"Go on." She tried to sound indifferent but knew she failed when he winked saucily at her.
One second he was her every fantasy come to life, the next he was an extremely large, dark brown bear. Laughing with excitement she hopped off the bed and walked over to stand in front of him. She reached out a hand and he head butted her palm. She pulled his shaggy head to her chest and buried her hands in his fur.
"You're not so scary, just a big ole teddy bear." She kissed the top of his nose. He buried his muzzle between her legs and she gasped, the damn thing was cold! Giggling she raced back to her side of the bed and climbed in. Seconds later she heard the rustle of clothes and the bed dip.
"Do you think you'll be happy here Meryn?" He asked.
"I think so. I'm not going to lie, everything is strange and scary, but also fun and exciting."
"You know I'll be with you every step of the way right?"
"Yup, I don't know if that is the scary part or the exciting part." She yelped when a pair of fingers appeared from under the wall to pinch her butt. His deep laugh was contagious and she laughed along with him.
"Ow! Definitely scary." She swatted at his hand as it reached for her again.
"Goodnight Meryn."
"Goodnight Aiden." Meryn was smiling when she turned back over. It was nice to have someone to say goodnight to.
CHAPTER THREE
Aiden woke the next morning and found himself smiling. He hadn't slept so soundly in weeks. When he went to turn his head he felt a hand against his face. He sat up and looked down at the small body in the middle of the bed. Meryn for all her rules the night before had sought him out in her sleep. Like a stealthy assassin she had tunneled under her 'Great Wall'. She lay on her back, sprawled arms and legs akimbo. Her mouth was open, she snored lightly and a thin line of drool traced down her cheek. His heart swelled in his chest. He had never seen anything more adorable in his life. Grinning from ear to ear he went into his closet and got dressed. When he saw the towel hanging from the door knob he chuckled. His mate so far had surprised him at every turn. He quietly opened the door and snuck downstairs.
When he walked into the kitchen, four sets of eyes turned to look at him. With the biggest shit-eating grin he could muster, he swaggered to the coffee pot. His men had decided to visit for breakfast.
"Glad to see you got through the night without being knocked unconscious again by your tiny mate." Colton teased. Keelan chuckled and Darian laughed outright.
"She is a delicate flower, she was scared." Aiden protested.
"Where is the fucking coffee?" A gravelly voice demanded from the doorway. Colton lost his composure and began laughing. Even his second in command looked away trying not to smile. Aiden hesitated at giving his mate coffee. She had been pretty high strung yesterday.
"How about some juice?" He offered.
"How about you shut the fuck up and give me some coffee?" Meryn stumbled through the doorway and collapsed into a chair.
"Oh yeah, she's real scared." Colton hooted and pounded the table laughing.
"Why are you being loud? Is it fun being so loud, this early in the morning? Do you know what happens to loud morning people? They die. They die horrible deaths, mutilated in their sleep and are then buried with their balls in their loud fucking mouths." Meryn glared at him through half shut eyes. The men gulped.
"Here you go baby, one extra large mug of coffee. Here's the sugar and cream. Refills whenever you want." Aiden placed the coffee on the table in front of her and backed away slowly. Colton turned to him, his face pale. He shrugged. He had no idea what to do either. Slowly, as Meryn sipped her coffee, her eyes opened. She yawned and then stretched her arms up over her head. By her second cup she was looking around the kitchen. By the third cup she was smiling at everyone.
"What's for breakfast?" She asked brightly.
"Whatever the fuck you want." Keelan said, a look of amazement on his face.
"Really? I'd kill for some pancakes." She sighed wistfully. Colton shot out of his seat like a jack in the box.
"No problem. I know where Marius keeps stuff." He hurried over to the pantry and began pulling out ingredients for pancake batter. Aiden sat back in his chair and sipped his coffee. Served the man right for poking fun at his commander.
"Do y'all have an espresso machine?" Meryn turned to him.
"You know what? We'll head to town and get one, just for you." Aiden offered. He never wanted to see what his mate would be like without caffeine.
"Really? They can be kinda expensive, it's why I haven't gotten one yet." She chewed on her bottom lip. And despite the dismemberment threat she had just made to his best friend, he thought she looked cute with her lip between her teeth.
"We'll all chip in, right guys?" Darian said. The men all nodded.
"Y'all are so sweet. Thank you." She smiled shyly at them. Gavriel met his eyes over Meryn's head across the table and raised an eyebrow. Aiden grinned back. She may be nuts, but she was all his.
"By the way. Who are you all?" Meryn took another sip of coffee.
"This is my unit. You've already met Colton; this is Gavriel Ambrosios, Keelan Ashwood and Darian Vi'Alina." Aiden pointed to each of his men.
She eyed the other three men. She pointed to Darian. He had delicate features but would never be called beautiful. He was too masculine, but there was something about him that was ethereal. His long blond hair was looped and braided down his back. His eyes were a soft lavender that you just didn't see in humans. He was built but not as thick through the chest as Aiden.