There was a harsh laugh. "That I believe. Cheryl Evreux is useless, and I told Prince Magnus that on many occasions. Thank you for your assistance; I look forward to young Avery's call." The line disconnected.
Magnus looked up at her. "That was amazing. It would have taken me hours to calm him down."
Kari placed the phone back on the cradle and began tapping it. "Really? That was all bluster; he was not truly angry. He was just testing your new gatekeeper."
"Gatekeeper?" Magnus asked.
"Yes, me, and later Avery." She tapped the phone lightly. "He knew Cheryl had been fired probably within minutes of her returning to her level, and he said 'young Avery'. He knows who we are and our new positions. He backpedaled very quickly when I reminded him of his insolence in forgetting your title. He is up to something."
Magnus snorted, going back to his files. "All of them are usually up to something all of the time. The entire lot of them should take up hobbies and leave politics alone."
Kari tilted her head. "What fun would that be?"
Magnus just looked at her flatly. "If you feel that way, you rule. I will go fishing."
"Poppycock," she said, flapping her hand at him. "The people need you."
A crackle heralded an incoming call on the walkie-talkie. "Uh... Magneto? You just received a large number of boxes on Level Six." Adriel's familiar voice informed them.
"Professor, this is Magneto, can you bring the Eta and Mu Units to Level Six for a special training exercise?"
"Of course," Adriel replied. Grinning, Magnus returned the walkie-talkie to his belt.
"Magneto?" she asked.
"Meryn's idea of call signs," he said, his eyes twinkling. He looked younger caught up in his excitement.
"Professor?" she asked.
"Adriel: it is the clipboard," he explained.
She nodded. "I can see the relation."
He looked up at her, his eyes brightening. "Would you like to take a break with me?" he asked.
"Of course, but you have to tell me why you have a devilish look in your eye."
He stood and extended his arm. "I do believe you will enjoy my delivery. Stories of Meryn's arrival at the Alpha estate have motivated me."
Kari accepted his arm. "I cannot wait to see what she has inspired."
Magnus escorted her to the transport tunnel and they flew up to Level Six.
Eta and Mu Units arrived, and they made their way over to the large pile of stacked boxes. The warriors took up positions around the boxes, their feet spread, and their hands clasped behind their backs. Silently, they waited for Magnus to begin.
Curious groups of children edged closer as their families began to circle around.
Magnus turned to face the group, a stern look on his face. The children inched back, looking apprehensive. Magnus cleared his throat. "It has come to my attention that we have some fierce shifter children staying here on Level Six," he began.
Their eyes widened, and their lips started to quiver. Kari knew they were seconds away from tears. She leaned in toward Magnus. "You might want to tone it down; they will be crying in a moment."
Magnus looked around shocked and instantly looked contrite. He knelt down on one knee and indicated for them to crowd around. In a whisper that could clearly be heard by everyone, he continued. "I am sorry if I have frightened you. I have to look scary to keep these warriors in line so you do not have to worry." He ducked his head down closer to the children. "Can you help me keep a secret?" he asked. They all nodded eagerly.
"They are not as scary as they look." The children chortled, looking up at the large warriors.
He winked at them and then stood. In a louder voice, he pointed to the boxes. "These are my new weapons. Our warriors need to be trained in the use of them, and I was hoping you all would be able to help." It was now the parents' turn to look concerned.
Magnus opened a box, reached in, and pulled out a Nerf Gatling gun. "Where are my cadets?" he asked. The children swarmed forward, grabbing the toys. Magnus laughed as the children excitedly began to play with their new weapons. He turned, and Kari watched in slow motion as a tiny little girl came running up to the boxes only to trip over her own feet. Magnus moved without being seen and easily caught the child before she hit the floor. She giggled when Magnus set her on her feet. "My niece Bethy taught me how to do that. She is constantly falling." Magnus turned and reached into the box behind him. When he turned back around, he handed the tiny child one of the largest guns Kari had seen being passed around. The toy was bigger than the little girl, but the child refused another. She stuck her tongue in the corner of her mouth as she struggled under its weight.
