"I guess you're right."
Aiden sipped his coffee and enjoyed the sight before him. He couldn't ask for more than his friends and mate sitting together at the breakfast table. Maybe this mating thing would work out after all.
*****
"Hello boys, how nice of you to visit for breakfast." Adelaide and Byron entered the kitchen. Marius walked in behind them and immediately got to work on preparing breakfast, taking over from Colton. The unit members, including Aiden stood. Meryn looked around wondering if she should stand too. Byron walked over and kissed her forehead.
"They are standing out of respect for Aiden's mother. They were raised in a time where a man stood when a lady entered the room." Byron sat next to her and Adelaide next to him.
"They didn't stand when I entered the room, but then again, I guess I'm not a lady." Meryn poured herself another cup of coffee. When she looked up, she noticed that Byron was shooting daggers at the other men at the table who all looked properly chastised. Byron raised her hand and kissed it.
"Forgive them sweetheart. It speaks to their characters not yours that they failed to rise when you entered the room. I'm shocked that my son would fail to do so. It's a basic lesson in etiquette that I know was drilled into him when he was a boy." Byron patted her hand and continued to glare at the men.
"Father, I'm sorry." Aiden immediately apologized.
"It's not my forgiveness that you need." Byron nodded his head to Meryn. Aiden turned to her.
"I'm sorry my mate. I was still floating around from the great night's sleep I had last night and wasn't thinking properly this morning. Please forgive me." Meryn was surprised at how truly sorry he sounded, like he had committed some great offense.
"Considering you kidnapped me, locked me up, threw me in your trunk and dragged me around by my arm yesterday, not standing at the breakfast table doesn't seem so bad." She smiled brightly at him.
"You're not going to let me live that down are you?" Aiden groaned.
"Nope."
"What if I take you out and show you the city? We can go shopping. I know where we can get your espresso machine." Aiden took her other hand and brought it to his lips. Now here was the charming man from her dreams.
"Then of course I'll forgive you, now that you're acting like your dream version. I like you better this way. More charming and less growly."
Aiden's face froze his eyes became haunted. "You dreamt of me before coming here?"
"Yup. For weeks I fought against the urge to move. But it was like something was driving me forward. So I threw a dart at a map and ended up in Madison. After I moved into my apartment, I started having dreams. At first they were nice. You were wonderful and sweet. We would lay under these trees and talk. But then they got scary. Last night was the first night in weeks where I haven't dreamt at all. I hated getting out of bed this morning since I slept so well." Meryn was reaching for her coffee cup when Aiden pulled her onto his lap. He held her so close she could feel his heart beating out of control against her cheek.
"Son, what's the matter?" Byron demanded.
"I thought they were just dreams." Aiden buried his face against her neck.
"You've been having nightmares too?" She whispered. He nodded.
"Nightmares? I thought you said they were nice dreams." Adelaide asked sounding worried. Aiden lifted his head.
"It's like Meryn said. At first they were nice; we'd meet in a clearing in the woods and talk. But then the dreams turned into nightmares. In the dream I would search for her, but couldn't find her. She would call out to me, teasing me and then it would get quiet. Then I would hear her scream, but I'm too late, she..." He faltered. Meryn pulled away and looked around the table.
"I'm murdered. A man that isn't Aiden comes out of the woods and stabs me repeatedly, like he enjoys it." Meryn shuddered. In her dreams she could clearly feel the cold steel in her body.
Gavriel stood, chest heaving. "They cannot be prophetic. You have found your mate. She is safe." Gavriel's normally grey eyes began to glow red. Aiden stood and placed Meryn in his seat. He hurried over to Gavriel.
"Breathe my friend. Meryn is safe. So is your mate. Fate will find a way to bring her to us and then we'll guard them both." Aiden had his hands on Gavriel's shoulders. Keelan reached up to place a hand on Gavriel's forearm.
"Suadet, frater meus. Be at ease, my brother." Keelan whispered the phrase over and over again until Gavriel took a deep ragged breath.
"Thank you Aiden, Keelan. I too have been having nightmares. I have to put my faith in Fate and pray my mate is delivered to me in time." Gavriel hung his head.