"Kale chips denka, they are high in iron."
"I hate kale." She pushed the chips to the far side of her plate.
"Try them, I made them special." He winked at her.
Meryn chose the smallest one, and with her nose scrunched up, she popped it into her mouth and began to chew. A delighted expression crossed her face. "They're good! More please!" She held up her plate.
Amelia watched in wonder as Ryuu filled half of Meryn's plate with kale. "Okay, I have to ask. Are they really good?"
Meryn nodded. "They taste like salt and vinegar. They're perfect!"
"That sounds heavenly. I love salt and vinegar."
"Me too!" Meryn agreed.
Ryuu smiled. "I hear you also have the same taste in ice cream."
Amelia turned to him. "Yes, it's really cool to have found someone else who likes bubble gum ice cream."
Ryuu nodded his agreement and made his way around the table. As Amelia waited to be served, she thought of something. "Does Alpha unit have a squire because y'all are Alpha?" she asked.
Aiden shook his head. "No, Ryuu serves Meryn. He was a gift from my mother for the day that Meryn will take over as Lady McKenzie."
"Lady McKenzie, huh? Doesn't seem to fit." She eyed Meryn.
Elizabeth sighed. "We're working on it."
"Elizabeth, are you doing a census for just Lycaonia or all of the pillar cities?"
"All of the pillar cities and please, call me Beth, Elizabeth is so formal."
"I call her Bunny." Meryn said between bites of her taco.
Beth turned to Amelia, a pained expression on her face. "Once you get a nickname, you have it for life."
"So, I guess I'm Bubbles then." Amelia smiled around the table.
Keelan laughed. "It suits your personality."
Meryn frowned. "The guys call me Menace."
Keelan nodded. "And that suits your personality."
Beth and Rheia laughed. Meryn scowled.
Gavriel ruffled Meryn's hair. "Admit it, it fits."
Meryn ducked away from his hand smiling. "Only a little bit."
Jaxon took a sip of his water and turned to her. "So Amelia, what do you do?"
"I'm a cosmetologist," she announced proudly.
The men looked around confused expressions on their faces.
"She does hair and makeup." Rheia explained.
Beth clapped her hands together excitedly. "I could do with a makeover! I've been wearing the same look for decades."
Meryn bounced in her chair. "Could you show me how to look sexy? I'm tired of everyone saying how cute I look. I want to be a femme fatale."
Aiden rolled his eyes. "You're already a femme fatale."
Meryn shook her head. "No, I'm not."
Gavriel cleared his throat. "By definition, a femme fatale is a beautiful woman who ultimately brings disaster to the man she is involved with. I think you qualify."
Meryn pouted and pushed her kale chips around her plate. "Y'all know what I meant."
Amelia jumped to her defense. "Don't worry Meryn. I have just the makeup tutorial for you. It will show you how to get the perfect smokey eye," she promised.
Meryn looked up, excitement back on her face. "Really?"
"Yup! We can break out my makeup case tomorrow. You can try any look you want."
Meryn turned to Aiden. "Ha ha! Be prepared to be wowed by my sexiness."
Aiden's face softened as he leaned over to kiss the tip of Meryn's nose. "You can wow me anytime, baby."
Amelia smiled at the teddy bear of a Unit Commander. If her brothers could see him now.
Ryuu stopped behind her. "How many and what type of taco for you itoko-sama?"
Amelia frowned up at him. What did he call her?
He held up the platter of tacos. Hurriedly, she looked over her choices. "One beef and one chicken please."
Carefully, he placed them on her plate. With a bow, he moved on to her mate. She opened up the shells and added cheese, sour cream and jalapeños. When she saw that someone had put a jar of banana peppers on the table she helped herself.
"Gods, they are alike," Aiden said looking worried.
Meryn was giving her a thumbs up and pointed to her own tacos.
Amelia looked around the table; everyone was staring at her choices. "Don't judge. They go perfectly together."
Rheia elbowed Colton. "You have no room to talk, sandwich master."
"So, is Storm Keep like Hogwarts?" Meryn asked.
Beside her, Keelan began to choke on his taco. Laughing, she pounded on his back. She turned back to Meryn. "Actually, kinda. The city of Storm Keep is named for the castle that was built by the only royal family we witches have ever had, the Stormharts. The different units live in estates like this one outside of city limits and maintain a perimeter around the city. There is a tall outer wall that surrounds the city proper, which is connected by four stone towers located at each directional point. The poorer section of the city is located close to the castle walls; it's the cheapest place to live since they are closest to danger. If we were ever attacked, that section of the city would be the first to fall. After that, in the event of an attack, everyone falls back behind the Inner City wall. The Inner city is where the middle class and merchants live. They have the best eateries and shops on the west coast. The different types of magic you can buy there is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Moving toward the center of the city, you reach Storm Keep itself. The castle is huge and is home to the ruling houses, our council members, and the Academy of Magic."