Zoe giggled at his levity. She playfully punched him in the arm. “My brother is a warrior or was. He isn’t stinky.”
Both men now leaned forward. Aeson smiling. “Who is your brother?”
“Mikel Appleblossom,” she replied proudly, puffing out her chest.
“Holy shit,” Ramsey whispered.
“My dear, dear, lady, you are thrice welcome. Mikel Appleblossom is one of the best warriors to ever serve. He helped shape the Alpha Unit when Aiden McKenzie became Unit Commander. It is an honor to be able to escort his beloved baby sister,” Aeson said, sweeping down into an elegant bow.
She stepped forward and placed both hands on his forearm. “Do you know where he is? I’ve been looking for him for years. Things at home are…” she trailed off.
Aeson passed her suitcase to Ramsey and placed a large, warm hand over hers. “I will find him and bring him to you, this I do swear.”
“I do swear,” Ramsey echoed.
Zoe couldn’t stop her tears. They reminded her so much of Mikel, and it was a relief to finally feel safe again.
“What in the hell have you done to that poor girl!" an angry voice demanded.
“Nothing, Dav, I swear,” Ramsey said, looking frazzled at her tears.
A rough, calloused hand wiped away her tears. “There, there, honey, you tell ole Dav what these two idiots have done, and I’ll right it for you.”
“They aren’t idiots, they’re very nice. And you’re nice for asking. It’s just, I feel so safe that I’ve suddenly become tired,” she admitted, sniffling loudly.
She looked up into Dav’s eyes, and his kindness reminded her of Caroline. “I’m sorry.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You don’t have a thing to be sorry for.” He looked down at her. “Been having to be strong for a while, huh?”
She sniffled again and nodded.
“Well, you’re here now, and we’ll take care of our girl.” He looked at Aeson. “Where are you two brats taking her?”
Aeson rolled his eyes at the ‘brat’ comment and answered. “Queen Aleksandra summoned her as the Fire Temple Head, we think she’s here to investigate the dimming of the lights, and she’s Mikel Appleblossom’s baby sister.”
Dav sucked in a breath. “All that, huh.” He looked down at her. “Whose ass do I need to beat that you only feel safe with three ugly warriors you just met?”
“You mean two ugly warriors,” Ramsey corrected. “I’m fabulous.”
She shrugged and looked down at the street. She didn’t want to cause any trouble.
“Ramsey and I will be heading to Storm Keep to beat some bastard named Andrei and any council member that was a party in assigning him as her assistant,” Aeson announced.
She looked up quickly, and seeing that they were serious, her mouth dropped. “You… you can’t do that!” she stuttered.
Ramsey tilted his head. “Why?”
“They’re council members!”
Aeson tilted his head in the other direction. “And?”
She looked to the third, older and hopefully wiser warrior. He just grinned wickedly. “We would rather face the political fallout from beating down prissy, witch council members than your brother if he finds out we did nothing after seeing you so distressed.”
She turned back to Aeson. “Are you really gonna hit them?”
He patted her on the head. “Don’t you worry about that. Now, what would you like to do?”
Zoe felt her heart begin to race. Making choices was hard. “Ummm, uhh, meet the queen? It’s why I’m here. Right?”