by Alanea Alder
Kendrick raised his right hand to the ceiling and a pulse wave swept the room as both the barrier and soundproofing spell was released.
Slowly everyone made their way to the queen's chambers and collapsed into any chair or sofa they could reach. Pierce and Cord headed to the kitchen to start the tea as Izzy stared out over the room.
"Meryn, sweetheart, it's okay," Aiden whispered as Meryn's eyes began to flutter open.
She looked around then up at her mate. "It was real?"
Aiden nodded. "Yes, baby, it was real."
Meryn turned her head and her eyes roamed until they landed on the chaise where Brennus sat with his mate and brothers. She smiled softly. "I guess you are my Uncle and Aunt," she announced. She gave everyone a wobbly smile. "He called me his Merriment, not Menace. I'm not bad," she whispered.
Brennus' eyes widened and he stood. He went over to kneel down in front of Meryn. "I have a baby niece."
"We have a baby niece," Celyn reminded him. "Thank the gods I'm the Elder for Lycaonia, I get to visit her whenever I want," he bragged. Vivian swatted his arm. "Celyn, that's not nice," she smiled. "Even though it's true."
Meryn looked over to Amelia. "Is she okay?"
Darian nodded as he continued to rub Amelia's back. Kendrick was now the one standing at her side. He placed a hand on her shoulder and slowly her face became less pained. Finally, she exhaled and opened her eyes. "It was a bit intense there for a moment," she said weakly.
"I could have done that," Thane groused, shooing Kendrick away from Amelia.
Kendrick pointed down. "My godsdaughter."
Thane pointed. "My sister."
Kendrick shrugged. "Fine, I'll go help Meryn."
Thane growled. "That's my godsdaughter."
Kendrick threw his hands in the air. "And she's my..." He paused and turned back to Meryn. "What are we anyway?"
Aiden collapsed back on the sofa looking drained. "Gods, they are alike. That sounded like a Meryn question."
Meryn looked up at Ryuu. "How does this work?"
Ryuu rubbed his chin. "You adopted his cousins as your brothers, but your tie to him was established before you met the twins."
Amelia clapped her hands together excitedly. "Oh! I know! He's your big brother-cousin!"
Meryn nodded. "Okay, that is kinda perfect. Let's do that. You're my big brother-cousin."
Kendrick gave Thane a shit-eating grin. "I'm her big brother-cousin."
"What does that make Thane and Kendrick?" Meryn asked.
"An asshole," they both said at the same time.
Cord and Pierce came back in with trays. Cord looked around. "There's enough for everyone."
When Pierce brought a tray around, Oron shook his head. Pierce looked at her and she gave a quick shake as well. If he wasn't having any, neither was she.
"Oh, I like this. It's stronger than the Blessed Chamomile," Meryn said, leaning back into Aiden, holding her cup.
Ryuu's pinched features relaxed as he released her wrist. "You're doing much better."
Meryn closed her eyes. "That was my mom and dad, huh?"
When Oron stood and walked over to Meryn, Izzy followed.
Meryn peeled one eye open. "What?"
Oron knelt down and bowed his head. "Meryn, I am so sorry."
Meryn handed her cup to Aiden and had Ryuu help her up. Once standing Oron looked up at her, Izzy could see the fear of condemnation in his eyes.
Meryn took a deep breath and slapped Oron across the face, the cracking sound silenced the room. Aiden quickly stood and set the cup down on the table. Like Aiden, Izzy was about to step in when she noticed the look on Meryn's face.
"Don't you dare say you're sorry as if you were somehow responsible for any of this. My Dad loved you, he called you son, so don't you belittle yourself that way. We're family."
Oron's eyes streamed tears as he stood. He took a single step back before placing a fisted hand over his heart and bowed low.
"Meryn, I swear to you by all our gods, that I will see my family pay for the pain they've caused."
Thane, Justice, Law, and Cristo placed their hands over their hearts. "So do we swear," they repeated.
Oron looked shocked. She tugged on his sleeve. "What?"
Aiden answered. "They have also taken on his oath; they are promising to help him see it through."
