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by Alanea Alder
Avery looked up at Warrick then tore into the box. When the lid opened and he moved aside the tissue paper his breath caught. Tears began to stream down his cheeks. Oron thought Avery was being emotional until he saw that Warrick wore a matching expression, his tears running unabashedly down his face. With trembling hands, Avery lifted a statue that seemed to glow from within.
"Oh my," Beth gasped.
Oron leaned in and was shocked at the detail captured in the delicate figurine. It looked like it was about to come to life at any moment.
"It was kinda my idea. I found that footage from when Warrick's douche cousin tried to attack you," Meryn explained.
"I found the stone; I knew it would be perfect for what we wanted to do. It is from Level Five too, so it seems fitting," Pip said, pointing to the brilliant colors of the opal-like stone.
"Nigel and I shaped it using our earth magic. If either you or Warrick touches the inscription it moves," Neil said, pointing to the small lettering at the base.
"And Felix helped us polish it, being so small, he was able to get into the delicate bits," Nigel added.
Avery gently touched the base, and the sculpture began to move. The figurine of Warrick dropped to his knees and took the likeness of Avery's hands in his own before kissing them. In response, Avery's figure brought their joined hands up before rubbing his cheek along Warrick's knuckles. After that, the figurine resumed its original position.
Warrick turned his head to one side and rested his cheek on top of Avery's blond curls, the giant unit warrior was absolutely undone. Around them, many of the men also looked moved to tears as the women wept openly.
Avery turned in Warrick's embrace. He very carefully passed the priceless sculpture to his mate before he turned and simply launched himself at his friends. He was sobbing and trying to thank them but was barely making any sense.
Meryn kept awkwardly patting him on the head while Nigel and Neil rubbed his back. Pip just wrapped his arms around all four of them and squeezed tight.
Oron stared, he had never seen such close bonds amongst different paranormals before, outside of his unit brothers.
"Do you doubt my earlier praise now?" Prince Magnus asked softly.
He shook his head. "I will never doubt Meryn again," he vowed quietly. Because as Warrick shared the marvel that was their gift with his fellow unit warriors, a human, a shifter, a sprite, two witches and a vampire gripped each other tightly as family.
CHAPTER TWO
Oron's heart broke as he took in the scene before him. After last night's display he knew exactly how hard this would be on both the menace and the adorable vampire.
He and those leaving for Éire Danu had made it as far as the Ledge before the small vampire began to have an epic meltdown. They quickly returned to the Grand Hall.
"I want to go!" Pip wailed, clinging to Meryn desperately.
Meryn kept swallowing hard as she tried to blink back tears. "Maybe we can open a portal right to the city?" She looked over to his brother hopefully.
Darian shook his head. "I could absolutely take Pip directly from the antechamber to Éire Danu, the only reason we were going via the Ledge was to show him the desert but..." he trailed off before turning to him.
Oron walked over and ruffled Pip's hair. "The fae city is all open-air kiddo."
Pip looked up at him with tear-streaked cheeks. "Why is it so open? What keeps the sky from falling down?" he asked pitifully, hiccuping between words.
Oron smiled down at him. "I'm afraid those questions are above my pay grade, but I can assure you, that in my thousands of years of living, I have never had the sky fall on me, not once."
Meryn nodded. "Me either, Pip."
Pip looked up at Meryn. "I cannot go, can I?"
Meryn frowned fiercely before turning to her mate. "Fix this!"
Aiden's eyebrows practically disappeared into his hairline. "Fix the sky?"
Sebastian wrapped an arm around Pip's shoulders. "You will be able to go, just not when Meryn leaves. Together you and I will work on getting you comfortable with being outside the city. Before you know it, you will be able to join Meryn and enjoy the hospitality of the fae," he said, in a reassuring, fatherly voice.
Magnus stepped up behind the young vampire and squeezed his shoulder. "I will help as well. This is not your fault Pip. The ones who raised you failed in their duties to acclimate you to the open sky at a young age, but rest assured, we will not fail you now."
Avery took Pip's hand. "We'll help too, won't we Warrick?"
