My Brother’s Keeper: Chapter 2

Kendrick woke up and blinked. He heard the repetitive beeps of a machine and looked around. That’s right; he was at the Alpha estate with Keelan. He stood and quickly looked over Keelan’s body.

‘He’s the same as he was yesterday,’ a female said from across the room.

He turned and recognized Rheia. ‘I would say that no decline in health is actually an improvement.’ He was surprised he was able to string more than two words together before coffee.

She blinked and smiled. ‘I can agree to that. How did you sleep? Did I wake you?’

Kendrick rubbed his neck before he turned it sharply to the right, cracking it loudly. ‘I’ve actually slept on much worse.’

Rheia walked over and took Keelan’s hand. ‘Keelan always described you as some sort of powerful superman who slept in a cave of books like a dragon hoarding his gold.’

Kendrick felt a small smile on his lips. ‘Well, he got the cave and books part right. I think that all older brothers seem powerful to younger brothers.’

Rheia laughed. ‘I have five older brothers, and I always thought they could do anything.’

‘How did you explain moving to a town they could never visit?’

She shook her head. ‘My brothers are sort of adopted brothers. They are the Vanguard squadron that protects Jefferson.’

Kendrick half closed his eyes and pulled out his mental file on Jefferson. ‘Radek Carson, bear, Marco Rodriguez, jaguar. Dax Vi’Eaereson, fae, Athan Durant, vampire and Levi Sorrel, witch.’

Rheia’s eyes widened. ‘You just did what Meryn does.’

Kendrick didn’t even try to hide his surprise. ‘What do you mean, exactly?’ He had to be sure she meant what he thought she did.

Rheia pointed to his head. ‘You just pulled up some sort of mental file and read from it didn’t you? Meryn can do that. She has what Aiden calls ‘Meryn Moments’ where she has to stop and allow things to process so she can store it correctly. If I hadn’t done the physical on her myself, I would swear she was half computer.’

Kendrick felt a spurt of hope flare. In all the centuries he had been alive, he’d never met anyone who thought like he did. That tiny, strange human could think like him? ‘She seemed a bit…’ He didn’t know how to describe her without being rude.

Rheia laughed. ‘Quirky, strange, immature, odd, manic? Take your pick. But the thing is, she’s all that and brilliant. She sees things so much differently than we do that, honestly, it can be hard to keep up. We just let her do her own thing though; it would be a shame to force her to act normal, when she’s so much more.’

Her words triggered a memory of his mother.

The society in which he was raised didn’t tolerate deviations from the norm, so he had left home to learn on his own. Yet here, in this house, they not only accepted Meryn as she was, they encouraged and nurtured her differences.

‘I can’t wait to get to know her better.’

Rheia hesitated, took a deep breath, and met his eyes. ‘She hasn’t had it easy, so please be patient with her. I don’t think she has accepted what has happened to Keelan; it’s why she was going to try to reach him with the Ouija board and why she calls you Keelan-From-the-Future. She has only recently experienced what it feels like to have a family, she hasn’t learned how to process losing someone.’

Kendrick felt a rare moment of shame. He had judged Meryn in the same fashion others had judged him in the past. ‘I promise to be both kind and patient with her.’

Rheia’s relief was written across her face. ‘Thank you.’ She looked down at her watch. ‘I’ll let you get ready for breakfast.’ She turned and walked out of the room.

Kendrick removed the leather pouch at his belt and laid it on the bed next to Keelan. Next, he removed his clothes and folded them into a neat pile. He waited a moment for the spelled garments to reset and then put them back on thinking of the clothes he wanted to wear for the day. Instead of worn travel clothes, he now had on a pair of perfectly broken-in jeans, an undershirt, a black button-down, a thin black hoodie, and a black blazer to go on over it. Black boots covered his feet, and as usual, his magic washed his hair, teeth and body for him. He reattached his pouch and headed out the door.

He followed his nose to track down the source of the amazing, rich aroma of freshly ground coffee. When he opened the dining room door, all conversation stopped.

‘Keelan!’ A child-like, female voice called out happily. Kendrick looked around the table and spotted the owner of the adorable, squeaky voice. Seated next to Rheia was one of the most adorable little girls he had ever seen–except for Amelia, of course.

Despite the lack of coffee, he found himself smiling gently at the child. ‘No, I’m afraid I’m not Keelan. My name is Kendrick, and Keelan is my little brother.’

Her small face scrunched up in thought. ‘You make him better, like Momma?’

He nodded. ‘That’s the plan.’

