"When my father realized that my mother was already dead and Kendrick along with her, he made a decision. He pulled out his dagger and sliced open his wrists. He called upon the Gods to grant him one final wish. Instead of using his vast power to fight his enemies, he offered up his life and pushed the baby and his grimoire to me. I remember screaming at him to fight, but the look he gave me was so peaceful and serene, I knew he wanted to be with my mother and brother more than he wanted revenge. He didn't want them facing death alone.
"When I woke, Keelan was in my arms, and my father's grimoire was on the floor. My father made history that day as the first witch to pass physical matter across great distances in a dream state, but no one would ever know.
"To keep us safe, I bound Keelan's powers until he was old enough to do it himself and we moved back to Storm Keep. I figured that the enemy didn't know that Keelan or I even existed, and if we did, what were the odds we would live right under their noses? I took my brother's name, so that, in some small way, I could honor his memory and settled in as lowly archivist. I could monitor the council closely and slowly destroy the books of powerful spells my father was forced to leave behind."
"You don't look like a Julian," Meryn announced.
Kendrick gave her a grateful smile. "That's because I'm not, not anymore."
"But Your Majesty, this changes everything," Marshall started.
Kendrick shook his head. "This changes nothing. Without cutting off the head of the snake, history is doomed to repeat itself. I won't reveal myself and put my loved ones in danger for nothing. Only after we identify our true enemies can we hope to make any changes."
"Not to sound like a smart ass..." Meryn began. She had to stop when almost everyone around the table snorted. "As I was saying, I don't want to state the obvious, but aren't the ones in power now the ones who are responsible? Can't we just go kick their asses and call it a day?"
Lily shook her head gently at Meryn. "You are truly my niece. I'm afraid the answer isn't so simple, or I would have done just that years ago."
"Well, why not?" Anne demanded. She didn't like the idea that Kendrick was in danger.
"Because, Your Majesty, the ones in power were most likely manipulated in the same way as the people." Lily explained.
Anne blinked.
All at once, the implications of Kendrick's royalty hit her. "Oh, my."
Kendrick reached over and began rubbing her back. "It's okay, everything is the same as when we sat down for Ryuu's wonderful soup. Breathe."
Anne turned and slapped at him with both hands. "Don't tell me to breathe, you royal pain in the ass! I'm fine!"
Meryn cackled. "I knew I liked her."
"Actually, Anne, you're hyperventilating," Rheia called out from the end of the table.
Anne took a deep breath and held it before exhaling slowly. She did that a couple more times all while glaring at Kendrick.
"Where's my levelheaded nurse?" he teased.
She flipped him off, and he chuckled. He winked at her and lifted his wine glass. She narrowed her eyes and leaned in close enough so only he could hear. "Keelan showed me a dream where I had triplet boys."
Kendrick sputtered in his wine glass and began to choke, which caused him to inhale more wine. Smiling sweetly, she now rubbed his back. "There, there darling, everything is okay. Just breathe."
Meryn licked her finger and drew an invisible line in the air marking Anne's victory over Kendrick.
It took a couple minutes for Kendrick to clear his airways. His chest was still heaving as he stared at her in wonder. "Truly?" Kendrick grinned at her with a goofy look on his face.
"Maybe."
"Well, I know what I'm doing tonight," he announced.
She gulped hard and stared at him. The dark, heated look he was giving her reminded her of the way a jungle cat watches its prey.
"So what do we do?" Lily asked.
Kendrick broke eye contact with her and turned back to the others. "Do exactly what you have been doing. This secret cannot leave the room. If you don't think you can carry on as you always have, you need to let me know, and I'll erase it from your mind."
"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we will, of course, keep your secret," Gavriel replied formally.
"Our mission is over." Lily turned to Marshall.
Marshall smiled at his mate. "And we have a daughter, a new son and niece to get to know."
Aiden cleared his throat. "Actually, if you could call Caiden and resume your Elder role, that would help us out quite a bit."
Marshall nodded. "Of course, but why is that a problem?"
"Because we have multi-flavor douchebags from each of the pillar cities trying to cause trouble," Meryn explained.
Lily smiled and tapped her lips. "Really? That sounds like fun."
"Oh, Gods," Aiden, Marshall, and Elizabeth said at the same time.
Beside her, Kendrick stood. "Aiden, I'll let you catch Marshall and Lily up on where we stand with the Committee. I have other pressing matters to attend to." Kendrick turned to Anne and bowed, one hand over his heart and the other stretched out to her. "My Lady, may I escort you upstairs?"
"Bow chica wow wow," Meryn sung.
Anne felt herself blushing furiously, but didn't care. She placed her hand in his and stood. Turning, she noticed that everyone at the table was grinning ear to ear.