My Brother's Keeper

Aiden began pacing. "You see, Anne, there are things in this world that not everyone knows about. Special things that can sometimes be scary but mostly aren't..." He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck.

Meryn looked at her husband. "You suck at this," she said flatly.

Aiden turned and glared at her. "The last person I tried to explain all this to knocked me unconscious."

"Big baby." Meryn rolled her eyes.

Anne looked at Aiden. "Are you okay? Concussions can be tricky."

Aiden exhaled and pointed at his tiny wife. "She did it with the deck of my toilet about four months ago. I'm fine now."

Meryn held up both arms and acted like she was flexing. "KO'd, first try."

Anne looked at her confused. "Congratulations?"

Aiden turned to Beth. "Maybe you should try."

Beth nodded and turned to her. "Anne, what do you know about the paranormal?"

"Do you mean like ghosts?"

Beth smiled gently. "Not exactly."

"Oh for crying out loud! Meryn two-point-oh will be here before you tell her." Meryn turned to her. "Shape shifters, witches, fae, and vampires are real."

Aiden buried his face in his hands, and the men groaned.

Anne looked around the room. "I know."

Everyone froze. Aiden looked up. "What?"

Anne smiled at him. "You don't remember me, do you?"

Meryn's eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked up at her husband. "What does she mean?"

Aiden, eyes wide, shook his head. "No idea."

Anne chuckled. "Not like that, Meryn. I was about six when I met Aiden the first time, though I didn't know his name then. I was in town riding the new bike my parents bought me, when a man tried to lure me into the alley with candy. Of course I knew better than to go with him. When he got desperate, he tried to pull me off the bike, pretending like he was my father." She smiled up at Aiden. "That's when you came along. You plucked me from his hands, and he tried to run. You simply picked up my bike and chucked it at him like a Frisbee. You made sure I was okay and left. The police came and arrested him. I remember my parents were mad at first about my bike being banged up, but when they found out what happened, you were in their prayers that night. A lot of people in town know something goes on out here."

"What do you mean, they know?" Gavriel asked, sitting forward.

Anne smiled around the room. "We're not dumb, you know. None of you age. The true locals, the ones who have been here for generations, know something is in these mountains, but we don't say anything, because you keep us safe."

"Wait. Bart knows?" Aiden asked.

She nodded. "I don't think he knows exactly what you are, just that you're something different. He was very disappointed today when he found out that the women wouldn't be staying for a chat. He wanted to talk to the 'feisty' one."

Meryn glared up at Aiden. "Why do I get the impression he was talking about me?"

Aiden kissed her forehead. "It's a compliment, baby."

Anne looked closely at the men and pointed to Gavriel. "Vampire?" He nodded. She turned and looked at Darian. "Fae?"

He smiled. "Good job."

Colton waved his hand. "What about me?"

Anne thought about it a moment. "Dog?"

Meryn burst into giggles.

Colton frowned at her. "I am not a dog." Pouting, he looked over at Anne. "Why did you guess that?"

Anne gave a half shrug. "Because you're so open and friendly. You were waving your hand so eagerly, it reminded me of my friend's dog wagging his tail."

Her response had all the men cracking up. Colton crossed his arms. "That's not fair. She guessed Gavriel and Darian right."

Meryn was giggling and pointed at him. "She got you right, too, admit it."

Colton sighed dramatically and winked at her, letting her know he wasn't really mad. "I'm a wolf shifter, so half right."

Meryn leaned in on her elbows. She pointed over her shoulder at her husband. "What about him?"

"Oh, he's easy. Bear."

Meryn's eyes widened. "How'd you know that?"

Anne looked Aiden up and down. "He's huge and kinda growly like a bear, but nice and gentle like a teddy bear. Plus, Bart always complains that Aiden eats all the honey buns as he walks through the store."

Aiden stared, his mouth wide open. He turned to Gavriel. "Did you know we were so easy to identify?"

Gavriel brought a hand up to cover his mouth. "I think you are a rare exception."

Anne remembered the reason why she was there. "That leaves witch. That's Keelan isn't it? What's happened to him?"

Colton was about to respond when Rheia held up her hand. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Are you sure you're okay? You're taking all of this extremely well."

Anne shrugged. "I'm a nurse; not much fazes me anymore. I've known since I was a child that something strange was in these mountains. Personally, I like the idea of vampires and shifter dogs as opposed to the alien invasion theory I heard at the feed and seed last week."

"I am not a dog!" Colton wagged a finger at her.

Rheia nodded. "You had me convinced at nurse."

"You're the doctor aren't you?" Anne asked, feeling a special kinship with the woman.