Chapter Fifteen

"What do you mean they rode in on wolves?" Meryn demanded. She would have given anything to have seen that. She'd have to ask Aiden for a wolf later.

Aiden nodded. "I fully admit. It had to have been one of the most impressive entrances I have ever seen."

Zadie looked at Cord. "I don't know. I think the squires were badass when they appeared in the kitchen."

Cord smiled and simply placed another spoonful of salad on her plate.

Aiden turned to Darian. "If you add up how many we eliminated at the facility, the ones from the attack earlier, and the team the squires took out, there can't be that many of them left."

Meryn snorted and took a huge bite of a brownie.

Cas leaned in. "Meryn you, okay?"

"Yaa why?" she asked, her mouth full.

"Your aura is turning grey."

" There are less of them than you think ," a familiar sexy voice said in her head.

" Is it time ?"

" Yes. I hope you like what I left you ."

" Where are we going ?"

In her mind she saw a set of coordinates. " Enjoy. I know I did ."

Meryn looked across the table. "I know where they are."

Aiden turned to Cas. "Is she okay now?"

Cas nodded. "She's back to her normal happy self."

Aiden looked down. "Happy self?"

Meryn pointed to the brownies. "I was eating chocolate."

"Oh, that makes sense."

She reached down and pulled out her laptop to punch the numbers in. "Son of a bitch."

"What is it darling?" Brennus asked.

"They're just outside of Monroe. They must have felt so superior being under everyone's noses," she said, looking at the surrounding area. "It's a private estate that has been passed down for generations within the same family." She looked at her uncle and Thane. "You might want to go get your wayward vampire and coyote shifter."

Thane stood and Darian joined him.

Thane reached for his phone to make a call. Seconds later he was pacing as he spoke. "Where are you?" He froze. "How in the hell did you end up in Canada!" There was a brief pause. "You know what, I don't care. Are you near a major landmark? Stay there. Do not check out a shop, do not help a little old woman cross the street. Stay where you fucking are." He disconnected the call and exhaled explosively. "They're at Niagara Falls."

Meryn could help but laugh. She couldn't wait to meet these two.

Darian shook his head. "I know a place, let's go get them."

He opened the portal and they both walked through.

Oron stood. "I can open one to Noctem Falls, I'll go get Cristo. Last I heard he was helping out with the pack for a bit." Just like his brother he opened a portal and walked through.

Brennus looked to Doran. "Did you need to grab anything?"

Doran held up his sword. "Just this. It's the Eirlea blade he left me, it seems fitting."

Brennus turned to the room. "Who else is going?"

Aiden went to answer, and Meryn shut him down. "No."

"I'm not letting you go without me."

"Let?"

Aiden paled. "I would feel better if I went with you."

"No."

"Why the hell not?" he demanded.

"Because I'm about to do some real evil shit and I don't want that spilling onto what we have. I need you to be what I come back to," she said, hoping her explanation made sense to him. She didn't want him to think of her any differently for what she knew she would probably do to the scum that killed her parents.

She could see him struggling. "Please."

"You're taking Ryuu?"

She nodded. "Yup."

"Why can he go, and I can't?"

"Because Ryuu would make suggestions, you would try to stop me," she said simply.

Aiden shook his head. "Meryn I've seen more depraved things than…"

He met her gaze and she let him see what she was feeling.

He sighed. "Okay baby. I'll be here waiting with a nice hot coffee and fresh brownies."

She ran over and kissed every square inch of his face. "Thank you, for trusting me to do this."

"My job is to give you what you need," he replied.

"Best mate ever."

Brennus looked to her. "Who else?"

Meryn started naming everyone who was going. "Darian and Oron. Thane, Cristo, Ange, and Rio. You and Doran, me and Ryuu. Law and Justice" She mulled it over. "I think that's everyone, unless you want to go Auntie."

The queen shook her head. "I said everything I wanted to, thousands of years ago."

Lily stood. "I'd like to go."

"Absolutely not!" Marshall countered.

Lily kissed Amelia on her cheek. "Take care of your father while I'm gone."

"Lily!"

She turned to her mate and simply raised an eyebrow.

