by Alanea Alder
"Welcome to Lycaonia." He said and let go of her hand to push her forward. Meryn stepped beyond the tall buildings of the alleyway and gazed around. Everywhere she turned there was something new to see. Vendors laughed and shouted out to people as they walked by trying to sell their wares. Each store was different. In one store window, she could see stacks and stacks of old books and parchment scrolls, at another swords and daggers. One large store window held tiers of delicate looking cakes. She felt her mouth begin to water. When she looked across the street one swinging wooden sign boasted the best magical ingredients sold on the east coast. Magical ingredients! Just when she thought it couldn't get any better the smells began to hit her. Jasmine, honeysuckle, frankincense and myrrh. She looked past the magic shop and saw an apothecary. The delicious fragrance of freshly baked bread and cinnamon rolls spun her around to face a bakery with loaves and loaves of bread on display.
"I ... I ... Oh ... Could we ... Oh!" Meryn twirled in circles trying to take it all in. She felt one of her episodes coming on. She froze and let her brain take everything in. She could almost feel the images being downloaded and filed away.
"Meryn, Meryn! Are you okay?" Aiden's worried voice brought her back. He was bent down peering into her face.
"Sorry about that. Sometimes my brain needs to process stuff quickly and I have a moment." She blushed. She knew she was odd, she just hated that he kept seeing her weird side.
"A moment? A Meryn Moment. Got it. You're okay though, right?" Aiden took her hand again. She was starting to feel naked without his large, steadying hand wrapped around hers.
"Meryn Moment? I like that. Sounds better than 'Psycho Seconds' or 'Freak Meltdown'."
"Who called it that?" Aiden frowned.
"My first boyfriend and my second boyfriend." Meryn sighed. She had stopped dating after that.
"Humpf. Don't mind them Meryn, they were only human." Aiden swung their hands. Meryn felt her heart soar. That's right! They had only been human, she was swimming in a much bigger, freakier pond now. Aiden accepted her for who she was. It felt amazing. Meryn frowned and stopped dead in her tracks. Aiden glanced back concerned.
"I think I'm falling in love with you." She said flatly. His eyebrows shot up and he stared at her. People passed them on either side as they stared at one another.
"Well, I think I'm starting to love you too." Aiden grumbled his cheeks the color of the red apples for sale in the basket next to them.
"Good. Coffee now?"
Aiden cleared his throat and nodded. Meryn noticed that his hand as it gripped hers had gotten moist and trembled slightly. Her silly bear.
"Why do you have cameras on the roofs?" She asked pointing at the roofline. "The entire city is rocking this cool Victorian Steampunk vibe and then you see those cameras and it kinda ruins the atmosphere."
"Kids. Last year it became the cool thing to 'tag' locations of the city with a spell or in the shifter's cases urine. We spent a lot of time chasing teenagers and speaking with parents. With the cameras, we just send the parents the captured video of the delinquent kid and bill for cleanup. The vandalism stopped almost immediately. I think the new thing now are vanishing ink tattoos."
"I guess kids are kids no matter where you live." Meryn took a deep breath and beyond the smells of jasmine, myrrh, freshly baked bread and cinnamon was the crisp smell of autumn. As they walked Aiden pointed out the training academy and the local school. He walked her down a narrower street that was lined with small eateries. She caught a whiff of something familiar and began to smile.
"I hope they have pumpkin flavored drinks."
"I'm sure they do." Aiden stopped and held the door open to a smaller shop. The second the door cracked she could smell heaven. Freshly ground coffee beans lured her in off the sidewalk.
"Welcome to The Jitterbug! Come on in!" A voice called from behind the counter. Meryn looked at the smaller man and smiled. He was shorter than any of the other men she had met so far. She figured he was about five foot eight. But what he lacked in muscles he made up for in beauty. He had strawberry blonde curls and bright teal colored eyes. The man at his side who was gazing at him adoringly was his antithesis. He was taller at five foot ten, his hair was dark and pulled back in a long braid. His brown eyes had flecks of gold in them.
"Commander McKenzie, this is a surprise. You never come to visit. What brings you in?" The smaller man called.
They walked up to the counter.
