that Meryn had the love and support of Noctem Falls, and Éire Danu would do well to follow their example," Kael said, ducking out of the way when Bastien stepped toward him.
Bastien let Kael skip out of reach. "Magnus presented her with a Regalis card. You know how rare it is for one to be given out. That alone should make her everyone's priority."
"I think she's fine where she is. At the palace, she has not only her mate and her squire, but also the queen and uncles every which way she turns," Ari said.
Bastien thought about it a moment then nodded. "Agreed, however, if she ever has to leave the palace, I'd like to volunteer for guard duty."
Ari reached across the counter for a nacho. "I'll pass that on to Aiden. I know that man will not turn down guards for his mate."
Brie sat back and was surprised to find that she was truly enjoying herself. Being in a male dominated profession, she was used to being the only female in the room. The men joked, played pranks, teased mercilessly, and puttered around the kitchen, creating a laid-back atmosphere.
Around midnight, she was introduced to the Psi and Omega units as they came in from patrol duty. Balder leading Upsilon and Nerius leading Phi headed out the door to take over patrols. Ari took her hand and started saying goodnight to the men.
"A thousand blessings on your mating, Ari," Ramsey called as they walked out of the kitchen.
"Sleep tight!"
"I doubt they will be sleeping," Aeson said, causing the men to laugh.
When they were at the top of the stairs, Brie noticed that Ari had gone quiet. She peeked up, and to her delight, his cheeks were pink. He caught her staring, and with his other hand, rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about the guys."
"Don't be. I think they're wonderful. Yes, they're a bit boisterous, but at no point did they say anything that made me uncomfortable. I felt like I was in a room full of brothers."
Ari's smile to her statement was bright. "They are. Like brothers, I mean."
She rubbed his arm as they resumed walking. "I know. They watched you like a hawk while we were down there. Every time your drink got low, someone walked by and filled it. You mentioned you loved tangerines, and suddenly there was a bowl on the counter. It's clear how loved you Priest, Gage, and Kincaid are."
Ari stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at her. "What?"
"You didn't notice?"
"No. Wait. Seriously?" She could tell he was mentally going through the entire evening.
She pulled on his arm to get them walking again. Her third margarita had her wanting to strip down and face plant into bed.
Absently, he walked a few more feet then placed his hand on the center of the door before him. She heard a faint click, and he swung it open for them. She stepped inside and looked around. The room was clean and tidy. He had decorated it in shades of blue, and while everything looked nice, it felt empty.
"Where's your stuff?" she asked, figuring out what was missing. There were no personal affects here.
"At home," he answered and pulled his shirt over his head.
"Home?" She looked at him confused.
Ari turned to her, and she looked her fill. His broad chest was nothing but compact and defined muscles. When she saw the way his hips dipped into his slacks in a 'v', she almost groaned. Was there ever a more beautiful man?
"I maintain quarters here and split my time between the warrior villa and the Lionhart estate. It's somewhat unorthodox given the way other units are run, but considering my family plays major roles in the city's politics, it works better for everyone. I get updates from my father and pass them on to the units so that Brennus doesn't have to."
"So, you come here when you want to be pampered," she teased.
Ari shook his head. "Until you said something, I never even noticed they did that." He frowned. "I wonder if Gage, Priest, or Kincaid knows." He sighed. "Sometimes it's hard being the youngest in a city of paranormals that can lives for thousands and thousands of years."
"It may not be a paranormal thing. In Monroe, the firehouse is across the street from our station. I've watched the older firemen coddle their probies. Don't get me wrong, they torture the hell outta them too, but yeah, the probies are treated like baby brothers."
"Probie?"
"Probationer, someone whose performance is evaluated before acceptance."
"We don't have those. Once you're moved up to serve as a unit warrior, that's it."