My Commander (Bewitched and Bewildered #1) (14 page)

"I like her too. She is very direct and honest. I think maybe she liked you too. Her grandson owns a café in the city called The Jitterbug." Adelaide stood.

"Sydney is her grandson? No wonder I liked her." Meryn mused, putting two and two together. They both had Fairfax as a last name.

"Put your laptop away, dear. I can hear my son pacing in the kitchen. I can't wait to tell him how stupendous you were." Meryn blushed. She followed Adelaide to the kitchen. Aiden and his unit stood. They had been snacking on leftovers from the sewing circle's tea.

"So how did it go?" Aiden held out a chair for her. For a second she felt disappointed he didn't scoop her up in his lap. She sat down and waved at Adelaide to fill them in.

"Your mate, singlehandedly routed every attempt Daphane Bowers made to belittle her or me. In fact, she may have elevated me to a 'Divine' status." Adelaide smiled broadly.

"I've always thought you were divine." Byron said coming up behind his mate and kissing her neck.

"Oh Byron I wish you could have seen it. Meryn was absolutely perfect. When Daphane insinuated that the only way our son could find a mate was to cast a spell, Meryn turned it on her. She said that Fate chose me as a vessel to help so many warriors find their mates."
 

Byron looked at Meryn. "That's actually a very solid theory."
 

"Yup, it should also take the wind out of her sails in case she tries to revive that terrible rumor about Lady Adelaide using black magic to get pregnant." Meryn yawned. Adelaide and Byron looked at her in shock.

"Where did you hear that old story from?"
 

"I have my sources." Meryn boasted.
 

Byron rubbed his chin. "Very good move Meryn. You're right. No one can resurrect that old tale to hurt Adelaide anymore. Excellent maneuvering." Byron's approval made her sit up straighter.

"My little politician. How is your condition?" Aiden asked softly.

"Oh. My cramps? Better. I found an old bottle of Aleve at the bottom of my backpack. I'm doing great." Meryn fought the urge to jump into his lap. What in the hell was wrong with her? She felt jittery, like she couldn't sit still.

"Aiden." Byron pointed to Meryn. Aiden's face broke out in a smile. Wordlessly, he lifted her out of her seat and into his lap. She let out a long sigh of relief and buried her face in his chest.

"I didn't think it would affect her being human." Aiden murmured as he rubbed his cheek against her hair. Meryn felt like purring. When she realized what she was doing, she froze.

"What's going on?" She pulled back to look up at Aiden.

"That's the mating pull. It will get stronger and stronger the longer we're together." Aiden nuzzled her neck. Meryn turned to Adelaide and Byron.

"How in the hell do you function?" She knew they had been together for a long time. Byron just laughed.

"We're mated Meryn, that feeling like you just have to touch your mate never goes away, but it does get easier after you've been claimed." Adelaide explained.

"Damn period!" Meryn snuggled down in Aiden's arms. Byron blushed and coughed.

"On that note, I'll be in my study until dinner." He leaned down and kissed Adelaide before making his way to his office.

"Why don't you take Meryn upstairs for a nap?" Adelaide suggested.

"We're going to patrol around the house." Colton announced as he, Darian, Gavriel and Keelan stood.

"I'll check in with you later." Aiden also stood with Meryn nestled in his arms. They gave a smart salute and filed out the back door. Aiden smiled at his mother and walked upstairs.

"I could actually get used to being carried around like this."
 

"I could get used to having you in my arms all the time too." Aiden said and carried her into their room.

CHAPTER SEVEN

When Meryn woke from her nap completely cocooned in Aiden's arms she had been surprised that she hadn't felt trapped or annoyed. With her previous boyfriends she had often found herself praying at night that they would stop breathing loudly so she could get to sleep, yet sleeping next to Aiden felt natural. The nap had done her wonders, she felt like a new person.

They were now downstairs in the dining room for dinner. The Alpha Unit and Aiden's brothers had joined them again. Meryn believed it was Marius's cooking that had them visiting not her company.

When Aiden reached across the table for the basket of bread she noticed something black on his upper arm. Curious, she started to lift up the sleeve of his tee-shirt. Aiden seeing what she was after pulled the sleeve up to his shoulder. The tattoo was of a large shield, the inside quartered with different symbols in each quadrant. Strange letters made up the edge of the shield and Celtic knotwork tied everything together.

