by Alanea Alder
She turned back to her mate and she leaned closer. "What were you going to tell me about Meryn?" she whispered.
Micah said a quick soundproof spell. "Not many people know, but she is empathic. She can read emotions and can usually tell when someone is lying."
Serenity turned and stared at the small human who was talking with Anne and Kendrick. "That odd duck is empathic? The one who didn't really care if the kids were sick? That human?"
Micah chuckled. "Don't hold her honesty against her. She had a rough childhood, so she never really learned how to trust others. She is getting better though. When she first got here she barely let us ruffle her hair. And you saw her at dinner the other night, she willingly gave Pip a hug."
"If anyone needs hugs, it's Pip. That poor young man has been through hell," Serenity said, thinking of the adorable vampire.
Micah shook his head. "If anyone needs a hug, it's Meryn." His eyes were serious for a change. "Why do you think she understands Pip?"
Serenity turned back to really look at Meryn. It was true that the woman was outlandish, nuts, and generally disliked people in general, but there was no denying the depth of emotion she exhibited when she was telling Pip why they felt the need to punish DeLaFontaine. "She's so little," Serenity said. "There's so much to her, it's hard to imagine it's all crammed in her tiny neurotic body."
Micah laughed. "You haven't seen neurotic yet. We'll skip coffee at our house tomorrow and go right to Level One. Meryn without coffee is a show."
Serenity was about to respond when Kari approached the podium. Gavriel and Adriel sat in two of the three empty chairs on the stage. Micah lowered their soundproof spell.
Kari tapped on the mic. "Can I have quiet please?" Around them the murmurs died off immediately. "Thank you."
Slowly Serenity sent out her magic so it barely touched those in attendance. She kept it at a low-level hum so no one would notice it. Or so she thought. Meryn turned in her chair to frown at her. Serenity shook her head and Meryn nodded, then gave Kari her full attention.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice. We have a lot to go over, so I want to get started immediately." She tapped on her iPad on the podium. "Our first order of business is to..."
Hugo Evreux stood. "No offense to you Ms. Kari, but why is the prince not the one presenting?"
Gavriel stood and simply projected his voice. "Please do not make me present. I am nowhere near as organized as she is," he said in an urbane manner.
Around the room everyone chuckled. Hugo nodded. "She is prettier too," he said winking up at Kari before sitting down.
Beside her she watched Meryn tilt her head then lean in toward Kendrick. "See, he's not a douchebag. Maybe it's not genetic."
The entire room turned to stare at her and her cheeks blazed bright red. "Right. Paranormal hearing, still learning that one obviously." Guffaws took over. On the stage Gavriel turned around and his shoulders were shaking. Kari on the other hand looked mortified. Meryn mouthed, 'I'm sorry'. Kari gave her a weak smile, took a sip of water and cleared her throat. Beside her Gavriel sat back down, though he tried to look stern, his mouth was twitching horribly. "In keeping with the buoyant atmosphere, I am happy to announce that Prince Magnus has made a full recovery and may be joining us soon."
Serenity felt a huge tug on her magic and looked down the row. Though clapping with everyone else, this man's heart rate had skyrocketed. Meryn followed her line of sight. She squinted, then turned to look at her. She opened her mouth to say something then pulled out her phone. She typed something, then handed it to her. Serenity felt her breath catch when she saw the words typed in the notepad.
Hatred, confusion, rage. Lots of red slashes and streaks of black oil.
She passed the phone back to Meryn and continued to monitor the room.
Javier stood. "That is wonderful news Kari! What is delaying him?"
Kari frowned. "Unfortunately, that has to do with the bit of bad news I had to share. The children took another turn for the worse, he is being briefed by one of the doctors now."
Instantly she felt a jolt of satisfaction from the man.
Under her breath she heard Meryn whisper, "asshole,". Luckily everyone else had started speaking lowly at Kari's announcement so they didn't hear her.
