Aiden sat up. "Her what?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "Never mind, Aiden, lost cause. Trust me."
"All your fields are belong to us," Meryn said in a robotic tone.
Everyone looked at Amelia who winced. "I introduced her to FarmVille."
"I will take over the world. Ma-ha-ha-ha!" Meryn shook both fists in the air.
Anne laughed at Meryn's quirky excitement over an Internet game.
When the doorbell rang, Anne wasn't the only one who looked around and mentally did a head check. Who could be at the door if they were all here?
Meryn hopped out of her recliner and headed for the door.
"Meryn," Aiden called.
Meryn froze and turned to him, tapping her foot. "Well, come on."
Aiden walked past her as everyone got up to look into the foyer.
Aiden opened the door. "Can I help you?"
"I was told the Sei Ryuu served in this household," a male voice stated in accented English.
Aiden held the door open, and a small man in traditional Japanese dress entered slowly, taking in his surroundings.
Anne watched as Ryuu walked in from the hallway; his eyes looked haunted. Kendrick walked past Colton and Gavriel to stand next to his friend.
The small man began to speak in Japanese.
Ryuu shook his head. "Out of respect for the owners of this house, please speak in English."
The man inclined his head slightly and continued. "Sei Ryuu, your services are required in the main household. Your contract is still valid." The man held up his arm and pulled back his sleeve. A faint grayish-blue tattoo wound around the man's wrist and up his forearm.
Ryuu bowed at the waist, apparently returning the man's gesture, and shook his head. "I was banished, I cannot return."
The man stepped forward. "You will do as you are ordered. It is disgraceful that you would come here and serve such as these."
"Mizushima-dono, how did you find me?"
The man's eyes flashed. "You dare address me in this way? Have you forgotten your purpose? Your friend at the main house was so excited to hear from you, he had to let everyone know that you were alive and doing well here in Lycaonia. How dare you serve anyone other than your master? Come!" The man pointed to the space next to him as if he was calling a dog to heel.
Ryuu looked down at Meryn. "Maybe this is for the best. My poor judgement almost got you killed today. I don't deserve to be at your side."
Meryn gave a low cry and flung her arms around Ryuu. "No!"
"Denka, please."
"Denka? This lowly creature? She is human." The man spat every word.
"Denka..." Ryuu tried to disentangle Meryn's arms from around his waist.
She shook her head back and forth. "No! No! No! No! You're mine." She looked up, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Do you hear me? You're mine! You're my family, you and Felix." She held up her arm where her own tattoo was blazing a bright royal blue. "You promised." She looked at him, unable to catch her breath. "I love you."
Those three words straightened Ryuu's back. He wrapped an arm around Meryn and looked at the small man. "I have bound myself in service to denka. The contract I had with your family is completed. It ended the day you exiled me from my country. The mark on your arm will continue to fade as will any power that was attached to it. I wish you luck in your future endeavors." Ryuu bowed, clearly dismissing the man, then stood tall.
Anne felt like jumping up and down. Meryn was a sniffling mess. She'd never be dignified or elegant, but it was clear to everyone that Ryuu cherished her love more than any prestige that could be found by returning to his old family.
The small man's face turned a dangerous shade of red. He held up his wrist and whispered a word. Ryuu jerked forward slightly, a pained expression on his face.
Meryn stood back. "Ryuu?" She turned and saw what Ryuu's former master was doing. She moved until she stood in front of Ryuu and held up her wrist. Whatever had been pulling Ryuu forward was negated by Meryn's tattoo.
Kendrick stepped between Meryn and Ryuu, and the outraged man. He shook his head at Aiden who had been reaching for the interloper. Kendrick grinned.
"Mizushima, was it?" he asked.
"Do not speak to me, dog." The man righted his robes.
"You showed me yours, now let me show you mine." Kendrick rolled up his right sleeve. His muscled forearm was encircled by a red, a black and a silvery white bands that formed intricate knot work. A phoenix, a black tortoise, and a white tiger wrapped around his wrist.
The man began to shake and took a step backward. "Impossible! You're a foreigner!"
Kendrick cracked his neck. "I don't see how that has anything to do with it." He walked slowly up to the man and grabbed his right wrist. Seconds later, the man was screaming as smoke rose from where Kendrick gripped him tightly. He released the man, letting him fall to the floor. He stood over him, a cold expression on his face. "All those years ago, I had to stand by and watch you treat my friend like a dog, and I could do nothing. He is free of you and your ilk, and I don't have to play nice anymore. Whatever hold on him you had is gone." He pointed to the mangled mess he had made of the man's arm. "That is your one and only warning: Leave. And never come near my family again." Kendrick waved his hand and the front door swung open violently. He crossed his arms over his chest. Mizushima scrambled on all fours out the door, which slammed behind him.