by Alanea Alder
"I like it." She looked up at Oron. "Even your mom's room didn't feel as homey as this," she indicated to the tavern.
Dav burst into laughter. "What a fine compliment! Better than the royal chambers! I should put that on a wall plaque."
"Quit embarrassing her," Oron said, kissing her temple before moving to stand behind her. He wrapped his arms around her as if he were making himself her shield.
Dav quieted. "She meant that?"
She nodded. "His mom is really nice, but her room still felt kinda cold, maybe it was all the marble. But it feels warm here and inviting." She ran her hand over the worn wood of the bar. "I feel like the happiness of this place has seeped into the wood and it's radiating from within like a happiness air freshener."
When she looked up from inspecting the bar, she found that not only Dav but the other patrons at the bar were staring at her. "What?"
Dav turned to Oron. "Did you tell her?"
Oron wore a broad grin. "Haven't had time. I only met her yesterday. That's when she found out about our world by the way. She got thrown into the deep end."
"Impressive lady you have there Oron. Are you sure she's human? I've known many talented witches who have yet to notice the spell that Malachai put on the bar," a deep voice complimented from their right.
"Thanks, Priest. As far as I know, she's human, but from everything I've observed in Lycaonia from the influx of human mates, is that our understanding of them is woefully inadequate." He nodded his head. "Izzy, this is Priest Vi'Aerdan."
Izzy snapped her fingers. "The harpy eagle adopted by fae parents, he's the one your mom was talking about, right?"
Priest's eyebrow rose. "The queen was talking about me?"
"Yup! She said that your adoption showed how well integrated the bird shifters were to the city."
Dav gave a bark of laughter. "That's one way to look at it."
Priest gifted her a wry smile. "My adoption was somewhat of a huge upset when it happened. I'm glad that the Queen can now use it as a positive example of how much our city has grown."
"Well said," Dav remarked, tossing his towel on the bar. "Let me go put your order in, be right back." He disappeared behind a swinging door.
She bopped her head backward onto Oron's chest to get his attention. "What spell?"
"I knew you were going to ask that." He kissed the top of her head. "Back when Dav opened the tavern he asked his fellow unit brother Malachai to cast a spell on the bar to absorb the happiness and laughter of the place and release it to help destress the warriors when they come in for a break."
Izzy wanted to rest her head on the bar. "That's amazing. I wonder if you could do something similar to children's desks in school."
Priest shrugged. "We don't have many schools. Most of us are taught from home."
Izzy snapped her fingers. "What if you could make happy pencils?"
Priest smiled and nodded. "Now that's something I wouldn't mind having, especially for my report write-ups lately."
Dav came back through the door. "What write-up?"
Priest rolled his eyes. "We keep getting reports from people about shadows. Personally, I think the citizens are bored out of their minds and crave the excitement a unit of warriors can bring."
Izzy gave a single nod. "Happy pencils."
Dav blinked and she watched his facials expressions as he figured out what she was referring to. "Can I use that idea?" he asked.
"Sure, but if you end up making them, I want some," she countered.
"Deal."
"How's Ari?" Oron asked Priest.
Priest raised one eyebrow. "His older brother is visiting for a while, so he's pretty much living at the estate." He started chuckling low. "Though I heard he shocked the hell out of Ari when he held out his hand for a fist bump."
"Meryn taught him that," Oron said.
Priest shook his head. "I don't know what she did to him, but Rex seems more approachable now."
"You should see how she changed Prince Magnus," Oron countered.
"Is it true he gave her a Noctem Falls Regalis card?" Dav whispered.
Izzy looked back at her mate. He nodded a single time and Priest gave a low whistle. "What's a Regalis card?" she whispered.
Oron leaned down. "It guarantees that the recipient is treated as a Royal of Noctem Falls. That should anyone insult or injure her they would face the wrath of the entire vampire race."
"Wouldn't Aiden or Ryuu kinda do the same thing?" Izzy asked.
Dav leaned over the bar. "Someone might be crazy enough to anger Aiden, though he is impossibly strong and an amazing fighter he is still a single man. That card promises retribution from every living vampire," Dav explained.
"And his mom likes her," she added.
Both Priest and Dav laughed. "It's no secret that the queen follows little Meryn on Facebook, hell, half the city does. She's hilarious."
Izzy sat up straighter. "I'm her Coffee Goddess. She's getting me an altar and everything."
"Coffee Goddess?" Dav asked.
Oron tickled her neck. "She's an extremely talented barista."
"Gods! Coffee! We don't have a decent place here," Priest practically whimpered.
Izzy eyed the long wooden bar. "If you order equipment, I can show you how to make drinks," she offered.
Dav froze. "Are you serious?"
"Yup, no one should be without coffee, that's like, criminal," she shuddered at the thought.
"And she'll only require ten percent of your profits from the coffee sales," Oron tacked on.
Dav pursed his lips together. "Worth it."
Izzy turned around to face her mate. "I wasn't going to charge him."
Oron smiled. "He can more than afford it and you are jobless. Tell me you wouldn't feel better with a small bit of money coming in for yourself?"
Izzy chewed on the side of her thumbnail. "I could get my own stuff then."