Thane nodded. "So will Rio and Ange, if their dumbasses ever find their way here."
Oron turned to him. "You didn't have to..."
Thane held up a hand. "We will complete Eamon's mission. He died getting us this information, we will finish what he could not."
Izzy rubbed her nose back and forth on his upper arm. "Just say thank you," she suggested.
"Thank you," he said, his voice catching.
"Can you replay spheres?" Meryn asked in a small voice.
Brennus smiled. "Yes, we can watch it again whenever you wish."
Aiden made Meryn sit back down and joined her. He handed her the tea and snuggled her close. "Why don't you just rest for now?"
The other men returned to their chairs and this time when Oron sat down, he chose the loveseat closer to his family. He pulled her down to sit next to him and tucked her close to his body.
The queen tapped the crystal near her chair and a few moments later, there was a knock on the door and Portia entered.
"Yes? Your Majesty."
"Can you take the following announcements down?"
"Of course," Portia unrolled her scroll and it hung in mid-air as she readied her quill. "Ready when you are."
"Please announce that I am calling all my children home. This is an order and not a request. We will make every effort to make the relocation as painless as possible, but time is of the essence."
Portia nodded and the queen continued. "We are also announcing that Darian Vi'Alina has been confirmed as my heir, he will be the next king." Portia nodded as if she had been expecting that for some time. "I'd also like to add the following birth announcement. Thirty-five years ago, Meryn Eirlea was born to Eamon and Violet Vi'Eirlea. Meryn was raised in the human world and has recently mated to Aiden McKenzie. She will be designated second in line for the throne."
Portia's eyes bulged as she dropped her quill.
Darian dropped his head back on his shoulders. "Mother, can't we just keep this to ourselves for a while longer?"
Brennus rubbed his chin. "Should she be Meryn Vi'Eirlea?"
Doran shrugged. "Makes little difference to me who carries the title of head of household. Just let me know if I should be Li' now."
Meryn sat forward. "What the what?" She set her tea down. "If y'all are making major announcements and stuff I need coffee, not coma tea." She turned to Brennus. "And never mind about the Vi' thing. I'm Meryn McKenzie."
Aiden gave a single emphatic nod. "Exactly."
The queen turned to Meryn. "Darling, fae royalty outranks a possible Elder status for Aiden."
Meryn crossed her arms. "I like being a McKenzie."
Aiden beamed. Meryn continued. "The alliteration is cool. Meryn McKenzie, two m's."
Aiden looked crestfallen. "That's why?"
She shrugged. "Besides loving you to pieces? Yeah."
The queen turned to her mate. "She really doesn't care about rank."
Brennus looked confused. "Months of following her on Facebook and you're just now figuring that out?"
Portia picked up her quill. "Should I still make that announcement?" she asked, sounding more composed.
The queen nodded. "Regardless of what name she ends up with, I want the world to know she is tied to our family. I want her to have every layer of protection her station affords."
Behind them, Celyn had collapsed to one side laughing uncontrollably. Vivian looked down at her mate, open-mouthed. "Celyn, what on earth?"
Every time Celyn went to speak, he just began laughing again. Finally, he calmed down enough to speak. "Renee is going to swallow his tongue the first time he has to call
her Lady," at the declaration he exhaled. "I can't wait to get back."
Meryn began to giggle. "Elder Vi'Ailean, you're awesome."
Celyn sat up frowning. "That's Uncle Cel to you, young lady."
Meryn covered her mouth with her hands. "Kick-ass," she whispered.
Aiden stood. "Meryn, will you be okay for a little bit?"
She nodded. "Why?"
"I need to tell mom and dad before the announcement goes out."
Her eyes widened. "Good idea."
Aiden leaned down, kissed her forehead, then walked to the far side of the room for his phone call.
"I don't mean to bring up something painful," Izzy started. "But didn't her parents say they did everything they could to keep her a secret? Should we be making an announcement?"
Meryn shrugged. "The bad guy knows who I am, so I don't think it matters at this point."
Thane scowled. "What bad guy?"
