"Go, do whatever it takes." Keelan nodded and ran to catch up with Quinn and Sascha.
"Aiden, we'll set up patrol around Alpha. Take Meryn upstairs and make sure she's okay." Ben gently pushed his older brother towards the door.
"Thank you Ben. Gavriel you're in charge." Aiden said.
"When you get hit do you go blind for a second?" Meryn looked out at the men and closed one eye then the other.
Colton smiled. "Sometimes. You took a punch huh? I knew you were a tough little shortie."
"I bit him too, serves him right for groping me." Meryn shuddered. Aiden's grip tightened.
"We'll be upstairs." He turned and walked into the house.
"I remember these stairs." Meryn laid her head on his chest.
"I must say this trip up is better than the last one."
"You had just bitten me too, if I remember, right over my kidney."
"You had me over your shoulder, that shit hurts. I felt like I was gonna puke."
"Duly noted." Aiden turned down a long hallway.
"It didn't seem so big last time." Meryn watched as Aiden turned down yet another long hallway.
"You were in a hurry last time. You had just brained me with my toilet. This is the Unit Commander wing." He stopped at a door and turned the handle.
"And this is my room." He stepped inside and turned on the light, she blinked. This felt like home. Everywhere she turned Aiden's personality was reflected in the small mementos that decorated the room. When she saw the large fish tank she began to squirm.
"Put me down, I wanna see Jaws." Aiden put her down gently and took her hand. He led her over to an aquarium that took up most of one wall.
"I had to reinforce the floor, but he's worth it." Aiden gently tapped the glass. Out of nowhere a bright orange fish darted forward.
"Meryn, Jaws. Jaws, my mate Meryn."
"He's adorable. He needs a girlfriend." Meryn watched the fish swim for a few more moments and tore her eyes away.
"The first thing I did when I assumed the position of Unit Commander was gut this suite and redecorate. Most of the barracks are decorated in shades of green and wood grain. I hate it. So I changed it to blue." Aiden motioned to the walls. Each wall was painted in a different shade of blue to accent the calming waters of the aquarium. The decorative accents and furniture were black with splashes of silver.
"I love it. Your room at your parent's house is so bland." She ran and jumped on the impossibly high four poster bed.
"Meryn, I don't live there, remember?" Aiden reminded her gently.
"Oh, yeah." Wincing, she rubbed the side of her face. Aiden climbed on the bed and pulled her close.
"Did he touch you?" His voice sounded strained.
She nodded. "It's okay. I'm with you now, that's all that matters."
"Let me see your eyes." Aiden turned her to face him. With his large hand, he blocked the light, then let it shine back on her face.
"Your pupils are dilating so I don't think you have a concussion." He ran a hand over her hair.
"No, but I sure did see stars."
"When you screamed I thought ..." His voice broke. She remembered that they had been having the same dream up until their meeting. In their dream, she was stabbed.
"I'm okay. In that dream I had long hair, things change." She snuggled up on his chest and yawned.
"I didn't use to take so many naps before coming here."
"You probably weren't assaulted and traumatized on a daily basis before either." Aiden growled.
"No, but I'm having more fun now."
"Let me hold you for a while. You don't have to nap, I just need to feel you in my arms."
"I can do that." She closed her eyes and fell asleep listening to him breathe.
*****
When she woke up she was back at Aiden's parents' house. She must have been out cold not to have woken up in transit. She sat up and looked around. Aiden was on his laptop in the chair in the corner.
"What are you doing on that thing?" He closed it and stood up.
"Playing spider solitaire."
"Why are we back here? I liked your room better." She lay back down.
"I had Adam check you out at the barracks. He said you were okay, no visible signs of swelling. I was supposed to wake you in thirty minutes if you didn't wake on your own. After he checked you out we woke you up around six to see if you wanted dinner and you said no. So I brought you back here to get settled for the night." Aiden lifted the covers and got in next to her.
"What time is it?" She immediately rolled onto her side and he spooned in next to her.
"One am. Go back to sleep." There was something about his voice that had her turning to face him.
"What happened?"
He sighed. "Can I tell you in the morning? You've been through so much already."
"Nope. I'm a big girl I can handle it."
"Body parts were delivered to the barracks. We think they belong to Eleanor Canter. We brought you back here since this house is more easily defended." He sounded so defeated.
"Okay, let's pretend you didn't tell me that. Let's just go to sleep and pretend that there isn't a psycho out there hacking and slashing." Meryn buried her nose in his chest.
"Anything you want, sweetheart. Get some rest. We have the ball tomorrow."