He sputtered. Seeing her resolve, he simply sat down looking exhausted. "Stay close to the boys."

"I will dear." She walked over and stood next to Meryn. "I need to see them die," she said, simply.

"Don't worry Marshall, I'll keep an eye on her," Kendrick volunteered.

Meryn took her hand. Besides her uncles, her Aunt Lily was the only other one who knew how she felt. To be honest, she felt relieved Kendrick had volunteered. There were things they needed to find out about how the Eirsons operated and no one would be better at that, than him.

Darian first, then Oron arrived and for the first time, her father's squad was in the same room with her.

The two dark-haired ones with Darian looked around. "Which one is she?"

Thane walked to stand on her other side. "This is my godsdaughter," he announced smugly.

The two men who walked up couldn't be more opposite despite both having black hair. One had, dark eyes and copper skin, the other pale skin and honey-colored eyes.

The one with dark eyes went to her and took her hand in both of his. "I am Rio Suarez, it is an honor to meet the daughter of one of my closest friends."

His hands around hers were rough and warm. She tilted her head as images began to swim.

She felt Thane place a hand on her head. "Just let it happen, hun."

"Is she okay?" Rio asked.

"Targets on the moon," she whispered. That's what she saw. A huge target semi-imposed on the moon. She smiled. "You a sniper?"

Rio's mouth dropped. "Did you tell her?"

Thane laughed. "Nope, she has been working on her empathy. Looks like her images are getting sharper."

The other man, bat at Rio until he dropped her hand. Instantly it was taken up by him. Where Rio had been warm, his hands were smooth and cool. Just like before, another image came to the surface quickly. In her mind's eye it was a frozen pool of water that reminded her of the moon she just saw. "A frozen pond, like the moon. Ice." She then saw fangs that morphed into knitting needles. "Needles?"

The man gasped.

She smiled as it came together. "An ice pick. You like to fight up close. That's cool."

He brought her hand to his lips, his eyes filled with sadness. "I am Ange Belanger. One other saw me for what I was and didn't care. I feel blessed to know his child."

He dropped her hand gently.

She looked over those going with her. "I'm going to say this now. Unless the queen or Aiden needs to know something for logistics, what happens there. Stays there."

Ange gave her a feral smile.

"We'll have snacks ready for when you get back," Pip said, pointing to the table. Noah, Jaxon, Nigel and Neil all exchanged worried glances. As much as she wanted their support, they were like Aiden. She didn't want this tainting them.

"Be ready to chill," she said, and they all nodded.

She hesitated then turned to her uncles. "You'll love me no matter what, right?"

Brennus pulled her away from her aunt to give her a hug. Meryn sighed and leaned into him. He gave the best hugs.

"Meryn, there is nothing, and I do mean nothing you can do that will make us love you less. In fact, if there is an instrument you need, I will fetch it for you."

Meryn felt warmth spread through her at his words. He truly understood.

Aiden frowned. "Instrument, don't you mean weapon?"

And that right there was why he was staying behind. She needed him to remain as he was. "It's the same, hun," she said smoothly.

"Okay." Aiden pulled out his gun. "You can take mine if you want to baby."

She shook her head. "I have the screwdriver Keelan made me."

Darian walked over to her laptop. "Where are we going Meryn?"

She walked over and pulled up the map.

He scowled. "That's low."

She nodded. "On the bright side, the estate is like a hundred acres, so no one will see us if we portal in."

Meryn looked to Ryuu who stepped close. "Let's go."

*****

The house itself was gorgeous. It almost looked like a turn of the century plantation house, if plantation houses were more common this far north. Meryn scanned the porches and outlying trees. "There's no surveillance. How sloppy."

"Meryn, how do you want to do this?" Law asked.

She looked at the group and simply started walking up to the front door. She heard curses, exclamations and a few chuckles as they caught up to her.

"Meryn!" her uncle Brennus, whispered lowly.

"He said they would be gift wrapped. I don't think we have to be stealthy," she explained. In this she would trust the demon.

When she reached the door, she simply knocked.

Moments later it swung open to reveal a gaunt woman, with stringy blonde hair that was missing in patches. "The angel said you were coming to set us free." She opened the door wider to let them in.