Meryn smiled. "The demon that almost killed me when I interrogated DeLaFontaine in Noctem Falls. He took me into a dream state, stopping my heart, but in the end, he said he thought he liked me and that playing with me would be fun." She beamed at everyone.
Izzy may have been new to this world, but even she knew that Meryn had just dropped a bomb of epic proportions.
Kendrick just chuckled at Meryn's cluelessness as everyone else began to unravel.
Portia turned to the queen. "I will make the announcements you have specified and leave you to figure out the rest," she said, looking wan.
The queen nodded absently and Portia quickly left the room. The queen then stared at Meryn. "A demon said you were fun?"
Meryn shrugged. "Yeah, what a weirdo."
Amelia crossed her arms. "Forget to tell me that?" she asked fuming.
Meryn gave her big sister-cousin an exasperated look. "Do you have any idea the amount of shit we had to deal with in Noctem Falls? I would have told you sooner, but then we had Avery's ceremony, then leaving, then going to the camp, then coming here. We've been fucking busy."
Izzy looked up at her mate. "Demons are real?"
Oron looked a bit spooked himself. "Evidently."
Aiden returned looking exasperated himself. He glowered at Celyn. "My mother is pissed at you by the way."
Celyn looked gobsmacked. "What could I have possibly done to anger your mother?"
Aiden sat beside Meryn. "You're here, which means my father is stuck in Lycaonia so that Renee isn't the only Elder in the city. And of course, since my father can't come, neither can my mother and she wants to hug Meryn." He sat back and closed his eyes. "I'd rather face ferals than my mother right now."
Vivian chuckled. "I'll call her later to let her know we hugged Meryn in her stead and I'll forward along a nice gift from Éire Danu. That way, my mate will have a fifty-fifty chance of being mauled when we go home."
Celyn looked at his mate. "I thought you were on my side."
Vivian gave him a sweet smile. "She's one of my best friends, I'm on both your sides."
Stefan turned to Darian. "Darian, can you open a portal for me? I'm going to head back to Noctem Falls and update Magnus personally." Darian nodded.
Meryn held up a hand. "Hold up mutt. You're not going anywhere until you explain how you knew me."
Brennus turned to Cristo. "How did you know to look for the spheres?"
Meryn crossed her arms over her chest. "Get to talking."
CHAPTER TWELVE
Cristo smiled at Meryn. "Stefan knew your scent because he had met you before, we both have." He held his hand up about two feet off the floor. "You were about this big when Stefan and I found your father. My little brother decided to tag along when I went searching for my friend, that's how he ended up meeting you, Eamon and your mother."
Meryn scowled at Stefan. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Cristo held up a finger. "Because he never knew your name. Your mother said it was safe for us to meet as long as we never knew your names. In fact, she said it was important that Stefan met Meryn, she said it would help her later."
Kendrick sighed. "I wish I could have known Violet Vi'Eirlea. I have never met anyone, witch or no, who had so many detailed and accurate premonitions."
Stefan looked confused. "Why was it important that I meet her?"
Cristo took pity on his brother. "Why is Meryn sitting here? Why did I go to Noctem Falls?" Stefan blinked and Cristo continued. "You acted as the link between Meryn and me. Between the past and the present. You knew her scent, but couldn't place it but you also associated it with me, which had me curious. So, I go to Noctem Falls and I remembered exactly where I knew her scent from because she smelled like Eamon to me. I wasn't one hundred percent sure you were Eamon's child, but I couldn't say anything since Eamon made me swear not to discuss you or your mother to anyone outside of Éire Danu."
Brennus' face was like a thundercloud. "You could have damn well told us!"
Cristo stood anger in his eyes. "Told you what exactly? Oh, hey Brennus, I know you are mourning your older brother, but guess what? He also had a mate and the most beautiful baby girl I've ever seen, and gee they also died in the fire." He pointed a finger at Brennus. "You didn't know! You didn't mourn them!" He pounded his own chest. "I did!" He let his arm fall to his side. "You were hurting enough, I couldn't add to your pain," he said, hanging his head.
"But I didn't die," Meryn said.