She smiled brightly. ‘Good. Miss him.’

‘Me, too,’ he admitted before taking the open seat next to Amelia.

‘That’s Keelan’s seat,’ Meryn grumbled.

Kendrick found that he actually liked the way she frowned at him. She didn’t fear him one bit and didn’t hesitate to let him know that he was sitting in Keelan’s chair. Her honesty was actually refreshing.

‘Why are you smiling?’ she demanded.

‘Was I smiling?’

‘Yeah, it was kinda creepy.’

‘Meryn!’ Amelia admonished.

‘What? It was.’

Amelia turned to him. ‘Yes, that is Keelan’s chair, but I don’t think he’d mind you sitting there. And yes you were smiling, but it wasn’t creepy.’

Kendrick ruffled her hair the way he always had when she was a child. She ducked from under his hand and narrowed her eyes at him. She hadn’t liked it when she was a child, either, but it didn’t stop him then, and it wouldn’t stop him now.

Amelia was a born peacekeeper. Her empathy made her painfully aware of the feelings of those around her. She was happiest when those around her were happy, and she hated conflict and confrontation.

‘You know I hate that.’ She swatted at his hand.

‘Yes, I know,’ he admitted.

‘Then why do you keep doing it?’

‘Why would I stop simply because I know it annoys you?’

‘Gods, that sounds like a Meryn question,’ Colton groaned.

Kendrick eyed the man. ‘Why did you make it sound as if being like Meryn was a problem?’

‘Yeah Colton, why is being like me a problem?’ Meryn challenged before throwing a roll at him.

He held up his hands in defense. ‘Sorry! I didn’t mean to make it sound like an insult. Amelia acts like Meryn sometimes, but she doesn’t really think like Meryn. Kendrick just processed the conversation like Meryn. I wasn’t trying to be mean; I was just surprised.’

Amelia clapped her hands together and smiled at everyone. ‘I know, let’s do introductions.’

‘Amelia, I love you like a sister, but if you continue to act so damn chipper, I’ll throat punch you,’ Meryn threatened.

Amelia stuck her tongue out at Meryn. ‘As if you could reach my throat.’

‘You’re not that much taller than I am,’ Meryn protested loudly. Around the table, everyone laughed.

‘Little peacemaker,’ he said softly, and Amelia blushed. ‘No need for introductions for everyone,’ he continued in a normal tone of voice, looking around the table. He let his mind bring forward his information on the Alpha Unit. ‘Unit Commander Aiden McKenzie, bear shifter. Born to Elder Byron and Adelaide McKenzie. Two older brothers, Adam and Adair, and one younger brother, Benjamin. Best friend, Colton Albright, wolf shifter, third in command in the Alpha Unit. Born to Robert and Alice Albright, no siblings. Gavriel Ambrosios, vampire, second in command in the Alpha Unit, parents, unknown. Age, unknown. Finally, Darian Vi’Alina, fae warrior in the Alpha Unit, recently mated to my godsdaughter, Amelia. I have met Rheia and spoken to her. I saw Meryn briefly last night; she left an impression. The others I haven’t been introduced to yet.’

Meryn’s eyes were wide as she stared at him. In that instant, he knew she recognized herself in him. He winked at her, and her eyes widened even more, and her face broke out into an infectious grin. He would definitely have to keep an eye on this one.

‘You seem to know quite a bit about us,’ Aiden commented dryly before taking a huge bite of his pancakes.

‘Did you think I wouldn’t? You serve with my brother; of course, I would investigate you all thoroughly.’ Kendrick looked down at his empty coffee cup then around the room for the coffee carafe. He was about to get up in search of one when he received the second surprise of his morning. A familiar Japanese man walked in through a set of double doors. He placed a plate of food in front of him seconds before setting down a cup of dark brown liquid next to it. Kendrick stared in wonder; the plate was a traditional Japanese breakfast. He hadn’t had one like this in centuries.

He stood, and ignoring custom, pulled the man into his arms. ‘Sei! What on earth are you doing here? When did you leave Japan?’ He pounded his back before pulling away.

Sei smiled and inclined his head. ‘

. After what happened to Keelan, I knew it wouldn’t be long until you arrived. You were so intent on getting to your brother’s side, you didn’t even see me last night.’

Kendrick shook his head. Was Fate rewarding him for keeping Caiden away by putting the only other man in the world he trusted at his side? ‘I never thought I’d see you again. What happened? Why are you here?’

