EPILOGUE
"I can't help it. You insist on turning the shower to the 'lava' setting," Aiden complained as he and Meryn entered the antechamber in Magnus' quarters later that evening before dinner.
"It is not that hot," Meryn protested.
Aiden held up his hands that were still a bit pink. "And I'm a shifter."
Meryn crossed her arms. "Yeah, a big shifter baby," she huffed.
Kendrick cleared his throat. "Actually Aiden, as you are taller and closer to the shower head, the temperature is of course warmer since it hasn't been cooled by the air. By the time it reaches Meryn it could be significantly colder."
Aiden blinked. "Seriously?"
Meryn stamped her foot. "That's not fair! No wonder I can never get my showers hot enough."
Aiden grinned down at her. "The advantages of being tall."
Meryn looked over at Kendrick. "Could that be why Aiden doesn't think his farts or feet smell? His big nose is too far away?"
Meryn's question silenced the room. Aiden turned red and he just closed his eyes shaking his head. First Declan, then Colton busted out laughing. Rheia gouged Colton in the ribs and turned to Meryn. "It may be a shifter thing. At times, I'm pretty sure a feral crawled up Colton's ass and died."
Meryn scowled. "This is bullshit. My air smells like feet, funk and farts and his air smells like shampoo!"
"Meryn! Stop! I beg you!" Colton wheezed holding his midsection.
Aiden smiled down at his mate. "I do love your shampoo."
Meryn tapped her chin thoughtfully, and Aiden's smile evaporated. "What are you scheming?"
Meryn's eyes widened as she put on an innocent face. "Me? Scheme?"
"What are you thinking?"Aiden asked.
"Nothing."
Aiden scrubbed his hands over his face. "Gods," he muttered.
Etain leaned down. "I love you," he whispered.
Vivi fought a smile. She was pretty sure that her mate was thankful he hadn't gotten stuck with Meryn. Vivi honestly believed that Fate knew what she was doing, because no one fit Meryn like Aiden, just as she couldn't imagine being with anyone else besides her mate.
She winked up at him. "You just love me because I'm smexy."
Etain tilted his head to one side. "What is smexy?"
"It means smart and sexy," she explained.
"Then I'm smute!" Meryn declared.
"Smute?" Vivi questioned.
"Yeah, smart and cute."
Vivi eyed the small human. "Are you sure about the smart bit?"
Meryn glared at her. "Are you sure about the sexy bit?"
Vivi stuck out her tongue and Meryn reciprocated.
Etain wrapped an arm around her. "So dignified," he chuckled.
Meryn pointed to her belly. "Congratulations on Vi-three two-point-oh."
"Huh?" Vivi asked.
"Well your name is Vivian, but you go by Vivi. Then you changed your last name to Vi'Aerlin, so that's like three 'Vi's. So your kid is Vi-three two-point-oh." She gave her a sly smile. "Or maybe Bella, if she turns out to be a sparkly fae vampire."
Vivi's mouth dropped. "That's low."
Meryn giggled. "Fine. No sparkly vampires."
Vivi rubbed her temples. "Great, now that image is stuck in my head."
"At least she isn't calling your baby a jackalope," Beth said.
Vivi couldn't help but laughing. "A bunny with fangs," she looked from Beth to Gavriel. "That's too much."
Beth sighed. "I know."
Vivi turned to Gavriel. "Any word as to what may have happened at the entry door?"
Gavriel shook his head. "No one saw anything. Marek said one moment he heard the commotion coming from Level Six when you were attacked then nothing. He woke up on the floor, his head splitting and the Grand Hall door was open. We are doing a level by level head count, but that will take some time."
"Yeah, because there are a shit ton of people on the census," Meryn added.
Gavriel gave her a droll look. "It is a pillar city Meryn."
Meryn rolled her eyes. "I keep envisioning people hibernating in little caves like bees in a beehive. Stacked up in little tubes."
Beth laughed. "When the virus has been cured, I will take you on a full tour of the city. There are whole towns on each level you haven't seen yet."
"Nah. I think I'll just stay in my bat cave. People irritate me," Meryn said shaking her head. Beth rolled her eyes.
Etain leaned down. "I'll be right back."
She looked around and noticed that Adriel, Micah, Grant and Declan were waiting by the door. "Be safe," she whispered.
"Always."
Vivi watched her mate walk out with his fellow unit warrior and smiled. Whatever they were up, to she'd find out about later. For now, she had a midget to torture.
*****
Micah stood shoulder to shoulder with his unit brothers staring down at the tunnel escort that was kneeling at their feet.
