She returned to her back. "No. You?"
"No, it's the first night with my mate, I find that sleep is last thing on my mind." He teased.
Meryn didn't want to think about what he implied, she might jump him. To get her mind off of her wanton thoughts she changed the subject.
"What was it like growing up here?"
"Fun, they're lots of ways for a little boy to get into trouble, especially a little boy trying to emulate his brothers and father."
"Like what?" Meryn was intrigued.
"One night Colton and I snuck out to watch the unit warriors patrol the perimeter, but got caught. I actually had to hide behind my father to stay out of reach from my mot
her for that one." Aiden chuckled. "What about you? I know you had to have gotten into trouble as a youngster."
"Not really. I stayed to myself mostly. I was raised by my grandmother and didn't want to make her mad." Meryn sat up in bed and peered over her wall.
"Hey Aiden."
He turned to her. "Yeah?"
"Can you shift for me? I've never seen a bear up close before."
He sat up. "Sure, but you'll have to cover your eyes, I have to be naked to shift."
Meryn shook her head. "Not on your life."
Aiden hesitated for only a moment then shrugged. He slipped from the bed and stood. He dropped his pajama bottoms and deliberately turned to face her. Her mouth went dry as she stared at his perfect body. It took every ounce of self discipline not to tackle the man to the floor. It took her three tries to clear her throat.
"Go on." She tried to sound indifferent but knew she failed when he winked saucily at her.
One second he was her every fantasy come to life, the next he was an extremely large, dark brown bear. Laughing with excitement she hopped off the bed and walked over to stand in front of him. She reached out a hand and he head butted her palm. She pulled his shaggy head to her chest and buried her hands in his fur.
"You're not so scary, just a big ole teddy bear." She kissed the top of his nose. He buried his muzzle between her legs and she gasped, the damn thing was cold! Giggling she raced back to her side of the bed and climbed in. Seconds later she heard the rustle of clothes and the bed dip.
"Do you think you'll be happy here Meryn?" He asked.
"I think so. I'm not going to lie, everything is strange and scary, but also fun and exciting."
"You know I'll be with you every step of the way right?"
"Yup, I don't know if that is the scary part or the exciting part." She yelped when a pair of fingers appeared from under the wall to pinch her butt. His deep laugh was contagious and she laughed along with him.
"Ow! Definitely scary." She swatted at his hand as it reached for her again.