Page 23 of My Haven
“Nothing.”
“Thane, I need you home.”
“We are heading that way. I know Meryn is working on the logistic side for us.”
“I found my mate, brother,” he whispered.
There was silence. “We are coming to you now. We’ll figure this out, I swear Cai.”
“Should I even claim her now? We don’t know where mother is, and I don’t even recognize Storm Keep anymore. It may be safer for her to not be brought in, especially as my mate.” Caiden’s stomach clenched at the idea of his mate’s perfect world shattering because she was now mated to an Ironwood.
“She’ll be infinitely safer with us and Kendrick.” He paused. “What is she like?”
Caiden, despite everything, felt himself smiling. “She’s freedom personified. Oh, and she loves food.”
Thane gave a short laugh. “Good thing she has you then, isn’t it?”
“When will you get here?” he asked, feeling like he was five again.
“Less than an hour.”
“See you soon.”
Thane hung up and Caiden stared at his phone. He allowed himself a few more moments, then rejoined his brothers in the kitchen. “They’re on their way.”
Both Tristan and Kyran visibly slumped forward in relief.
“Good, cuz Law owes me dirt,” Meryn said, munching on a small roll.
“Are those the spring rolls I made?” he asked.
“Yup. Fucking killer good. My body has been craving a lot of Asian food lately,” she said, then shrugged. “Probably because of the veggies.”
Caiden straightened a bit at that. “I got the recipe from a place I used to go to, right around the Gold Rush. It was a migrant camp working on the rail system.”
Her eyes widened. “That’s so cool.”
He saw the excitement in her eyes and realized that she felt for him, the same he felt about Thane. Amelia had grown up with them, so the adoration only went so far. It was different for Meryn who had grown up so far from them.
“Kyran, Tristan, we’re keeping her.”
Aiden just laid his head down on his crossed arms at the table. “Not again.”
“Sir, you’ve had her for a while now, and technically she’s our sister, we should have time to get to know her,” Tristan argued.
Meryn pointed to Pip, Nigel and Neil. “Did you know I adopted them and Jaxon and Noah.”
Caiden shook his head. “Amelia said you adopted them, but I thought it was just a different way to say you were friends.”
“Nope, adopted them for real. Got papers and everything,” she explained.
“Yeah, we even got to bleed on her tree,” Nigel added.
“Holy shit, we have little brothers,” Tristan whispered. “We didn’t even have to wait for mother to have them.”
Kendrick sat up. “Now wait a minute.” He looked from Nigel and Neil to them. Then closed his mouth.
Meryn just laughed. “You gotta share too.”