"You know I would buy you anything you would want or need, but you like the idea of your own money."
"Doesn't everyone?"
"You've got yourself a rare woman there Oron," Dav said.
Oron squeezed her close. "Don't I know it."
"Are the rumors we heard true? Are all the warriors getting mates?" Priest asked.
"Twelve warriors, including myself, have dreamt of and found their mates. That's about ten percent of the current roster finding their mates in under six months. I think it's safe to say we're all getting them," Oron informed them.
"Twelve?" Priest repeated? "I heard of the Eta unit finding their mates, who else?"
"Warrick Fortier, I attended his mating ceremony myself."
Priest gave him a funny look "Isn't that personal."
Oron threw a napkin at him. "Not the claiming you dolt. Because Warrick had just taken over as the Founding Family head, they had a ceremony so more people could see both him and Avery."
"What's she like?" Dav asked.
"He," Oron corrected.
"I didn't know Warrick was gay," Priest said.
Oron laughed. "Neither did Warrick from what I hear. But you almost can't be in the same room as the two of them. It's like Avery is the sun and Warrick rotates around him."
"Good for them," Dav said, passing them their beers.
Izzy accepted hers and took a sip. "Wow, I usually don't drink beer, but this is amazing." She took another healthy gulp.
"It's my secret recipe," Dav bragged.
"So how long are you all visiting?" Priest asked.
Oron shrugged. "No idea. Cristo Bolivar asked Meryn to come here and we're still waiting for him to find something, maybe a few more days."
"Is the Unit Commander going around to the different units while he's here? I think it's the first time in recorded history that an active Unit Commander has visited Éire Danu."
"He seems to be racking up quite a few firsts with Meryn at his side. He was the first commander to visit Noctem Falls as well. He enjoyed meeting with the men, so I'm sure he'
ll be arranging either drills or meetings while he's here."
"Aiden has to be one of the best Unit Commanders we've ever had," Priest said.
"Here, here," a few other voices echoed throughout the room as the men lifted their glasses.
Izzy raised her beer and drank with the rest. Though she had never served with Aiden, she knew from what she'd already seen that he genuinely cared for each man who served in the units, and the men knew it.
*****
After eating the best fish she had ever had in her life she and Oron lazily walked back to the palace. The sky wasn't nearly as bright as this morning signaling that it was almost evening. She couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed a simple afternoon. Usually, she worked from sunup to sundown to make rent, today was a true gift.
This time when they went to go through the gates, Malcom didn't try to stop them. As they turned into the hallways of the queen's private chambers, they saw Aiden carrying a large dollhouse down the hall.
"Where are you heading Commander?" Oron asked.
"Meryn wants the sprites' house in the room adjacent to our guest room so they are close by. She said she doesn't trust Garrick and she wants to be able to defend Felix should the need arise."
"You don't seem too upset over that," Oron pointed out.
Aiden gave a one-shoulder shrug. "She battled that damn tunnel escort on a regular basis in Noctem Falls, I'm pretty sure she'll be okay taking on a sprite."
"Has Thane Ashleigh laid out Kendrick yet?"
Aiden smirked. "Not yet."
"Think he will?"
"Probably. He's not known as one of the most ruthless witches ever born for no reason."
"We're gonna head to our quarters, if you see everyone before we do, let them know we'll be at dinner."
Aiden nodded. "Will do."
When the large commander walked away, she looked up at her mate. "Our quarters?"
He blinked slowly. "You did want to move in with me, right?"
"I'd like to be asked," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
Oron set her shopping bags down and got down on one knee. "In the human world, a male usually goes to one knee to ask the female to marry him. Since you are literally the woman of my dreams, and I can think of no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my days with, would you do me the honor of sharing my quarters with me? I swear to always put your needs above my own and will tend, nurture and grow your happiness so that you will never know another day of sorrow."
Izzy covered her mouth with a trembling hand. She would think that he was teasing, but the sincerity in his eyes was her undoing. "I think I love you," she whispered.
The love in his eyes transformed his face into one of pure joy. "That means you aren't fighting the mating pull and you want to be mine." He stood and swept her off her feet whirling her around the hallway. "I swear Izzy, I swear I will make you happy."
She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You make me happy just by being near me," she confessed. "You're the first person in a long time to care about me." She felt herself blushing horribly. "I'm glad Fate chose me for you." She thought of another being given to her mate. "If you were with someone else, I'd punch her in the face."
Oron set her on her feet and took her hand. "I have a set of quarters here in the palace and my own suite at the Gamma estate in Lycaonia." He had them turning left then going down another hallway. "I think I'll copy my commander and have you move into the Gamma estate instead of having you live in the city."
"Where you go, I go," Izzy said. "Whose idea was it that the warriors lived in one place and their mates another, that's stupid."
"Meryn thought so too, so she ignored centuries of practice and moved into the Alpha estate. At the time, I thought she'd be a distraction, but she's helped us out a lot. Plus, Aiden doesn't have to worry about what she's doing if they live together."
"And I have to make coffee for Meryn," Izzy reminded him.
"Gods forbid that woman doesn't get her coffee," Oron said in a sober tone.
