My Commander (Bewitched and Bewildered #1) (6 page)

"Aiden is right, you know. I had no choice in coming here. I thought I had a bad case of wanderlust but now I know what it was. It was a relentless driving force. If something like Fate took the trouble to uproot me and move me here I doubt she would let anything happen to your mate before getting her here." Gavriel looked at her his eyes unreadable.

"Do you really think so?"
 

Meryn didn't hesitate before nodding. "Absolutely. Especially considering how many books and DVDs I had to pack. My sci-fi collection alone was like ten boxes. Trust me, you have no idea how hard Fate had to work to keep me focused long enough to pack my shit. I kept wanting to stop and read a book or watch a movie I hadn't seen in years." The strain lifted from the vampire's face.

"Thank you Meryn. I do feel better knowing what Fate must have gone through to get you here." There was a trace of a faint smile on his lips.

"You're welcome." Meryn smiled, then thought about it. "Wait. Was that a compliment?" She frowned. Colton swallowed a chuckle. Gavriel smiled at her.

"I believe it was a compliment my dear. Fate, after all, has decided you were worth the effort." Adelaide injected. Gavriel nodded.

"Oh, okay." Meryn turned so that she was facing Aiden. "After we go shopping, can we go get my stuff? I've pretty much accepted the fact that I'm not nuts and y'all aren't lying. So I guess I'm sticking around for a while."

"You mean forever." Aiden said in a gruff voice.

"So the rumors are true. My baby brother has found his mate." A deep voice rumbled from the doorway. Meryn turned and to her surprise two men who looked eerily identical to Aiden stood smirking at them.

"Meryn, please ignore the pair of grinning fools that are my older brothers. Adam is the ugly one on the left and Adair is the uglier one on the right."
 

"There are three of you?" She could tell they were related since they all looked just like Byron. Dark black hair and piercing blue eyes. Adam was just as tall as Aiden at six foot six, but with a much leaner build. Adair was shorter at six foot four but more muscled through the chest. Adam had kind eyes and Adair had a teasing smile. She couldn't help waving at them.

"There are four of us." A voice called out from behind the two brothers.

"Move out of the way, she wants to meet the sexy one." The voice was light and sounded younger than the other two. Adam and Adair stepped into the kitchen to make way for yet another man. Meryn couldn't help but stare. The last brother was as tall as Adair at six foot four, but that is where the similarities to his brothers ended. This one clearly took after his mother. He wore his long blond hair back in a ponytail and his brown eyes were warm and inviting. He was like the Greek Adonis come to life. He moved forward until he was able to pluck her hand from Aiden's grasp and kiss her knuckles. Aiden growled at his brother.
 

"My name is Benjamin. I'm afraid mother ran out of 'A' names and gifted me with a 'B' name like father." He winked at her devilishly. She giggled up at him and Aiden pulled her close.

"Mine!" he growled. Benjamin placed a hand over his heart and gave a low bow.

"Of course brother. I was just admiring your beautiful mate. I can only hope that Fate is as kind to me when picking out my future snuggle muffin." He gave an exaggerated sigh. Adelaide laughed.

"Quit teasing your brother. As you can probably tell, he's the youngest." Adelaide patted Benjamin's cheek when he walked over to kiss her good morning.

"Are you all warriors?" Meryn asked. She felt Aiden tense. Adam shook his head.

"Adair and I are somewhat of a scandal. I turned down becoming father's heir and taking over as Unit Commander and eventually Council Elder. It's still unheard of to reject your family legacy, but I had no desire to become a warrior. I left Lycaonia, and studied medicine. I now operate the clinic that takes care of the unit warriors." Adam explained.

"I didn't want to command either. Until Aiden accepted I'm sure that Adam and I had been close to giving father a complex. His sons didn't want to take after him." Adair gave a booming laugh.

"I was hoping at least one of you would want to inherit. I knew that you each would have to find your own paths. Well, except for Ben. I fear he is determined to remain a little boy forever." Byron scowled at his youngest, who blew his father a kiss in response.

"I turned down Unit Commander to take over as Head Master at the training academy." Adair explained.

