"About time you three got here," Aiden said gruffly.
Around the table, Anne, Amelia, and Serenity dabbed at their eyes.
"Who are they?" she whispered to Ari.
Her mate shrugged. "I think the twins are Nigel and Neil Morninglory."
Micah just smiled as he rubbed his mate's back. "You're correct. The red-headed troublemakers are Nigel Morninglory from Theta and Neil Morninglory from Kappa. The dark-haired adorable one is Pip Maverick. All three have been adopted by Meryn as her brothers."
The queen gasped as Brennus smiled wide. "We have nephews!" she exclaimed.
The one introduced as Pip looked up from where he had been rubbing his cheek against Meryn's curls. "Huh?"
Nigel and Neil exchanged confused glances. "What now?"
Kendrick held up a hand and whispered low. Suddenly, the air around them pulsed and Brie opened and closed her mouth trying to get her ears to pop. "What the hell was that?"
Kendrick lowered his hand. "A soundproofing spell. We have some things to go over." He eyed her, Ari, and Kincaid. "Things will be revealed that could change our world. If you stay, you will be asked to swear an oath of silence."
Ari's eyes darted to Aiden, then to his brother. Both men nodded. He turned back to Kendrick. "So do I swear." Kincaid echoed Ari's oath.
Brie had no flipping clue what was going on. "I'll swear to whatever."
Kendrick stood and went to the twins. Thane and Justice had already pulled up chairs for them to sit to one side of Meryn. Oron had retrieved a chair for Pip, who sat on Meryn's other side.
Nigel and Neil looked from Kendrick to Meryn and back. "What?"
Kendrick knelt down in front of the two red-heads and began to tell a story. When he stood and stepped back, confessing to being their king, the young men slid from their chairs to their knees on the floor in front of Kendrick, both sobbing silently.
Brie turned to Ari to get confirmation that they were hearing this correctly and saw that Kincaid had tears streaming down his face.
"This is big, right?"
Meryn rubbed Neil's back while Pip rubbed Nigel's. She nodded. "They've been without a king for about five-thousand years."
Kendrick knelt back down and lifted the twins so they stood on their feet. "You do not bow to me. As my cousins, you need only incline your heads."
Neil sniffled. "We're your cousins because of Meryn, does that count?" he asked as he and his brother stood.
Kendrick placed one hand on each auburn head. "No, boys. Where do you think this red hair came from?"
Nigel simply started wheezing. Neil took a step back and fell onto his chair. Kendrick helped Nigel sit. Meryn glared at him. "You could have told them in another way."
"They're my baby cousins; if I don't torture them out of love, who will?" Kendrick asked flippantly, though his eyes were shiny.
Neil looked up. "How?"
Kendrick shrugged. "When a boy likes a girl…" His explanation halted as his mate popped him upside the head and kept walking until she could cuddle the twins with Meryn. "Way back when someone had a mistress," she explained, before turning to Nigel to get his breathing under control.
Beside Ari, Kincaid stood and walked over to where Kendrick and the twins were. He knelt down on one knee. "Your Majesty, I swear fealty here and now. I, Kincaid Bayberry, do solemnly swear to defend and uphold the reigning line of Stormhart, for as long as there is breath in my body. Command me as you will."
"Well, damn. He beat me to it," Micah groused.
Serenity smirked at her mate's chagrin. "You had plenty of time to make your pledge. Kincaid is the only one smart enough to make it official."
Kendrick looked taken aback. "Please rise, Kincaid. As the first to pledge your fealty to me, I offer this boon." He placed a hand on Kincaid's shoulder then stepped back, frowning. "That should have worked."
Thane stepped up. "What were you trying to do?"