Adriel kept staring straight ahead but gave a slight nod. "Evidently."

On his right, Declan growled. "As am I."

Adriel turned to his second in command. "You have been having nightmares?"

Declan just nodded.

"Why did you not say anything?"

Declan raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you?"

Adriel turned back to face the room. He knew why he had not said anything, sharing the death of the woman of your dreams was not high up on his things to do list. Was Declan seeing the death of his mate too? "How bad?" he asked.

Adriel could hear Declan grinding his teeth. "She dies, trapped in a fire. You?"

"Femorals cut, hung from a meat hook, and drained." Adriel shuddered at the memory.

"Gods!" Grant whispered harshly, sounding shocked. "I am making it a point to beat the shit out both of you in training tomorrow for keeping secrets like that. You know we would never let that happen to either of your mates. We can't help if you do not tell us."

"I'm tempted to cast a spell to make you cluck like a chicken for a week," Micah threatened, sounding pissed. Adriel leaned forward to look at the witch; for once, the jovial man wore a serious expression.

"What?" Micah demanded. "I'm angry because you didn't come to us. We're your brothers; who else are you going to turn to?"

Adriel straightened and refused to answer, Micah's honest words touched his heart. As the leader of all the units in the city, he maintained a certain distance from the men, even his own unit. He believed that was the only way to keep their respect, but watching Aiden today, seeing him joke and smile not only with his second in command, but with others, he started to wonder if maybe he had the wrong idea.

After Aiden wrapped up his speech, there was a smattering of unenthusiastic, polite applause. As predicted, no one overtly opposed the plan, but Adriel was willing to bet that they would somehow find small ways to sabotage their efforts. He watched as Jourdain Régis made his way over to where Bethy stood with her mate.

"Declan," Adriel hissed.

"On it." Adriel watched in amusement as the crowd parted for Declan. The shaggy redheaded shifter was one of the largest men in the city. He made even the haughtiest elitist think twice before tangling with him.

Declan grinned evilly as he stepped in front of the odious man. Jourdain Régis had been dogging Bethy's steps since before she was legal by their standards. Adriel was surprised and a bit disappointed that Magnus had not had him killed before now. Jourdain had made his interest in Bethy known, and he always managed to make her uncomfortable, pushing the limits of polite behavior. Tarak had almost lost it and challenged Jourdain when he found Bethy shaking in a corner in an attempt to steer clear of the Founding Family member. Bethy was only sixteen at the time. Jourdain's father had to step in, using his rank to keep his son in one piece. He assured Magnus that his son would leave Bethy alone until she was of age.

Now that she was mated, Adriel had hoped the man would give up, but Jourdain was proving him wrong. Declan simply stepped left and right, blocking Jourdain's path to Bethy. Jourdain's mouth twisted, and he said something under his breath.

Adriel could not hear what was said but knew it was bad when Declan smiled wide, showing off his perfect pearly whites.

"Etain," Adriel barked. But the man was already moving. Seconds later, Etain laid a friendly hand on Jourdain's shoulder, and with a tightened grip, steered the offending vampire away from the angry grizzly-shifter.

"Would you please let one of us kill him?" Grant asked in a congenial manner, as if they were not discussing cold-blooded murder.

"We will have too much on our plate in the next few months, dealing with new people in the city without the headache of facing a tribunal for killing that waste of blood." Adriel looked at his clipboard.

"Micah, are you comfortable being assigned as Meryn's guard while she is here?" he asked.

"Absolutely. That woman is hilarious. I can't wait to see what she does next." Micah's eyes sparkled with laughter.

Grant shook his head. "Better you than me. Women confuse me, and she is baffling even for a woman."

Micah sighed happily. "Women make this life worth living. They add color to these gray walls and perfume to the air."

Grant scratched his head. "I have paintings in my quarters and air fresheners, I am good."

Micah looked around. "Speaking of my little firecracker, where'd she go?"

Adriel studied his roster and, without looking up, pointed to the far side of the room where Meryn was standing next to Aiden, practically behind her squire as her mate greeted a line of Nobles.

"How do you do that?" Micah demanded.

Grant snorted. "Adriel has a built in trouble detector."

"He is just amazing at what he does," Bethy said, walking up with her mate and Declan in tow. She leaned over and looked down at his plans. He watched her read over his lists, nodding. She looked up. "Sorry, old habits die hard." Her cheeks flushed.

"Not at all. In fact, I was going to ask your opinion regarding unit assignments. You may have learned your organizational skills from me, but you learned just as much from watching your father anticipate Broderick in the lab." Adriel handed her his clipboard.

Bethy's mouth formed a small 'o'. He never let anyone handle his clipboard. With her eyes gleaming, she accepted it and started skimming his meticulous notes. As she was flipping through the pages, Etain returned.