Chapter Nine #3
“What!” Kiera screeched.
Nicol and Keran popped out from around Meryn to look at her.
Keran looked up at Meryn. “I told you she’d yell.”
Darian kissed Meryn’s cheek, set down her boxes, then opened a portal. “If you need help with that let me know.”
She waved him off and he stepped through.
“Eoin!” Augustus bellowed.
“Whaaa?” Eoin said, when he reappeared, mouth full of food.
“You could have told us that before you went for lobster rolls,” Augustus said, then pointed to the space in front of him. “Get over here.”
Eoin swallowed and walked over. “I was about to come back in here.” He reached into his pocket and handed Augustus some folded papers.
“Ellar appeared before the council just after we arrived. He petitioned a counter claim for custody. He said that uprooting Keran and Nicol would be detrimental and that as their Elder and member of the Academy, he would be better to oversee their education.”
“Then what?” Augustus asked. “What did the council decide?”
“Elder Marshall moved to reconvene when Kiera and Hunter could be present,” Eoin said.
Augustus scowled. “It was only supposed to be a petition, not a hearing. I should have been there.”
Kiera placed a hand on his arm. “I needed you far more to secure the future my parents left them. Besides, we have new information now.”
Augustus frowned. “Be right back.” He pulled out Lena’s card and walked from the room.
Kiera looked up. “Hunter?”
“Trust him.”
“Murder not looking too bad now huh?” Meryn asked.
Kiera nodded absently, agreeing.
Augustus walked in, paler than he had been when he walked out. “I know what he’s trying to do.” His eyes darted to Hunter.
Hunter wrapped an arm around Kiera, then nodded for him to continue.
Augustus took a shaky breath. “I just confirmed with Lena. Kiera has access to the accounts for Keran and Nicol, but she cannot withdrawal from the accounts, just make decisions about financial planning for interest.”
“But? There’s a but isn’t there?” Meryn asked.
“In the event either Keran or Nicol pass before coming of age, the account is turned over in full to their guardians,” Augustus said.
The room fell silent.
“I’d say over my dead body, but that’d be bad right?” Keran teased.
Meryn cracked up. “I freaking love you, nugget.”
Kiera looked up at Hunter. “I want my uncle dead.”
He kissed her forehead. “Okay, hun.”
She sniffled. “Just like that?”
Augustus began to pace. “As much as I would love to join you on that excursion, I don’t want to see us at Tribunal.”
Meryn went to the table and picked up the small cardboard box Darian left her. “Remember, there’s only a Tribunal for murder if they find the body. I think I said this already.” She fished around one of the to-go bags for a fork and took a bite of pie.
Connor grit his teeth. “Augustus is right. This issue needs to be cleared, and dust settled before he disappears.”
“Not to be an asshole…” Meryn started.
“Let everyone sit down Meryn. This is usually where you point out something that shakes us,” Kendrick said, walking up behind her. He steered her and Pip on to the loveseat.
Hunter and Kiera sat down on the other loveseat with the kids in their laps. Eoin sat on an ottoman and his brothers took the sofa. Kendrick and Anne sat in the corner wing back chairs.
Seeing everyone settled. Kendrick sighed. “Okay, Meryn.”
Meryn eyed the kids, then shrugged. “Are we one-hundred percent sure your parents’ deaths was an accident?”
“Oh gods,” Kiera whispered.
Eoin stood and walked over to where Kiera and Hunter sat. He tucked Keran under one arm and Nicol under the other like footballs. “We’re going outside to play. Bye.” He jogged out of the room.
Hunter took both of Kiera’s hands. “You said it was a car accident, right?
She nodded, her mind racing at a thousand miles an hour. “A drunk driver.”
“Did we handle it or humans?” Augustus asked.
“Huh? What does that mean?”
Hunter looked over and Augustus nodded. “I got it.”
“Just tell me!” Kiera shouted. “I’m tired of not knowing anything.”
Augustus, who had been about to stand, sat back down. “When paranormals die, we try to get our own people on site to handle it. We utilize local Vanguard squads to keep our information out of the human systems. If humans processed the scene, it will be harder to get information.”
“Why?” Meryn asked. “I can get whatever you want.”
Augustus froze. “You can?”
“I hadn’t even mated Aiden yet when I hacked into local law enforcement to get information about local murders and set up an email forwarding bot.” She took another bite of pie. “Imm azome.”
Pip nodded. “She is awesome.”
Kiera looked at the small, blunt woman that commanded everyone. “Will you please help me?”
Meryn looked surprised that she was asked. “Usually, people just flounder until I step in. It’s nice being asked for a change. You get the ‘new family’ special. I got this.” She turned to Pip. “I need my laptop.”
Pip stood, dropped a kiss on her forehead, and ran to get Meryn’s laptop.
Meryn cracked her knuckles. “Going after douchebags is my specialty.”