Javier sat back down when Kari raised her hand for silence once more. "Thank you. Even though Prince Magnus has recovered, Prince Gavriel is still heading up the multiple investigations regarding this mysterious virus and other crimes against our people." She heaved a great sigh. "It is with a heavy heart that I confirm what some of you may have heard already as rumor. Ivan DeLaFontaine and Jervasius Régis have been arrested and are currently being held in the detention cells."
Around them everyone began speaking at once. Questions were shouted at Kari and arguments broke out around the room. Gavriel stood his face dark. "Quiet," he said, in a low, but stern voice. When everyone fell silent, he continued. "There is another reason you do not want me presenting," his eyes bled crimson and nearly everyone instinctively scooted back. "I am barely keeping my anger in check. Recent information given to me, coupled with hearing those two traitors' names again, has put me in the foulest mood I have been in, in centuries." He took a deep breath. "We will continue the meeting but please understand this is mostly a one-way communication. Kari will update you, advise you of new changes, then close the meeting. I am neither looking for feedback nor seeking permission for what we will do." He turned to Kari. "Please continue."
Kari gave a short nod. "As I was saying. DeLaFontaine was caught in the act of trying to inject Princess Vivian with a pure strain of the virus. He is being questioned as our lead suspect in the murder of Clara Garcia. Future charges are pending as the virus spreads and gets worse." She tapped her iPad. "Jervasius Régis was arrested for kidnapping, false imprisonment, sexual assault and frankly too many other disgusting things to mention." She looked out at the crowd. "He forced Bree to be his wife, I refuse to use the term mate, since he knew that her true mate was their squire Pavil Desrosiers. She lived with him against her will as Jervasius threatened to kill Pavil if she left." Gasps were heard all around them. Kari continued. "Prince Gavriel sees this as a serious betrayal of all we hold sacred. Jervasius will face a tribunal as soon as all the Elders are able to return to the city." She straightened her back. "This left our leaders with some serious decisions to make. Jervasius will of course be replaced by his son Jourdain as the new Régis Founding Family head." She paused as Jourdain stood and got a brief round of applause. No one looked surprised, he was the obvious choice. Kari clapped exactly twice then resumed her announcement. "As DeLaFontaine has no documented heir, Princes Gavriel, Adriel and Caspian, along with Princess Vivian and later Prince Magnus have all agreed, that given the disturbing reports from Level Five, it is their unanimous decision to elevate one of our Noble Family sons to serve as Level Five's new Founding Family head." Heads turned as those around them tried to figure out who could possibly be chosen for such a prestigious advancement. Kari smiled warmly. "It is with great honor I present to you, for the first time, our newest Founding Family head, Warrick Fortier." Warrick stepped away from the wall where he had been standing with his fellow unit warriors and walked in front of the stage.
The man who had seemed so triumphant at the children's distress stood to his feet. "Impossible!" he shouted.
Warrick's icy gaze turned to the man. "Uncle. Thank you for standing. It made locating you in the crowd that much easier." He turned to Viktor. "Could the Iota Unit please secure Gerald and Andre Dubois and take them to the detention cells for questioning?"
Viktor turned an evil grin to the frozen Gerald. "With pleasure."
Gerald attempted to run but Hugo stretched out a long leg and tripped him. Another man stopped Andre from bolting and the warriors escorted them out of the room. Warrick turned back to the crowd. "I know there have been so many changes lately. Trust me, I was not expecting this," he rubbed the back of his neck.
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"Go on son," Hugo called out.
Warrick nodded. "I know many of you from attending functions with my uncle, I hope that by now you know me to be an honest man and a proud warrior for my city. I am asking for your trust now." He pointed to the door his uncle had just been dragged through. "I cannot divulge why they are being arrested, but I can tell you that I have recently discovered that they are responsible for harming many innocent citizens on Level Five. These crimes are so heinous and encompass so many from the Noble Family that I have asked Prince Gavriel dissolve the house completely. At this time, we have no future plans for the house."
"Prince Gavriel," a man called out, rising to his feet. "We mean no disrespect to you, but what is being discussed affects families who have ruled for generations. Was there nothing else that could be done?" he asked in soft, even tones.
