Meryn turned to Sebastian her eyes pleading. Sebastian placed his fist over his heart. "I swear to you that Pip will be safe and well looked after."
She nodded once before Aiden stepped through, followed by Meryn, then finally Ryuu.
Oron turned to his brother. "Let's head home."
*****
Oron stretched and inhaled. The deep forest where they stood was completely different than the desert-city they just left. The air was rich with earthy smells and a light breeze danced through the trees.
Meryn looked around. "I expected more buildings."
Darian chuckled. "This isn't Éire Danu Meryn, this is the wooded area outside of Monroe, the closest human town to the established entry portal to Éire Danu."
"Why in the hell are we here? Are there ticks?" she demanded, looking at the underbrush.
Aiden scrubbed his hands over his face. "Liander, Rex, Jedrek and Catherine will head to the city. We'll be taking a slight detour to the Vanguard camp outside the town to verify their non-feral status so they can security check others. One of the problems with them signing up for your app, I discovered, is that the Vanguard squads in this area are pretty spread out, so without one being verified, it would be hard to get the ball rolling," he explained.
"Why didn't some of the fae unit warriors from Éire Danu verify them?" Meryn asked.
"They just got city-wide Wi-Fi by copying your setup from Noctem Falls, most of the fae warriors are still setting up their own profiles. Since we're here, it's easier for us to knock the local Vanguard out in one go," Aiden said, stretching his arms over his head.
Jedrek stepped forward. "I will do what I can to get our fair city ready for your arrival, but I have a feeling we will be woefully ill-prepared."
Catherine cuffed the back of her mate's head. "What he means to say, is that we will be hard pressed to adequately greet such an amazing person as yourself Meryn."
Rex grinned openly at his father's chagrin before turning to Aiden. "I'll let the other unit warriors know you're coming. I'm sure they will be excited to meet with you."
"I'd appreciate that," Aiden said, clasping forearms with the lion shifter.
Liander bowed. "Until we see you in the Land of Eternal Sun."
Oron inclined his head as the smaller group headed east.
Micah waltzed over and placed a hand on Meryn's head before whispering a spell. Once finished, he ruffled her short curls. "Serenity and I will be staying with you Dewdrop. To security check a squad you need at least four unit warriors, so this frees up Gavriel and Colton to do their other duties. That spell should keep the bugs off you until we reach the fae city."
Meryn sighed in relief. "Thanks, I'm not trying to get eaten out here."
Law looked around. "Our escort to the Vanguard camp should be here soon."
Amelia edged closer to Micah. "About that bug spell."
Micah spun and wrapped an arm around Amelia. "But of course, my Dewdrop's big-sister cousin. Bugs have no right to nibble on your delicate self." He whispered the spell and Amelia smiled. "Thank you."
Micah beamed before swaggering up to his own mate who was crouched down a branch in hand. "Do you need my help too, my one and only?"
She looked up from where she was examining a particular set of leaves. "Of course not Micah, you know I can do my own spells for that." She went back to looking at the vegetation.
Micah grabbed at his chest. "Shot down in the prime of my life!" he exclaimed.
Serenity didn't even turn back. "Micah, come here and look at this fern, I've never seen anything like it," she replied, ignoring his histrionics.
"Yes, dearest," Micah said sensibly, before dropping down next to his mate.
Darian was still scowling at the witch when he turned to Amelia. "I will get you a fae charm to repel insects when we reach Éire Danu."
Amelia giggled. "There's my frowny face," she teased.
Oron shook his head in wonder. Growing up, he had seen many mated pairs, but in all his years he had never seen couples so finely in tune with each another as his fellow unit warrior brothers and their mates. He thought back to his dreams and sighed; he could only pray he would meet his little disaster soon.