Page 17 of My Haven (Bewitched and Bewildered #16)
Genevieve sat and stared at the table. Murdered babies and demons?
“You said the sex was worth this craziness?” Arlo asked Meryn.
Meryn looked up from her laptop and simply pointed to her pregnant belly.
He nodded. “Right.”
Genevieve looked up at Caiden, who was sitting right next to her. “And Meryn thinks everything that has been going on can be traced to your witch city?”
Caiden squeezed her hand. “That’s what we’re trying to find out.”
Absently she felt around for a plate or a bowl.
She heard something being scooted as Caiden pulled the bowl of pretzels closer. She grabbed a handful. “And warriors are getting mates because the bad guy is hoping those mated to shifters get pregnant to collect their baby’s soul and when the mates die, the warriors turn feral?”
“Man, she honed in on the really bad shit huh?” Meryn asked.
“Kirbs, Meryn said the sex was amazing, that’s a plus, right?” Arlo asked.
She narrowed her eyes at his use of her nickname. “I need a nickname for you that I can abuse.”
“Kirbs?” Caiden asked.
She groaned. “My sister started calling me Kirby when we were little, after the video game character that would eat everything,” she explained.
Caiden ran a hand over her hair. “Should we not use it?”
She thought about what he asked. He didn’t just jump in and join the joke, he asked if she was okay with it. “You’re kinda amazing, you know?”
“So, yes?” he asked again.
She nodded. “It’s okay. It was a name given in good fun with no malicious intent, so I don’t mind.”
“Wasn’t Kirby a brand of vacuum cleaner?” Meryn asked, still on her laptop.
Genevieve sighed. “Yes, it was.”
“Look at it this way, Meryn has already taken care of the other three cities, after we sort out the Witches’ Council, everything should be golden,” Anne pointed out.
“I just eat food on the internet, why would Fate think I’d be needed here?” Genevieve asked.
“My bestie Izzy is a barista, she makes the most amazing concoctions. Not exactly front- line skills, right? I mean, to me they are, but in general not really,” Meryn clarified.
“That helps?” Caiden asked.
Meryn continued. “Her mate Oron, he went through a lot, facing his past and his family. He needed her to just to be there.”
When Genevieve looked at Caiden he was nodding. “I just need you.”
“I’d prefer a nephew first,” Arlo said, popping a steak bite in his mouth.
Caiden gave her a goofy lop-sided smile. “Only when Genevieve is ready.”
Arlo heaved a sigh then looked at Kyran and Tristan. “Are you sure you two don’t want to take a walk on the wild side?” he asked, gesturing to himself.
Both witches laughed.
Kyran answered. “We would have been honored if Fate gave us a mate like you, with a lust for life, unfortunately, I haven’t dreamt of you.”
“Me either,” Tristan added.
“Dreams?” Genevieve asked.
Tristan turned to her. “Normally, it’s how witches find their mates, we get dreams of them. But last year, a witch elder cast a spell that drew all the warrior’s mates to them, so even our fae, shifter and vampire brothers have been having dreams,” he explained.
“That was the bad guy, right?” she asked.
“Unfortunately,” Kyran confirmed.
She placed a hand on Caiden’s arm, then stood. Seconds later all the men in the room stood. “Huh?”
“Cool manners stuff from the olden days,” Meryn said.
She looked up at Caiden. “Can you show me and Arlo to our rooms?”
Arlo stood. “Hit your limit?”
“Yeah.”
Caiden offered his arm. “Of course.”
She went to leave, then turned back to the room. “It was nice meeting everyone.”
“Nighto.” Meryn called out.
Caiden walked them through the kitchen, past a large dining room and up a set of stairs. “Our guest rooms are toward the back of the house.” He led them to a set of doors. “It has a shared bathroom, I thought you wouldn’t mind.”
Both of them shook their heads.
Caiden held out his hand. “If you let me know which hotel you were at, and give me your key, I can have one of the guys get your stuff and drive your van over.”
“The Monarch,” she said, then opened her clutch to take out her key. “Room six-sixteen.”
Caiden raised a brow. “One room?”
She waved off his concerns. “Arlo is more concerned with either his phone or Netflix than me.”
“Am I going to be a problem, Boss?” Arlo asked.
Caiden shook his head. “As long as you don’t hurt her, we’ll be fine. If she views you as family, so do I.”
“I want one!” Arlo pouted, stamping his foot.
Caiden laughed. “Fate works in mysterious ways.”
“I’ll leave you kids to it. Goodnight, Prince Charming,” Arlo said, blowing Caiden kisses.
Caiden blew some back.
When the door shut, it was her turn to fidget nervously. “Thank you, I think?”
He leaned down and kissed her forehead gently. “Dream of stuffed french toast. I’ll be waiting for you in the kitchen in the morning.”