"Angel?" Kendrick asked.

"I told you he was hot."

Wordlessly, the woman shuffled forward escorting them further inside. When they reached a set of sliding doors she stopped. "They are waiting for you."

She stepped to one side and stared forward with no expression on her face.

"Thank you," Meryn said.

There was the slightest flicker of emotion, but it disappeared quickly.

Thane and Brennus took point and slid the doors open to reveal a large ballroom. In the center of the room a long banquet table sat, filled to the brim with choice meats, desserts and bottles of wine. The cutlery was gold, and the chalices were encrusted with jewels.

"Compensating much?" she said, taking everything in.

"How dare you speak, you mongrel," a masculine voice said from the table.

They eased forward. In the high back, wooden banquet chairs, fae men sat, backs ramrod straight.

Doran held his sword at his side, ready to swing at a moment's notice.

When they stood on the other side of the table, Meryn could see the men were lined up on the other side.

"Father," Oron said, practically choking on the word.

Seconds later, mist and howling noises filled the air. Ferals filled the room from every corner. The smell of blood and rotten cheese was overwhelming. Meryn, felt like she had to run.

Then, it was gone. Darian simply waved his hand and the illusions disappeared. "Is that what you have been reduced to? Parlor tricks?" he asked.

The man Oron called father simply stared. "It cannot be."

Darian smiled, though there was no mirth to it. "What you feared most has come to pass. I wonder if it would have happened at all had you done nothing. Your efforts seemed to have led directly to my becoming king."

"No! No! No! No!" The man screamed, shaking his head back and forth, spittle forming at the corners of his mouth like foam.

"Oron, you bastard!" the man next to Oron's father screamed.

"Cilas, you know mother and father were mated when she had me," Oron refuted.

"Traitor!" another man shouted.

Oron shook his head. "No uncle, you are the traitor. You ruined our family name. But, don't worry, my brothers and sisters will build it back."

His father ceased his ranting, leaving the room suddenly silent. "Bring them here, they are our children, we need to see them."

Oron scoffed "I sincerely doubt you care in the least for those kids."

Meryn held her hands over her belly. For some reason she wanted to shield her child from this. "Ryuu, can you do a water bubble over jellerbean?"

One formed instantly. "You feel threatened?" he asked.

She nodded. Then staggered back as images began to fill her mind. Knives. Knives of all shapes and sizes. Some of light, others of steel. None of them served a purpose that helped, they existed only to destroy. Finally, a single, thin blade remained. "He's a scalpel," she whispered.

Ryuu gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze from where he was holding her up. "Good job."

"Shut up, you bitch!" Oron's father screamed.

Brennus walked forward and drove his fist into the side of his face. "Iviar, I would watch my words when speaking to my niece, were I you."

Iviar went to speak, but his jaw hung uselessly from his face.

Meryn looked closely at the men. "They can't move." She grinned. "That's what he meant by gift wrapped. They can't move at all."

"He betrayed us, he'll betray you too," Oron's uncle said.

"If you're trapped and you know it, clap your hands," Meryn sang.

Lily and Law chuckled.

Brennus rubbed his chin. "This definitely changes up our timeline."

Doran grinned. "What should we start with?"

Meryn let her uncles talk shop, her attention was on the woman at the door. She walked back, Ryuu behind her.

"Hello."

The woman blinked.

"Umm, you speak English?"

There was no response. "My name is Meryn, I'm Brennus' niece, he's mated to the queen."

At the mention of the queen a slight awareness came back to the woman's eyes. "Her Majesty," she said softly.

"Yes, my Auntie."

"You will free us?"

"Sure."

The woman turned and led her away from the banquet room. Meryn went to tell the others she was leaving, but they were arguing about how they were going to kill the men. She shrugged. She had Ryuu with her.

She followed the woman to the kitchen. When the woman opened a set of cellar doors that led downward, she began to second guess things.

" Denka , let me go first."

"I have no fucking problem doing that," she replied.

They made their way down the stairs. When they reached the bottom, Ryuu's hand reached back and pinned her to the staircase wall. "Do not come in here."

