Chapter Three #2
Meryn stretched. “Good, Kendrick is here. You explain to her why the Academy sucks butt.”
Kendrick opened his mouth to speak, and Anne covered it. “Actually, I think Marshall would be better,” she suggested.
Kendrick looked down at his mate and removed her hand. “Why him and not me?”
Anne pointed up at him. “Because you and Meryn have a very cavalier view of the world that skews how you explain things. Marshall is patient and used to choosing his words carefully being an Elder. You and Meryn both rip the bandaid off painfully first, then answer panicked questions second.”
Caiden was nodding. “I’ll call father,” he said, then pulled out his phone to send a message.
Both Kendrick and Meryn pouted.
Pip cuddled Meryn. “Different people have different strengths.”
“I suck at explaining things?” Meryn asked.
Pip didn’t answer, but Nigel and Neil nodded. Nigel ruffled Meryn’s curls. “Kinda, yeah.”
Meryn thought it over, then sighed. “You’re right. I’d rather have Kari explain things to me, than me.”
“No one beats you in a crisis,” Neil added.
Moments later, Kiera heard the door open and close. “What’s this about an explanation?”
Kiera stood and gave a small half bow to her Elder. “Elder Ironwood. Anne thought you’d be best to explain what is going on with the Academy,” she explained.
The Elder smiled. “I am honored at her faith in me.” He leaned against the counter. “Where do I begin?”
“Start at the part where they suck butt,” Meryn said.
The Elder smiled, but shook his head. “They didn’t used to be like that. Lately, both the Witches’ Council and the Academy began to make unilateral decisions that impacted the entire city. Their actions led to the portal closing and dissolution of the alliance with the fae.”
She reached for her chair and sat back down. “What? We’re no longer allied with the fae?”
Meryn waved her hand back and forth. “Y’all will be once we get rid of all the douchebags.”
“A couple days ago, enforcers kidnapped Genevieve, beat her and placed her in their holding cells.”
“For what?”
Genevieve went to Caiden and he wrapped his arms around her. “Because she was human and I hadn’t announced our mating.”
“We announce our matings now?” she asked.
The Elder shook his head. “They passed that law in a clandestine manner, the night before she was arrested. Caiden never even had the chance to do anything.”
“Is that legal?”
Elder Marshall shook his head. “The Witches’ Council isn’t permitted to create laws, and they certainly don’t have the authority to create a group to enforce them.”
Kiera thought back to how the streets seemed quieter when she arrived. “Normally, when I come home, people are out and about and chatting with one another. It was quiet today.”
“The Witches’ Council presented the story that Caiden acted with undue force, killing the enforcers to get to Genevieve,” Elder Marshall explained. “The story was twisted in such a way that people are losing faith in not only the Elder Council, but also the unit warriors themselves.”
Kiera turned to Meryn. “Okay, lay it on me. What does that have to do with the Academy?”
Anne groaned.
Meryn grinned. “Because, we, well I, think they have been hiding evil deed type shit for decades. I think they’re the ones making the necklaces out of newborn babies to hide the ferals.”
Kiera felt her blood rushing in her ears.
“She’s gonna go down,” Meryn observed.
“Dammit, Meryn,” Anne exclaimed.
Kiera felt cool hands on her forehead. “Concentrate on my voice. Take a deep breath,” Anne ordered.
Kiera focused on the woman’s soothing presence. “Don’t be mad at her, I asked for it.”
“She did that on purpose.”
“That’s almost the worst of it. Once she’s upright, everything else should numb her,” Meryn said.
Kiera looked up and saw that she was in her mate’s arms. “Hi.”
He smiled weakly, looking sick. “Hi.”
Fingers snapped in front of her face.
Kiera turned her head.
Anne smiled at her. “Coming back to us?”
“Unfortunately,” Kiera admitted and patted Hunter’s arms until he helped her sit upright.
She turned back to Meryn. “So, this Kari person?”
“I’ll do you one better. Give me your email and I’ll send you our info packet.”
Kiera scowled at the small woman. “You could have lead with that.”
Meryn shrugged. “Then you would passed out when you read it. This was faster.”
Kiera gave Meryn her email and a few seconds later she had a notification on her phone that she received the packet. Hunter picked her up and placed her in his lap as she began to read.