"My mate demanded coffee, so I brought her to the best in Lycaonia. Meryn I would like you to meet Sydney Fairfax and Justice O'Malley. They own The Jitterbug. Gentlemen, my mate Meryn Evans."
"Oh my goodness the rumors are true. Elder Airgead's spell worked. The warriors are starting to get their mates!" The smaller man, Sydney, began to laugh. "That will make a lot of the single women in the city very unhappy. You've been voted the most Eligible Bachelor in Lycaonia for the past five years." Sydney wiped his eyes.
"Thrice welcome to Lycaonia Meryn! What have you seen so far? What can I get you? It's on the house." Justice offered.
"This is the first shop we've gone into, but everything looks amazing. Do you have anything with pumpkin?"
"Of course! It's fall, isn't it? Now, not to brag, but my Pumpkin Apple latte is to die for." Sydney blew on his fingertips and brushed them on the front of his shirt.
"My man is bragging, but he's right. It is amazing." Justice leaned in and kissed the back of Sydney's neck before returning to the espresso machine. Sydney sighed happily.
"You two are so cute! How long have you been together?" Meryn leaned on the counter.
"Five years now, but he keeps things fresh. I don't know how I was lucky enough to be mated to a man like that, but fate knows best right?"
"I think so. Well, I hope so, evidently she brought me here."
"I think she's doing just fine." Aiden wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Awww! I never thought I would see the day that hardcore, military Unit Commander Aiden McKenzie would act so damn cute! Girl, what is your secret?" Sydney asked. Meryn leaned in. Sydney bent down to hear.
"I beat him with his toilet." She whispered. Sydney stood back up and stared at Aiden in shock. Aiden sighed and covered his face with his other hand.
"Oh my Goddess, you're not lying. Ahhhhhh!" Sydney grabbed his stomach, he was laughing so hard. Meryn couldn't help but giggle with him. He had the type of laugh that was contagious.
"Leave him alone, you goof. Commander, what can I get started for you?" Justice pushed his mate out of the way.
"Thank you Justice. I have a whole new respect for you now that I've met Meryn."
"Hey!" Meryn heard Sydney echo her outrage.
"I understand you perfectly Commander." Justice nodded sagely and he and Aiden shared a moment.
Sydney's eyes narrowed and he turned to Meryn, "You know what I've learned after being mated for five years Meryn? Big, funny men sometimes forget that their smaller mates have access to their unconscious bodies when they go to sleep. Sometimes you have to remind them of that." Sydney crossed his arms over his chest.
"That sounds brilliant to me." Meryn glared at Aiden. Both Aiden and Justice visibly gulped.
"Now baby you know I love you to pieces, my life would be absolutely boring without you to make each day worth living." Justice pulled Sydney in his arms and was peppering the man's face and neck with kisses. Meryn could see the love between them. Sydney giggled and threw his arms around his mate.
"Forgiven. Get the brooding Commander his coffee and I'll start the latte for Meryn." Sydney laid a scorching kiss on his mate and then began pulling out bottles from under the counter. Justice, smiling like a goof, walked back over. Meryn turned to Aiden.
"I hope you were taking notes."
"As if it would do any good treating you like a normal person. I'd have to do something different, like buy you an espresso machine, right?" Meryn gasped.
"Really! You weren't kidding at breakfast? Really?" M
eryn hopped up and down in excitement.
"Yes, you little menace, I'll buy you an espresso machine. I'd fear for my life each morning if you didn't have one." Meryn jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. When Aiden's arms wrapped around her, she began to kiss his face.
"Thank you!" Meryn wiggled and until he put her back down.
"Where are they? Are they here? Do we have to order?" Meryn looked around the shop.
"Go around the far side of the counter, I have some of the more popular ones on display. I recommend a one button, super automatic. They are easy to use and can give you anything from an espresso shot to cappuccinos." Sydney advised.
"Of course we can also set you up on an espresso bean delivery schedule as well." Justice added. Aiden sighed.
"Go ahead. I knew that this would be expensive, but she's worth it."
Meryn felt tears fill her eyes. No one had ever done anything like this for her in her entire life. Unable to help herself, she let the tears fall. Instantly Aiden was at her side.
