Kendrick blinked. His jaw was killing him but his head was clear. "Yes, actually, I am feeling much better, thank you. Hand up?"

Darian reached down and pulled Kendrick up. "You know the only reason you're not buried up to your neck is because I really did need someone to put me in my place?"

Darian nodded. "It's what brothers do for each other."

Kendrick stopped brushing off his clothes and looked up. "Brothers?"

"That's how this works, Kendrick." Darian waved his arm and pointed to where the unit members were laughing, teasing, and playfully knocking each other senseless. "Meryn was right; we're family, and family looks after each other. I think you've been alone too long, my friend."

Kendrick didn't know what to say. "So we're brothers and friends?"

Darian laughed. "Would you let anyone else get away with sucker punching you to knock some sense into you?"

Kendrick smiled ruefully. "I can honestly say that has never happened before. Usually, I am the one doing the punching."

Darian leaned against the bench. "Under normal circumstances, you are probably the one best suited for dealing with these types of situations. But this is about Keelan and Anne, so you're not really thinking clearly. Nevertheless, I am discovering that not thinking clearly is the norm when dealing with mates." Darian's eyes flicked back to the house. "They drive you insane. They don't listen; the very thought of them hurt makes you want to kill, but life without them would be no life at all."

"I've only had Keelan for so long. I could get used to having more brothers," Kendrick admitted.

Darian's look became devious. "Then as a brother, could you do me a favor?"

Kendrick grinned. "Depends, what do you have in mind?"

Darian pointed across the training yard where a white haired warrior was sparring with his unit. "That's Sascha. He and Keelan would go back and forth with pranks. Sascha liked turning Keelan purple and Keelan liked electrocuting Sascha. Maybe we should zap him for Keelan."

"I like the way you think. How about this?" Kendrick brought up his power hand and twirled his finger in the air. The air around Sascha began to move, picking up rock and dirt. Sascha looked around wildly and saw Kendrick and Darian laughing.

"That's not funny, assholes!" Sascha went to walk through the seemingly harmless breeze and stopped short when a spark flew. "Hey!"

The men were laughing uproariously as they walked over to Sascha. "I heard you liked playing pranks on my baby brother, so I decided to join in the fun so you don't miss him too much."

Sascha growled as the air calmed down. Tentatively, he tested the area around him and breathed a sigh of relief when he wasn't shocked again. "Ha, ha, very funny. I do miss Keelan though, the little guy always gave as good as he got." He glared at Kendrick. "No more sparks, I'm getting zapped enough on patrol; the damn perimeter gets me every time." The men laughed at Sascha's bad luck.

Kendrick chuckled. "I'll add that to my list of things to investigate about the perimeter." He turned and shook hands with Darian. "Thank you again. I know what I have to do now." He looked back at the house. "Can you watch over them while I'm away?" Kendrick looked around and spotted a timid-looking Basil standing on the sidelines. He waved the young man over.

Darian released his hand and nodded. "Of course, where are you going?"

"Into the city, there are some errands I need to run. I'll be back in about an hour or so. Oh, and tell Aiden I'll be using Basil as an apprentice for a while. I forgot to mention it at breakfast." He turned to Basil. "You're coming with me. We'll hit the magic supply stores in town to pick up what's needed for you to conduct your own experiments."

Basil stared. "My wallet is in the barracks."

Kendrick raised an eyebrow. "What kind of master would I be if I didn't provide my apprentice with the basics he needed to learn?"

Basil beamed up at him, and in that moment, reminded him so much of Keelan his heart ached. He cleared his throat and laid a hand on the young witch's shoulder.

Darian nodded at them then looked around frowning. "Wait. Where's your car?"

Kendrick smirked. "Who said anything about driving?"

Kendrick took a deep breath and began moving. With each step they took, his magic condensed long distances into short, manageable ones. To Darian and the others, he and Basil would have simply disappeared. He would make his way into town to meet with some of the residents, pick up supplies for Basil, and then he would return to the Alpha estate to claim his mate.

CHAPTER EIGHT

It was late afternoon, almost evening. After Anne changed Keelan's IV bag they had switched from Tezuka's story to another anime when she said she wanted to watch the rest of it with Kendrick. She was just about to press play and start a new series when they heard car doors slam outside. Elizabeth stood and pulled the curtain back. "Gods above, it's the committee members." She whirled around to face Meryn. "Remember what we talked about. You are a shy mute."

Meryn crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "You're not being nice."

Elizabeth went to the mirror and fixed her hair. "I don't have to be nice; I'm your Yoda. You're nowhere near ready to tangle with these sharks, maybe in another couple years, but not now."

Meryn sat up. "I don't see what the big deal is."