"Why?" Declan asked.
The tunnel escort's eyes darted from warrior to warrior. "Why did you bring me down here?" he asked looking around. They had taken him out of his detention cell and was now standing below Level One in the Pits.
Declan punched him across the jaw. "We are asking the questions. Why did you attack Vivi? What do you know about the Grand Hall door being open?"
"Nothing!" the escort shouted.
Etain knelt down. "You see? I do not believe you. One way or another, I will get the answers I need. For how long and how much pain happens between now and then is entirely up to you," Etain informed him pleasantly.
Micah watched as the tunnel escort began to shake in the face of Etain's polite threats. He couldn't blame him. If his friend's anger was directed at him, he knew he'd be a babbling mess.
Adriel turned to him. "Micah, if you would please."
Micah looked down at the escort. "You should have answered the question." He extended his hand and allowed an electric current to flow through him to the escort. The man writhed on the floor.
"Enough," Adriel said.
Micah pulled back his magic.
"Now. Once again. Why did you attack Vivi? And what do you know about the door being opened?"
"Okay! Okay!" the escort sobbed. "DeLaFontaine promised me that he would make me his heir if I killed Vivian DuSang."
"Did he say why?" Grant asked.
The escort shook his head. "Only that she had to die. That she was too close."
"And the door?" Etain prompted.
"All I know is that I was to come down here, create a platform and go up to the Greeting Hall. After that I was to find Vivian and stab her," he looked around. "That is all I know. I swear!"
Adriel turned to Etain. "Your call. DeLaFontaine will be killed for his part in this. We do not need this parasite's testimony."
"You cannot kill me! I have to go before the council!" the escort screamed.
Etain stared down at the escort and smiled. "The council is not here. The virus locked down the city remember?" He pulled the long sword from the scabbard at his waist. "You almost stole my mate from me. I had to watch as my unborn daughter's light flickered as she fought to cling to life. What made you think you would not die?"
"For the crimes you have committed against the city, her royals, my brother, his mate and his unborn child. I sentence you to death." Adriel declared before leaning down. "Or did you forget I was a royal now and could do such a thing?"
The escort's mouth opened before Etain sent his head bouncing across the hall. Micah stared down at the growing pool of blood. "We're just lucky I learned some of the cleaning spells from Kendrick when we set the royal quarters to rights."
Etain lifted his sword toward him, and Micah whispered a low phrase removing the blood from blade. Etain slid the sword back into the scabbard and turned to Adriel. "What trouble could we face for this?"
Adriel shrugged. "Probably none. Both Aiden and Gavriel have mates after all."
"We all do," Grant murmured then looked to Micah. "Sorry."
Micah forced a smile. "It's quite alright. The way things are going, I'd prefer to meet my mate much, much later. Definitely after this virus is cured and the city back to normal."
Adriel gave him a funny look. "Have you not been having nightmares?"
Micah kept cool. "Some odd dreams here and there, nothing too bad." He could not share his dreams with his brothers, no matter how desperately he wanted to.
Grant clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Don't be like us. Share your fears, we can help."
Micah shook his head. "I'm good, big guy." He looked up. "You better get back to your mates. The last thing we need is for them to ask Meryn to search for us with her drones."
Grant gave a quick smile. "That human is most amusing."
Etain looked down, and Micah waved him off. "I'll take care of it. We're firing off the cremation chamber for Augustus. I'll sneak him in after that. No one will be the wiser."
Etain looked relived. "Thank you."
"Go give that gorgeous fire-headed mate of yours a kiss for me," Micah joked wagging his eyebrows.
Etain shook his head and patted him on the back as he walked out. Grant, Adriel and Declan all gave him a nod before floating up to Level One.
Micah looked down. "Just me and you old man. Let's get your head and float you to the cremation chamber."
Micah used his magic to lift his head and bring it to sit on top of the body. He levitated both and used a spell to clean up the mess. Using another spell to ensure their invisibility, he made his way to the large crematorium.
Flashes of his nightmares plagued him even during the day now. He fought to hide the effects of his sleepless nights. Evenings like this would drain him further.
Unlike his brothers' nightmares, his saw the face of his mate clearly. He saw exactly how she died. There was no hidden assailant, no enemy to fight. She simply looks up at him and whispers that she is sorry before collapsing, allowing herself to die. She chooses death over him. How could he possibly share that with his brothers?
For the millionth time in the few short weeks he had been plagued by his nightmares, he begged the universe to keep his mate away from Noctem Falls.
Stay away and choose life!