“You don’t want me to dream of you?”
He made a face. “I honestly think you’d like dreaming of the french toast more.” He leaned in so his lips barely touched her ear. “I haven’t given you anything to dream about yet,” he whispered.
Feeling weak in the knees, she felt behind her for the doorknob. “Goodnight, then.”
“Goodnight.”
She shut the door, then leaned against it.
“You’re barely upright. Was the kiss that good?” Arlo asked, standing in the doorway of the bathroom, generic toothbrush in hand.
“He kissed my forehead.”
“You’re utterly screwed,” he sang.
She walked over and sat on the bed. “Yeah, I think I may be this time.”
“You know most people dream of meeting someone just for them.”
“He’s a witch that’s over three thousand years old, from a magic world!”
“I don’t think you’re looking at this correctly,” Arlo said, uncapping the toothpaste.
“How do you mean?”
Arlo gave her the biggest shit eating grin she had ever seen on him. “He’s a witch, who’s over three thousand years old, who can do magic. What kind of magically kinky shit do you think that guy invented?”
She felt her mind go blank.
“Guest stuff is in the drawer. Brush your teeth if you’re going to be kissing people. Goodnight, hun.” Arlo waved and shut the bathroom door on his side.
“Who in the hell would be dreaming about french toast after a statement like that?” she muttered, flinging herself back on the bed. She looked up at the ceiling. “Mike, what have I gotten myself into now?”
*****
“Wakey wakey, time for bakey,” Arlo said, tapping her forehead.
“Is it morning?”
“Sure is. Your Prince Charming was true to his word. Our suitcases were in the hallway, and I smell french toast.”
She opened her eyes and looked at her best friend. He was dressed and was freshly showered. “You could have woken me earlier.”
“And share the bathroom? I think not. Better pin your hair up and rinse quick, he’s about to get the eggs on.”
“Fuck!” She catapulted herself from the bed. When she looked in the bathroom, her ire at Arlo faded. He had laid out her favorite outfit, her makeup and toiletries. She got showered and dressed in record time. She opened the door to her room to find Arlo scrolling on his phone.
He looked. “Perfect. Let’s go.”
Together they made their way downstairs. When they entered the kitchen, once again, the men stood.
Blushing she chose the spot next to Pip, Arlo sitting on her other side.
After the men sat back down, only then did she look for Caiden. He was at the stove stirring eggs. “Over easy or scrambled,” he asked.
“Scrambled is fine,” she said.
“Ditto,” Arlo added.
After a minute, Caiden pulled two plates from the oven, added the eggs and placed them in front of her and Arlo. “Hope this satisfies.”
Thinking back to Arlo’s comment the night before she felt her face turn red.
Caiden winked and went back to the stove.
“Caiden, where are Kyran and Tristan and your parents? Aren’t they hungry?” Meryn asked.
Zev pointed to the room. “They don’t live here.”
“Huh?” Meryn asked. “Oh. Like back home? Mom and dad live separately, and Adam and Adair do their own thing?”
“Exactly like that,” Caiden said, handing Meryn another small plate of toast.
“Anyone else fighting off a headache?” Aiden asked, rubbing his temples.
“I thought it was because of the travel,” Pierce said.
Both Byrok and Anne nodded that they too were feeling run down.
Kendrick looked around the room, his eyes landing on Meryn. “And you?”
“I’m fine.” She looked at Pip, Nigel and Neil. “How are y’all?”
Neil shrugged. “Never better.”
Kendrick frowned and Ryuu cleared his throat. “I believe that Meryn’s bracelet is shielding her, which is why the boys, and I are unaffected.”
“I’m her mate, why am I not included?” Aiden asked.
Ryuu gave a lazy should shrug. “The boys are also protected by Abraxas. I am tied to Meryn with her tattoo.”
“At least she’s okay,” Aiden said, trying to crack his neck.
“Meryn, we’re going to be relying on you more than ever to point out the obvious,” Kendrick said, looking worried. “Speak up, even if you think it’s something everyone knows.”
“Like how I think we really need to drill down on why the Witches’ Council has a hard on for the Fire Temple?” she suggested.
“Why is that a concern?” Kendrick asked.
She just stared at him. “This is one of the obvious things.”
He shook his head. “Not to me it isn’t.”
Meryn just stared. “You know, at first I thought it would be cool seeing shit y’all didn’t, but it’s just annoying.”
Anne placed a hand over Kendrick’s mouth when he went to retort. “Speak oh wise woman.”
Meryn grunted. “Zoe said she was moved to the Fire Temple years ago, right? That’s when they took the funds. Why the Fire Temple? I’m assuming if there’s Fire and Water Temples, there’s Earth and Air. Why not them?” she said.