Meryn yawned and then stretched. "Bedtime."
"Not so fast, pint size," Eva protested.
Kari wasn't the only one staring at Meryn. Ryuu walked up behind his charge. "She did not mean it the way it sounded."
Kari looked at Meryn. "So she did not mean to sound like a DeLaFontaine-human-hating sympathizer?"
Meryn's mouth dropped. "I'm not a douchebag."
"No, you're not, but you weren't lying; you weren't playing the game, and he knew that." Bethy chewed on her lower lip.
"No, but it was different before," Meryn said. "Before I met you all, people sucked. I didn't like anyone..." she paused. "I didn't like humans..." Her eyes grew wide. "Oh my god," she whispered. "I'm a racist." Her voice sounded horrified.
Behind her, Ryuu snorted, Bethy slapped her forehead, and Kari began to laugh. Eva ruffled her hair, "Hey little bit, before you label yourself a racist, you might want to make sure you weren't just surrounded by assholes."
"Oh yeah, good point." Meryn looked a bit relieved.
Rex smiled down at Meryn. "I do not believe you hate someone for just being human. The fact that you grew up amongst humans and hated most of them is more a matter of statistics."
Meryn smirked up at him. "I was disappointed that you didn't beat him down with those muscular arms of yours."
Rex blushed a bit. "I wanted to, of course, but I was raised attending political dinners, as was Declan. We know when to act and when to keep quiet."
Meryn nodded. "Right. Bethy said something like that. Being an adult sucks."
Aiden turned to Law. "You were strangely quiet during dinner as well. Earlier, her headache, was that her magic?"
Law nodded. "Since it's so wild, I think were gonna leave the door open for a bit."
Meryn looked up at him in confusion. "But isn't that a bad thing?"
Law shook his head. "No, I think it was fighting you so hard because it knew the door was closed, and it couldn't come out. If we leave it open just a bit and it knows it can come and go as it pleases that might actually make it easier for you."
Meryn nodded. "That makes sense."
"What I found interesting was that you were having such a reaction to DeLaFontaine. Do you want to know what I saw?" he asked, grinning.
Meryn closed her eyes. "Oil."
Law nodded. "All you could see was black oil. When did you start associating pictures with your feelings?"
"A couple of days ago; it was easier when certain feeling got a picture. That way I can understand what it was trying to tell me, and I could interpret it better. They would pop up, get identified and then go away. It didn't hurt as much."
"That's a really good idea." Law nodded his head approvingly.
Meryn flushed at his compliment.
"Oily?" Magnus asked. "He has always been a slippery one," he commented.
Meryn smiled up at Law. "Thanks for your help; those headaches kill me."
Behind her, Ryuu's eyes flashed. "You should have told me."
Meryn turned to her squire. "I didn't want to drain you."
Ryuu gave her an exasperating look. "Let me worry about that. I have more than enough power to help you, and your health comes first."
Kari watched as a group of men joined them in the antechamber. The twelve-hour shift was up, and there was about to be a change of guard.
Law kissed Meryn on one cheek then walked over and gave her a kiss. "Good night, ladies, I'll see you in the morning." He turned on his way out the door. "Rex, you're welcome to visit anytime," he threw out.
Declan flinched, and his eyes widened as Rex's expression became confused. "Thank you for the invitation. I may take you up on that later to discuss some things."
My brother is going to hell. Kari decided to stay quiet and watch how this played out.
Meryn waved, and Kari gave her brother a salute. "Thanks again," she said.
"Anytime, ragamuffin," he said, shutting the door behind him.
The security detail went to their charges and everyone began saying good night.
Kari laughed when she heard Meryn. "Now I that have minions and mercenaries, I can take over the world."
Aiden looked down at his mate, a terrified look on his face.
"Okay, on that note, let's go check on Avery," Declan suggested. Kari eagerly headed toward the guest quarters with Declan. She couldn't wait to see Avery's reaction to her pregnancy news in person.
She knocked on the door. Avery answered almost immediately, looking happier than she'd ever seen him. He squealed loudly and wrapped his arms around her neck. "A baby! Our own baby! A real baby!" he rambled.
"I am happy to see you, too."