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  Gavriel twirled the noodles on his fork. "For the time being, we could set up temporary housing in the Grand Hall. We could send someone to the city for tents and more cots."

  Eva thought back to the Unit Level. The small houses looked like they had been carved directly out of the stone walls. "Do we have anyone who can create houses similar to the ones on the unit level?" she asked.

  Etain nodded. "I bet the twins could do it, if shown how. What they lack in knowledge, they more than make up for with power."

  Eva was intrigued. She had just met the twins; they wouldn't have been her first choice. "How are they more powerful than older witches?"

  Etain shrugged. "I'm no expert, but I think because they are twins, their abilities are magnified between them if they cast a spell together."

  Magnus slowly began to smile. "Eva, I think that is the best suggestion we have had on the subject." He turned to Adriel. "Do you think they are up for it? We can have Micah or Emlyn Blackwood show them how it is done."

  "I believe they are capable, and it would keep them out of trouble," Adriel said, a faint smile on his lips.

  "Thank the Gods!" Declan breathed.

  "Who are the twins?" Meryn asked.

  Eva couldn't help but smile. "You're going to love them, Meryn. I just met them before coming here. They are young, but full of energy, and they love pranks."

  Meryn gave a sad smile. "Reminds me of Keelan."

  "Now that we know what we want to do, my next question is where?" Beth asked, changing the subject.

  "We can't create the houses in the Grand Hall; we'd be effectively creating a choke point for future incoming refugees," Meryn pointed out.

  "What if they were done in the back of the hall?" Beth suggested.

  Meryn shook her head. "At a certain point, we'd be right back to the original problem of too many people near the entrance." She turned and looked at Magnus. "According to the maps I scanned, the Founding Families have kept most of their people situated close to the transport tunnel. What if we went deeper into the earth? We could probably get the Founding Families to agree if we point out that we're expanding their level for future growth, and it won't cost them anything. People love free shit."

  "I know my people would feel better if they could have some sense of normalcy. Having a place to return to that gives them privacy to relax would help enormously," Stefan added.

  "Well said, Stefan. I wish the youngsters here acted with half your sense of responsibility. I have vampires twice your age who are not as mature." Stefan smiled at the praise.

  Magnus looked down the table. "Meryn, you are a genius. That is exactly what we will do. Extra housing never hurt any city." He gave Beth a sly look. "Maybe the two of you should stay in Noctem Falls. I think I have gotten more accomplished in the couple days with you two here than I have in the past six months on my own."

  "No thank you, Uncle. As soon as we're done here, we're heading back to Lycaonia. I've finally gotten my closet set up the way I like it," Beth replied.

  Magnus pouted. "None of my secretaries compare to you."

  Beth patted his arm. "You mean they don't spoil you the way I do."

  "Exactly! I actually have to ask for my coffee."

  "I'm sure you'll find one eventually that will last longer than a year." Beth looked down the table at Meryn. "Meryn, did you get a response back from Amelia?"

  Meryn looked up, both cheeks were pouched full of pudding. She held up a finger and finished her bite. "Yup. Queen Aleksandra gave the okay. She was very impressed with my improvised method of getting Wi-Fi throughout the city. She will be implementing something like it on a larger scale for Éire Danu."

  Etain rubbed his hands together. "Excellent. I can't wait to get started."

  Meryn scraped her bowl with her spoon. "Magnus has already given me a large workroom here on Level One. Sebastian said that all the equipment arrived this afternoon, so as soon as you get the portals in place, I'll set up the communications hub, and we'll have city-wide Wi-Fi by tomorrow afternoon."

  Meryn continued to scrap her bowl, clanking her spoon against the porcelain. Magnus frowned. "Sebastian, give that child more pudding; it is obvious she is still hungry."

  Before coming to Noctem Falls, Eva had heard rumors about Magnus Rioux. He was known to be fair but demanding. Everyone knew he doted on his niece, but she didn't think many knew that he had a soft spot for young people.