Sei steered him back into his chair. ‘My old Master is gone, and I was banished by his family. I drifted for a long time before I found myself here in Lycaonia.’ Sei walked around the table until he was standing behind Meryn. ‘Fate brought me to this little one, and I serve her now. She calls me Ryuu.’

Kendrick stared and couldn’t stop the laughter if he tried. ‘Ryuu? How’d that happen?’

Sei turned his head but not before he caught the tinge of pink. ‘A simple mistake on my part.

was the first one to call me Ryuu, and I find that I prefer it.’

Kendrick shook his head as he smiled. He knew he must look out of his mind to those around the table but didn’t care. He had his oldest friend back, exactly when he needed him the most. ‘Then that’s what I’ll call you as well. Damn if it isn’t good to see you! If only Keelan–‘ Kendrick stopped himself. Reality slapped him in the face. ‘Look at me, laughing, when my own brother is upstairs practically dead.’ He buried his face in his hands, elbows on the table.

‘I don’t think Keelan is the type of asshole that would begrudge you being happy because you have met up with an old friend,’ Meryn stated matter-of-factly.

Kendrick looked up and glanced around the table. Heads were nodding and he saw only smiles, not looks of disgust.

‘

, your brother is simply sleeping. It is our duty to live our lives in such a way that we do not bring sadness to this home. When he wakes up, he will want to be told of glad tidings, not of how we blamed ourselves,’ Ryuu said kindly.

‘So am I just supposed to pretend that nothing is wrong?’

‘Be happy,’ the child responded.

‘Exactly, Pumpkin Dumpling!’ Rheia said, tickling the girl. She looked at him. ‘This is my daughter, Penny Carmichael. She’s also no stranger to pain and loss. I became her mother after her parents were killed.’

Kendrick looked at the small girl with her bright green eyes and brown curls. She reminded him of Amelia as a child. ‘So, just be happy?’

She nodded. ‘If I’m sad, Momma in heaven will be sad, too. So I’m happy.’

Kendrick sat back and blinked. It was so simple, and because it was so simple, it was that profound. He couldn’t change what had happened, and being sad wouldn’t bring Keelan back. If he gave in to his anger and frustration and acted like a jerk, he would only end up hurting the ones that Keelan had given his life to protect.

‘Okay little one, I’ll try it your way, though I may need some help remembering to be happy,’ Kendrick said.

Penny nodded, her curls bouncing. ‘I’ll help. I am a good helper; Papa says so. I even help train the men.’ She beamed proudly.

Kendrick raised an eyebrow at Aiden and then Colton. They just nodded and laughed.

Colton tickled his daughter until she squealed. ‘Though she cheats sometimes.’

Kendrick turned to Amelia. ‘Reminds me of another little girl who used to torment unit warriors for fun.’

She glared at him. ‘I didn’t torment them.’

Kendrick snorted. ‘If you didn’t torment them, why did they nickname you the Little Terrorist?’

Darian turned quickly in his chair. ‘Ha! I didn’t even have to call Caiden to figure out your nickname.’

‘

!’ Amelia groaned.

Kendrick smirked and picked up his cup. He looked into it and turned to Ryuu.

‘Cafe mocha, I remembered that you like sweet things,’ Ryuu replied.

Kendrick took a sip and practically shuddered. It was nectar in a cup disguised as coffee. ‘Gods in heaven!’

Meryn whimpered and pouted, her lower lip sticking out. ‘I want some.’

‘

, you know you can’t have any caffeine,’ Ryuu gently reminded her.

‘Can’t she have chocolate?’ Kendrick asked.

Ryuu shook his head. ‘No, she’s off chocolate and coffee.’

Kendrick winced in sympathy. He looked at Meryn. ‘I’m so very sorry.’

‘Finally someone who understands!’ Meryn pointed in his direction.

Kendrick closed his eyes and took another sip and simply let it trickle down his throat. Sighing happily, he opened his eyes and looked at his old friend. ‘If I was slightly more attracted to men, I’d trade sexual favors for coffee like this every morning.’

Around the table, the men began to choke. Kendrick hid a smile. He could tell a lot about a man in the moments when he reacted to discomfort. Kendrick looked around the table. Aiden and Colton, the two youngest, were blushing, yet their faces didn’t show any judgement, just shock. Gavriel rolled his eyes and winked, acknowledging the test, and Darian grinned at him. Those two were the oldest among the four; of course they wouldn’t be perturbed by casual references to homosexuality.

‘What’s sexual favors?’ Penny asked.

