My Guardian

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

Eva tucked the letter away under her pillow so she wouldn't lose it. She got up and headed to the bathroom. If she had to wear the same clothes from yesterday, at the very least, she would be clean. She quickly showered and dried her hair. She looked in the mirror and frowned. She didn't have so much as a ChapStick with her, and she doubted Meryn had any makeup. She definitely needed to get with Beth later for some help.

She went downstairs, following her nose to the coffee pot. Frowning, she noticed that there was no coffee. The pot looked like it had already been washed and put back, but she could smell coffee. Growling, she opened the pantry door and stepped back.

What the hell is this?

Quinoa, chia seeds, lentils, bran flakes, super green powder, whole oats. She slammed the door and opened it again. Yup, same stuff was there. She went to the fridge. When she opened the door and looked inside, she felt her mouth drop. One dozen eggs, whole milk, cottage cheese, bottled water, a drawer of green leaves, another drawer of vegetables, and yogurt. The man didn't even have a microwave.

"I'm gonna fuckin' die."

She was rubbing her temples, trying to stave off a caffeine withdrawal headache when there was a knock at the door. She swung it open, snarling. The two warriors she had met yesterday, Dimitri and Godard, stepped back. "We came to drop the twins off, but if this is a bad time..." Godard watched her carefully as if she were about to attack.

Eva stepped out on to the small porch. "No, it's fine. In fact, I was just heading down to Level One to meet up with Meryn."

Dimitri let out a breath of relief. "Great, they are all yours."

Eva thought it was comical the way the two grown men seemed to practically run to get away from them.

She leveled a look at the twins in front of her. "How old are y'all anyway?"

"One..." Nigel started.

"Hundred..." Neil finished.

"All right boys. Let's head down to meet with Meryn and no funny business. I haven't had coffee yet, so I won't feel bad about killing you until at least noon."

"Right."

"No worries."

Bleary eyed, she followed the twins to the transport tunnel, and they floated her down. She knocked on the large wooden door that acted as the entryway to Prince Magnus' home. Seconds later, the door opened and Sebastian smiled down at her. He looked at her a moment then frowned. "No coffee?"

She just shook her head. "He didn't have any food in the house either."

He swung the door open. "Adriel is very conscientious of the food he eats. He regards meals as ways to fuel the body."

"I'd kill for a pop-tart," Eva grumbled.

"Go ahead and seat yourselves in the dining room. Meryn is just getting up; I will bring coffee and breakfast out in just a moment."

"No organic wheat germ, right?"

Sebastian shook his head and smiled. "None, I promise."

Eva had to smile as she watched the twins walk through the prince's home. They stayed very close to one another, their eyes wide taking in everything in the room. Despite the lack of coffee, she felt her tiger begin to purr. She was always a sucker for young'uns.

Eva sat down in the same seat she had the night before, Nigel sat to her left, and Neil sat on the other side of his twin.

"This place is real swanky," Nigel said, staring up at the chandelier.

"Yeah, I'm afraid to breathe too hard," Neil confessed.

"Me, too," Meryn said, walking into the room her eyes half closed. Ryuu steered her to the table. She sat down and placed her cheek on the wood surface. "Ryuu, I can't do this anymore. I need coffee, real coffee. I'm tired of being fucking tired."

Ryuu stared down at her. "We'll try one cup and see how you do." He left and headed to the kitchen.

Nigel elbowed her side and bopped his head toward Meryn.

"Nigel, Neil, meet Meryn McKenzie. Meryn, when you're conscious, you can meet Nigel and Neil Morninglory."

"Word," Meryn croaked.