Brie reached up to where he was rubbing. Sure enough, she could feel ridges in her skin where her holster had dug in. "You're amazing, Ari.”
"I know." She thought she'd be able to hang on a bit longer to enjoy his massage, but the second he started purring, it was lights out for her.
*****
Brie looked around, scowling. "Weren't we just here?"
Ari patted her leg. They had both risen early, then headed straight back to the palace. "Don't try to placate me. We're missing Leo's breakfast, and he was making pancakes!" she protested.
She sniffled a bit. She had woken up to the smell of them cooking. They hadn't even had time to grab coffee.
"Poor thing. I'm not making pancakes, but Sebastian prepared some waffle batter for little Meryn for breakfast before he and Magnus returned to Noctem Falls. I hear they're quite amazing," Cord said, filling her coffee cup.
Somewhat mollified, she fixed her cup and sat back. "Where is Tiny Toons?"
Aiden smiled. "Still sleeping, thank the gods. She's had such weird sleeping patterns since Noctem Falls that I let her sleep whenever I can."
Brie looked around and saw that Ryuu was assisting Cord with breakfast, and the boys were huddled over their laptops. "It's quiet without her," she observed. Around the table, everyone nodded.
Brennus smiled. "I've noticed that myself on many occasions since she's come to visit. I always miss her when she's not about."
Next to Brennus, Rex was going over paperwork with the queen. "We were able to secure the warehouse with no problem. Declan will be overseeing the guard rotation in New Mexico, but will still need to be able to check in with us on a regular basis."
The queen held up a hand and smiled at him. "I had already planned on establishing a permanent portal there, so there's no need to sell the idea to me, Rex." She arched a brow. "Everyone knows that you spearheaded the project to secure a way for your brother to visit more easily."
Rex blushed when faced with the queen's teasing. "And of course to assist in bringing those foul ferals to justice," he countered.
She pointed down to his packet. "Molvan installed the portal to the warehouse this morning. I had him place it in the cold storage facility to keep traffic in the palace to a minimum." She looked at Declan. "Not that you can't visit whenever you like."
Declan nodded his head. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
The queen turned to Kari. "Based on the updated numbers you received from Beth, where do we stand?"
Kari hesitated then pulled out her tablet. "It does not look good, Aleksandra. According to Beth's update, there should be thirty-five thousand, seven-hundred and six fae. That is nearly three-thousand more than projected. Of that number, nine-thousand four-hundred and two were living outside of Éire Danu, which is good, it is lower than we thought. Of those roughly nine-thousand, five-thousand eight-hundred and three have responded to your summons."
The queen held up her hand. "I thought it was closer to fifty-seven hundred."
Kari nodded. "It was, until the murders began. That seemed to create a sense of urgency in responding." She looked up from her tablet. "Go figure," she said in a deadpan voice before continuing. "When we subtract the numbers of known dead and recovered, we have exactly three-thousand fae still unaccounted for."
Kendrick sat back. "Exactly three-thousand?"
Kari nodded solemnly. "Yes," she confirmed.
"What don't I get?" Amelia asked.
Brie turned to her. "It's nothing concrete, but it's harder to imagine that they're off on some remote island enjoying the sun and surf when you have an even number like that," she explained.
"Oh," Amelia replied in a small voice.
Brie couldn't stand the dejected look on her face. "Look on the bright side; once we torture the ferals in Kincaid's box, we'll be able to save everyone all in one go."
Ari rubbed her back. "I know that you meant to make her feel better, but it's probably not a good idea to use the word 'torture' with the empath."
"Shit." Brie shot Amelia an apologetic look.
Amelia shook her head, smiling wanly. "With Meryn around, I'm used to those kind of conversation bombs now."
The queen turned to Brie. "I would still very much like you to stay in charge of this investigation. You've proven time and again that your input is invaluable. I truly believe that I will only be able to save my children with you at the helm."