Meryn exhaled. "Is it dangerous or fucked up."

Ryuu's hand began to shake. Okay, so it was fucked up. She took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "Let me."

"No. Not this. Anything but this. Please," he begged. "Just go get heika ."

She reached into her shirt. "Felix, go get Kendrick. Under no circumstances are you to enter this room. I will need you right here waiting for me, understand."

Felix pouted. "I protect."

She kissed the top of his head. "I will need you to protect my heart later. If Ryuu is this upset, it will be bad. You will have to share your light with me, but you won't be able to if you see the bad thing, understand?"

"Okay." He flew away.

She stepped forward and again Ryuu stopped her. "I need to see this, Ryuu. I need to understand."

Ryuu stepped back to stand in front of her, tears in his eyes. "I would keep this from you."

"I know. This is the rare and stupid occasion I need to be brave."

Ryuu straightened. "Stay by my side."

Together they walked into the cold room. Meryn looked around. It was like a mad scientist's lab down here. So far, she didn't see anything that would have Ryuu freaking out, until she saw the glass tubes. "Ryuu, what's in those?"

She could tell they were pieces of the body, but she couldn't identify what it was.

"I have an idea, but do not know for sure," Ryuu answered.

"Our wombs," the woman answered, lifting her baggy, shapeless shirt. She pushed down her skirt waist to reveal a jagged scar.

Meryn felt bile rising. "What?"

The woman walked over and placed a hand on the glass. "This one was mine."

"Oh god, the kids," she whispered.

The woman turned, and it was as if she was seeing her for the first time. "You have to leave, if they see you, they will take your baby." It seemed like the longer she was around Meryn, the more she came back to herself.

"Ryuu won't let them."

The woman turned back to the large tube. "It's empty now."

"It will be years before we see our babies again," another woman said, stepping forward out of the shadows.

"They grow, then they have to come out. Then the men put them back in again," another said.

Meryn fought back waves of nausea. The women thought that the same babies were simply being taken out and put back in. "Your babies are safe now. They are with the queen," she said.

All of the women smiled at the same time. "Then, is it over?" the first woman asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Can you set us free?"

Meryn nodded. "The front door is just this way," she took the woman's hand and went to pull her forward, but couldn't budge her.

The woman's eyes focused for just a second. "Free us, Meryn."

"Please, no," she pleased. "Please, let me take you back to éire Danu."

"Set us free," she whispered again, laying her cheek against the glass.

"Meryn, are you okay?" Kendrick asked, coming up behind them.

She was relieved to see he was alone. "I can't help them," she cried.

Kendrick's eyes swept the room and she saw the second he figured out what had been going on. "The Eirson women?"

She nodded.

He eyed the tubes. "There is nothing we can do to those monsters that will be enough to satisfy me," he growled.

"Set us free," another woman asked.

"We can easily take him out of here," Kendrick began.

Meryn shook her head. "That's not what they want."

Kendrick straightened. "Let me discuss this with Brennus. We can help them," he said, then jogged up the stairs.

Meryn chewed on her thumb.

"Gods above, is this what I think it is?"

Meryn turned. It was her Aunt Lily. "Aunt Lily, I have to do something, but it will be hard."

"Are those their wombs?" Lily asked, all the color draining from her face.

Meryn nodded.

"The children?" she whispered.

Again, Meryn nodded.

"This was done by their own mates?" Lily asked, with a horrified expression.

Meryn froze. Then spun to the corner and threw up. She had never even made the connection. What kind of hell had these women had to endure at the hands of the very ones who would have sworn to keep them safe.

Lily rubbed her back as Ryuu lifted a water filled hand. She drank from it, swished her mouth, then spat it out on the floor.

"Aunt Lily, we have to set them free before Kendrick comes back. He wants to try and save them," she explained.

Lily's face hardened. "What can we do?"

Meryn looked around for a way to kill the women gently.

"I don't have powers like Kincaid or the twins," she said, feeling frustrated beyond measure.

"What would you want to do?" Ryuu asked lowly.

"Something quick and painless."

"Use me."

"Exsqueeze me?"

He held up her wrist that held his tattoo. "For once, use what I have given you."