Once all of the toys had been distributed, Kari realized that Magnus had made sure that the warriors had received tiny little handguns, while most of the children had gotten bombs, grenades, and Gatling guns. The warriors were looking at the children with envy.
Boys and their toys, she thought to herself.
Magnus clapped his hands together. "Okay kids, let them have it!"
Kari had to step back as chaos ensued. She was sure that Magnus had envisioned a war between the children and the warriors, but that quickly changed as one of the largest vampires she'd ever seen reached for the tiny girl with the biggest gun and placed her easily on his shoulders. Squealing at her new vantage point, the girl turned the gun on the other warriors. The warrior holding her pointed to the Eta Unit. "Get them!" he encouraged.
The war quickly became a battle between the Eta and Mu Units. The children shrieked as they were carried by the large warriors and laughter filled the air. Adriel stood in the center, directing the three other warriors from Eta. From behind the boxes, another warrior popped up, a small boy at his side. Kari watched as the warrior helped the child to aim. Seconds later, small foam missiles rained down on the Unit Leader. Adriel tried to block the projectiles with his clipboard but could not keep them all at bay. Dramatically, he fell to the floor in defeat. The small boy jumped up and down, and the warrior ruffled his hair.
Kari laughed at the men's antics until she heard something that didn't fit in with the joyous afternoon. A faint sniffle had her looking over to her right. She saw a woman standing there, tears in her eyes. The woman saw her staring and wiped her cheeks quickly. "I'm sorry, it's just the children have been so down lately. I had so many apprehensions coming here, but look at them." She pointed to the room and the game Magnus had orchestrated. "We had no idea he was so kind."
Kari nodded. "I have not been here very long, but even I can see that he loves children." Kari looked around the room; the earlier apprehensive looks the parents had worn were gone, replaced with admiration and respect. Magnus had clearly earned their trust and their gratitude.
A loud burst of laughter had her turning her attention back to the room. Magnus was on the floor covered in children. He reached a hand up begging for help from either the Eta or Mu Units; the men just laughed.
"How is your mate?" a quiet voice from her left asked. She turned to see a small, pale vampire standing partially behind a wolf shifter.
"Rachelle?" Kari asked, guessing the woman's identity. The woman nodded. Kari patted her shoulder gently. "He is perfectly fine. He was able to shift and is currently napping like the big old cat he is."
All around her, the people began to look relieved.
"Thank the gods!" someone behind her whispered.
Kari looked to see that most of the Level Six vampires along with the shifters looked thankful.
"You seem surprised," Rachelle stated.
"I suppose I am," Kari admitted. "I never thought a shifter would be so highly regarded here in Noctem Falls."
Rachelle's eyes softened. "Declan is different."
"He does not play power games; he just likes to help people," a male vampire in the crowd said, speaking above the group.
A female vendor leaned against her stand. "I would have expected something like this from Declan." She pointed to the children. "I did not
know Prince Magnus had it in him."
The man sitting at the stall next to her waved his glass. "He is always happier when Bethy visits, and now that she is expecting and out of season, it is no wonder he can not stop smiling. His house has been touched by the gods."
"We are lucky to have him as our Prince," another voice said warmly.
"I wish I could be so blessed," the female vendor said wistfully.
Rachelle ducked her face down, blushing. "I am with child," she announced quietly. Around them everyone became silent. The children, picking up the shift in mood, also stilled their motions. Everyone turned to where Rachelle stood. Her mate stepped closer.
Kari smiled at the timid woman. "I am so happy for you!"
Magnus walked up and took Rachelle's hands in his own. "Is this true?" he asked intently.
She nodded, her face now red from embarrassment from all the attention. Her mate wrapped an arm around her.
Kari was shocked at the tears streaming down Magnus' cheeks. He swallowed hard. "The first child to be conceived here in nearly two centuries," he whispered, practically choking on the words.
"Why is everyone crying?" the girl asked from her perch on top of the warrior's shoulders.