Gavriel shook his head. "I know these measures seem extreme to you, but I will call on your trust as Warrick has. I am desperately trying to save this city, and I do not mean from the threat the virus holds. Something darker has taken root in this city and it is spreading like a cancer. What you see as changes to established families, I see as precise surgery to remove the sickness that if left alone will destroy our city."
Serenity could feel the effect Gavriel's words had on the crowd. Nearly everyone was shaking from the dire message the prince shared. There were no pulses of adrenaline. She turned to Meryn who was already passing her her phone.
Fear, gratitude, hope. Scared shitless, but good vibes.
Serenity nodded. That matched the reactions she was feeling. She passed the phone back to Meryn. She looked to the stage and saw Kari was watching them closely. Serenity met her eye then gave a subtle, slow nod. Kari's was about to continue when her eyes widened. Serenity turned her head to see what she was staring at.
Meryn stood and was raising her hand. Kari looked positively ill. "Yes? Meryn."
Once again Meryn found herself the center of attention. She looked a bit spooked but took a deep breath. "Uh, your princes," she started. Gavriel stood and walked closer to the edge of the stage. "Just speak like you normally would," he said kindly.
Kari coved the mic with her hand. "Are you crazy?" she demanded. Like Meryn, she also forgot about paranormal hearing.
The tension in the room dropped significantly as chuckles erupted. "Oh, let the little one speak her mind Ms. Kari," Hugo said, his eyes sparkling. "But maybe move her on stage so we can see her."
Meryn grinned at him. "I knew I liked him," she said, then climbed onto her chair. Kendrick stood and placed a steadying hand on her back. Meryn looked around the room. "Okay peeps, I'm not from here, but I've met a lot of cool people since I've arrived, most of them being like real people on Level Six." On stage Kari groaned at the term 'real people'. Meryn ignored her. "Anyway. Since Warrick is a unit warrior and used to doing patrols and rounds and talking to different people on different levels. Instead of doing another Noble Family, why not create a mini-citizen council who can collect concerns from the people and present them to Warrick for action. He can either address the concerns directly or because he is now a Founding Family peep, he can bring it to a meeting like this?"
After she finished there was silence. Meryn looked around nervously. "It was just a thought." Kendrick helped her step down and she sat quickly.
Gavriel continued to stare for a moment more before he gracefully jumped from the stage. When he reached Meryn, he knelt down on one knee, and took her hand in his. "As always you seem to see the clearest. In all my long years I thought I truly understood what it meant to lead, but you humble me with your concern for my people, all my people, not just those who have a voice."
"Made sense to me," she whispered.
Gavriel rose and turned to those around him. "I feel I must share that it was also Meryn who suggested that Warrick reclaim his mother's name, establishing Fortier as a Founding Family as it should have been so long ago. She did so because it, 'made sense'." He paused dramatically. Serenity felt everyone's heart rates pick up. She looked around and saw awe and excitement on their faces. Gavriel placed his hand over his heart. "Maybe this suggestion of hers is also correcting a long term wrong we did not know even existed."
Hugo rubbed his chin. "What she says does make a lot of sense. Even with constant interaction it is nearly impossible to connect with all our citizens." His face became stony. "If what Prince Gavriel says is true, then we have failed to catch major transgressions. I am all for giving the citizens themselves a ruling seat in the form of a citizen led council."
Once the words were spoken everyone quickly agreed to Meryn's idea. Gavriel hopped back up on the stage to get everyone's attention. "We have seen and heard of terrible things, but, I think we also saw what hope looks like." He pointed to Warrick and Meryn. "Change is not always a bad thing. I, for one, am excited about our future," he said magnanimously. "That being said, please continue to support our efforts in healing the children. Thank you for coming, good day."
Once dismissed the crowd stood and began speaking to one another. There was a certain light in everyone's eyes as they threw out ideas on how to help organize this new Citizen Council.
Serenity was about to stand when she heard Meryn laughing. She looked around and saw that Kari was glaring at the small human.
Meryn stood and stretched. "She's gonna kill me." Serenity rose to her feet and looked down. "Did you plan that?"