"Hey, this was supposed to make you happy, not sad." He wiped away her tears with his callused fingers.
"No one has ever done anything so nice for me before. Thank you." Meryn whispered and buried her face in his chest.
"Get used to it. I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy spoiling you." Aiden rubbed his cheek along the top of her head. She suddenly felt more at ease knowing he was trying to mark her.
"You two are so beautiful!" Sydney sniffled behind the counter.
"He's pretty amazing right?" Meryn asked, stepping away from Aiden wiping her eyes on her shirt.
"You both are. Now. Which machine do you think you would want?" Sydney wiped his eyes on his towel and walked her over to the shelves.
"I like that one." Meryn pointed to the silver one that boasted ease of use, not only in making drinks but also in the maintenance of the machine.
"Great choice. To set you up on a reoccurring bean order, I need to know how many shots you'll go through. How many drinks do you think you'll have?"
"In a day?"
"Sure." Sydney pulled out a clipboard from beside the register.
"Um. Two to wake up. One for mid morning, one after lunch. One afternoon pick me up and one after dinner. So six." Meryn held up her fingers. Sydney stared.
"Do humans process caffeine different than shifters?" Sydney asked. Justice cleared his throat and responded.
"Caffeine affects them more." They all stared at her.
"What?" They continued to stare.
"I need it to live!" She stamped her foot.
"She's scary in the morning." Aiden shuddered. Both Justice and Sydney looked at her in renewed horror. Evidently, anything that is bad enough to scare a Unit Commander was pretty bad.
"I'll set up that delivery order immediately. In fact, take some beans from stock for the next few days." Sydney went behind the counter and pulled out a bag of beans.
"I'll get the machine." Justice disappeared heading to the back.
"Girl, kudos to you. I can't wait to see how those hoity toity society puppets will react to you." Sydney snickered.
"Don't remind me. She's been invited to participate in mother's sewing circle tomorrow." Aiden groaned.
"The Daughters Lycaonia Sewing Circle? Seriously? Is that wise?" Sydney eyed Meryn.
"Probably not, but my mother wants to show her off."
"She's met Meryn right?" Sydney asked. Aiden nodded.
"I'm right here guys!" Meryn whacked Aiden, "I said I would be good and I will." Meryn's sour mood evaporated when Justice walked back from the stock room with a brand new espresso machine.
"Okay girlfriend, here's the beans, a few bottles of syrup, a recipe list and my phone number. Call me later and I'll give you the scoop on all the proper ladies you'll meet tomorrow." Sydney handed her a pretty paper shopping bag filled with coffee supplies.
"Thank you Sydney, I feel like I am going into battle tomorrow with no ammo." Meryn admitted.
"Trust me darlin', I can give you lots and lots of ammo." He winked.
"Wonderful. I don't know if introducing the two of you was smart or not." Aiden took the heavy shopping bag from Meryn and easily held it along with her new machine.
"Definitely not a good idea, but I have a feeling it will be entertaining." Justice smiled.
"True. Okay Menace, let's go." Aiden steered her to the door. Meryn waved and laughed at Sydney who was holding his pinky and thumb up to his face in the universal 'Call Me' sign. She nodded.
Aiden took her all around the city showing her his favorite hangout places and restaurants. She laughed at the child like delight he displayed when they were at the bakery. She giggled when he ordered bear claws and he laughed with her. Then he amazed her by eating almost a dozen.
"You don't get to judge. You drink insane amounts of coffee and I love sweets." Aiden poked a finger in her side causing her to squeal.
"Bear claws for your bear claws. Grrrrr." Meryn held up her curled fingers in a mock growl. Aiden threw his head back and laughed openly. When his smiling face turned to her, she couldn't help it. She stood up from her chair and captured his lips. She saw his stunned expression before she closed her eyes as he took over. His hand cupped the back of her head and she felt his agile tongue trace the roof of her mouth. Her legs were shaking when they broke apart.
"You taste like lemons." He took a deep breath and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He winced as he adjusted his pants. Dazed, she nodded and sat back down. Damn that man. His kisses made her stupid.
"Good work there Commander." A male voice congratulated.