  "I have to know, Meryn, how did you manage to get Wi-Fi here in the city in less than two days, when city engineers have been trying different methods for years with no results," Magnus asked, looking impressed.

  "It was easy, but probably because I'm used to asking questions when I want to know something. When we went through the portal coming here, I stuck my hand through and pulled it back before coming through completely. That means that once the portal is open, matter can pass through it in either direction."

  "I asked Etain and the queen, via my big sister-cousin, a few questions and found out that portals can be created to remain open. It's not a current practice because it would present a security issue. But what I need the portals open for wouldn't create any gaps in security. Tomorrow, Etain will pop around the city placing dime sized fixed portals all over the place, all of them feeding back into the communications hub I'll set up using the equipment Sebastian got for me. Then he will place undetectable portals on the two closest cell towers in the region. The portals would simply act like tiny windows, allowing the Wi-Fi and cell signals to pass through to the communication hub and from there all throughout the city. I just had to get permission from the queen to open that many portals. What's even better is that knowing how these tiny portals work, I can network on a much larger scale. Muwahaha!"

  Eva joined in the round of applause Meryn received at the end of her explanation. "Meryn, that's amazing work."

  Meryn, looking embarrassed at the praise, concentrated on her pudding. "Thanks. I just hate being without the internet. I have to be able to look stuff up and access my files any time I want to."

  Magnus held up a hand. "You are telling me, as of tomorrow afternoon, the entire city will have Wi-Fi?"

  Meryn looked up. "Yeah. I mean you already had the service run to the city or we wouldn't have the Ethernet wires; that was the hard part. I'm just setting up a wireless network using some high-tech routers. I'll post the network name and general Wi-Fi password on all the levels so people can start using it. There's actually very little set up to be done once the portals are in place."

  "Meryn, I feel like I should reward you somehow. Is there anything you would like for solving one of my longest standing complaints?" Magnus offered.

  "Do you have one of those vaults Gavriel told me about? Do you have gold coins piled up like in DuckTales?" Meryn asked looking excited.

  Magnus frowned, looking confused. "I do not know what DuckTales are, but yes, we do have a Rioux vault. As long as it is not a family heirloom, you are welcome to take something for your reward."

  "Awesome! I get to go treasure hunting. I can't wait."

  Eva thought Meryn looked like a kid the night before Christmas; she was practically bouncing in her chair.

  Beth turned to Gavriel. "Did you want to check on the Ambrosios vault while we're here?"

  Beside her, Eva felt Adriel stiffen.

  Gavriel shook his head. "There is only one thing I would be interested in retrieving, and the last time I checked, it was not there. I have very little use for treasure; I have everything I need by my side." He raised her hand and kissed it gently.

  A faint buzzing had everyone checking their phones.

  Aiden held his up and shook it. "It's mine." He glanced down and handed it to Meryn. "I can't deal with him anymore, have fun."

  Meryn's face lit up. "Is it Sascha again?"

  Aiden grunted and took a huge bite of noodles.

  Meryn's fingers tapped away on the phone. Giggling, she set the phone down and looked around the table. "Ever since Aid
en put Colton in charge, Gamma's unit leader, Sascha Baberiov, has been texting Aiden non-stop."

  Gavriel chuckled. "What did this last one threaten?"

  "He said he was going to tie Colton to the bell towers and use him for knife throwing practice."

  "What did you advise?" Gavriel asked Meryn.

  "To make sure Rheia was on stand-by with bandages."

  Aiden groaned. "I won't have any units in Lycaonia when we get back."

  Aiden's phone buzzed, Meryn picked it up and began laughing so hard that Aiden plucked the phone from her hand. He looked down, started cussing, and stood. He was already dialing when he walked from the room.

  Beth's eyes were huge. "Meryn, what happened?"

  "Rheia texted a picture of Colton running after Sascha; he had three small knives sticking out of him."

  "Oh dear," Beth murmured.

  Gavriel turned his head away as his chest shook with laughter. At that moment, he reminded Eva so much of Adriel it was eerie. She would get to the bottom of this Ambrosios name mystery if it was the last thing she did.

