My Protector

by Alanea Alder

"Yes, Aiden and I told them right away." Meryn nodded her head.

  "I'm willing to bet that Magnus doesn't know. He would have discussed this with me and would have barred Noctem Fall's city gates to prevent me from coming here." She put down the map and picked up one of the many pictures of a happy couple.

  "Sad isn't it? They were all expecting too," Meryn whispered.

  "Let's scan the pictures in and save them," she suggested.

  Meryn nodded and pulled a stack of jagged edged pages out of the scanner.

  Elizabeth frowned. "Meryn, what is that?" she asked pointing to the pages.

  Meryn turned and smiled. "My history book. The printed copy was so heavy I scanned the pages and made an ebook. Now I can read it on my phone." She pulled her phone out and showed her the reading app.

  "I'm impressed. Can you send that to me? Can you do others?" Elizabeth asked, looking at the clear pages on Meryn's phone.

  "Yeah, it's easy. The scanner does most of the work. We can create our own collection," she offered.

  "This is a really great idea Meryn. Our most recent generations are better at technology than most of the paranormal world. This would be a great way to get them to read about the history of our people." Elizabeth handed Meryn back her phone.

  "I'll put it on the To-Do list. I'm really liking this book, though. There's some very interesting stuff in here," she said with an evil grin.

  "Gods help us," Elizabeth muttered.

  "Mu-wa-ha-ha." Meryn wagged her eyebrows.

  "You goof! Scan those pictures and I'll create the database files."

  "Okay." Meryn started her project, leaving Elizabeth to her own thoughts.

  Why hadn't any of the other council members been informed? Or maybe it was just her uncle that had been left in the dark. She worked on creating the files needed so that when she contacted her uncle she would have all the facts.

  Before she knew it an hour had flown by and in the foyer she could hear the sounds of the men coming in. They immediately headed upstairs to shower, meaning lunch would be in the next half an hour.

  "I'm going to go jump in with Aiden. Even with the heat on I haven't been able to get warm from my adventure outside this morning," Meryn said standing and heading towards the door.

  "Not a bad idea, I haven't been able to get warm either," she confessed.

  "Better hurry, Gavriel always takes quick showers, though if you joined him, he may take longer," Meryn leered.

  "Go on you nut." Elizabeth shooed her away.

  When the door shut she pulled out her phone. She would have to be quick if Meryn was right, Gavriel would be looking for her soon.

  "Beth! How have you been pumpkin?" Her uncle answered on the first ring.

  "Fine, how are you?"

  "Can't complain. How's your vampire?"

  "Nearing his apex. I can't wait until it's over. I don't like seeing him vulnerable," she admitted.

  "Don't you worry darling. Even at his weakest your mate is still a force to be reckoned with."

  "I know but it still bothers me."

  "Is that why you called?"

  "No, it's not. I don't know how to put it so I'm just going to lay everything out," she started.

  "This doesn't sound good Bethy." Her uncle's voice sounded serious.

  "It's not, Uncle. Did you know that there have been kidnappings in and around Lycaonia?" she started.

  "Yes, that was shared at a council level last month. It's very concerning."

  "Did you know that more than twenty couples have disappeared, all concentrated around Lycaonia?" she asked.

  "What! No one has reported that. Where did you get your information?" he demanded.

  "Meryn, the woman I told you about, Unit Commander Aiden's new mate. She compiled a list of all suspicious disappearances in the area and then cross-referenced them with a list of paranormals living outside the city. Some have been classified as hiking accidents or animal attacks, but shifters don't have hiking accidents and they sure as hell don't experience animal attacks," she said vehemently.

  "You're right they don't. Why in the hell hasn't René reported this?" he said his voice filled with anger.

  "I don't know, but I also had an interesting conversation today with Sei Ryuu. Evidently he defended Meryn during her attack and somehow made the enemy visible. They haven't ventured in the house since then. He said this is indicative of a higher intelligence level. This new enemy is cunning and cautious. I've seen the warriors out here Uncle, they are training to fight blind. I know that Aiden would have cascaded this on to the other units around the country, but if the council members aren't aware of everything, I'm afraid that if there comes a time that the warriors need support that if the council doesn't have the full story, many lives could be lost." And that was her worst fear.

