"My name is Eva Mae Miller. I'm not real important like, just a bar owner from Texas. I came in with the folks from Wolftown. While we were up on that top level, I found my mate." She smiled at Adriel.
"Oh my Gods!" Beth exclaimed. "I'm so glad you're here! He was so worried about you!"
She eyed her mate. "Y'all are close?"
He nodded briefly. "Bethy is the closest thing I have to family outside the units."
Eva thought of Stefan and panic began to set in.
Adriel squeezed her hand. "What? What has you so upset?"
"Did you ever find Stefan Bolivar? Are he and his parents okay?"
Adriel nodded. "I spoke with both Stefan and Demetrio. I let them know you were recovering and would be on Level One. They said they would be helping the others get settled."
"Was Adora with them?"
"I am assuming you're referring to the woman that had both of the male wolf Alphas jumping at her every command. Yes, she was there." His lips twitched in amusement.
"Gods, I love that woman. She could direct an army without blinking. She was an enormous help in calming everyone down," Beth added.
Eva had to smile. "She normally likes to sit back and let the boys handle things, but when there's an emergency, she just takes over."
Aiden kissed the top of Meryn's head. "I know someone like that."
Eva set her empty bowl on the coffee table.
Beside her Adriel stood. "If you will excuse us? I would like to show my mate our living quarters." He turned to her. "I did not want to seem presumptuous, but considering the lack of storage space available, I left word that when your belongings arrived, they should be sent to my home."
"Bow chica wow wow!" Meryn sang.
Adriel just shook his head as Eva giggled and stood. "I'd love to see where you live." She turned and winked at Meryn. "If he's lucky, I'll let him make a dishonest woman of me."
"Gods give me strength," Adriel murmured as he walked over and took her hand.
"More like stamina," Meryn murmured, still glued to her laptop.
"Meryn!" Beth chided.
*****
Adriel walked a bit behind Eva as they walked toward the transport tunnel. The poor bastard that had pissed Meryn off was now whimpering in the net below. But not even that could pull his attention away from the perfection before him.
Eva's hips swayed back and forth, hypnotizing him. Meryn had been right; there was nothing sexier than jeans and cowboy boots. Except in his case, a cowgirl held him in rapture. Not just any cowgirl: his mate.
Eva turned to him. "You're gonna hafta take it from here darlin'."
For a moment, his brain ceased to function. "Excuse me?"
She bit down on her plump lower lip, hiding a smile. "I can't fly."
"Oh." Right, of course she couldn't. Shaking his head, he walked to stand beside her. When he wrapped his arm around her waist, he thought he'd never let go. "My apologies, but I will need to hold you close to carry you up." The way her eyes danced with mischief, he could see that she knew he was lying.
She leaned against his body, pressing every soft curve against him. "Considering I'm planning on fucking you in the next hour or so, I don't think you need to be apologizing." Her lips seemed to caress his ear with every word spoken.
"I am ever your most humble servant," he whispered back. He felt like crowing when he saw her shiver at his words.
He easily lifted them up to the Unit Level. Not surprisingly there wasn't anyone guarding their entrance. With great reluctance, he set her down. When he went to step back, she grabbed his hand and smiled. "Lead the way."
Adriel stared at their hands for a moment. He had never really held hands with a woman before. Bethy did not really count because if you did not hold her hand, she would end up killing herself walking to the bathroom.
"I can let go if it bothers you." Eva's voice broke his train of thought.
"No! I mean it is perfectly acceptable." He began walking toward his house.
"You seemed really deep in thought. Wanna share?"
"I was just thinking you are the first woman I have ever held hands with. Bethy does not really count because you have to hold on to her wherever she goes."
Eva stopped. "What exactly is she to you? Don't think I haven't noticed the affectionate way you say her name."
Was his mate jealous? He looked her in the eye and saw hesitation. He shook his head. "I have known Bethy since she was about a year old. That was when her father moved to Noctem Falls to begin research on creating a blood substitute. We all quickly learned that Bethy has the world's worst luck. She had broken every bone in her tiny body by the time she was three. She has tripped, fallen, crashed through, set fire, got trapped in almost every inch of this city. Magnus assigned her both a vampire guard and a witch healer just to keep her alive long enough to grow up."
"Oh Gods! That poor woman. She's better now right?"
Adriel shook his head. "No, but I think everyone around her is so used to it, we manage to avoid the dangerous injuries."
Adriel pointed to the large building in front of them. "That is our meeting and dining hall. Each unit warrior has their own small house on this level. Unlike other cities, where the units live together in estates, we were given an entire level to keep us segregated from the upper classes, so we had enough room to build as much as we liked."