"Holy shit!" she yelled.
He masculine chuckle was the only precursor she received before he began to torture her relentlessly. He changed up the speed, along with the pressure, of his tongue to create a frenzied need within her. When he eased two fingers into her channel and curled his fingers upward, her body exploded with pleasure.
With a final swipe of his tongue, he sat up. With a satisfied smirk at her complete undoing, he raised an eyebrow. "Do I remind you of Kip now?"
Ellie barely heard him as she tried to get her heart rate under control. She looked up at him confused. "Who?"
Grinning, he lay down beside her and tucked them both under the covers. "Exactly."
*****
The next morning, after they checked in on the children, Ellie was surprised to see Adriel waiting for them on the perimeter of the courtyard. They walked up to the unit leader.
"Sir?" Grant asked.
"I wanted to see how the children were doing and knew you would need an escort, so this worked out perfectly." His expression clouded. "Are they not getting any better?"
Ellie barely moved her head back and forth. Adriel nodded his understanding. She didn't want to say too much with the parents around. He indicated the door with his hand. "After you, my dear."
Adriel floated them both down to Level One. Sebastian was waiting by the door and opened it for them. The dining table looked different than it had the night before. The wood still held it's high polished gleam, but the atmosphere was much more relaxed.
It wasn't until after they sat down that she noticed a small figure sitting across from her. The figure's hoodie was pulled up, and they were face down on the table. "Are they all right?" Ellie asked pointing, unsure who sat in the chair.
The head lifted, and Ellie was shocked to see that it was Meryn. The small woman's eyes were barely open, and she looked frightening. Bleary eyed, she pointed at them. "Ryuu," she croaked.
"Is she okay?" Ellie asked concerned.
Ryuu nodded, a slight smile hovering on his lips. "Denka isn't at her best in the morning. We're still waiting for the first pot of coffee to finish." He pulled something out of his vest pocket. "I believe these were made for the two of you." Ryuu handed them two small stones. Ellie looked at Grant and was about to ask him what they were when she was caught off guard at his pure, unadulterated joyous smile.
A part of her wished her mate would be happy enough to smile more often, but if she was honest with herself, she was glad his dazzling smiles were few and far between. They made them that much more special.
"Dude, you're like super sexy when you smile," Meryn said, her voice sounding rough.
Ellie beamed at her. "I know, right!"
"Die, morning person." Meryn put her face back on the table.
Ryuu patted her shoulder. "She doesn't really mean it."
Ellie grinned. "I've worked in many hospitals. Trust me; I'm used to grumpy, sleep deprived people."
She turned to her mate who was still grinning like a kid at Christmas. "What are they?"
Grant held up his stone. "They are..." He turned to the half-dead human. "Meryn, what are we calling these?"
She lifted her head and snarled. "You're seriously asking me to think?"
Grant pointed to the stone. "You created it with the twins, you should name it."
"Call it 'Mornings always suck huge elephant dick'," Meryn grumbled
At the other end of the table, Magnus and Adriel choked on their morning blood. Elizabeth and Eva however looked unfazed.
"Is she always like this in the mornings?" Ellie asked Eva.
Eva winked. "Why do ya think I eat breakfast down here. Not only is Sebastian's cooking phenomenal, but I get a show too."
Meryn shook a middle finger at her friend. Eva chuckled. "Be careful, now that you're an LGBT ambassador, folks might take that the wrong way."
"She's what?" Aiden demanded.
Elizabeth heaved a huge sigh. "After her last announcement on Facebook, she was asked to act as a liaison for LGBT shifter groups since she's mated to you and will be the next Lady of House McKenzie." Elizabeth tapped her lips with her finger. "Politically, it's a brilliant move. It shows she is very progressive."
"Ambassador? Meryn?" Aiden asked again in disbelief.
"Dani," Meryn mumbled and sat up. On her chest she now sported a small rainbow-colored button. "Gotta represent." She put her head back down.
"How'd she do that?" Ellie asked.
Eva pointed to Meryn. "She's wearing the Gown of Eiré Danu. Meryn calls it Dani for short. It can change into whatever outfit Meryn thinks of."
"Extraordinary." Ellie thought about it for a moment. "So M.A.S.H.E.D. We call it a M.A.S.H.E.D Stone?"