  "I would wait for Aiden, but he already knows." Magnus picked up his wine glass. "Adriel, you and your mate have been invited to dinner tomorrow night with the heads of the Géroux and BelleRose families. I cannot invite the entire Eta Unit, but I did want some familiar faces there to make it easier on Meryn."

  Adriel inclined his head. "Of course, we will be there."

  Eva felt a moment of panic. She was looking around the table when Beth caught her eye and nodded. "I'll help you get ready. We're about the same size, even if you're a little taller. My full length dresses will look perfect on you."

  "Thank the Gods!" Eva said leaning back. "We weren't able to bring much, and what we were able to pack is somewhere between here and Albuquerque. But I can tell you this much, I know I didn't pack anything formal."

  "Why would you dear? This was only supposed to be temporary, remember?" Adora reminded her.

  Just when she thought her mind would explode with all the plans she needed to make to transition here, she felt a light kiss on her cheek. Adriel's calm gaze helped her to catch her breath. He smiled. "One day at a time. Nothing can be solved overnight."

  Stefan laughed. "Except Noctem Falls' Wi-Fi problem evidently."

  Adriel gave Stefan a flat look and turned to Demetrio. "Did you need this one? Do you have another offspring to carry your name?"

  Demetrio chuckled. "We have another son. He ended up leaving his unit and working with the Vanguard."

  Meryn snapped her fingers. "That's why their name sounds familiar. I just added his name to the database. Cristo Bolivar, right?"

  Adora nodded. "Yes, that's our eldest."

  "Come find me tomorrow and I'll get you ready," Beth promised.

  Eva gave a pointed look to Meryn. "Doesn't she need your help more?"

  Beth gave an undignified snort. "No. She has the Gown of Éire Danu; the little monster can be ready at the drop of a hat."

  Meryn crossed her arms and sat back. "I don't know why I have to go. I'm just going to pretend to be mute."

  Demetrio leaned in close to his mate. "And you wanted girls," he teased.

  "Oh you!" she laughed.

  "Meryn, I met Viktor BelleRose tonight. He's the unit leader for Iota, and if all the BelleRose men look like him, you'll want to go, trust me." Eva winked.

  Meryn sat forward. "Really?"

  "Maybe you should stay here," Aiden grumbled, walking back into the room and sitting down.

  "No way! What did he look like?" Meryn asked.

  "Long, silver hair and amethyst eyes, the most gorgeous smile, and impeccable manners," Eva described.

  "All the BelleRose men are stunning," Beth said, ignoring her mate's growls.

  "Totally going, but I may still pretend to be mute." Meryn rubbed Aiden's arm. "Is everyone still in one piece?"

  Aiden sighed. "For now. I had to make Colton promise not to get retribution."

  "Do you really think he won't?" Meryn asked, looking skeptical.

  "No. I know he will, but I did tell him if the men weren't alive and in working condition when I got back, I was making Kendrick our son's athair."

  Meryn winced. "Ouch. How'd he take it?"

  "He promised they'd all be able to do patrols and then hung up."

  "How much do you want to bet he is planning on doing something to Sascha that does not impair his ability to walk?" Gavriel asked.

  Aiden rubbed his chin as a slow smile began to form. "I'd take that bet."

  Meryn clapped her hands together. "So. Tomorrow we set up Wi-Fi, get Eva to Beth for girl stuff, and then go meet the hot vampires?"

  Beth pulled out her planner. "I'll be in meetings with Uncle tomorrow morning." She looked up at Stefan and Demetrio. "I'd like for at least one of you to sit in on the early afternoon meeting I'll be setting up to go over housing requirements."

  Demetrio nodded. "I can do the meetings, which will leave Stefan free to stay with the pack. They'll be more settled if the Alpha is with them."

  Beth chewed on her lower lip. "How is Micah going to show the twins how to create the stone houses if he's guarding Meryn?"

  Micah sighed dramatically. "Alas, duty pulls me away from my true loves. The lovely warrior goddess will be guarding my delicate flower in my stead. Such bittersweet goodbyes."