"It's gorgeous. What do the different symbols mean?" Meryn reached forward and traced the lines.

"The shield represents being a unit member. In the upper left hand corner, the crest with the griffin, that represents Lycaonia. The griffin has the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Since the lion is considered the King of Beasts and the eagle the King of Birds it was chosen to represent all shifters. In the upper right hand corner, that is the Greek letter for 'A' or Alpha. It depicts I am in the Alpha Unit. Below that is a longsword representing my choice to do battle and defend our people. In the lower left hand corner, the circle inside a square inside a triangle inside another circle, that's the symbol for transformation indicating I am a shifter. At the top of the shield is my family crest and the star in the middle represents that I am the Unit Commander. The tattoos are spelled so that if a warrior changes units the symbols can be updated." Aiden pointed to each symbol with reverence. Meryn looked over to Byron. Obligingly, he lifted his sleeve and he had an identical tattoo, since he had also been Unit Commander before Aiden. His tattoo had one more symbol than Aiden's though. Byron pointed to the laurel wreath hanging from the top of the shield.

"This means that I am an Elder, someday Aiden will have this added to his tattoo as well."

"What are the squiggles along the edge?" Meryn asked.
 

Darian laughed.

"Those aren't squiggles, that is the written language of the fae. They are spells to keep us safe, to help us heal and to ask the Gods to watch over us." Darian lifted his sleeve. His family crest was different, but the symbols for Lycaonia, the Alpha Unit and the longsword were the same. She pointed to the intricate sun done in Celtic knotwork.

"Is that the symbol for the fae?"
 

Darian nodded.

"Since we're doing show and tell ..." Keelan grinned and lifted his sleeve. Instead of a sun he had a crescent moon facing left, a full moon and another crescent moon facing right.

"The witches' symbol represents the triple Goddess, it shows her three incarnations, Maiden, Mother and Crone." Gavriel lifted his sleeve. He had a dragon twined around to make an infinity symbol with the head eating the tail.

"It's the vampiric symbol for eternity since we are immortal." He lowered his sleeve. Meryn turned to Aiden.

"I want a tattoo."
 

Aiden choked on his tea. "You don't get one."

"Why not? Don't they have mate tattoos? Is there a human symbol?" Meryn asked Adelaide since Aiden was being obstinate.

"I'm afraid not, my dear. Maybe you can design one." She suggested.

"Mother! I ..." His words were cut off by his cell phone ringing. He immediately stopped what he was saying and answered.

"Aiden here. Yes sir, yes sir. I understand." Aiden stood and snapped his fingers to Gavriel. The men popped up.

"Right away." He hung up the phone.

"Colton you stay here, I want you to guard Meryn. The rest of you with me." Aiden leaned down and kissed her quickly.

"Take Colton with you, I'm fine here." Meryn protested.

"I wish I could leave more." She could tell Aiden was torn.

"What are we, chopped liver? Go Aiden, we won't let anything happen to your mate." Adam stood and walked over to stand behind Meryn.
 

Adair nodded. "You may be Unit Commander little brother, but don't forget that I'm Head Master at the training academy." He added. Ben also stood.

"And I'm a unit warrior too Aiden. I'll call Sascha and tell him I'm crashing here." Meryn had never felt so protected.

"I don't need to remind you that I used to be Unit Commander do I son?" Byron asked. Aiden shook his head.

"Okay, okay." He looked down at her.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Colton will stay here with you." He turned to the men.

"Alpha move out." The men sprinted out of the dining room. When Meryn heard the front door close it hit her that he was leaving to go risk his life and she hadn't even said goodbye. Adam ruffled her hair.

"Hey short stuff, he'll be back. Don't worry about him, he's very good at what he does." He took Aiden's seat and placed another slice of roast beef on her plate.

"Eat up. Red meat during your cycle will help restore the iron in your blood." Meryn nodded, but didn't think she could eat another bite. The food she had already eaten had turned to a brick in her stomach.
 

"Marius maybe you could get Bronwyn to make Meryn a special cup of tea." Adelaide suggested.
 