Cristo looked up. "The ones responsible for the fire spelled it so that when it burned, there were no remains. We had nothing to entomb, so I assumed you had perished with them. The enemy even left a few dead ferals in the yard to make us believe they died in a random attack. I swear to you Meryn, had I even the slightest inkling that you lived I never would have stopped looking for you. I would have come to Éire Danu, told your uncles, rallied an army and launched a worldwide search for you," he vowed.
"Her disappearing saved her life. Had she come to Éire Danu, that demon would have found her," Kendrick hypothesized.
Aleksandra looked at him. "What makes you say that?"
Kendrick pointed to Meryn. "The demon told her that witches warned him of her, that he'd been searching for her. Had she come here and taken on a royal name; she never would have lived past ten years old." He grimaced and turned to Meryn. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, but going to your grandmother may have also been another layer of protection. By ignoring you, she kept your very name out of the ether, you couldn't have been more hidden."
Meryn gave a slow nod. "Until I met Aiden."
"Yes, until you were claimed and took your place in our world. That is when it seems the wheels began turning," Kendrick surmised.
"It also explains why my Aunt Lily didn't know about me even though she met up with my mother after my birth." She looked at Cristo. "Why in the hell did she say her name was Evans?"
Cristo laughed. "They pulled it from a hat. Vi'Eirlea is an obvious fae name if you know what to look for, and since House Eirlea was tied to the throne, they couldn't even use that abbreviated version."
"I had a fake fucking name my whole life?" Meryn exclaimed.
Izzy shrugged. "Evans isn't a bad name though. You could have gotten stuck with something weird."
"Or the name of a family known for treachery and murder," Oron whispered.
Meryn snapped her fingers. "I know! Make him Vi'Eirlea instead of me," she said, pointing to Oron. "My dad obviously cared about him and Darian, he even called Oron son. I don't think he'd mind."
Brennus stood and looked to Doran who was grinning from ear to ear. "Meryn, that is a brilliant idea!" He frowned. "Why did we never think of it?"
Oron tensed under her hands. "You can't be serious," he whispered.
Brennus whipped around to face him. "Of course, I'm serious. Your mother is making Darian her heir. I will adopt you into my family and make you head of our house." He jerked his thumb to his chest. "I'm the queen's consort. I'm basically eye candy for her and I snarl at anyone who needs to step bac
k in line."
The queen pinched between her eyebrows. "Brennus, really."
He continued. "The rank of head of house is wasted on me." He pointed to Doran. "He is blissfully happy being in charge of the royal guards and eschews all forms of responsibility."
"Sad, but true," Doran confirmed.
Brennus walked over and pulled Oron to his feet. "Meryn has already declared she will remain a McKenzie, so you take nothing from her. I feel like I have done nothing for you as your adopted father. Please let me do this," he pleaded.
Oron stared. "You're begging me to take your name? One of the most respected and venerated names in our world and you're begging me to take it." Oron looked back at her. She stood and took his hand. "It's your choice, my love. You'll always be Mr. Pokie to me."
Oron stared at Brennus, then her words sunk in. He leered down at her. "You do remember last night."
She winked. "What do you want to do? What would make you happy?"
Oron turned back to Brennus. "Are you certain? I would be more than happy with Li'Eirlea."
Brennus pulled him into a fierce bear hug. "Of course, I'm certain! And given what our future looks like, you need the higher rank more than either me or Doran do."
Oron rested his forehead on Brennus' shoulder. "I would be honored to be a part of your family."
Brennus stepped back and cuffed him. "You're already family, son."
Oron glanced over to Cord who gave a nod. Taking a deep breath, Oron looked Brennus in the eye. "May I call you father?"
Brennus gave an undignified whoop and began to repeatedly pound Oron on the back. "Damn right, you can. Aleks! He wants to call me father," Brennus announced.
Aleksandra dabbed at her eyed. "Yes, dear. I heard." She stood and pulled them both into a fierce hug. "Go make it official before I call Portia back to make the announcement."
Brennus took Oron's hand and began to drag him toward the courtyard. "We'll be right back!" Brennus called back to her, as Doran and Darian raced after them.
Izzy and Amelia exchanged looks before Izzy asked. "What are they doing?"