"Kari is pregnant. I bet you anything she's having a girl." Ari sat back. "Gods, a baby girl with our strength and her mother's intelligence would be unstoppable."
Ramsey suddenly frowned. "She'll need all her uncles to keep the boys away."
Suddenly he, Broden, and Ari were are growling low.
Brie rolled her eyes. "Or you could teach her to defend herself."
Ari pointed to her badge. "Auntie Brie could teach her how to shoot."
She sipped her margarita. Damn, the man had made it perfectly. "Of course, but I was thinking more along the lines of judo."
Ari blinked. "You know judo?"
"Yup. Had dad sign me up when I was four. Typical school yard bully kept pushing me down so he could look up my skirt. I asked my mom to show me how to fight big boys, and she suggested judo."
"Your parents didn't do anything to the little bastard?" Ari asked.
She shook her head. "I told them not to. I wanted to handle it myself. So, I took lessons, and it didn't take long for me to get really good at throwing his ass around. He left me alone after that. I hit a growth spurt in middle school and most bullies left me alone after that."
"Why?" Ari asked.
She dragged her hand up and down in front of her body. "My mom was six-foot one, I'm six-feet even. I towered over most of the guys through high school."
Ari blinked. "Is that tall for humans?"
Brie was about to answer, then looked around the room. She was actually way shorter than most of them. Meryn suddenly popped into her head; the woman was easily at least eight to nine inches shorter than she was.
"To answer your questions, yes, amongst humans I'm tall. Poor Meryn, her neck must absolutely kill her from having to look up all the time."
Balder opened his mouth, then closed it. "You know, I never really thought about how much she can't see." He dropped to his knees. "She's about this short right?"
Brie nodded. "There about."
"This is awful! I can't even reach the counter!"
"It looks like it was built for you warriors, so that makes sense," Brie pointed out.
More than one warrior dropped to their knees to see what Balder was talking about.
"This is bullshit!" Jace exclaimed.
"Can she even reach the toilet?" Ian asked.
Brie held her sides, laughing as she watched a group of grown men walk around on their knees in the kitchen, discovering what they couldn't reach.
"I mean, this impacts daily life, right?" Jace asked, trying to reach a bowl of chips.
The men stood shaking their heads.
"No wonder our commander carries her around so much. I thought they were just in a honeymoon stage, but maybe it's a survival mechanism that he's subconsciously adopted," Balder suggested.
"And she's pregnant," Ramsey added.
Bastien rubbed his chin. "You know, men, I believe it is our duty to assist our commander. While he and his tiny mate are in Éire Danu, we should do everything possible to ensure that Meryn's stay is not only safe but enjoyable."
Priest clapped his friend on the back. "You are a fine example of what it means to be a warrior. I am proud to call you my brother."
"Annnnd Leana threatened him over the phone when he did his weekly check in with his uncle. She said