  Her uncle's curses filled her ear. "Do you want your name mentioned? I can keep you and Meryn out of this," he offered.

  Elizabeth thought about it for a moment. She didn't want to put Meryn at risk especially considering her condition, yet Meryn was one of the few who saw the bigger picture and could explain not only the report's results but also where the data had come from. She didn't care one way or the other about herself.

  "I'll let you use your best judgment. I know that you wouldn't put Meryn or me in danger recklessly."

  "Never, my darling girl. I'm going to let you go, I have a certain vampire elder in Lycaonia to call." His voice took on a hard edge.

  "Give him hell, Unky!" she cheered. She heard his chuckle.

  "Miss you every day Bethy," he admitted.

  "I'm doing you more good here than if I were there pouring your tea," she pointed out.

  "That's the Gods' honest truth. Bye baby."

  "Goodbye, Uncle."

  She exhaled and grinned. She wished she could be a fly on the wall of René Evreux's office. She loved it when her uncle lit into people; it was truly a thing of beauty. Smiling she walked out of the office and met up with her mate at the base of the stairs.

  "Darn, I was hoping to catch you in the shower." She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. She could feel the dampness of his hair and smelled the scent of his soap. He pulled her flush against him. She could feel his growing arousal against her belly.

  "I could always take another shower," he whispered behind her ear sending shivers through her body. Just then her stomach growled loudly. Chuckling, he pulled back.

  "Then again, I need to make sure my mate is fed. I wonder what's for lunch." He placed a warm hand on her back.

  "Ryuu said he was making beef stew. I've been smelling it all morning, I can't wait to eat!" she confessed.

  Together they went to the dining room. Keelan, Darian and Colton were already seated and stood as they entered. They all sat down together.

  "Now we just need Meryn and Aiden," Colton said, buttering another biscuit.

  "They may be a few minutes," Elizabeth informed them.

  Colton and Keelan groaned and both reached for another biscuit.

  A few minutes later a very satisfied looking Aiden and wet haired Meryn walked in. The men stood again.

  "Shower sex sucks," Meryn announced loudly.

  Colton started choking on his biscuit and Keelan and Darian just stared at her.

  Aiden blushed but continued grinning as they sat down.

  Elizabeth leaned forward dying to know what prompted that statement. "What happened?"

  "Slippery surfaces and not the good kind, one." Meryn started ticking off reasons on her fingers. "Water not a natural lubricant, two. Height differences, three. And I got a freaking charley horse right when..." Aiden covered her mouth at that point.

  Ahh. So someone had fun and someone didn't. Poor Meryn.

  Aiden removed his hand. "I'll make it up to you later baby." He said then kissed Meryn's temple.

  Meryn just grumbled and savagely sawed her biscuit in half before turning to her mate. "So which rooms are the trainees getting?"

  "There are
six master suites used by Colton, Darian, Keelan, Ryuu, us, and Gavriel and Elizabeth. On each floor there are three guest suites so I don't see any reason why each trainee can't have their own room. What that means, gentlemen, is that all of our storage space is about to disappear, so whatever you want to keep needs to be taken to the attic." Aiden turned to the fae. "Darian, can you tape off and designate storage space in the attic for everyone? We need to have the rooms cleared so that they can be made ready to be moved into by tomorrow." Aiden laid out the afternoon's working plans.

  Darian nodded. "It's probably a good idea to go through some of our old boxes anyway. I know I have stuff in one of the guest rooms that I probably haven't even thought about in decades. Whatever of mine doesn't fit upstairs I can always ship home to Éire Danu."

  "Home?" Meryn asked.

  "A fae's true home is always Éire Danu." Darian winked at her.

  "Oh." She shrugged.

  Ryuu rolled in a cart that held steaming bowls of a dark brown stew. Aiden turned to the squire. "Ryuu, can I ask that you help look after the trainees? They aren't children. They're grown men by human standards, but young in our world."

