Brie had to admit the parasol added a certain flare to the delicate vampire.
Meryn looped her arm through Pip's. "Let's go eat lion-squire food."
Brie cracked her back. "I'm starving, and my back is killing me."
Meryn chuckled. "It should; you're wearing like fifty pounds of gear."
Brie gave a half shrug. "Comes with the job."
Meryn bent down and hoisted a laptop bag to her shoulder, which Aiden immediately stepped forward to take. "I only have to worry about my laptop."
Ari rubbed her shoulders. "Come on, my warrior, let's head home and get you in the shower and into comfortable clothes."
She whimpered. "That sounds amazing right now."
"I expect to see you all in the morning for breakfast," the queen said.
"Yes, Auntie!" Meryn called back as she and Pip headed out the door.
Brie caught the queen's expression. "Auntie?" the queen questioned as she blinked.
Brennus kissed the back of his mate's neck. "It suits you."
The queen just shook her head. "I suppose." She then turned to move toward the crowd of survivors. Brie felt sorry for the fae queen; her night was only just beginning. Her expression must have shown her concern, because a moment later Ari kissed the back of her neck as well. "Let's go home."
*****
The closer they got to the Lionhart estate, the more the three Lionhart brothers seemed to vibrate with anticipation. Brie could feel the excitement emanating from her mate.
Meryn was making Aiden a nervous wreck as she and Pip walked backward so she could talk with Rex. "So, when you say legendary London Broil, do you actually mean it?"
Rex rubbed the side of his nose. "Meryn, most squires become known for one or two dishes. For example, Sebastian has his Vanilla Parfait…"
"Magic Pudding," Meryn interrupted.
Rex inclined his head at her correction. "My apologies, Magic Pudding. Cord has two specialties. His Cinnamon Scones and his Vegetable Medley, which consists of grilled garden vegetables and vegetable tempura. Leo, on the other hand, is known for his meat based dishes. Being a lion and serving a lion household, that makes a lot of sense. One is his London Broil, the other is his Venison Stew."
Meryn licked her lips and stumbled a bit, causing both Ryuu and Aiden to lurch forward to steady her. "Damn, they both sound good." She looked up at her squire. "What do you do?"
Ryuu's eyes widened, his cheeks turned pink, and he coughed into his fist. "I do it all, denka."
Meryn came to a complete stop. "Ex-squeeze me?"
Ryuu sighed. "Meryn, I can cook anything."
She nodded. "Yeah, I knew that, but what's your specialty?"
Rex stared. "Meryn, I think what he's saying is that whatever he cooks, it is to the level that most squires aspire to master when they use the term specialty."
"So, I totally lucked out when I got you as my squire, huh?" She rubbed her hands together evilly. "I get to eat all da foods."
Ryuu's eyes softened. "I have the power to submerge this world in chaos and ruin, and all she cares about is food."
Kendrick clapped his friend on the back. "That's our Meryn."
"My Meryn," Aiden growled.
Ryuu eyed the commander. "She's my charge."