"And I am a warrior with the Gamma Unit, I serve under Sascha Baberiov." Benjamin added.

"I'll phone him later to recommend extra drills for you." Adair teased.

"Sirs, ladies. Breakfast is ready to be served. In light of the large party I have set the dining room table." Marius announced. Meryn was set down on her feet. She tried to peek over to the stove, but servant after servant was streaming by carrying the food away to be served in the dining room.

"Come on sweetheart, let's get something to eat and then we can visit the city.

"Sounds good." Meryn's stomach filled with butterflies when Aiden reached down and took her hand. It was a simple gesture, but it felt right. When he looked down Meryn could tell he was staring at her flushed cheeks. He squeezed her hand tighter and led the way.

*****

Meryn felt a twinge of guilt when they walked outside and she saw the state of his trunk. When she saw that he was watching her, she grimaced and he blushed.

"Sorry about putting you in the trunk." Aiden paused in opening her car door to apologize. Meryn blinked.
 

"I was just about to apologize for denting your car." Meryn sat down and waited for him to get in. When he was in he turned to her.

"I'll have Darian fix it. He's a genius with any type of craft. I think it's the fae blood." He ran his hand over his thigh, wiping his palms. If Meryn didn't know any better she would say he was nervous. How adorable!

"So what do you do for fun?" Meryn looked out the window and watched the scenery fly by. It was hard to believe there was an entire city beyond the trees that humans didn't know about it.

"I work out." Aiden licked his lips.
 

"Of course you do." Meryn made a mental note to introduce him to her X-Box.

"How do you keep humans from knowing about all this?" Meryn pointed to the juncture of the road that opened up to an intersection where they could go left, right or straight.

"The witches and fae renew a glamour spell every year at the winter solstice. After they complete the spell everyone goes to the Council Manor for the Midwinter Ball." Meryn felt her stomach knot.

"Balls, like with poofy dresses and dancing and tiny sandwiches that don't fill you up?"
 

Aiden's head turned and he looked at her in surprise. "Yeah, I thought all women loved those things."

"Not this one. Do I have to go?"

"Since I'm Unit Commander and my father's heir, it's expected of me to be there. As my mate it's expected for you to be there."

"Do I have to go?" Meryn repeated, feeling ill thinking about it. Aiden chuckled.

"I'll make sure you aren't left alone. We have the All Hallows' Eve Ball coming up soon, it will give you an idea of what to expect for Midwinter." Meryn placed a hand over her stomach. She felt woozy.

"I hate people."

"You know with the kicking, screaming and assaulting people with toilet pieces I would never have guessed." Aiden snarked.

"Har, har. You're so funny. Seriously, can I just send a plate of cookies or something?"

"Sorry darling, but you're high society now."

"Bugger that!" Aiden glanced at her, then back to the road.

"I better warn my mother about tomorrow." Aiden grimaced. Meryn turned to face him.

"Why?"

"Because she is planning to introduce you to her sewing circle. All the founding family matriarchs will be there." He looked apologetic.

"I think I'm going to be sick." She closed her eyes and leaned back in the seat.

Aiden parked and turned the car off. She heard him turn towards her.

"Just smile and nod. My mother will do most of the talking. I have a feeling Daphane Bowers will be monopolizing the afternoon anyway. Her daughter-in-law is pregnant so she will be milking that for every scrap of attention she can get for a while." Meryn opened her eyes and lifted her head.

"So she's preggers. Big deal. They'll probably do one of those diaper cakes or something. I guess I can smile and nod, but I'm bringing my laptop. I can't sew for shit."
 

Aiden gave her a funny look.
 

"I don't think you understand. Being pregnant is a true blessing. Witches can only conceive during the winter solstice, vampires during the spring equinox, shifters at summer solstice and fae during the fall equinox. It's why each equinox and solstice is a huge celebration for us. As each of the four races can only conceive during these times, their children are usually born during a corresponding holiday. Witches are born around the fall equinox; vampires during the long, dark winter solstice; shifters around the spring equinox when most animals are born; and the fae around the summer solstice, at the height of summer when everything is in full bloom. Each race only has a certain time of the year that they are fertile and even then it's not guaranteed that the couple will conceive. After conception only about sixty percent of all pregnancies make it to full term. It's kept our numbers pretty low."
 