Kendrick turned to the little girl. ‘Sexual favors are when–‘

‘Stop!’ Amelia stood, her hands out in front of her. ‘No . Just no. She’s too young.’

Kendrick frowned. Was she? ‘She can’t be that much younger than you were when I explained human reproduction.’

Amelia crossed her arms over her chest. ‘She isn’t. And Caiden still hasn’t forgiven you for telling me about the birds and the bees when I was seven.’

‘I don’t understand; it’s a natural part of life.’ Kendrick looked at Ryuu who shrugged. Okay, bad example of a person to look to in order to gauge normal human response. His eyes went to Meryn who looked equally confused. Yet another bad example of normal. Intrigued, he turned to Rheia. ‘Not appropriate?’ he asked. Amelia sat down, shaking her head.

Rheia sighed and continued to thump Colton on the back as he choked on his breakfast. ‘She is a little young for that conversation, but I actually had been planning on explaining things soon anyway. She asked where the baby came from, and I refuse to tell her nonsense stories about a cabbage patch. She will learn the correct medical terms for our reproductive parts not silly baby names.’

‘No. She’s too young,’ Colton protested when he could breathe.

Rheia eyed Colton. ‘Then you explain where our baby came from,’ she challenged.

‘Challenge accepted,’ Colton growled. He turned to the small girl and lifted her into his lap. ‘Momma and Papa love each other very much. You know that right?’

Penny nodded.

‘Well, one day, Papa couldn’t hold in his love for Momma anymore, so he took her in his arms and kissed her so hard that his loved touched her heart and created a tiny seed. That seed floated down to Momma’s tummy, and a baby started to grow in her belly.’

Penny thought about it for a second. ‘So Papa loved Momma hard, gave her a seed, and made a baby?’

Beside Meryn, Gavriel choked on his coffee. Laughing, Meryn thumped him on the back.

Colton nodded. ‘Exactly.’

‘Oh Colton! You can’t tell her that,’ Rheia said with a worried expression.

Penny turned to Colton. ‘Is that why you said you’d kill any boy who kisses me?’

‘Yup. You’re too little for kissing. You have to leave that to the grown-ups.’ Colton said nodding.

‘When can I kiss boys?’ she asked.

Colton thought about it for a long moment. He turned to Aiden, then Gavriel, then Darian. The men wore equally scary looking frowns. He looked down at his daughter. ‘When you find a boy who is stronger than your .’ He pointed to Aiden. ‘Smarter than your Uncle Gavriel, more noble than your Uncle Darian, more loyal than your Papa, and kinder than your Uncle Keelan. When you find a boy like that, then you introduce him to us, and we’ll let you know if it’s okay to kiss him,’ Colton replied.

‘Okay Papa. I think I know who.’ Penny kissed his cheek and hopped down. ‘I’m going to go color now before Grandma gets here.’ She skipped out of the room.

‘Wait! Who?’ Colton’s eyes looked wild.

Rheia patted him on the arm. ‘She will grow up eventually.’

Colton slumped backward. ‘No, she’s not allowed. Ever.’

Rheia rolled her eyes. ‘Cavemen, y’all are a bunch of cavemen.’

Kendrick ignored Colton’s brooding and smiled at the blonde next to Gavriel. ‘I don’t think we’ve been introduced.’

‘I knew you’d get around to asking. My name is Elizabeth Monroe, I’m a …’

Kendrick smiled. ‘You’re a bunny. There aren’t too many bunny shifters left, I’d love to see you shift later.’

Gavriel growled at him, his eyes turning red and Elizabeth laughed.

‘What?’ Kendrick asked.

‘You will not see my mate naked.’

‘Who said anything about being naked? I just want to see the actual shift from human to bunny. Most shifters I meet weigh at least as much as their human selves in animal form. This is a rare situation where the human form weighs considerably more. I’ve been working on a hypothesis about where the extra mass goes,’ Kendrick explained.

Gavriel blinked, his eyes returning to their normal grey color. ‘You know, I never even thought about that.’

‘I don’t mind shifting, but it will have to be much later. I’m in the middle of a nationwide multi-race census, so I don’t have time to experiment,’ Beth offered.

Kendrick waved his hand. ‘Any time you have free.’

Beth looked between him and Meryn. ‘Guess I’m Bunny for life.’ She sighed.

‘What does she mean?’ Kendrick asked.

Meryn grinned. ‘That’s what I call her.’ She looked down at her phone. ‘On that note, I better head to the office. My minions await.’

‘Minions?’

‘Jaxon Darrow and Noah Calloway. They’re learning about programming languages and computer science to assist the units. We don’t use nearly enough technology.’

