Colton frowned. "That's not a real term."

Amelia and Meryn turned at the same time to glare at him. He immediately capitulated and held his hands up in surrender. "I will write Webster myself to get it added to the dictionary."

Meryn's laughter was cut short by a yawn. Ryuu lifted her off Aiden's lap and placed her on her feet. "Come along, denka. Let your mate go upstairs to warm your side of the bed while I prepare a nice cup of heated milk for you."

Amelia realized that Ryuu only called her and Meryn by a Japanese term. "Ryuu, you call Meryn denka and me itoko-sama, why do we get special names?"

Ryuu's smile was mysterious. "I am bound to serve Meryn's house for as long as I live, this includes anyone who shares the bonds of blood, as you do. Denka is the title that Meryn was comfortable with me calling her, it means, Lady. Itoko-sama is a very formal and polite way of saying cousin."

Amelia's mouth dropped. "That means you knew almost from the beginning."

Ryuu nodded. "I would be a poor squire indeed if I could not identify the members of my charge's family. The bond I share with denka allows me to monitor her health and moods, but it also tells me when someone of her bloodline is nearby."

Meryn scowled at her squire. "We still need to work on your communication skills."

He bowed. "I think it was timed perfectly." He held out his arm. She sighed and placed her hand on his forearm, and let him lead her toward the kitchen. They were almost to the doors when she stopped suddenly and turned. "You won't forget about getting up early tomorrow, will you? I can't wait to introduce you to Adelaide. It will be the first time in my whole life I'll introduce family."

The joy on Meryn's face brought tears to Amelia's eyes. "I wouldn't miss it for anything," she promised.

"Yes!" Meryn threw a fist in the air and walked into the kitchen with Ryuu.

"This evening has been most enlightening," Gavriel remarked.

Darian stood and held out his arm to Amelia. "Will you allow me to escort you upstairs?"

She placed her hand on his arm and stood. "Yes, please."

"Thank the Gods for no movie night." Keelan exhaled and stood.

"We'll take our leave first." Darian said and led them toward the doorway.

"Goodnight, you two. Congratulations, Amelia on finding new family," Colton called after them.

"Thanks!" she yelled back.

She was still thinking of Meryn when they reached her room. When Darian opened the door and walked in with her, she realized where they were. He shut the door behind them, and her eyes widened. What on earth was her mate up to?

CHAPTER SEVEN

"Darian?" She looked at him questioningly. He hadn't said much during dinner, but he'd reached out to comfort her when she needed him during the startling revelations. The action spoke volumes to her, but she had to make sure they meant the same to him.

"You know how close I am?" he asked, leaning against the door.

"Yes, in fact, I'm shocked that you haven't turned yet. Your strength of will must be immeasurable."

"Hardly, I've just surrounded myself with things that help."

"Like your atrium? I noticed earlier today in the woods, your aura lightened when you touched the tree."

"You can see auras?"

"Not in the same way that the fae do. You can only see the auras and soul light of your mates. I can see different colors tied to emotions. It's tied into my empathy."

He nodded. "Interesting. To answer your question if my oasis helps, yes it does. I am fae, a child of the earth. Plants help bring us light."

She stepped forward. "Then why don't you go back to the fae garden, the one from my dream. That place has to have enough light to help."

His eyebrows came together in a frown. "You keep mentioning a dream from when you were a child, that we were evidently in the fae gardens, but I don't remember that dream. The only dreams I can remember having of you are the ones that happened recently. In them, you are an adult, and you're always laughing."

"I've had those, too, but the one that keeps coming back to me is the first one. I was six, and we were in a garden. You promised you wouldn't forget me." She stared at the floor. All her life, she had feared he would forget her. Maybe in her own way, she had known this would happen.

Darian moved away from the door and pulled her into his arms. "I would never hurt you intentionally. If I made such a promise, I am sorry more than you know that I don't remember such a beautiful dream." He kissed the top of her head.

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with me? That you wanted me to 'find someone from my own planet'." She tilted her head back to stare into his beautiful face. He looked so conflicted.

"If I were half the man I used to be, I'd send you away. I would do anything to keep you safe, but I find myself drawn to you. The more I am with you, the more I want to live, to fight this insidious darkness in my heart. I just don't see how this is going to end well for either of us." He rested his forehead against hers, and she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"If being with me pushes back the darkness, then never leave my side. If you need a reason to live, do it for me, do it for our future children. Please don't assume I would be better off without you, not now.

"You fear that if we're tied together, you turning feral would drag my soul down with yours, but what you don't realize is that I would happily jump into the depths of hell to be with you. If I lost you, I wouldn't be able to live in this world alone. I would take my own life to be with you."