Page 122 of My Eternal Light

A blue blade extended from her dragon, pulsing with life.

The woman blinked. “It was his ability. To cut away pieces, isolate them. Sanity, magic, light, life. But they would soon decay and rot. We kept waiting for them to fade, but they never did. His gift kept them whole.” Her eyes drifted back to the tubes.

Meryn went to the first woman. “I’m sorry for everything you went through. Go to the hereafter knowing that you won, and your children are safe.”

The woman smiled softly. “Thank you.”

Quickly she extended the blade at the base of her skull and the woman dropped. One by one, she said the same things to the others, though none of them was cognizant enough to thank her, before she ended their lives.

“We’ll take them back with us, bury them someplace bright and warm,” she said, letting her blade fade.

Footsteps behind her had her smiling. They had finished just in time.

“Meryn! What have you done?” Kendrick asked, looking shocked.

“What I had to. What I would have wanted, if had been me.”

“But...” He started.

“There’s no way you could ever understand,” she said, holding her bubble-wrapped belly protectively.

Lily wrapped an arm around her. “We’ll need clean linens to transport them home,” she said.

“Heika, it was the right thing to do. Sometimes, saving someone isn’t helping them live,” Ryuu said, placing a hand on Kendrick’s arm.

Kendrick gritted his teeth. “Meryn, I hate that you had to see this, that I wasn’t strong enough to do this for you. My first instinct was to try and save them, but that’s not what they wanted, was it?”

Meryn smiled, feeling tired. “They were saved. Sometimes winning means, never letting them hurt you again.”

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “I am so very proud to know you.”

She returned his hug. “Never stop trying to save people, that’s usually the right thing to do. There was no right answer here. I just did what I would have wanted done to me had I been betrayed by Aiden.”

From his quick inhale she realized he hadn’t connected the horrid crimes to the men being their mates. She looked up at him. “Aunt Lily had to explain it to me too.” She stepped back, turned and headed toward the stairs. She just had to make it to Felix. Ryuu was at her side in an instant, steering her through the door.

“You okay?” Felix asked, clutching his chest.

“I’m sorry I made you wait. I know it must have been hard not knowing what was happening and feeling how horrified I was. But, I’m glad you didn’t see it buddy.” She breathed his special scent that never failed to make her feel better. If light had a scent, that is what he smelled like to her.

“Much better,” Ryuu said, looking relieved.

Lily took her arm on her other side, and they helped her up the stairs.

When they reached the banquet hall, hearing her uncles laugh about what they wanted to do felt hollow.

“They don’t know honey,” Lily said, staring at the men.

Law noticed first. “Fuck! What happened?” he ran over and began checking her out from head to toe.

Brennus and Doran were right behind him.

Meryn looked up and saw that Oron and Darian hesitated. They knew it was bad.

“Ryuu, I need a favor,” she whispered.

“Anything.”

“Is there any kind of creature or magic in Japan, that could punish them as they deserve?”

---