Warrick smiled down at them. "Of course, we will."
Pip's lower lip was trembling as he stared at Meryn. "But she is my sister, she saved me. She covers me with blankets and feeds me."
Different emotions flew across Meryn's face. It was clear even to Oron that in the brief time she had been in Noctem Falls; she had miraculously opened her heart up to the three youngsters she claimed as brothers.
Meryn took a deep breath. "Here's what we're going to do. I'll head on to Éire Danu and set up our base, you know, somewhere we can game and watch TV. You work on being outside and when you're ready to join us, I'll have everything set up and I'll be able to show you around."
Pip sniffled. "Really?"
Meryn nodded. "Yup."
Oron watched as Nigel and Neil exchanged glances before turning to look at Kendrick who smiled and nodded at them. Neil stepped forward. "We'll stay with him Meryn. With everyone's help, he should be ready in no time at all."
Meryn looked relieved, though her eyes were sad. "That sounds like a plan. But I'm going to miss you guys and probably be real bitchy and cranky, so y'all will have to hurry, okay?"
The boys converged on Meryn, wrapping her up in a group hug. Meryn disappeared under their youthful exuberance. Aiden reached in between the bodies and lifted out a giggling Meryn. "Come on, baby, time to go."
Aiden looked at the twins. "He's in your care," he said, pinning them with a stern expression.
Nigel huffed. "Of course, he's our brother too, you know."
Aiden reached out and bopped Nigel's head around. "As Meryn is my mate, all three of you are my brothers. I don't want anything happening to any of you. So, keep the shenanigans to a minimum and hurry up and join us."
Nigel and Neil's eyes widened. "We never even thought of that," Neil whispered, before turning to his twin. "The Unit Commander is our brother now." Nigel grinned. "Does this mean we don't have to do drills anymore?"
Behind them, Colton laughed. "Sorry boys, but if I still have to do them despite pulling his hairy ass out of more than one scrape, you definitely still have to do them."
Aiden gave his best friend a flat look. "There better still be units in Lycaonia when I get home."
Colton shrugged. "No promises. Sascha let Emmy get herself into danger, I will need to impress upon him how upset I am about that."
Oron winced. Emmeline Albright was Colton's adorable younger cousin. She had wrapped Colton and Aiden around her finger the day she drew her first breath. The other Lycaonia unit warriors fell like dominoes when she started visiting during training. He truly felt sorry for Sascha, but not enough to intervene, he adored Emmy as well.
Aiden looked over to where Gavriel stood smirking next to Beth. "How long are you staying here again?"
Gavriel shrugged. "Just until things settle."
"Good luck with that," Vivi murmured under her breath. Etain turned away to hide his smile.
Magnus gave Aiden a cunning look. "I may take this opportunity to take a vacation, I have not had one in centuries."
Gavriel looked over at him startled. "What?"
Kari sighed. "Make it a short one, I still have not finished breaking you in."
Declan chuckled at Magnus' expression. Rex held up his fist and absently Declan bumped it. Rex grinned from ear to ear. "Told you I would get my fist bump before leaving the city."
Declan rolled his eyes at his brother, and Meryn gave Rex a thumbs up.
G
avriel stared at Magnus, eyes wide. "What?"
Beth patted him on the shoulder. "You'll be fine."
Adriel chuckled. "Better you than me." He pinned Micah with a fierce expression. "Do not embarrass us while you visit with your mate's family," he instructed.
"No promises," Micah grinned impishly, mimicking Colton. Serenity bumped hips with her mate playfully. "Be nice."
Both Adriel and Aiden exchanged commiserating pained expressions before Aiden turned to Gavriel. "Please return home quickly. Sascha may kill Colton before you get back. As he is my second in command to take over as Unit Commander, you are my second in command for the Alpha Unit, I kinda need both of you alive."
Rheia rolled her eyes. "I'll try to keep everyone from killing each other."
Aiden exhaled. "Thank you, Rheia."
Kendrick leaned over and kissed Meryn's cheek. "Anne and I want to check on Keelan, but we'll follow soon."
