Page 106 of My Pleasure

“All hail Merytopia,” Neil and Pip responded.

“Merytopia!” Nicol said, her mouth full of cookie.

Aiden looked around the kitchen. “We have an entire second generation coming,” he whimpered. “I don’t think there’s enough Blessed Chamomile in the world for this.”

Johann clapped him on the back. “Each generation thinks they have it the worst when it comes to raising cubs. Somehow, we all survive.”

“Princess Auntie, are we Merytopia now?” Keran asked.

“You are the newest acolytes to discover worship in the empire of Merytopia,” Meryn answered.

“What do we have to do?” Nicol asked.

“Eat cookies, snacks, and when you’re older, drink coffee,” Meryn explained.

“That sounds fun!” Keran took another bite of his cookie.

Kiera took Hunter’s hand. Today was their first official day as a family. In such a short time, the kids morphed from frightened pale versions of themselves, to the spunky troublemakers they were meant to be.

Hunter leaned down. “Happy?”

“Very. You?”

Hunter looked at Nicol and Keran chanting Merytopia and Aiden trying to take Meryn’s laptop. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my life.”

“That’s what it’s all about,” Myra said, watching the children. “That’s what it’s all about.”

Chapter Thirteen

Kiera relaxed in the wooden lounger on the back deck. She, Meryn, Pip, Anne, and the twins were relaxing while the men walked around the backyard with shovels pointing out possible house plots. Each warrior had different ideas for their own homes. It would be everyone’s first time living on their own and they were excited.

So far, the most outrageous idea came from Zev. He wanted go-karts to get around between the houses. The guys were on board until they realized the kids would feel bad if they couldn’t drive them. It wasn’t until they had half created a duty rotation for driving around in a go-kart before Caiden axed that idea.

Konstantine shocked everyone and wanted floor to ceiling glass walls everywhere. It was completely opposite to what vampires were used to in Noctem Falls. He said he had finally adapted to being in the open and wanted to embrace that.

Aedan wanted his own version of the treehouse that King Darian was building the unit warriors in Éire Danu. He said he heard his brother brag about it for months and wanted one of his own.

Hunter’s house idea was fine, until he kept adding bedrooms. Caiden had to break it to him that usually anything over ten bedrooms was considered a mansion, not a house. Hunter then pointed out that kids need space. The compromise was that if they outgrew the six-bedroom house designed, they would build a new one.

They were now trying to use shovels to draw lines on the ground showing pathways and where the houses would be. The main argument being that they weren’t close enough, but if they were too close, they wouldn’t need go-karts. Caiden who thought the go-kart argument was done, looked like he was about two seconds from throwing his shovel.

Ryuu adjusted the umbrella overhead so that she, Meryn, and Anne were in the shade, then passed out chilled juice in gorgeous cocktail glasses. Myra and Johann had taken the kids back to their house to help in the garden. She smiled. It wasn’t a big surprise that the kids, being witches, loved gardening. Without the threat of their uncle’s custody claims looming overhead, both kids seemed to be really coming out of their shells.

The Armstrong cousins were looking for a place in the city to act as their new office. She wanted to go with them at first, but ultimately, she realized she wanted a day to relax. Rory assured her they would pick a location where she’d have her own space.

“Auntie said that the fae craftsmen should be here day after tomorrow,” Meryn said, taking a huge gulp of her juice.

“Will we need them that fast?” Kiera asked.

Meryn nodded. “We had a mouthy little shit of a trainee back home who Gavriel was about to murder. He paid for an entire barracks to be built near the alpha estate. One day I looked out the window and there were trees, the next, a building. Shifters are crazy fast builders.”

They watched the men argue and point with the shovels.

“Do they know what they’re doing?” Kiera asked.

“Probably not,” Meryn replied.

“At least Kendrick is there,” Kiera pointed out.