Kendrick held up a hand. ‘Before you go, I just have one question…’ He took another sip of coffee. ‘How long has Lycaonia been covered with the stench of black magic?’

Everyone stared at him in shock. Aiden finally shook his head. ‘What do you mean, covered in black magic? The city is as it has always been. We don’t deal in black magic in Lycaonia.’

Kendrick sat back. ‘Someone has. There’s a fine layer of black magic grime everywhere. I noticed it the second I entered the city’s boundaries.’

Aiden turned to Ryuu. ‘Is that true?’

Ryuu nodded slowly. ‘If says that the city is coated in black magic, then it is coated in black magic. I am unable to tell the difference between white magic and black magic, so I can not see what he does.’

‘Great, just great! What next?’ Aiden dropped his fork on his plate.

Kendrick, Meryn, and Ryuu winced. Asking a question like that invited more bad things to happen. Sometimes, higher powers had a twisted sense of humor.

Kendrick raised his chopsticks and took a bite of rice, then fish. ‘By the way, I’m joining the Alpha Unit.’ The men were silent as they each took him his announcement.

‘You can’t do that! That’s not the way it works!’ Aiden protested.

Kendrick just stared at him and took another bite.

‘We have trainees. There is an order to this!’ Aiden continued.

Kendrick stared.

‘It doesn’t work like that,’ Aiden grumbled.

‘Give it up, Commander. I’ll break it to Basil, I’m sure he’ll understand, especially since Keelan and Kendrick are brothers,’ Colton said in a congenial manner.

‘Wonderful. Now that we have that settled, do you have any of the necklaces that the ferals have been using?’ Kendrick asked, continuing his breakfast.

Aiden frowned. ‘We had two; we broke one, and the council has the one that was given to Adam for study. After the last battle, Meryn and Rheia gathered the necklaces off the dead ferals in the courtyard. We kept five, and the rest were divided up and sent to the three other pillar cities for study.’

‘They are people!’ Amelia said loudly. ‘They aren’t just necklaces, they are people!’

Aiden turned to her, a sympathetic look on his face. ‘Amelia, we need to understand how these things are created.’

Amelia shook her head. ‘It’s inhumane not to set them free.’ Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Taking a deep breath, Kendrick laid a hand on her forearm. He let his magic gently seek out hers. As he had guessed, her empathy and earth magic were completely free. The box he had created for her magic when she was a child was now too small to keep it in check. Slowly, he began to construct the mental image of a hallway. On one side, he visualized a door etched with the symbol of mind magic; across the hall, he created another door with the symbol of earth magic emblazoned on it.

‘Do you see the doors Amelia?’ he asked.

‘Yes, .’

‘Good. Now very, very carefully start pulling your magic into those two rooms. Let them know that they won’t be locked away forever, that you will come visit. Tell your magic that doors were created to be opened.’

He monitored her progress, and when the last of her magic had been put behind the doors, he closed them firmly. As soon as the doors closed, she slumped against Darian.

Her mate looked at him, concern on his face. ‘Is she okay?’

Kendrick patted her on the arm gently. ‘She is now. Her magic, especially her empathy, was running unchecked; it can be draining. Whatever broke her bindings also allowed her magic to grow. I’ll keep checking to make sure that all her new magic stays under control. Hopefully, we’ll have everything settled in a week or so.’

‘Thank you, . I didn’t realize how out of control it was until you started to reel it in. I thought that my supply of magic would be exhausted after the battle, but there was so much of it. It’s as if the battle never took place.’ Amelia leaned against Darian and yawned.

Kendrick kept a smile on his face. She was right. Her magic should have been nearly depleted, especially since his own anger had inadvertently channeled his magic through her. Yet when he looked inside her core, it was growing out of control like an untended garden. ‘You probably didn’t use as much as you thought you did,’ he suggested smiling. There was no reason to share his concerns, especially when she couldn’t do anything about it anyway.

She nodded and yawned again. ‘Does anyone need me for anything today? I’d like to go back to bed if I can.’

Meryn and Rheia shook their heads. Elizabeth answered, ‘The only thing we had planned for today was to contact Anne. We have to tell her not only about our world, but also about what has happened to Keelan. Since she’s a nurse, it makes sense that she would be the one to take care of him.’

Kendrick looked at Elizabeth. ‘Why does it make sense that she would take care of him?’

Beth looked at him, then the other men. Gavriel cleared his throat. ‘Because Anne is Keelan’s mate.’