At first, she thought he was being overprotective, but halfway through she was grateful he was holding her up. She looked over at Meryn. “You were right, I probably would have passed out reading this.”
Meryn nodded. “I forget sometimes, since I was a part of the events as they were happening, that compiled up like that, it must seem impossibly crazy.”
Kiera set her phone down. “I can’t believe the Academy would do something like that. Most are older witches who teach and love what they do, I can’t see them having any hand in this.”
“I don’t know how, but they are tied to this,” Meryn insisted.
Kiera shook her head. “I never thought I’d miss Angus Cottonwood, but he never would have let things get this far with the Witches’ Council.”
Caiden snapped his fingers. “She’s right. The Witches’ Council has been power hungry for decades. But, it accelerated greatly after Angus retired.”
“He retired?” Meryn asked.
Caiden smiled. “He was wily, but a good man. I actually worked well with him keeping things running smoothly in the city. He respected the unit warriors and very much operated under the motto, ‘better with, than against’. He handed over his position to Karl about thirty years ago, to live with his daughter in Florida.”
“Thirty years ago, huh? Right around the time necklace production started?” Meryn prompted.
Caiden’s smile evaporated. “Shit.”
“My uncle is in charge of the proctors at the Academy. He has made it his life’s work to keep things fair for everyone. Do you want me to talk to him?” Kiera offered.
She felt Hunter shaking his head over her. “Not until we find out why Keran hates the word ‘uncle’.”
Meryn swung her head to look at her. “Dude, that’s like a super red flag.”
Kiera slumped against her mate. “I know.”
Meryn strummed her fingers on the table. “So, we need a new word for uncle? Because I know the guys are gonna wanna spoil those kids.”
“Ojisan,” Ryuu suggested.
“Tío,” Pierce added.
Hunter laughed. “We’ll give Keran options.”
“You gonna bring the kidlets by?” Meryn asked.
Kiera nodded. “They might be overwhelmed at first, but I think they need a bit of family chaos.”
“We’re really good at chaos,” Meryn said.
Everyone looked at her. She sighed. “I’m really good at chaos,” she corrected.
“But in a good way,” Pip said, snuggling close to Meryn.
“We left them at Hunter’s parents’ house for now. I think that’s the best place for them to stay. I don’t want them hearing about any of this,” she said, waving her phone about.
“You couldn’t ask for a better couple to watch the kids,” Caiden said.
“They both helped enormously when we were raising Amelia.” He looked up at Hunter.
“Why don’t you invite your parents over with the kids for dinner?
It might be easier for them to meet everyone if their new grandparents are with them,” he suggested.
“I know mom would love a night where she didn’t have to cook. But, clear out space in the fridge. She’s had three stock pots of soup going since this morning that she made for the kids. She won’t come empty-handed,” Hunter said.
Caiden brightened and reached for his phone.
“Myra? No, no, everything is fine. We were hoping you and Johann could bring the kids by later for dinner. No, we have everything covered, but Hunter said you were making soup. Hmm. You wouldn’t by chance have made your beef vegetable, would you?
” He chuckled. “Caught me. See you all around five? Great.” Caiden hung up and sighed happily. “She makes the best soups.”
“I can’t believe you’re on a first name basis with my mom,” Hunter complained.
Caiden laughed. “Hunter, I’m old enough to be your mother’s father,” he reminded him.
“Okay, grandpa,” Hunter teased.
Marshall coughed politely. “I do not even want to know what that would make me.”
Kiera only stared. She had only heard of the Ironwoods before, she had never had the chance to meet them, and now she was sitting in Caiden Ironwood’s kitchen talking about soup. “My parents were nowhere near as old,” she said, shaking her head.
“How old were they when they passed?” Hunter asked gently.
“Their late seventeen-hundreds.”
Hunter smiled. “That’s my parents’ ages. You have them now.”
“How’d they die?” Meryn asked. Again, everyone turned to stare at her. “What? Isn’t that a valid question.”
Anne sighed. “It is a valid question, but Kiera looks a bit sad talking about her parents, she may not want to talk about it.”
Meryn blinked. “Oh, did they die recently?”