There was a sadness in his eyes that she wished she could erase.

"That must be hard. I'll make sure that I properly 'Ooooh' and 'Aaaah' at the appropriate moments." Meryn promised.

"You really are anti-social aren't you?"

"I like the guys and your family. But I don't like being fake or being polite to assholes."
 

Aiden's mouth twitched. "Tomorrow should be interesting."

"I'll be good. Promise." She looked around. "Where are we?"

"This is the Council Manor. My father let me know that the council wanted to speak to me this morning at breakfast. He left about a half an hour before we did to let them know we were coming."

"Is it okay that I go in?" She gawked up at the imposing building. It looked like the Library of Congress. Meryn watched the people walk by their parked car. The men were wearing official looking robes that gaped to reveal pressed and perfectly tailored suits and cravats. The women were visions of gentility in fall-colored full length dresses. She glanced down at her
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
tee-shirt with her hoodie tied haphazardly around her waist. She glared at Aiden. He didn't even seem to notice. Damn the man. She hated sticking out. Aiden straightened his tie and pulled a military type hat from the backseat. Of course,
he
fit right in with his uniform. He opened his car door.

"Father said it shouldn't take long, they just want me to look into something. Then we can go explore the city." Aiden took her hand. "Ready?"
 

"I guess so."
 

He kissed her hand before letting it go and then got out of the car. He walked around and scowled down at her as she opened her own door, refusing to wait for him. She stuck her tongue out and he surprised her by laughing. Since he was constantly frowning, it made her feel good that she could make him laugh.

Meryn appreciated that Aiden took her hand and was leading the way otherwise she knew she would have run into something. The outside of the building was nothing short of amazing, but the inside took her breath away. The stone architecture peaked in rounded archways. The exterior windows tossed rainbows of color on the floors and walls with its stained glass. Statues and old oil paintings decorated the walls. Aiden literally pulled her along as she looked around in childlike wonder. When they turned the corner Meryn gasped.

"What?" Aiden asked.

Meryn stared at the statue in front of them.

"Don't blink. Don't even blink." She whispered.

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Aiden looked around trying to identify a possible hidden threat.

"You blink and you're dead." Meryn stared at the two large stone angel statues on either side of a heavy looking wooden door unblinking. Aiden's hand went to his sidearm.

"Meryn that is just a statue."

"But what if it isn't? I mean up until this week I didn't think paranormals existed and now you're all over the fucking place. I can't take the chance." Meryn continued to stare at the statue.

"Why don't I ever understand a word that comes out of your mouth? It's like you're not even speaking English!"

"Oh my God, what if the Doctor is real too! That would be awesome!" Meryn felt Aiden pulling her closer to the doors, she refused to take her eyes off of the statues.

"I give up! There's something wrong with you." Meryn could hear the exasperation in his voice.

"You just don't speak geek. That's okay, I can train you." Meryn closed one eye, then the other. Then opened them quickly. The statues remained statues.

"These might not be dangerous." She let out a relieved sigh.

"You think?" Aiden asked acerbically. Meryn turned her attention to the highly polished dark wood doors in front of them.

"Those are some impressive looking doors. Is it to keep us out, or them in?" Aiden closed his eyes and looked like he was mentally counting to ten.

"Most days to keep us in. Come in Aiden, let us meet your clever mate." A voice called from beyond the doors. Meryn covered her mouth with her hands. She kept forgetting about paranormal hearing. Aiden peered down at her, a smile twitching on his lips. He lifted the large iron ring and pulled the door open. Meryn watched as his biceps flexed under his long sleeved uniform shirt.
Yum
.
 

They walked on a soft red carpet up to a long wooden panel. Behind it sat four very powerful looking men. Only one of whom she recognized.

"Esteemed council members, may I present my mate, Meryn Evans. Meryn, I have the distinct honor of introducing Lycaonia's council members; Elder Celyn Vi'Ailean our fae representative. Elder Rowan Airgead our witch representative; Elder René Évreux our vampire representative; and of course you have already met my father, the shifter representative."