Marius nodded. "I was just about to recommend that myself." Marius said.

"Who's Bronwyn?" Meryn looked at Marius.

"Bronwyn is my mate. She is painfully shy. I expect she will introduce herself in a few days. She makes the most calming and delicious teas in Lycaonia." He said proudly.

"Like the one from last night?"
 

He nodded, "Yes, that is one of her most popular blends." He gave a short bow and headed to the kitchen.

Meryn pushed her food around on her plate. Minutes later Marius returned with a cup of steaming tea and a large slice of chocolate cake. Meryn licked her lips.

"Thank you Marius." Meryn pushed her food plate to one side and pulled the slice of chocolate cake towards her. Adam went to intercept and pull the roast beef back when she slapped his arm.

"It's chocolate, I'll cut you!"
 

Adam frowned down at her. "No need to get violent."
 

Colton chuckled, "She gave me a bloody nose. I've said it from the beginning, she's perfect for Aiden. She'll drive him nuts." Meryn took another bite of cake, chewed and swallowed.

"Aren't I supposed to?"
 

Byron nodded, "Yes, you are."

After finishing her tea and two slices of cake Meryn yawned. Damn that tea worked fast. She yawned again. Heedless of table manners, she crossed her arms on the table and laid her head down. She was just starting to doze when she heard Byron say.

"No, I'll take her." She was lifted gently. The swaying motion of being carried lulled her further before she gave up and fell asleep.

*****

"Meryn, Meryn." A whispered voice pulled her out of her sleep.

"Aiden?" She blinked, barely making out a figure in the dark.

"No, it's Colton."

"What the hell time is it?" She muttered.

"Seven am, just before dawn. I wanted to tell you Aiden made it back. He and the men are crashing at the barracks, you'll see him later today." Colton sounded as relieved as she felt.

"Thank you for telling me." His figure started to walk away and suddenly she didn't want to be alone.

"Can't you stay, for a little bit?"

"Do you want Aiden to kill me?

"Please? I feel shaky, like I want to cry, but I don't know why. It's confusing." She admitted. She heard him sigh.

"It's because you're relieved that Aiden is okay and your body is craving his. Fine. But if you tell Aiden I did this, I'll deny it." She heard him rustle around in the darkness.

"Colton?" She got no response. Seconds later a heavy weight jumped up on the bed. In the pre-dawn light she watched as a giant wolf walked up the bed and curled up next to her. She was going to sleep next to a wolf! How cool was that?

"I've never had a dog before." Colton growled.

"I think I like you better like this." Meryn gently rubbed the soft fur behind his ears. One leg started to kick.

"Do you like that boy? Huh? Such a good boy!" She kissed his nose and wrapped an arm around him.

"Thank you Colton, I feel better now." She yawned and went back to sleep.

*****

"One reason. Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't kill him!" Meryn heard Aiden's angry voice and popped up in bed. He had Colton by the scruff and the wolf swayed from his grasp. Gavriel had a steadying hand on his arm.

"Because he is your best friend, because he is your third in command and because he would never betray you, not that Meryn would." Gavriel explained in an even tone.

Meryn jumped out of bed, dressed in only in her
Voltron
sleep tee-shirt and underwear. She pulled Colton out of his hand. Colton dropped down on all fours and sat passively. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Leave my puppy alone!" She yelled up at Aiden. He froze.
 

"Your what?" Gavriel asked as he and Aiden blinked down at her.

"My puppy. I've never had a dog before, so I'm adopting Colton." She rubbed the top of Colton's head. She had to swallow a smile when she saw that Colton was playing it up for all that it was worth. He rolled around on his back exposing his tummy for a belly rub. Grinning, she scratched his belly. She glared up at Aiden.

"Apologize to the both of us. Because Gavriel is right. Neither one of us would hurt you like that." She stood and put her hands on her hips. Colton stood, growling in a low rumble beside her.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to imply that either one of you would betray me. But dammit! I walk in to see Colton's clothes on the floor and the two of you snuggled up together." Aiden threw his hands in the air. Meryn thought about it.

"Good point. Next time fold your clothes and put them on the dresser." She said looking down at Colton.

"That's not the point!" Aiden yelled.