"You don't look like a Julian," Meryn announced.
Kendrick gave her a grateful smile. "That's because I'm not, not anymore."
"But Your Majesty, this changes everything," Marshall started.
Kendrick shook his head. "This changes nothing. Without cutting off the head of the snake, history is doomed to repeat itself. I won't reveal myself and put my loved ones in danger for nothing. Only after we identify our true enemies can we hope to make any changes."
"Not to sound like a smart ass..." Meryn began. She had to stop when almost everyone around the table snorted. "As I was saying, I don't want to state the obvious, but aren't the ones in power now the ones who are responsible? Can't we just go kick their asses and call it a day?"
Lily shook her head gently at Meryn. "You are truly my niece. I'm afraid the answer isn't so simple, or I would have done just that years ago."
"Well, why not?" Anne demanded. She didn't like the idea that Kendrick was in danger.
"Because, Your Majesty, the ones in power were most likely manipulated in the same way as the people." Lily explained.
Anne blinked.
All at once, the implications of Kendrick's royalty hit her. "Oh, my."
Kendrick reached over and began rubbing her back. "It's okay, everything is the same as when we sat down for Ryuu's wonderful soup. Breathe."
Anne turned and slapped at him with both hands. "Don't tell me to breathe, you royal pain in the ass! I'm fine!"
Meryn cackled. "I knew I liked her."
"Actually, Anne, you're hyperventilating," Rheia called out from the end of the table.
Anne took a deep breath and held it before exhaling slowly. She did that a couple more times all while glaring at Kendrick.
"Where's my levelheaded nurse?" he teased.
She flipped him off, and he chuckled. He winked at her and lifted his wine glass. She narrowed her eyes and leaned in close enough so only he could hear. "Keelan showed me a dream where I had triplet boys."
Kendrick sputtered in his wine glass and began to choke, which caused him to inhale more wine. Smiling sweetly, she now rubbed his back. "There, there darling, everything is okay. Just breathe."
Meryn licked her finger and drew an invisible line in the air marking Anne's victory over Kendrick.
It took a couple minutes for Kendrick to clear his airways. His chest was still heaving as he stared at her in wonder. "Truly?" Kendrick grinned at her with a goofy look on his face.
"Maybe."
"Well, I know what I'm doing tonight," he announced.
She gulped hard and stared at him. The dark, heated look he was giving her reminded her of the way a jungle cat watches its prey.
"So what do we do?" Lily asked.
Kendrick broke eye contact with her and turned back to the others. "Do exactly what you have been doing. This secret cannot leave the room. If you don't think you can carry on as you always have, you need to let me know, and I'll erase it from your mind."
"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we will, of course, keep your secret," Gavriel replied formally.
"Our mission is over." Lily turned to Marshall.
Marshall smiled at his mate. "And we have a daughter, a new son and niece to get to know."
Aiden cleared his throat. "Actually, if you could call Caiden and resume your Elder role, that would help us out quite a bit."
Marshall nodded. "Of course, but why is that a problem?"
"Because we have multi-flavor douchebags from each of the pillar cities trying to cause trouble," Meryn explained.
Lily smiled and tapped her lips. "Really? That sounds like fun."
"Oh, Gods," Aiden, Marshall, and Elizabeth said at the same time.
Beside her, Kendrick stood. "Aiden, I'll let you catch Marshall and Lily up on where we stand with the Committee. I have other pressing matters to attend to." Kendrick turned to Anne and bowed, one hand over his heart and the other stretched out to her. "My Lady, may I escort you upstairs?"
"Bow chica wow wow," Meryn sung.
Anne felt herself blushing furiously, but didn't care. She placed her hand in his and stood. Turning, she noticed that everyone at the table was grinning ear to ear.
"Good night everyone," she said.
"Sleep tight!" Rheia called.
"Don't let the bed bugs bite!" Amelia yelled laughing.
"But let Kendrick bite if he wants to!" Colton smirked.
Everyone was still laughing as they walked into the hallway. Kendrick was every inch the gentlemen until they stepped into the foyer.