"Thanks Darren. How's your mate?" Aiden stood and greeted the bakery owner who had approached their table.
"She's fine. She'll kill me for saying anything, but I'm dying to share. She's expecting." Meryn thought the man would burst out of his apron with pride. Aiden's face lit up and he thrust his hand forward. The baker gripped Aiden's hand and shook it vigorously.
"She's hoping for a girl. I don't care as long as it's healthy. A boy or girl can always help out around here." Darren beamed.
"Darren, this is my mate Meryn. Meryn this is Darren Williams. He was third in command to the Gamma Unit a couple years ago. He retired to take over the family bakery here in the city. I think we are all thankful for that. His sweets are to die for." Aiden introduced the man. Meryn stood and found herself swept up in a hug. Darren released her and she moved closer to Aiden.
"Commander I'm so glad the spell worked. I know from personal experience that you men need mates. I remember how bad some nights can get after a mission." Darren shuddered.
"It's been interesting so far." Aiden squeezed her hand.
"At first I was scared since I didn't even know any of this existed, but now ..." She looked up at Aiden.
"I can't remember what my life was like before Aiden." She said shyly.
"We need to go." Aiden said abruptly. He picked up her espresso machine and shopping bag and pulled her from the store without even saying goodbye.
"Have fun Commander!" Darren yelled as the door shut behind them.
"Rude!" Meryn snapped as Aiden, who with her espresso machine tucked under one arm, dragged her through the crowd back to the parking garage.
"Aiden?" Meryn was confused. Had she said something wrong?
"Shush. Don't say anything else, my control is hanging by a thread." Aiden said darting between people.
When they got to the car he popped the trunk and dropped her machine and bag inside. He opened the car door, got her seated and practically ran back to the driver's side.
"If I said something I shouldn't have, just tell me." Meryn protested.
"Not another word." Meryn fumed beside him. She hated being treated like a child. She gazed out of the window and the trees flew by. Before she realized it, they were back at the house. He parked right in front of the door. Not wanting to piss him off even further she waited for him to open the door. He jerked it open, grabbed her hand a
nd pulled her out.
He surprised her when he headed to the back instead of going to the front door. They walked past the manicured flower beds and Koi ponds. She didn't have time to admire the gazebo or rose covered trellis. He kept marching until they hit the woods and still he walked. She could tell they were on an established path, but it was one created after years of being walked instead of man made with stone or brick.
He didn't stop until the trees cleared to reveal a small mountain brook. When she looked around, she felt like the city and the house were worlds away. This place felt so isolated and peaceful. Finally Aiden dropped her hand and went to stand by the brook looking down at the water.
"Aiden, whatever I did, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you." Meryn hung her head.
"Is that what you think?" Aiden spun and closed the distance between them in two steps.
"I dragged you out of there before you said anything else that would have me claiming you on the tables of Darren's bakery for all of Lycaonia to see. Do you have any idea what your words did to me?" He demanded seconds before his lips descended on hers.
One second, she was apologizing, the next she had forgotten what planet she was on. The more he suckled and traced her lips the hotter her core became. Each pull felt like his lips were wrapped around her clit shooting sparks of pleasure through her body. All from a kiss. She felt liquid pooling between her legs and she wanted him more than she wanted anything else in her whole life.
She pulled away, breathing hard.
"Please." She whispered. He leaned forward and nipped at the tender skin behind her ear.
"Please, what?" His voice had deepened to a low growl and sent shivers down her spine.
"P-p-p-lease." She stuttered. He had been right earlier. She wasn't sexy. She had no idea how to ask him for what she needed. When he looked down his face softened.
"It's okay, my sweet Meryn. I know. I know what you need. I'm your mate, I'll always provide for you. I'll always give you what you desire." Aiden spun her so that her back was flush against his body. Reaching around to the front of her he unsnapped her jeans and pulled them down to mid thigh with a harsh jerk. She gasped as the cold autumn air hit her heated flesh. Seconds later his large, callused hand was caressing her. Gentle fingertips traced her mound and the crease between her sex and her legs. He dipped between her dripping folds and teased her opening. Without conscious thought, she thrust her hips upward wanting more than he was providing.