"Don't think like that. When I first moved in, I thought he was the noblest man I had ever met. You think Gavriel is courtly? Darian outshone him the way the sun outshines the moon. But over the years, it's like he just got tired. Nevertheless, I refuse to believe that who he is at his very core has changed. In his own way, he is protecting you. It's so ingrained in him to keep you safe that he won't risk you, not in any way, not even to save himself."
"I won't lose him, Keelan."
"We won't. I'll do anything I can to help. It's my hope that we can be friends as well."
She got up off the bed and gave him a hug. "I think we already are."
Blushing, he smiled. "Get some rest. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be a long day."
"Premonition?" she joked as he walked toward the door.
He turned around and winced. "Darian is denying his mate, Meryn has vowed to help and I have a feeling you'd encourage her antics. Tomorrow is going to be a long day," he repeated. He walked over, grabbed her makeup case by the handle, and wheeled it toward the door. He turned and gave a wave.
Amelia laughed as he walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. She looked at her one lone suitcase and wrangled it up into the chair. Unzipping it, she pulled out her toiletry bag and her nightshirt and headed to the bathroom. She got undressed, breathing a sigh of relief when she removed her bra. She slipped on her nightshirt and pulled her long brown curls back in a hair tie. Reaching into her toiletry bag for her face wash and moisturizer, she started her nightly routine.
When she was done, she folded up her jeans and shirt and walked back into the bedroom. She opened her suitcase and dropped her clothes inside. Staring at her wardrobe, she sighed. All her tops were either black or white. Her bottoms were either black slacks or jeans. Normally, she didn't mind her monochromatic look, thinking it was edgy, but she didn't want her new friends to think she was wearing the same thing over and over again. She definitely needed to go shopping soon. She looked around the room and found her tote bag on the dresser. She fished around the large bag until she found her phone.
She got comfortable on the bed and leaned back on a stack of fluffy pillows. She knew the conversation she was about to have would be hard, but it had to be done. She opened the phone and pressed the speed dial number for Caiden. He answered on the first ring.
"What's happened? Are you hurt? Are you dead?" he demanded.
"Dead? Yes, I'm calling on my ghostly iPhone, you idiot." She rolled her eyes.
"Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady. You never call this late, what's happened?"
How does he always know when I do that?
"Well, you know how I said I would be leaving first thing in the morning?"
"Yes?"
"Yeah, that's not happening."
"Why? Do you have a flat? Is it car trouble? Are you being held hostage?"
"How do you go from flat tire to hostage situation?"
"Well?" he demanded, ignoring her perfectly logical question.
"I found my mate! Isn't that exciting?" She held her breath and mentally counted down.
Three...two...one...
"What!? That sonofabitch! Waiting until we weren't around to swoop in and steal my baby girl!" He called out to their brothers, "Kyran! Tristan! Get Packed! We're going to Lycaonia to beat some fae bastard's ass and take back our baby girl!"
"What!?" she heard Kyran shout.
"Motherfucker!" Tristan yelled.
Amelia stared up at the ceiling. Yeah, they wouldn't complicate matters at all.
"Freeze!" she barked into the phone. A second later, there was silence. "Listen, I'm a grown woman; please don't interfere."
"You're barely grown and only because you're half human. I thought we agreed you wouldn't mate until you were two hundred," Caiden argued.
"No! You told me I couldn't mate until I was two hundred. I have met him. He's my mate. Get over it."
"Shifty, blond bastard. I bet he makes shoes or something," Caiden grumbled.
Amelia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Cai-den!"
"Yes?"
"Where am I?"
"Lycaonia."
"And..." She waited to see if he would put two and two together.
"Oh Gods! You're moving!" he practically wailed.
"Can she do that?" Kyran demanded.
Fuck my life right now!
"Lycaonia is the city of..."
"Shifters," Tristan answered.
"Exactly!" she exclaimed. "What type of fae live in a shifter city?"
Silence.
Silence.
"Do you have the roster?" she heard Caiden ask.
"Right here," Tristan shouted. "Okay, so her fae bastard mate could be Larik Li'Mileren from Beta, Barak Ri'Anvial from Delta, Alanis Vi'Kilernan from Epsilon, Sulis Ri'Orthames from Zeta, Gods, if that is her mate, then he isn't getting the two hundred bucks I owe him."
"Tristan!" Caiden barked.
"Right. All that's left are the brothers Darian Vi'Alina or Oron Vi'Eirson."
Amelia sat up straight. "Wait, how can they be brothers if they have different last names?"
"Gods, it's one of those two surly assholes," Kyran groaned.
"Which one is it, baby girl?" Caiden asked.
"How are they brothers?" she repeated.