  Declan pinched the bridge of his nose. "Adriel, do we really need him?"

  Grant patted his shoulder. "Now, now. He's useful every once in a while."

  Micah sniffled. "I'm unappreciated in my time."

  Declan looked at Adriel, a pained expression on his face. "Do we really want Romeo here influencing the twin demons?"

  Her mate chuckled. "I think they will be just fine. Unless you are volunteering to go with them?"

  "No, sir," Declan answered quickly.

  Meryn smiled. "I can't wait to meet them."

  "Gods help us all," Declan, Grant, and Etain said in unison.

  Eva threaded her fingers behind her head and tilted her chair back.

  Buckle up, cowboys.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Later that night, as they were getting ready for bed, Eva kept waiting for awkwardness to set in. In truth, she had known this man less than twenty-four hours, and even though they had claimed one another, there were so many things she didn't know about him. He turned out the light, but she could make him out clearly from the nightlight in the bathroom.

  "What has you looking so serious?" Adriel walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He had changed into a pair of loose pajama pants, but his chest was wonderfully bare. She leaned back against him, enjoying the feel of his skin against hers.

  "What side of the bed do you sleep on?"

  "That is what you were frowning over?"

  She stared up at the ceiling. "No, not exactly." When she didn't elaborate, he simply held her. "We don't know each other that well."

  "Ah, now we are getting somewhere. Of course not, we just met."

  "And here we are about to climb into bed, turn off the light, and say 'goodnight dear'."

  "We could jump on the bed, leave the light on, and say bonne nuit if that makes you feel better."

  "Are you teasing me?"

  "Maybe a little. Do we have to sleep? Yes. Do we have to share a bed? No. If you prefer, I will sleep in one of the guest rooms."

  Eva spun quickly in his arms. "That's not what I meant."

  He kissed her nose. "I know. So, mate of mine, would you like to join me in this bed to sleep for the night?"

  "I like to stretch out."

  "Okay."

  "I toss and turn a lot."

  "Not a problem."

  "I've been alone for centuries; I don't know how to do this. What if your breathing keeps me awake? Or what if you wake up every time I get up to pee?"

  "I have been alone just as long, but tonight is different from every other night that has gone before." He steered her to the bed and pulled back
the covers. She shook her head and climbed in. He got comfortable behind her and held her close.

  "How is tonight different for you?" She held his forearm against her chest like a stuffed animal.

  "Because unlike the thousands of nights before I met you, I know how beautiful my mate really is. So many things I thought of, but it is the things I did not imagine that make me want to drop to my knees and thank the Gods you were chosen for me."

  "Like what?"

  "I did not think you would be a shifter. Living here, I always assumed I would have a vampire as a mate. But having touched you once, I know that would have been a travesty. I crave the warmth of your body. If I had mated another vampire, I would have been in the cold for the rest of my existence."

  He kissed her neck and she shivered. "Your body is another thing I was not prepared for. You stand so tall and strong. As a warrior, I was ready to protect my mate against all things, but I find that I love that you can match my stride and walk beside me. The fact that you possess such strength means that when you give yourself to me I feel humble for being able to caress a body that is so powerful, yet so soft and delicate.

  "These are things I could never have planned for; it means I will have to make adjustments to my way of thinking and to the way I do things, but that does not mean that what we have is not perfect. For every new thing we discover about each other, we receive a gift, and I for one am eternally grateful."

  Eva couldn't speak; every single word he spoke tightened another knot in her throat. So she simply nodded and focused on keeping her tears at bay. When he was quiet for a while, she whispered, "Goodnight dear."

  "Goodnight, my love."

  *****

  Eva woke up and stretched. Frowning, she realized she was alone in bed. She had been so worried the night before about sleeping next to him, and she had passed out the second he stopped talking. She sat up and looked around; a white piece of paper was on the nightstand.

  It was pure hell leaving our bed this morning, but I had to meet with the men. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. The twins should be dropped off before you leave to be with Meryn. They will be with you until Micah can catch up with them later. Eternally yours, Adriel