"I will give you a ten-second head start." His eyes flashed with lust.
"Fuck!"
"Exactly."
Anne didn't waste another precious second; she ran.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Anne ran as fast as she could, but he still caught up with her before she even reached the top of the stairs. She laughed as he swung her up in his arms and headed to her bedroom.
"Not to ruin the mood, but I need to check on Keelan," she said as they passed his door.
Kendrick stopped and set her on her feet. "Thank you for putting his needs above your own."
Anne opened the door and approached Keelan's bed. "He may not be my mate, but he is my best friend." She checked his feeding tube and his IV port and replaced his drip bag. "Does he know about your parents?"
Kendrick shook his head. "No. I never wanted to put him in any danger, he was better off not knowing."
"What did you tell him about your parents?" Anne asked.
"That they died in a boating accident trying to cross the river; neither one of them knew water magic. It was the most plausible explanation I could come up with." Kendrick smiled down at his brother.
"He didn't even think to doubt you, did he?"
"No. Growing up, he must have believed I walked on water. He was always following me around, getting into my spell supplies." Kendrick laughed suddenly. "When he was two, he ate almost an entire bag of saltpeter while I was engrossed in translating a manuscript. When I realized what he was doing, I ran around like a madman trying to find someone to help. The widow down the road laughed at me and gave him a liquid that made him start throwing up. I felt like the worst brother in the entire universe as I watched my little buddy empty the contents of his stomach for five hours. That episode made me want to learn about healing. I never wanted to stand by helpless when he needed me again."
"I can't wait to ask him questions about you." Anne held out her hand.
Kendrick took it and dimmed the lights in the room with a wave of his hand.
Arriving at her guest suite felt almost anti-climatic. When the door shut behind them, she sighed. Kendrick went to the dresser and turned on the small lamp. Its low wattage gave off just enough light to see but was easy on the eyes.
Kendrick looked up. "Do you want me to chase you around the bedroom?"
She laughed and shook her head. "It feels so obligatory now."
"Obligatory?" Kendrick slowly unzipped his hoodie. "I'll give you obligatory."
Anne watched him as he casually began to strip out of his clothing. When he was shirtless and unbuttoning his jeans, she held up her hand. "Stop."
Kendrick blinked. "Everything?"
She walked over and reached out tentatively. Kendrick's personality hinged on his brilliant mind, so she often forgot that he was extremely well muscled. The short auburn chest hair gave him a warm glow in the low light.
She started by placing her hands side by side in the center of his chest then moved them upward, caressing his muscles. She ran her hands down his sides and then around the front, tracing the indention his hips made, which led downward. His body, under her hands, was very still. She looked up and saw a look of wonder on his face. She leaned in, placed her cheek against his chest, and listened to his heartbeat. "You're beautiful, you know. You have one of the most perfect bodies I have ever seen."
She eyed the brilliant red, black, and silvery white tattoos on his right forearm and looked up at him. "Very nice," she murmured.
He winked at her and took both of her hands in his, kissing them gently. He let them drop, grabbed the hem of her shirt, and pulled it up over her head. "Do I get to return the favor?"
She nodded as he slowly and deliberately removed each piece of clothing. He stopped when she stood before him in just her bra and panties. "I think I prefer to take you slowly rather than in the heat of the moment." He slid her bra straps down before he leaned down to kiss her collarbones. "I want you to know that I am thinking of you and only you, every second I am making love to you. I want you to know that each touch, each kiss, and each caress is deliberate. I don't want you to give in to mindless passion, because your mind is the thing I love the most about you." He undid the clasp and let the bra fall to the floor. "I want to explore every inch of you. I want to memorize every bump, freckle, and scar. I want to burn into my memory how your body feels against mine so that it never feels complete without you."
Kendrick pulled her close and the heat of his skin against her sensitive nipples caused her to shiver. He looked down and it was almost as if his amber eyes were glowing like molten gold. "Would you rather I throw you on the bed and pleasure you so much that you don't know your own name? Or would you rather I love you tortuously, drawing out every single wave of ecstasy until my name is the only thing you know?"