"They're mine; I adopted them," Meryn declared cheerfully, taking another bite of pudding. Beside her, Aiden began to choke on his steak. Gavriel leaned over and whacked his commander on the back.

Once his airway was clear, he turned to Meryn. "What?"

She looked up, confused. "What?"

"Adopted them?"

"Yup! They are my baby Keelans."

Aiden's brow creased. "Baby Keelans?"

Ryuu stepped forward again. "She is referring to the fact that Masters Nigel and Neil look very similar to Keelan."

"I think it's the hair. And their sense of humor. And pranks," Meryn rattled off.

"But not really adopted, right Meryn?" Aiden asked, desperation on his face.

Meryn frowned. "They don't have anyone in this whole world, just like me. They are smart and funny and sweet. I want to help them. Can't I have them?"

"You can't adopt people like kittens!" Aiden growled.

"I wouldn't know; someone wouldn't let me get a kitten," Meryn retorted.

"Fine, you can have a kitten, no people."

"Too late."

Aiden rubbed circles around his temples with his fingers and then sighed. "How old are they?"

"They have just turned one hundred," Adriel responded, smirking.

"Gods, that's how old Keelan was when he joined Alpha." Aiden turned to Adriel. "I bet you feel like you're juggling glass."

Adriel exhaled. "I would say you have no idea, but from that statement you obviously do. I have seriously considered sending them back to Storm Keep. Being a unit warrior is not safe and they are so very young. I worry that something will happen to them."

Leana tapped the rim of her wineglass and turned to Magnus. "What if you reached out to Storm Keep enraged over something these boys had done. Let them think you are about to send them back then demand two more witches. Make them believe you are doing them a favor by keeping the boys."

Marie nodded. "Even better, we could ask to get Leif and Travis back despite their test scores. I heard Viktor say that neither of them wanted to return to Storm Keep anyway. They are experienced, seasoned witches, and they know the city."

Magnus exchanged looks between Javier and Simon. "Why do we even pretend to be in charge?"

Beth smiled and winked at Leana and Marie. "Because we let you."

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Eva woke with a pounding headache. So had been so relieved the night before when the tension dissolved, she had indulged in more wine than she usually drank. She remembered apologizing to her mate, who told her if anyone deserved to relax, it was her.

All she wanted to do was drill a hole in her head and pour coffee directly on her brain. She knew if she got up and got to the coffee pot, she'd feel better, but she couldn't get her arms and legs to move. What in the hell was in that wine? She could drink all night with shifters, she owned a bar for goodness sakes; it wasn't as if she were a lightweight. Damn sneaky vampires.

Groaning, she sat up. She went to swing her legs over the side of the bed and ended up sliding off and landing on the floor.

"Gods damnmit!"

"Yup, she's awake. Stay here; let me check if she's naked." The bedroom door opened, and Meryn's head poked in. Eva heard laughter and then the sound of feet walking toward her.

"Here's your bra and tank top. Good thing you're already in underwear, I think that would be beyond your capabilities right now." Meryn dropped the items on the floor.

Eva pushed herself up and miraculously managed to put on the garments without choking herself. Having expended what little energy she had, she lay back down on the floor.

"Y'all are safe to come in now." She opened the door, and the twins walked in behind her.

They looked down at her and winced. "That bad, huh?" Nigel asked, kneeling down. Eva closed her eyes and laid her cheek on the floor. "Let me die."

"No way. We have stuff to do, houses to build, things to kill, the family business." Meryn was opening dresser drawers. "Where's your stuff?"

"Things to kill?" Eva asked ignoring her question.

"Yeah, I went to watch Doctor Who but Supernatural kept playing. I think something has jacked my Netflix account. I binge watched like five seasons yesterday. I now carry my sonic screwdriver, my laptop, and salt." She looked around. "Your stuff hasn't come yet, has it?"

"Nope." Eva cracked open one eye when she felt two hands on her head. "What are you two up to?"

Neil winked. They whispered, and Eva had to close her eyes at the green light. Slowly, the pounding in her head dissipated, and she didn't feel like she was about to cross over to the other side. She opened her eyes and sat up. "Don't let anyone tell you that the two of you don't kick ass."

Nigel laughed. "We learned that one very young. The witch that ran the house we grew up in liked to get drunk, but dealing with him the next day while he was hung over was dangerous. This spell pretty much saved our asses."

Eva growled. "One of these days you'll have to tell me more about growing up in Storm Keep."

"Yeah, I'd like to hear more, too," Meryn chimed in.

Eva stood and stretched. She pulled her clothes off the chair and got dressed. "So we're heading where?"

"The twins are going to the Marketplace to get more houses built, and I'm tagging along. There are so many unit warriors up there, we should be okay." Meryn headed to the door. "But before that, we're meeting up with Ryuu at the transport tunnel. He's bringing us coffee."