Oron leaned back. "It was the happiest day of my life. I swore that night that I would never let anything happen to my baby brother. And Gods, did he ever put that oath to the test! I never saw a kid get into so many fights and dangerous situations in all my days." He turned to Amelia. "It looks like I have blond hair, but it's really white. That's what he did to me."
Amelia laughed.
"I wasn't that bad," Darian scoffed.
"I started drinking at an early age because of you," Oron argued.
"Boys!" The queen clapped her hands.
"Sorry," they said together.
The queen looked at Amelia and winked, and they both laughed.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but dinner is ready," Cord announced as server after server carried in bowls of hot soup and plates of grilled vegetables. To Amelia, everything smelled incredible.
"Brothers can be the biggest gift and the biggest pain in the ass," Brennus said as he lifted his spoon.
Amelia, Darian, and Oron nodded. The queen looked shocked. "Brennus, language."
Brennus grinned. "I forgot my love, there's no way two unit warriors like Oron and Darian, or a woman raised by unit warriors like Amelia have ever heard the word 'ass' before."
Aleksandra sighed. "I wanted to at least give Amelia a good impression."
Amelia waved off her concerns. "He's right. I was raised by my brothers and pretty much all the warriors in Storm Keep. There isn't much that can shock me."
The queen became thoughtful. "That's right; you're an Ironwood...hmmm... that must mean you also know the Ashleighs?" she phrased it as a question.
Amelia nodded. "Despite actual blood ties, I consider the Ironwoods my brothers and the Ashleighs my half-brothers."
"Maybe if Amelia stayed here for a while, we could entice the Ashleighs to make their home here," Brennus suggested.
Amelia shook her head. "With what we discovered, they'll be needed by the council and Aiden McKenzie now more than ever."
The queen looked at Oron who shrugged. "What do you mean, dearest, by with what you've discovered?"
Amelia quickly looked at Darian. Was she not supposed to say anything?
Darian leaned forward. "Mother, a soundproof spell if you would."
Looking shaken she ordered most of the servants to leave and then folded her hands in front of her. A silver white light shone from her body and filled the room.
"Done." She nodded at Darian.
"The day before we arrived here, my unit was investigating the feral necklace for the council," he began.
Brennus nodded. "We have all read Aiden's report that the necklaces can halt the decay of a feral, mask their scent and give them abilities."
Darian's jaw clenched. "What we discovered that day, thanks to Amelia's amazing empath abilities, is that each bead in those necklaces is a soul."
Oron stared as the queen gasped.
Brennus shook his head. "We would have had a report from Aiden if that was true."
Darian exchanged looks with Oron. "We don't know what new information could have been revealed while we were here or what the orders from the council are."
To Amelia, it seemed like the light in the room dimmed just a little with the sad news, like the sun going behind a cloud. She turned to Darian. "I want to get home and check on Meryn." She hadn't been a big sister-cousin for long, but she couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to her quirky baby sister-cousin.
The queen turned to her a questioning look on her face. "You're concerned for Meryn McKenzie. What ties do you have to her?"
Amelia smiled. "She's my baby sister-cousin! Technically, my cousin, our mothers were sisters, but since I've never had a sister before, I claimed her as my baby sister-cousin."
Oron burst out laughing, hooting loud, and banging the table with one hand.
"Shut up, Oron!" Darian growled.
"Oh, this is rich! You mated into that craziness! Has she tried to electrocute you yet?" Oron heckled.
"You've mated into the craziness, too, Super Big Brother," Amelia teased.
Oron's laughter stopped immediately. "That's not funny. Seriously? That crazy little human menace is my sister now?"
The queen smiled. "Menace? I really do have to meet this woman. I don't think I've laughed harder than when Oron was telling me about her mating Aiden McKenzie."
Oron chuckled. "Trust me, the unit warriors enjoyed every second of watching those two come together."
The queen turned to Darian. "You would have missed knowing the Unit Commander. You would have never known Meryn or met your mate had you listened to me." She looked away, ashamed.
Darian strode over to her chair and dropped to one knee beside it. "I felt like I had betrayed everything you had done for me the day I left. I just couldn't explain the push I had to leave. Will you forgive me for the worry and heartache I caused you?"