She scowled. "No. I swore I would never treat you like a chess piece."

"I'm not a piece being maneuvered if I am begging you to let me help. Hurry, before heika returns and this option is gone for good."

"A water blade, like Rheia told me about. Wide enough to sever the brain stem at the back of the neck."

A blue blade extended from her dragon, pulsing with life.

The woman blinked. "It was his ability. To cut away pieces, isolate them. Sanity, magic, light, life. But they would soon decay and rot. We kept waiting for them to fade, but they never did. His gift kept them whole." Her eyes drifted back to the tubes.

Meryn went to the first woman. "I'm sorry for everything you went through. Go to the hereafter knowing that you won, and your children are safe."

The woman smiled softly. "Thank you."

Quickly she extended the blade at the base of her skull and the woman dropped. One by one, she said the same things to the others, though none of them was cognizant enough to thank her, before she ended their lives.

"We'll take them back with us, bury them someplace bright and warm," she said, letting her blade fade.

Footsteps behind her had her smiling. They had finished just in time.

"Meryn! What have you done?" Kendrick asked, looking shocked.

"What I had to. What I would have wanted, if had been me."

"But..." He started.

"There's no way you could ever understand," she said, holding her bubble-wrapped belly protectively.

Lily wrapped an arm around her. "We'll need clean linens to transport them home," she said.

" Heika , it was the right thing to do. Sometimes, saving someone isn't helping them live," Ryuu said, placing a hand on Kendrick's arm.

Kendrick gritted his teeth. "Meryn, I hate that you had to see this, that I wasn't strong enough to do this for you. My first instinct was to try and save them, but that's not what they wanted, was it?"

Meryn smiled, feeling tired. "They were saved. Sometimes winning means, never letting them hurt you again."

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "I am so very proud to know you."

She returned his hug. "Never stop trying to save people, that's usually the right thing to do. There was no right answer here. I just did what I would have wanted done to me had I been betrayed by Aiden."

From his quick inhale she realized he hadn't connected the horrid crimes to the men being their mates. She looked up at him. "Aunt Lily had to explain it to me too." She stepped back, turned and headed toward the stairs. She just had to make it to Felix. Ryuu was at her side in an instant, steering her through the door.

"You okay?" Felix asked, clutching his chest.

"I'm sorry I made you wait. I know it must have been hard not knowing what was happening and feeling how horrified I was. But, I'm glad you didn't see it buddy." She breathed his special scent that never failed to make her feel better. If light had a scent, that is what he smelled like to her.

"Much better," Ryuu said, looking relieved.

Lily took her arm on her other side, and they helped her up the stairs.

When they reached the banquet hall, hearing her uncles laugh about what they wanted to do felt hollow.

"They don't know honey," Lily said, staring at the men.

Law noticed first. "Fuck! What happened?" he ran over and began checking her out from head to toe.

Brennus and Doran were right behind him.

Meryn looked up and saw that Oron and Darian hesitated. They knew it was bad.

"Ryuu, I need a favor," she whispered.

"Anything."

"Is there any kind of creature or magic in Japan, that could punish them as they deserve?"

Ryuu inhaled, then smiled. "It would mean contacting a few darker spirits."

"Can you handle it?"

He stepped back and placed a fist over his heart. "Consider it done." He turned and sat down cross-legged on the floor. To anyone else it looked like he was meditating.

"Meryn?" Oron asked, coming closer.

"Whatever you are planning, it will never be enough," she said.

Oron went to head toward the kitchen, and she grabbed him around the waist. "No!" she screamed. "No!"

Oron froze. "Let me go."

"Never. You'll have to kill me," she said, through clenched teeth. She felt the tears then, as she realized she had just killed his mother.

Lily went to Darian. "If you love your brother, take him from here, even if he hates you for it."

Oron could only try to extricate himself gently, as he did not want to hurt Meryn.

Darian hesitated.

Seconds later, Oron slumped, and Kendrick caught him. "Take him back to éire Danu, now Darian," he ordered.

Darian straightened, his eyes blazing, but then he saw the rage in Kendrick's eyes. He simply nodded. "Will you tell us what happened?"

