Page 100 of My Eternal Light

Nigel and Neil looked disappointed. “Oh.”

Noah nodded. “Yeah, I kinda like our way better.”

Jaxon smiled at Pip. “He had the right idea.”

Abraxas waved a hand, and the barrier came down.

Ryuu moved straight toward Abraxas. Meryn caught him around the waist. “I’m fine. You know he wasn’t going to hurt me.”

Ryuu snarled over her head at the guardian.

Abraxas looked truly contrite. “I never meant for the children to get hurt.”

The queen walked over to stand next to him. “These are not like other children, Abraxas. They have known deep sorrow and darkness. They do not fear pain.”

The guardian turned to the boys. “Please forgive me.”

Jaxon moved his chair forward. “There’s nothing to forgive. I think we all agree that we preferred doing it this way. I don’t know about the others, but I feel like this binds us closer.”

Meryn hugged Ryuu then walked over to the tree, her hand outstretched.

“No!” More than one voice cried out.

Nigel and Neil intercepted her.

Pip shook his head. “No. We don’t need your blood because you were the branch we bled on,” he explained.

Meryn turned to Abraxas. “Are they okay now?” she asked, eyes hopeful.

The guardian looked to the tree. Five branches emerged from the line of Eamon and Violet. “I do not think Eamon would mind claiming such wonderful boys.”

“Whoa!” Jaxon said, looking down at his arm. Where his blood ran down from his hand, thin elder branches encircled his wrist.

“I have the friendship bracelet too!” Pip said, showing Noah his.

Abraxas turned to Meryn. “Thank you for bringing us excellent sons. I will watch over them as they watch over you.”

With that he walked back into his tree.

Kincaid moved forward to look at Pip’s hand. “Let me heal that.”

Pip looked concerned. “Are you supposed to?”

“Pip, I don’t think you earn extra points if it gets infected. Then you won’t be able to help Meryn,” Kincaid explained.

He held out his hand. “We don’t want that.”

“Yeah, I need you guys able to type and game,” Meryn added.

One by one, he easily closed the small wounds. Despite the pain, each of the boys looked happy.

As they were seated for an early lunch, the queen watched Meryn and her brothers with a soft smile. “An alliance that has been in place for close to five thousand years was dissolved, yet all I can think of is how happy I am the boys are here.”

Meryn waved one of her delivered meat kebobs. “It’s not like really over Auntie. Once we kill the assholes doing douchery, it’ll be back in no time.”

Lily smiled, sipping her tea.

Marshall shook his head. “I thought I got lucky with Amelia, little did I know life would surprise us with Meryn, a smaller, adorable version of my mate.”

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