The warrior shook his head. He had tears in his own eyes. "Because they are so happy," he explained.
She frowned. "They should be laughing then."
He reached up and tickled her, and she squealed. The crowd began to laugh.
"We need a celebration!" one of the men yelled.
"A party!" one of the wolves suggested.
"Excellent idea," Magnus agreed. He patted Rachelle's hands before releasing them and turning to the crowd for ideas.
Rachelle shook her head. "You do not need to make a fuss. Your own niece is also pregnant. I am not the first."
Magnus smiled softly. "She will return to Lycaonia with her mate. Her child will be born there. I will still spoil my future niece or nephew horribly, but your child was conceived here. Regardless if you leave with your mate when they return home, your child will always be able to claim Noctem Falls as their home."
"What about another barbecue?" a vendor suggested loudly.
"Think bigger!" Magnus challenged.
Kari watched as the little boy who had taken down Adriel walked up to Magnus and pulled on his pants leg. "Can we have cotton candy?" he asked. Magnus' eyes grew wide, and he snapped his fingers. "What about a fair? We could have games, toys, food, contests, games, food..." Magnus suggested.
"Sire, you said games and food twice," one of the girls said giggling.
He winked at her. "Those are the most important things."
"When could we have it?" the boy asked.
Magnus looked at her. She mentally added up transport time needed for food orders and equipment needed for the fair. "Three days," she replied. "That should give us plenty of time to order things and get the city estate set up for deliveries. We will have to let the fae at the Albuquerque portal know that we will have a lot of things coming through."
The woman to her left turned to her friend. "I want to make my famous peanut butter pie."
Kari turned to Magnus "This woman needs supplies to make pie." Everyone chuckled at her serious expression.
Magnus smiled. "I take it you like peanut butter pie?"
"It sounds heavenly!" Kari groaned.
Magnus turned Adriel. "Adriel, you are in charge of Noctem Falls' First Annual Spring Fair."
Adriel's mouth opened and closed wordlessly. Grant and Micah began to laugh at their Unit Leader's expression.
"Come along, Kari; I have papers to go through," Magnus said pompously. Adriel shot her a panicked look, and she nodded to assure him that of course she would help. That poor man looked a bit out of his depth. She waved goodbye and followed Magnus back down to Level One.
After a few more hours in the office, organizing decades of reports, Kari called it a day. Magnus had left an hour earlier to meet with Rex before dinner. She found her way back to the living quarters and to her mate. She was now staring down at her lion.
She sighed. "They are too cute to wake up."
"I know," Beth agreed. In her hands she held a steaming cup of coffee.
"It is his brother," Aiden reminded them.
Kari walked over, gently picked up Avery, and cuddled him close. He opened one eye when she kissed his nose. She handed him off to Ryuu before extracting Felix from Declan's mane. When Felix opened his eyes and stared up at her drowsily, she felt as if she lost a bit of her heart. He looked around, locking in on Ryuu. The squire held out a hand, and Kari carefully set the sprite down in his open palm. Felix yawned and climbed Ryuu's shirt, heading for his vest. He lifted Ryuu's jacket and disappeared in the fabric.
"I just adore that sprite to pieces," Bethy admitted smiling softly.
Aiden stepped forward to get Meryn, but when he went to lift her, he discovered she was wrapped around Declan like an octopus. He practically had to pry her off of him.
"No," she protested reaching for warmth.
It took Bethy's gentle coaxing with the promise of coffee to get Meryn to let go. When they finally had her disengaged, he carried her out of the room, kissing her forehead.
Ryuu nodded and gave her a half bow. "I will settle young Avery in his room." He and Bethy walked behind Aiden. The entire time, Bethy assured Meryn that she had another cup of coffee waiting for her in the dining room.
When the room was finally quiet, Declan opened an amber eye and the air around him shimmered. When he shifted back to human, Kari felt her mouth go dry. He was all golden skin and muscle.