  "Of course. Do I send them to you for discipline?" Ryuu asked as he began to place bowls in front of everyone.

  Aiden shook his head. "If they are doing something that merits discipline go ahead and administer it, then send them to me. Then I can discipline them again. Most are old enough to have outgrown those kinds of hijinks, especially considering they are now assigned to a unit. If I'm not available you can send them to any Alpha Unit member," Aiden said.

  "I'm sure there won't be any issues," Ryuu said grinning.

  Aiden groaned. "You just jinxed us."

  Ryuu shrugged. "Be that as it may, I will make sure they understand that while they reside in this house they are to respect my rules."

  Aiden just nodded. "I trust your judgment."

  When Ryuu set the bowl down in front of her, she breathed in the savory aroma. She picked up her spoon and dug in. There was a burst of flavors in every bite.

  "Ryuu, this has to be the best stew I've ever had!" she exclaimed and wasn't lying. Growing up in a noble court she had always been exposed to the world's best, but nothing compared to this simple meal.

  Ryuu bowed. "Thank you. I am happy with it."

  The table was quiet as everyone devoured their lunch. Elizabeth smiled up at Ryuu when he placed a second bowl in front of her, taking the empty one. When she looked around everyone except Meryn was working on their second bowl.

  With a full stomach she leaned back and looked over to Aiden. She had waited until everyone was nearly done before bringing up the conversation with her uncle. "Aiden, I called my uncle today. I told him about what Meryn has shown me regarding the missing persons. As I suspected he had not been informed."

  The men stopped eating and looked at her.

  Aiden frowned. "That can't be right. Meryn and I took that to the council almost a month ago."

  "Aiden, if my uncle had known that so many shifters had disappeared around Lycaonia I would still be sitting in Noctem Falls." She raised an eyebrow at him. He sat back frowning.

  Gavriel turned to her. "What did he say he was going to do?"

  "He was going to call Elder Evreux as soon as he got off the phone with me. I imagine it was a one sided conversation," she grinned at the thought.

  Colton looked at Aiden. "Can we not even trust our own Elders anymore? What in the hell is going on?"

  Aiden shook his head. "I'm sure this is just another gaffe of Evreux's. He probably didn't think it was important to mention since it was shifters being taken and not vampires."

  Darian nodded. "I bet you're right, that sounds like him."

  Aiden looked at them all. "For now, let's not mention it outside of this room."

  The men nodded. Elizabeth noticed that she wasn't the only one who wasn't nodding. Meryn and Ryuu hadn't either.

  Aiden stood and clapped his hands together. "Okay people, those rooms won't clean themselves. Let's get started."

  Groaning the men stood and began to head upstairs.

  Meryn met her eyes. "It's just Evreux being a jerk."

  Elizabeth nodded. "I'm sure it is."

  They looked at each other. Elizabeth could see it in her eyes. Meryn didn't believe it either.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Elizabeth shared glances with Meryn as they watched the men walk back and forth carrying boxes to the attic. Even at his weakest Gavriel was toting weights she would never even attempt. Aiden and Colton were competing as to who could carry the most and Keelan was using spells to float the more awkward sized pieces up the stairs.

  Darian had to stop going to the attic as he kept hitting his head on the rafters, so he was carrying boxes from their respective rooms to the base of the attic steps for the others to carry up. Elizabeth and Meryn's eyes followed their mates as they walked by again, bicep muscles bulging.

  "Yum," Meryn murmured. Aiden looked at her suddenly and stumbled. Gavriel got caught up in Aiden's legs and he too went down. Both men sat up looking disgusted with themselves.

  Ryuu picked up the boxes that Aiden and Gavriel had been carrying effortlessly. Gracefully he stood and without saying a word headed towards the attic.

  "Seriously. Damn." Meryn stared.

  "You can say that again." Elizabeth nodded.

  "Seriously. Damn." Meryn repeated.

  Aiden growled and Gavriel hissed low, both men got to their feet and walked over to the women.

  "That was your fault," Aiden mumbled rubbing his chin on Meryn's head.

  "You don't want me to be sexually attracted to you?" she asked.