When he had them stop at a wide wooden door, she eyed it carefully. "That is a very impressive door."
Oron shrugged. "Brennus helped me update mine, Darian's and mother's. They are reinforced with a steel coating spell and have an aura lock on it."
"Aura lock?"
"Place your hand in the center of the door."
She lifted her hand and laid it flat against the door. Oron placed his hand above the locking mechanism and whispered a phrase. For a second, her hand glowed and then the light dimmed. "What was that?"
"The spell registered your aura to act as a key. You now have access to the room." He turned the knob and pushed the door open. "Welcome home, Izzy."
CHAPTER NINE
Izzy looked around as Oron shut the door behind him placing her bags on the floor. She didn't know what to expect, she hadn't been in many men's rooms, so she wasn't sure why she was surprised at Oron's simple, yet elegant decor.
"What were you expecting?" he asked.
"I don't know, more bachelor-game-room-man cave I guess."
He shook his head. "Not really my thing."
She ran her hand over his duvet cover. It wasn't cotton, nor silk, but seemed to be a blend of the two. She walked past the bed to the wall by the bathroom. Portraits of every shape and size covered the large wall. Some were of Brennus, him frowning, scowling, laughing and even one of him rolling his eyes. There were many more of the queen. Like the ones done of Brennus, each portrait seemed to be dedicated to a certain expression, even one of her crossing her eyes and sucking in her cheeks. But it was the ones next to those that brought tears to her eyes. The sketches of the tiny baby were more amateurish but no less stunning. As the child grew, the portraits became more detailed. She turned to stare at her mate. "You did these," she said.
Oron gave a slow nod. "After my family was sent away, I realized I was having a hard time recalling certain details about my mother, my birth mother. I never wanted to forget Darian, so I started drawing."
"Why not take a picture?"
"Cameras hadn't been invented yet," he reminded her gently.
"Oh, yeah."
She went back to the wall and as she moved she watched Darian grow up. She ran her fingers along the frame of one of the last ones. "His eyes are different now," she observed.
Oron walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "This was drawn before he left for Lycaonia, before he suffered and knew darkness. This is how both mother and I still see him."
Izzy saw the light shining from Darian's eyes in the picture. Here was a young man who knew only love and happiness. "He seems stronger now."
"He is."
She turned in his arms. "Did you do any self-portraits?"
Oron blushed and nodded slowly.
"Where are they? I'd like to see them."
Oron sighed and shuffled over to his massive bed. He reached under the bed skirt and pulled out a box. He walked over and set it on the table by the window.
She hurried over and lifted the lid. As she lifted each picture from the box she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Every portrait he had drawn of himself made him look dark and sinister. It was nothing as overt as a forked tongue and horns, but there was a clear difference between the laughing Darian and the solemn Oron. This was how he saw himself and it couldn't be further from the truth. Carefully she placed the drawings back in the box.
"Why do you weep?" he asked, wiping away her tears.
"I wish I could draw you as I see you, it's nothing like that," she pointed to the box.
"Will you be my light," he whispered.
"No. You are your own light, but I will be your mirror so you can see it clearly."
"Can I make love to you, Izzy, will you let me claim you?"
"I don't think I have ever wanted anything more in my life," she admitted.
Slowly Oron stepped forward and lifted his hand to her face. He traced her lips with his thumb a
nd ran it down the column of her neck. She shivered at his touch.
He walked her backward until the back of her legs hit the mattress. Ever so slowly, he undid every button and zipper. Each movement was tender and done with a single-minded focus that was leaving her breathless.
When she stood before him in her bra and panties, he stepped back and began to undress himself. With her eyes locked on his hands, each action was done with precision, nothing was hurried or rushed. She could almost feel him savoring every single second of them coming together.
When he slipped his boxer briefs down his legs, she had to reach out a hand to grasp the bedding to steady herself. Standing before her, completely nude, her mate seemed more like a dream than reality. No human could ever look as beautiful. Her mind stalled, he wasn't human, he was fae and he was all hers.
She reached behind her back and unclasped her bra and shimmied out of her panties, letting them both drop to the floor. She found herself growing impatient at his slow progression. "Come to me, my mate," she said, holding out her hand.
In a single stride Oron was at her side and taking her hand, which he placed over his heart. Under her palm, she could feel it beating out of control. "It's a little worn and broken, but all the pieces are yours," he promised.
She reached down and brought his hand over to cover her heart. "Mine is a little battered, smoky, missing parts and impulsive, but if you want it, it's yours," she whispered.
Oron lifted her up and gently lay her on the bed. Before she could blink, he was lying beside her. He carefully began to run his hands down her chest, over her belly, across her hips until he cupped her mound. The heat from his hand had her squirming. With an evil grin, he curled his pointer and middle finger so they slid between her folds. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the pleasure that he was building within her. She expected him to breach her, but he never did. He just steadily rubbed either side of her clit until she was clutching the blankets with both hands. "Oron," she whispered harshly.
"Let go," he ordered.
She lifted her hips against him and her orgasm crashed through her. When she was done shuddering, he placed the tip of his finger on her clit and pressed down firmly. "What are you doing?"