"Is it wrong to be hungry?" she asked.
"I hope not, because I'm starved." Colton licked his lips. "Ryuu always makes the best lunches."
"I hope Penny behaved," Rheia said following Colton into the house.
Colton took her hand and again she felt her stomach flip. "I'm more worried about Meryn behaving."
After hanging up their coats in the hall closet, they walked into the office and Rheia saw that Meryn, Beth, Jaxon and Noah were hard at work behind their computers. She had been anxious for nothing. Looking around the room, she frowned.
"Where's Penny?" she asked. The four looked up from their computers and pointed to the wall next to Aiden's desk. Penny sat on the floor, crayons out, drawing on the lower two feet of the wall.
"Penny! Honey, you can't do that." Rheia dropped Colton's hand and rushed over. Penny looked up at her and pointed to Meryn.
Meryn shrugged. "We didn't have any of that kid construction paper and ever since we went digital we stopped buying printer paper. The lined legal paper sucks for drawing; I hated it as a kid. The only other option was Post It Notes, so I told her she could color on the wall, but she had to stay on that section. She's actually pretty good."
Rheia looked down and had to agree. Penny had drawn a picture of her and Colton smiling and holding Penny between them. Off to one side she had drawn almost everyone else she knew. Her uncles from Jefferson and many the unit members she had just met.
Colton scooped Penny up and looked down at her work. "Not bad, kiddo."
"Why is everyone in my office?" Aiden asked from the doorway.
Colton turned. "That was quick. I thought you had to call the council."
Aiden shrugged. "We did. I left Adam in his office explaining the medical stuff. There wasn't much for me to add." He frowned and his eyes widened at his wall. His eyes went from Penny to Meryn and back to Penny.
Penny hid her face in Colton's neck. Rheia saw how gentle Colton was holding her and never would have guessed he wasn't her real father. The bond forming between the two was real and strong.
"Look, Aiden, Penny drew you a present," Colton said cheerfully, however his eyes narrowed at his friend, daring him to make an issue of it.
Aiden stepped forward. "Is that what this is? For me?"
Penny peeked out and nodded.
Aiden smiled and looked down at the picture. "I love it. You're very talented Penny; I can easily tell who is who." He pointed to the picture that was clearly meant to be Colton. "This little piggy is just adorable."
Penny clapped both hands over her mouth, her eyes dancing.
Colton growled at his friend. "That is me."
Aiden pretended to be shocked. "Oh my! Colton, you make such a cute little piggy."
Rheia watched as Penny shook with laughter in Colton's arms. Chuckling at Colton's expression, she stepped forward and took Penny from him. "Time for lunch, kiddo." Penny smiled.
Colton sniffed and turned dramatically. "I need sustenance."
Meryn snorted. "You always need sustenance I think both of your legs are hollow."
Rheia carried Penny to the dining room where Ryuu had already set the table. Plates stacked high with different types of sandwiches filled the middle of the long dining table. Rheia picked up a plate and walked down the table, treating it like a buffet. She let Penny pick out her favorites and grabbed a turkey on wheat for herself.
She sat down and helped Penny get situated with her napkin and her milk cup. Penny had opted for a peanut butter and jelly and a tuna fish sandwich. Rheia watched as Penny took a bite of one sandwich then the other.
She looked past Penny to see that Colton was doing something similar. He had chosen the chicken salad sandwich and pulled pork barbecue and was alternating his bites between sandwiches as well.
"Is it a shifter thing?" she asked.
Colton looked up, his mouth full. "Is what a shifter thing?" was his muffled reply.
"Conflicting flavor combinations." She pointed to him and then to Penny.
"I think it's just them. I don't like it when the flavors of one sandwich threaten to overwhelm the flavors of another," Beth offered.
"I don't like it either," Jaxon agreed. Both he and Noah had been dining with the unit and their mates after it was decided the other trainees would be moving out.
Colton looked down at Penny and they both shrugged. Rheia was thankful Aiden didn't bring up the mysterious body over lunch. She was able to eat her entire lunch without feeling sick. When she finished her sandwich she looked down to see if Penny was done. She frowned as she watched something she didn't understand.
Penny was smiling and holding out pieces of crust with jelly on it. For a second the crust would hover in mid-air and then disappear. Rheia blinked.
"Uh, Colton." There must have been an edge to her voice because he looked up immediately.
His eyes went to Penny and he smiled. "She's just feeding Felix. He's a sprite that adopted Meryn. They can't be seen by everyone, but from the one time I did see him, I have to say, he's a cute little guy."
The air in front of Penny shimmered for a second and a small, red haired fairy-like creature appeared. He looked young with slightly rounded cheeks and bright green eyes. His wings beat lazily keeping him aloft. He smiled at her and waved, before his hands went to his necklace; a second later he was gone again.
"Right. Sprites. Of course." Rheia had grown up knowing about shifters, vampires, witches and fae. She should have known there would be more to this world than that.