  Aiden kept his chin on her head and chomped his teeth causing Meryn's head to bounce around. She tried to get away but his quick hands reached out and tickled her ribs. Laughing she begged for mercy.

  Her mate had a much more direct approach. He pulled her into his arms and dipped her back. The second he captured her lips she was lost. He teased her until her entire body was vibrating. When he righted them his grin was satisfied and thoroughly wicked. Damn the man, he knew exactly what he did to her.

  "Sneaky vampire," she murmured into his chest.

  "I have to make sure I keep your attention." He kissed her temple.

  "Oh you have it."

  "Are you guys done playing? We have more boxes to carry," Colton called out.

  Aiden kissed Meryn before stepping away. "Coming!" he yelled back.

  Elizabeth looked at her mate. "Where are all your things?"

  "I maintain a home in the city where my things are stored. I like it better here though. Be right back," Gavriel whispered and walked towards their suite.

  She shook her head. Her mate had a whole other house and it didn't occur to him that she would want to see it. She stopped. What kind of space did he have there for a closet? Smiling, she continued to count the sheet sets in the linen closet with Meryn. After a few minutes they noticed the men had been gone a while.

  Meryn looked at her. "Where'd they go?"

  Elizabeth shrugged and was about to answer when she saw Gavriel walking down the hallway with something large in his hands that was draped with a sheet. The men walked behind him smiling mischievously.

  Meryn frowned. "Okay guys, what are you up to?"

  Darian stepped forward as spokesman. "We decided to go ahead and do this now, before the trainees got here so they wouldn't expect to be spoiled."

  Before either of them could ask what he meant, he carefully lifted the sheet.

  She heard Meryn gasp and couldn't blame her. Gavriel was holding a very detailed miniature dollhouse. Inside each room were chairs, tables and other furnishings.

  "It's for Felix. Gavriel got the idea after you moved in. Poor Felix always has to eat from a saucer. Nothing in the house fits him, poor little guy didn't even have a chair to sit in, so we made one. Well, Aiden did. He was in charge of furniture." Darian jerked his thumb to his commander.<
br />
  Aiden blushed and frowned. "No one should have to sleep in a damn shoebox," he mumbled.

  Elizabeth noticed that the faint twinkling she normally saw around Meryn was growing brighter and brighter.

  Darian continued. "I called a friend that lives in Éire Danu and told her how heroic our Felix had been, braving the cold to come get us when Meryn was attacked. The sprites couldn't do enough for him. They sent sheets, blankets and practically a whole new wardrobe. Of course our local sprites didn't want to be outdone. Elder Vi'Ailean has told me that they felt terrible that Felix had to move because he wasn't fitting in. They'll be sending over seedlings in the spring for our own greenhouse that we're building so that he has access to plants year round."

  Keelan stepped forward with a small box and opened it. Inside a tiny necklace lay nestled on white velvet. It was a simple green stone set in silver that hung from a silver chain. Blushing he lifted it up indicating to Felix that it was his. One second the necklace was there the next it was gone as Felix put it on.

  Keelan cleared his throat. "I've been working with Ryuu to create a perimeter that would make unseen things seen. If you turn the stone in its setting we'll be able to see and hear you, turn it back and you'll go back to being invisible," he explained.

  Elizabeth and the men all stared as the air in front of them shimmered for a second before a small, red haired sprite was revealed. His translucent wings veined in greens and purples beat furiously, keeping him hovering between them. Felix was crying silently, his bright green eyes rimmed red. He brought his forearm up to cover his face as he cried.

  Elizabeth dabbed at her eyes. Behind her Elizabeth heard Meryn sniffling as well.

  Felix uncovered his eyes and looked at the men. He swallowed hard.

  "Thank you. Thank you so much." His tiny voice was clear but conveyed the depth of his feelings. Elizabeth noticed that the men's eyes looked suspiciously misty.

  Felix hid his face and fumbled at the necklace, a second later he was gone again.

  "There, there sweetheart it's okay. You have to stop crying or I'll keep crying, Felix, and when I cry my nose gets stuffed up," Meryn complained, wiping at her own eyes as she comforted the small sprite.