Ellie stood beside Grant, balancing Benji on her hip. "It won't be the same without you all here."
"Ya got that right," Eva Mae agreed.
Meryn smiled evilly. "I know I'll be coming back a lot, I needs muh Magic Pudding and meat kebobs."
Aiden just stared down at her. "Really?"
She nodded. "You have no idea."
Oron looked around. "Are we ready then?"
Darian nodded and opened the portal to Lycaonia. Waving, Kendrick and Colton along with their mates stepped through.
"We will miss you little human!" a voice called out.
Oron turned and was shocked to see that almost the entire Grand Hall had filled while they were talking.
"Just going to leave without saying goodbye missy?" An older vampire asked.
Meryn grinned. "It's not goodbye. I'll see you again when I crave my meat kebobs."
The older vampire laughed. "Anytime, youngster!"
Everywhere Oron looked unit warriors were smiling, wolf-shifters were waving and the children were jumping up and down. Had the entire city turned out and snuck up here to see them off?
Darian closed the Lycaonia portal and glanced back at them.
Sebastian clapped his hands together. "Okay, time to depart. The quicker you get to Éire Danu, the quicker you can return for a visit."
Aiden winced. "I would like to go home at some point."
Meryn shrugged. "It's better to travel before Meryn two-point-oh gets here, then we can hibernate at home for a while."
Aiden smiled. "I like that idea."
Oron bowed to his brother and stood. "Any time you're ready."
Darian winked. "Many thanks," he replied grandiosely. He held up the hand bearing the ring their mother gave him, and a golden portal opened. "Ladies and gentleman, after you."
One by one, the departing members said goodbye and stepped through the portal. The last ones to leave were his brother, himself, Aiden, Meryn and Ryuu.
Meryn turned to Sebastian her eyes pleading. Sebastian placed his fist over his heart. "I swear to you that Pip will be safe and well looked after."
She nodded once before Aiden stepped through, followed by Meryn, then finally Ryuu.
Oron turned to his brother. "Let's head home."
*****
Oron stretched and inhaled. The deep forest where they stood was completely different than the desert-city they just left. The air was rich with earthy smells and a light breeze danced through the trees.
Meryn looked around. "I expected more buildings."
Darian chuckled. "This isn't Éire Danu Meryn, this is the wooded area outside of Monroe, the closest human town to the established entry portal to Éire Danu."
"Why in the hell are we here? Are there ticks?" she demanded, looking at the underbrush.
Aiden scrubbed his hands over his face. "Liander, Rex, Jedrek and Catherine will head to the city. We'll be taking a slight detour to the Vanguard camp outside the town to verify their non-feral status so they can security check others. One of the problems with them signing up for your app, I discovered, is that the Vanguard squads in this area are pretty spread out, so without one being verified, it would be hard to get the ball rolling," he explained.
"Why didn't some of the fae unit warriors from Éire Danu verify them?" Meryn asked.
"They just got city-wide Wi-Fi by copying your setup from Noctem Falls, most of the fae warriors are still setting up their own profiles. Since we're here, it's easier for us to knock the local Vanguard out in one go," Aiden said, stretching his arms over his head.
Jedrek stepped forward. "I will do what I can to get our fair city ready for your arrival, but I have a feeling we will be woefully ill-prepared."
Catherine cuffed the back of her mate's head. "What he means to say, is that we will be hard pressed to adequately greet such an amazing person as yourself Meryn."
Rex grinned openly at his father's chagrin before turning to Aiden. "I'll let the other unit warriors know you're coming. I'm sure they will be excited to meet with you."
"I'd appreciate that," Aiden said, clasping forearms with the lion shifter.
Liander bowed. "Until we see you in the Land of Eternal Sun."
Oron inclined his head as the smaller group headed east.
Micah waltzed over and placed a hand on Meryn's head before whispering a spell. Once finished, he ruffled her short curls. "Serenity and I will be staying with you Dewdrop. To security check a squad you need at least four unit warriors, so this frees up Gavriel and Colton to do their other duties. That spell should keep the bugs off you until we reach the fae city."
