Ari stood and looked at the table full of empty containers. "Ben, you stay here as point of contact for the facility. Gage, you check up on Bastien. Priest, work with Sascha Baberiov in getting the rest of Gamma settled in. Kincaid, can you act as escort for Anne?" His unit all stood and nodded. Ari turned to the rest of the warriors. "Add in a rotation to guard this facility then head back to the villa. Rest up for your next patrol."
The rest of the men stood. "Yes, sir."
Priest eyed his unit leader. "And what will you be doing?"
"Heading to the palace to see if Cord is serving lunch," Ari replied, not looking the least bit ashamed.
Kincaid laughed. "I'll tag along so I can pick up Anne."
"Unbelievable," Gage muttered as everyone moved for the door.
Ari held a hand down to her. "Are you okay with heading to the palace?"
She grinned up at him. "Yes, because I'm still hungry too."
Laughing he wrapped an arm around her and they walked up the hill toward the palace.
Chapter Eleven
When they got to the palace, Brie was surprised to see the atmosphere was surprisingly light. She looked up at Ari, who nodded his head toward where Meryn sat, bouncing in her chair.
"Ari, Brie, Kincaid, welcome. Just in time for lunch. Please join us," the queen said, motioning to the table.
They sat down in three empty chairs as Brie continued to watch Meryn. "Did someone over-caffeinate her?" she asked.
Aiden placed his large hand on his mate's head and pushed up and down causing her to laugh. "Darian got a call from Noctem Falls today. He went to get the collection vials for ViThreePO, and Sebastian said he's forwarding on my meat kebobs!"
"Meat bobs! Meat bobs!" Creelee chanted from Izzy's shoulder.
"In the meantime, can I interest you in a garden salad?" Cord asked.
Meryn shook her head emphatically. "No, thank you, Cord. Every square millimeter in my stomach is reserved for meat kebobs and pudding today."
Cord eyed the empty plate in front of Meryn as if it were an enemy. "How about a piece of fruit? It'll be digested before Darian returns." The poor squire simply couldn't stand that someone at the table he was serving wasn't eating.
Meryn saw his face and relented. "Okay, maybe something small though. Oh! Those baby oranges would be great."
Amelia sighed. "They're called tangerines, Meryn."
"Whatever, he knew what I meant."
"I did, and I will be right back with some f
or you." He looked at them. "What can I get the two of you?" he asked.
"Technically, I've had two breakfasts, but I'm still kinda hungry. But I don't think I need a full meal," she explained.
Kincaid smiled. "Any kind of soup would be perfect for me."
Ari shrugged. "Double of whatever is easiest," he said simply.
Rex smiled. "You better watch out, Cord, Ari is like a stray house cat. If he knows that you'll feed him, he'll keep turning up."
Cord shrugged. "That's perfectly fine by me. I'll be right back with your lunches," he said, heading toward the kitchen.
Aleksandra turned to Brie. "Thank you for sending Portia that form. She said it was exactly what was needed and saved her hours of work."
Brie felt better knowing she helped. "I wasn't sure how much of it could be used, but I figured it would be better than starting from scratch."