Kendrick felt his chopsticks slip from between his fingers. A mate! His brother had a mate! Smiling wide, he turned to Elizabeth. ‘I have a sister! Tell me about her.’

Looking relieved at his reaction, Elizabeth smiled back. ‘I wasn’t sure if you’d be upset, since Keelan hadn’t told you.’

Kendrick picked up his chopsticks. ‘Keelan always played his cards close to the vest, the more important something was to him, the closer he kept it.’

Darian nodded. ‘He didn’t tell anyone about the contents of his nightmares, either. The only thing he told Amelia was that he was having them, no details.’

‘Sounds like my little Kee.’

Colton chuckled. ‘I can’t wait to call him that.’

Kendrick smiled at the wolf shifter. ‘You tease him, I’ll break your legs.’ Still smiling, he took another bite of fish. Rheia was laughing as she consoled her mate. Kendrick ignored the pup and smiled at Elizabeth. ‘Tell me about my new sister.’

Elizabeth smiled. ‘We don’t know much. Keelan as you know, was very tight lipped about her. We do know that she’s a nurse and she’s just graduated.’

‘She’s very pretty, like a doll. She and Keelan looked perfect together,’ Colton said.

‘I remember that she was kind and did not judge us when she thought we put the diaper on Keelan for fetish play.’ Gavriel added.

‘That sounds…wait…what? What about a diaper?’ Kendrick demanded.

The men looked around the table, guilty expressions on their faces. Rheia cleared her throat. ‘The guys had to go to the store to get pull ups for Penny. They didn’t know the size, so they used Keelan for comparison.’

Everyone was silent. Kendrick gently placed his chopsticks down and looked around the table. He could almost see the tension in the air.

‘Did you get any pictures?’ he asked grinning.

The men around the table exhaled, and Colton began to laugh. ‘No, but I never felt worse in my life. What a way to meet your mate for the first time.’

‘She sounds perfect for my brother. When will you be bringing her here?’

Elizabeth looked at Meryn and Rheia. ‘What do you think? Right after breakfast? I called the Duck In yesterday. She works the morning shift today, we know where she’ll be.’

Rheia nodded. ‘The sooner the better, that way she’ll be here for any health-related spells Kendrick explains.’

‘Wonderful.’ Kendrick turned to Aiden. ‘I’ll need as many of the necklaces for study as you can get me.’

Amelia turned to him, a sad expression on her face.

‘I’m sorry, Amelia, but the best thing we can do for those poor souls is to determine how they were trapped. Once we figure that out, we can track down the ones responsible and prevent this from happening to any more people.’

Amelia nodded and buried her face against Darian’s arm. He gently ran a hand over her hair. Kendrick grudgingly admitted that Darian was a good match for her. He was strong enough to protect her, but gentle enough to understand her kind heart.

‘I’ll contact the Council and see what I can do about getting the necklaces,’ Aiden promised. Then a sly smile crossed his face. ‘After that, we have drills. I’d love to see what you can teach us.’ He smiled at Kendrick.

‘Yes, about drills… I won’t be doing those.’ Kendrick sipped his coffee.

Aiden’s mouth dropped. ‘That’s not how this works! Why join Alpha if you won’t be part of the unit?’ he demanded.

‘It’s quite simple really; it’s because my brother gave up his life so that you all would live. He insisted on saving you, and after having breakfast with you, I can see why. He viewed you as family, and out of love, he kept you safe.’ Kendrick dropped his smile and let his power come just to the surface. The men reacted, and the predators inside of them tensed. ‘And I’ll be damned to the deepest pit in hell before I let his sacrifice go to waste and stand by while you get yourselves killed.’ He put his smile back in place. ‘Now, if you need me, I’ll be in Keelan’s room setting up a laboratory to study the necklaces you’ll be procuring for me.’ He took one final sip of coffee and stood.

‘Can I come see?’ Meryn asked, completely unperturbed by his dual nature.

Kendrick nodded. ‘After I have everything set up. Some of the containment spells aren’t safe to be cast around pregnant women.’

‘Okay Keelan-From-the-Future.’ Meryn chirped back happily.

Kendrick raised an eyebrow. ‘If you insist on calling me something other than Kendrick and wish to carry on this time travel facade, you can call me Time Lord.’ Kendrick hid his smile when her jaw dropped.

He turned to his friend. ‘Ryuu, a couple sandwiches later would be most appreciated.’

Ryuu bowed. ‘Of course, .’

As he walked away, he heard Meryn whisper, ‘He is fucking awesome!’