Meryn sighed in relief. "Thanks, I'm not trying to get eaten out here."
Law looked around. "Our escort to the Vanguard camp should be here soon."
Amelia edged closer to Micah. "About that bug spell."
Micah spun and wrapped an arm around Amelia. "But of course, my Dewdrop's big-sister cousin. Bugs have no right to nibble on your delicate self." He whispered the spell and Amelia smiled. "Thank you."
Micah beamed before swaggering up to his own mate who was crouched down a branch in hand. "Do you need my help too, my one and only?"
She looked up from where she was examining a particular set of leaves. "Of course not Micah, you know I can do my own spells for that." She went back to looking at the vegetation.
Micah grabbed at his chest. "Shot down in the prime of my life!" he exclaimed.
Serenity didn't even turn back. "Micah, come here and look at this fern, I've never seen anything like it," she replied, ignoring his histrionics.
"Yes, dearest," Micah said sensibly, before dropping down next to his mate.
Darian was still scowling at the witch when he turned to Amelia. "I will get you a fae charm to repel insects when we reach Éire Danu."
Amelia giggled. "There's my frowny face," she teased.
Oron shook his head in wonder. Growing up, he had seen many mated pairs, but in all his years he had never seen couples so finely in tune with each another as his fellow unit warrior brothers and their mates. He thought back to his dreams and sighed; he could only pray he would meet his little disaster soon.
"I should send some of these to Laelia and Radclyffe so they can press them into our journals," Serenity said, standing with the ferns in hand.
Micah turned to them. "Can we do this once we reach Éire Danu?"
Oron looked at them. "Quite easily, there's a courier service dedicated to deliveries between the pillar cities."
Micah nuzzled his mate's neck. "Thinking about home?" Serenity nodded silently.
"I can open another portal now to Storm Keep if that is what you wish," Darian offered.
Serenity shook her head. "The Witches' Council stripped me of my position as Head of the Water temple and banned me from Storm Keep," she whispered, almost as if speaking the very words caused her pain.
"Why on earth would they do that?" Oron demanded.
She met his eyes. "Because I disobeyed them and went to Noctem Falls to assist with the virus. Thank the gods they listene
d to Troy. He told them he would flat out quit if Laelia and Radclyffe weren't allowed to return. So, the council deemed that they were influenced by me to act and they were accepted back to their positions, with Troy being promoted to Temple Head," she chuckled. "And he is not happy about it one bit. I am getting emails from him daily, complaining about how hard it is to get anything done while hogtied by council rules and regulations. It would not surprise me in the least to hear one day that Troy has flooded the council chambers in a fit of frustration."
Oron groaned. "That's what the queen meant when she said Allia and Ailain were in a tizzy. Zach was on a rampage and they were scheming along with him. I kinda feel sorry for the Witches' Council, they set off the fae twins."
Serenity laughed. "I think it all worked out for the best. This way I can design and grow the healing center Magnus wants at Noctem Falls. Marjoram and I were drooling at the budget he gave us. But as much as we want to race out and get everything we need; we are taking this slow and planning every step so it's done properly."
"Anything you do will be perfection," Micah assured her.
A familiar warrior jogged over to them from up the worn path. "Commander McKenzie, welcome to Monroe!"
Oron stepped forward. "Commander, this is Liam Donahue, wolf-shifter and longtime Vanguard squad member for Monroe."
Aiden clasped arms with the warrior. "Well met."
Liam stepped back. "Gods, you look like your father."
Aiden grinned. "So I have heard."
Liam pointed back up the trail. "Let me show you to the Vanguard compound."
"Compound?" Meryn asked.
Liam looked down at her. "Are you the Menace?"
She nodded. "I am."
"Just a word of warning, tales of your exploits have reached our remote and humble facility, you're kinda famous," Liam explained.
Meryn eyed him. "Like celebrity famous or serial killer famous?"
"Hmmm, maybe a celebrity falsely accused of being a serial killer famous."
Meryn brightened. "Awesome."
Aiden shook his head. "Baby, that's not awesome."
"So awesome," she repeated, following Liam.