"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but bullets will never kill me." He cackled. He backhanded her to the ground, the wind got knocked out of her leaving her gasping for breath. Seconds later she felt his weight on top of her pressing her into the floor. Gulping for air she fought blindly.

"No one can save you. All the toy soldiers are along the perimeter and the baby soldiers are in the city. We're too far away for your mate to have heard your tiny gun." He leaned forward and ran his tongue between her breasts, up her chin, before forcing it between her lips. She gagged at the intrusion.

"Time for you to die." He pulled his arm back revealing he was holding a knife. She kicked and screamed, bringing her hands up to deflect the blade. But it never came.

She felt the floor vibrating before the sound of an ungodly roar shook her. Seconds later her attacker was lifted off her and thrown into the wall. He fell to the floor covered in splinters, dry wall and plaster. Meryn looked up and her eyes couldn't make sense of what she saw. It was a creature unlike anything she had ever seen before. Rounded ears, brown fur, short snout, all on a humanoid shaped head. It had an abnormally long torso and arms that extended nearly to the floor. It was wearing what used to be a pair of pants, which on this creature looked like frayed shorts. Even crouching low, shoulders hunched forward, it was nearly nine feet tall. If they weren't in the foyer it would be scraping the ceiling. At the end of his multi digit fingers claws extended and swiped at the faintly glowing attacker. Each strike resulted in ripped flesh and broken bones.

She didn't know when it registered that what she was looking at was Aiden, but suddenly she knew. This creature was her mate and he was pissed! Only when the intruder stopped twitching did Aiden stop. All of the Alpha Unit and Aiden's family watched from the door. Aiden sniffed the air and walked over to her. When he nuzzled her hair she yelped. When his tongue began to retrace the path that the attacker's had taken she lost her shit.

"Don't lick me! Eww!" She pushed at his hulking form. He snarled at her and she froze.

"I know you aren't snarling at me!" She yelled reaching up to wag a finger in his face. The snarling stopped almost immediately. He lifted her up and nipped at her neck. She relaxed in his arms.

"She didn't even flinch." Colton sounded impressed.

Meryn turned to him and noticed how high up she was. "This is great! Is this what you tall people see every day?"

Aiden gripped her as his body began to shift and shrink. After a few moments he was back to his normal human self.

"Thank the Gods you are okay!" He buried his face in her hair.

"Thanks to you."

He shook his head. "Thanks to a sprite named Felix. He made himself known to Darian and told us what happened."

Felix appeared hovering close to her head. She lifted her hair and he dove under for cover. Darian stared in amazement.

"When were you going to tell us you had a sprite?" He asked.

Meryn shrugged. "It's been a long day."

Gavriel and Colton walked over to what was left of the body of the attacker. It was still barely visible except for the faint glow.

"Keelan is this a spell?" Gavriel asked.

Keelan shook his head. "None that I have ever seen."

"It is a shikigami, a servant of mine. It made the assailant visible." Ryuu sat up and rubbed the back of his head. He rolled to his knees before placing both hands on the floor in front of him and bowing low, touching his forehead to his fingers.

"Denka, I failed to keep you safe. Though it will cost me my life, you are free to sever the bond that ties us and proffer for a new squire."

"Oh Ryuu, get up, please. Your, whatever it was, made this guy visible so I could shoot him and Aiden could fight him. It's not your fault he attacked you from behind." Meryn couldn't stand to see such a proud man on his knees.

Ryuu stood and bowed fully at the waist. "I swear this won't happen again." He vowed.

"I'll forgive you even if it does. What's a shikigami?" She asked.

"They are trained spirits I have summoned." He explained. Meryn was impressed.

"They came in handy tonight. Could you make us some tea? I know I'll need a cup to calm down."

He bowed low again and immediately left for the kitchen.

"Good man there." Darian observed.

"He's the best." Meryn looked down at her would-be attacker.

"What's around his neck?"

The men looked down. Aiden set her down and walked over. "What do you see?"

Meryn pointed to the tiny sphere hanging from a cord around the dead man's neck.

"Meryn I don't see anything." Aiden turned to her in confusion.

"It's right there!" She pointed again. This time Adelaide and Byron came over to look.

"Meryn I don't see anything either." Byron told her.

Meryn walked over to the body and she was about to lean forward when Aiden grabbed her arm. She let out a screech and swatted at his hand.

"Don't do that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? You don't just grab someone's arm when they are about to bend over a dead body!" Meryn clutched at her chest trying to slow her breathing.

"I don't want you near him."

"Aiden, his brains are on the foyer floor, I'm pretty sure that is a universally accepted indicator that a person is dead."

"Fine, but be careful." He groused.