He stretched his body, easily touching the head and footboard. "You keep looking at me like that and we'll miss dinner."
He sat up and looked around. His eyes went to where a robe was draped over the chair at the end of the bed. Smiling he swung his legs over the side and stood in front of her in all his naked glory.
Her eyes went to his stomach. She reached out and began to trace his abdomen. "There is no scar," she said, and his eyes softened.
"I'm okay. You know us shifters are hard to take down."
He pulled the robe on and held out his hand. "Hopefully someone left clothes for me in my room, otherwise dinner will be a drafty affair." He winked at her saucily.
"All I kept thinking when I saw you hurt was that I had only just met you; losing you and not even knowing you would have been too much."
Declan took her hand. "You're stuck with me now."
She couldn't meet his eyes. She didn't know how to react. She had been scared to death, and he was acting as if he had stubbed his toe.
Hand in hand they walked across the hall to his room. Unfortunately there were no clothes in sight. She chuckled at the thought of him going to dinner in his robe.
He smirked at her. "You think I'm kidding? I'm starving!" He waved his hands wildly causing the robe to gap in the middle. She licked her lips at the sight of his tawny skin.
Growling, he suddenly picked her up and tossed her on to his bed. He carelessly let the robe fall to the floor and strode up to the edge of the bed. In a flash he had pulled her down to the mattress and slid her underneath him. When his lips met hers, she couldn't hold back. The desperation and fear she'd felt came forward. She wanted to stay like this with him forever. As he deepened the kiss, she let her hands move across his skin. It was hot and smooth under her touch; she couldn't get enough. When they broke apart, Kari was breathing hard. "That was the best kiss of my life," she admitted.
He leaned forward and began to kiss his way down her neck. "Mine too," he whispered. "We definitely have chemistry."
Grinning, she shifted her hips, and he hissed in pleasure as his hardening bulge began to rub against her mound. Even though she was still clothed she could feel the heat of his skin and it was maddening. She started squirming, reaching for the pleasure that seemed just out of reach. "Looks as if the little guy wants to meet me again."
He stopped and looked down
at her frowning. "Little?" His eyes narrowed. "I'll show you little," he threatened darkly.
There was a knock at the door seconds before it swung open. Grant walked in, and his eyes widened. Looking shocked, he held up a bundle. "Your clothes."
Declan hissed. "Mine!" he growled, before he bit down on her neck. All at once, pleasure exploded throughout her body. It was as if his bite was connected to every erogenous zone, igniting them all at once. She arched her back and wrapped her legs around him, pulling him close to the juncture between her thighs. She rode out the uncontrollable orgasm as long as she could before she collapsed back onto the bed, barely able to catch her breath. When she turned her head toward the door, poor Grant look shell shocked. "Shit! I'm of course... I'm just... I'm good... going...I meant going!" he rambled. Dropping the clothes he ran from the room.
Kari rotated her head to stare at her mate. "Okay, what was that?" she asked, still panting.
He groaned and buried his face where her neck and shoulder met. He gently began lapping at the bite mark. She moaned at each pass of his tongue on her neck, feeling it tease her clit. She pushed at his shoulders to get him to stop, any more and she wouldn't leave the bed... ever.
He pulled back, looking a bit guilty, though his eyes held a deep sense of satisfaction. "Sorry about that. Lions are very possessive, and they like to show others that their mates belong only to them. You belong to me, and my lion didn't like the fact that Grant could see you flushed with pleasure from our kiss. The bite was to show him that you are mine, and I can make you happy." He looked down at her concern showing on his face. "Are you okay? Did it hurt?"
She cracked her neck. "I so needed that. It took the edge off. Evidently I was more stressed than I realized." She pushed his chest until he rolled to one side. She sat up and stretched her arms overhead.
Despite her words, he still had a worried look on his face. She swung her legs to the side and got up. She walked over to the door and picked his clothes up off the floor. "Declan, I am a vampire. I like to bite and to be bitten." She could almost see the light bulb going off over his head.
He leered at her. "Come back here, sexy."