Meryn shook her head. "Not really. I was talking with Mr. Culpepper as I ate my meat kebobs and it kinda hit me that I was getting to attend these meetings and I don't even live here, but the people who work really hard to keep this place running don't get to come."
"You're kinda amazing, you know that right?"
Meryn shrugged. "I just see things differently."
"It's still amazing."
Meryn was about to respond when her eyes narrowed. "Oh, hell nah."
On Serenity's other side Micah's entire body tensed. When Meryn made a beeline for the stage, both Serenity and Micah were right behind her. While they had been talking, Prince Magnus and Beth had come into the meeting room and were speaking to people in front of the stage.
As Hugo walked away from Beth another man was approaching. As he was about to reach Beth, Meryn wedged her tiny body between them.
He looked down. "Excuse you," he sneered.
Meryn didn't back down. "No."
"What?" he demanded.
"Just because you say it, doesn't mean I have to do it."
The offensive man stepped right into Meryn's chest.
"Jourdain, I suggest you walk away," Micah growled.
"Meryn, let's go," Beth said softly, looking pale. Serenity walked over and wrapped an arm around her. Across the room she saw both Aiden and Gavriel distracted by different conversations. She felt a wave of relief when she saw Ryuu closing the distance between them at a rapid rate.
Meryn crossed her arms. "Get out of my personal space."
Jourdain gave her a smirk. "Just because you say it does not mean I have to do it," he repeated back at her.
"Look, standing this close I am going to assume one of two things. Either you want to fight me or fuck me. Either way, my mate will kill you," she said smugly.
Jourdain took a step back in shock from her words. When he snarled and leaned his face close to hers Serenity heard a faint popping sound, then Jourdain's eyes fluttered before they closed, and he hit the floor. Around them everyone stepped away looking down at the new Founding Family head in shock.
"Oh, dear," Beth said looking down.
Magnus reached them about the same time Ryuu did. He looked down at the twitching body. "Is he dead?" the prince asked, a bit of glee in his eyes.
Meryn shook her head and held up what looked like an odd wand. "Nope, but I shocked the shit out of him. It's my sonic screwdriver. I would have kicked him in the balls, but Aiden said I'm not allowed to do that casually anymore."
"Pity," Magnus murmured. "Though replacin
g the Régis family head for a second time in a half an hour would look bad."
"Some of us would not mind," Hugo said under his breath.
Ryuu held out his hand and Meryn handed him her screwdriver. It glowed blue for a moment and he handed back to her. "I have upped the charge for you."
Meryn eyed Jourdain's prone figure. Beth chuckled. "No, Meryn."
"What did that bastard do to my Beth?" Gavriel roared. Sending people scurrying for the exit.
Micah was poking Jourdain with his foot. "Not a thing this time Gavriel. Meryn protected her."
"She what?" Aiden demanded. Both he and Gavriel turned to their mates and started looking them over.
Beth batted at Gavriel's hands laughing. "I am perfectly fine. He never even got near me. Meryn and Keelan protected me."
Serenity's breath caught. "Keelan?" she asked.
Beth pointed down at the device in Meryn's hand. "He made that for her."
"Why can't I kill him?" Aiden growled.
"Because I am running out of Founding Family members to promote," Magnus growled back.
Behind them Hugo, Javier, and Simon were propping themselves up while laughing themselves silly. Leana and Marie glared down at Jourdain. "It is about time someone put him in his place. He has been terrorizing poor Bethy for decades," Marie said.
Kari covered her face with both hands. "I cannot. I just cannot." Adriel was rubbing her shoulders and trying not to laugh.
Serenity pulled Micah away from Jourdain when he kept lightly kicking him to see if he would respond. "You are without a doubt the biggest goofball I have ever met."
He spun her around and dipped her low. "You knew that."
Serenity turned her head. Kari was still having a bit of a meltdown, Aiden and Magnus were arguing that Jervasius had three sons, Gavriel was still looking Beth over and the other Founding Family heads were cackling like hyenas.