Kendrick looked to Brennus. "Eventually. Once we're home, in the light of your new sun," he promised.

Darian lifted Oron. "They will suffer?"

Meryn wiped her eyes and pointed to Ryuu. "More than any other if I have my way."

Darian opened a portal. "I will be back to get you." He stepped through and the portal closed.

From the corner, Ryuu stood. Where Darian's portal had been edged in gold, this one was jagged shadows.

When the twisted creature stepped through, Doran held up his sword.

The entity laughed. "You do not think we belong in your world?"

Ryuu stepped forward and went to speak, but the entity waved his hand. Ryuu was frozen in place, his eyes wide. When she looked at him, she could almost hear his words of warning.

Meryn stepped in front of her uncles. "I believe you belong in this world for days like today."

The entity stared down. "Go on."

"Humans have forgotten much. We need beings like you to remind us."

"What would you like to remember?"

Every question felt like a test. She was beginning to appreciate Xavier.

"We forgot how to revere ones such as you. We would like to offer up these gifts," she said, pointing to the Eirsons. "I will not lie. If you accept these gifts, you will be helping us as well. But, the way I see it, this is the type of rare situation where everyone wins."

The entity chuckled lowly. "I get entertainment, your enemies are tortured. If everyone wins, what do they get?" he asked slyly, pointing to the Eirsons. It was a challenge. A test.

She stepped closer to the being, trying not to choke on the heavy smell of sulfur. "They get the gift of immortality."

The entity's eyes widened. "I was unsure about answering this summons, the guardian spirits hardly ever serve anyone half as interesting as you. You have not disappointed me." He leaned in and smiled. "You have been touched by something I have not sensed in many millennia." He turned back to Ryuu and waved his hand. The squire fell to his knees. "You are spared. She was worth the trip."

The entity glided forward and approached the first man. When he reached forward bony fingers pulled the man closer. Slowly, the entity's mouth elongated, and the man was swallowed whole. Seeing what happened to the first of them, the other men began to scream.

Smacking his non-existent lips, the entity nodded. "Delicious. So much evil in such a small being. The deaths of children saturate them." He paused. "And there are notes of demonic magic. This is a true delicacy."

One by one he consumed them all. When he was done, he tilted his head. "The balance is not equal. Even with an eternity of torture for your enemies, I feel I owe you for this exquisite meal." He waved his hand and an onyx ring appeared on her hand. "A small trinket, may it serve us both well."

Another jagged shadow portal opened and then the entity was gone.

"Gods above!" Nearly everyone in the room fell to their knees.

Ryuu stood and shakily returned to her side. "Let me see," he ordered.

She held up her hand. "It's a ring."

"I can see very well that it's a ring. I hate that you have something of them." He tried tugging it off.

Meryn just stared at him. "None of the shit I get comes off," she said.

Ryuu ran his magic over it and eyed it carefully. "It's a weapon." He exhaled. "It's just a weapon. It won't siphon off your soul"

Meryn looked down at the ring. "That was an option?"

"With the dark ones, you never know."

Slowly everyone stood. "Darling, what did you find where that creature was needed?" Brennus asked.

"A piece of hell," she replied. She looked at the men. "I'm sorry if I made the decision for everyone."

Rio shook his head, eyes wide. "There's no way I could do to them what that shadow creature will do." He swallowed hard. "Did you say they were now immortal?"

"Yeah, that was kinda part of the punishment."

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," Ange said, shuddering.

Lily smiled and kissed her forehead. "You did perfectly. They got nothing less than what they deserved. Even the hereafter is safe for them," she said.

Meryn brightened. "That's true."

Brennus rubbed the back of his neck. "Your aunt is gonna kill me."

Lil shook her head. "Not when she hears what happened."

Felix popped up from behind Meryn's head. "Need to go home."

Brennus nodded. "Darian should be here…"

The golden portal was a welcome sight after facing such abject evil.

Meryn looked at Kendrick. "The basement?"

He patted his bag. "I have them here. Everything else was… dissolved."

"Thank you."

"It was the very least I could do."

Thane wrapped an arm around her. "Home, young lady. Then you have a story to tell."