Tapperhet

Lorcan was walking back up the trail to the cabin with Melba when she took off and strained hard against the end of her lead.  Since it was pitch black, with the moon behind clouds, he had her on a lead so they didn't get separated.  Whatever had her upset, she was damn near yanking him off his feet but wasn't barking.  What the fuck was up with his dog?

Then he heard it, light footsteps coming towards him fast.  Meeri!?  That explained Melba not barking, but what the fuck had Meeri running in the dark, alone, and with no light?  More importantly, where the fuck were the other three to let her out there alone?  He couldn’t hear any heavy boots behind her, so she was most definitely ALONE.  It wasn't just the King's soldiers that were a danger, there were wild animals in the woods.  Someone was going to hurt later, severely. 

Listening closely to the sound of her approaching, and using Melba's reactions as a guide, Lorcan zeroed in on how far Meeri was from him, and where in the road she was.  Standing still, he whispered to Melba to be silent and hold position, she sat at his side in obedience.  The wait seemed to stretch on forever but he could hear Meeri getting closer.  Was she barefoot?  Why did it sound like bare feet on the dirt and not the shoes she’d had on earlier?  No!  She certainly wouldn't have left the cabin without shoes.  It still sounded as if she was as she drew closer. What in all the hells had gone on at the cabin?! If the others were still alive, they might wish they weren't when he was done with them.

Finally, she literally ran right into him like he'd planned, so hard in fact that it knocked Lorcan back three steps to get her to a complete stop.  His arms banded around her to keep her from fleeing again, and his head dropped so he was talking right next to her ear.  She hadn't just been running, she'd been at a full sprint.  Not only that but she immediately went to struggling with him for freedom.  What the fuck?

“I don't know who you are running from, or why.  I don't fucking care either, right now.  What I DO care about is your understanding that you are not taking one more goddamn step, in any fucking direction, without me. It is NOT fucking happening, Meeri.  I will put you up over my goddamn shoulder and carry you if I have to.” He didn't yell.  He wasn't harsh.   He was firm.  It was all he could do not to shake her with the adrenaline running through his system.

“Lo!”  Meeri’s arms instantly went around him, and she clung to him like a child to a parent as she sobbed into his chest.  When she had first run into him, he'd felt like a damn tree.  But when his arms had gone around her, she'd been more afraid she'd found one of her uncle's soldiers. Of anyone to find her, at the moment, he was the only one she wouldn't argue with.  Even if she'd caused problems for the others, Lorcan wouldn't hate her.  Would he?

When the guys were carrying things in, Meeri couldn’t miss that there was tension that had not been there earlier.  She was worried.  Things seemed to have been fine before, till they’d gone out to the SUV.  What could have happened out there to cause all four of them to now seem tense and on edge?  She doubted it was a threat from outside since none of them were keeping their sidearms in their hands, so that meant there had been a confrontation between two or more of them.  But over what?  

While they waited for Lorcan to get back from stowing the SUV and covering both vehicles, Meeri and Elio busied themselves putting away all of the groceries that had been bought.  Thankfully the cabin did have some electricity, so they had a fridge and freezer at the ready.  The stove was wood burning like all the fireplaces, though.  At least keeping things cold, and leftovers preserved, was one worry that they didn’t have.  While they were working together to get the food organized, Tieran and Einar were sorting through all the bags to see what belonged to who, and looking at the bedrooms to try and determine who was going to sleep where.  

There were three bedrooms in the cabin. One was more of just an open loft that looked out of the living room of the cabin.  It was the largest room with a king size bed and its own bathroom.  The other two rooms both had bunk beds that had full sized beds on the bottom and twin sized beds on the top.  There was additionally a sectional in the living room that pulled out to a queen sized bed.  While someone would have to share the closet space in their room this at least meant that they’d all have their own space when sleeping.  

“I think Meeri and I will take the loft.  Lo on the couch bed, and then you and Elio each get one of the rooms?” Einar suggested.  It seemed logical to him.  He and Lorcan were the two tallest, so having Lorcan on the larger bed made sense.  

“You seem sure that she’s going to want to share a bed and room with you.” Tieran realized how it sounded and the tone it came out in after it was too late. He held up a hand.  “I just mean, maybe we should ask her instead of assuming.  If I have to bunk with E, it’s not the end of the world.”  He rubbed the back of his neck and stretched it to one side.  “Listen, I’m trying, so just know I’m not trying to pick a fight.”  A heavy sigh followed his words.

“I got it bro, and you’re right.  Let’s go ask her.  You’re thinking clearer than I am.”  Einar clapped him on the shoulder before turning to head into the kitchen.  He may have hated it being said, but Tieran was right that it was wrong to just assume Meeri would want to sleep with him.  It wasn’t like they had a long standing relationship, even if there had been unspoken feelings for a while.  

"Uh, Meeri, can you pause a sec.  We need to ask you something?" Einar hated this.  Now Elio and Tieran would both be watching. It wasn't like he felt entitled to her in his bed, even if all they were going to do was sleep, but getting shot down in front of the others would be a major ego blow.  He hoped he knew her answer.

"Sure." She turned from the cabinet she'd been filling with cans and boxes, after she’d put the one that had been in her hand away. Taking a few steps, she closed the distance between them, then tilted her head up to look at him. "What's up?"  He seemed nervous, which made her nervous.  She still didn’t know what had been wrong when the men all came in earlier, and now this.  Why was everyone acting strange?

Einar rubbed the back of his neck nervously.  "We were..uh..trying to figure out sleeping arrangements.   You know..who goes where?  And," he cleared his throat, "we just need to know where you want to sleep and if it's alone?"  Fuck! Why was he so nervous all of a sudden?  And why was the room so damn warm?  He could almost feel the weight of both Elio’s and Tieran’s eyes on him.  He hoped Meeri wouldn’t torture him too much by teasing him for this.

Meeri curled her lips in between her teeth, as she tried not to laugh.  As sexy as Einar could be, at the moment he looked more like a nervous kid asking mom for permission.  "Oh, weeellll…I hadn't really thought about it." Her bottom lip caught between her teeth as she stepped closer to him, her own nerves causing a whole flock of butterflies to swarm in her stomach.  A mischievous grin formed on her lips as she went to her toes to whisper so just he could hear. "I'm kind of liking the thought of falling asleep in the arms of a very handsome soldier if you know one who would be willing. Waking up that way too.  But if you're not up for that…." She drug out the last word as a tease as her lips caressed the curve of his ear with each word and her warm breath fanned across his neck.

By all the gods in the heavens, she was going to be the death of him one way or another.  His head dropped to answer her back in just the same way she had him.  "I think I'm more than up for that, love." He pulled her tight against him, where there was no way she could miss his reaction to her reply and especially the way she had delivered it. Even if nothing physical could happen because of the circumstances, the thought of her in bed with him was enough to make his jeans definitely uncomfortable. 

"I'd tell you two to get a room, but we kinda still need to get stuff done.   You done seducing my help now, Einar?" Elio teased, pretty sure that they both had forgotten he and Tieran were there.  Not that he could blame either of them too much, after the day they'd all had he wouldn't hold it against them for holding a little tighter to each other and grabbing a hold of any distraction.

"For now." Einar chuckled and gave her a quick kiss.  "I'll probably steal her for the night in about an hour El. We've got a lot to do tomorrow, and not sleeping will just dull the senses."  He winked at Meeri as he backed up and turned to leave.  He didn't miss Tieran trying to hide his irritation.  They'd talked.  They were brothers and they'd make it through the uncomfortable time.  Knowing it didn’t mean that there wasn’t a part that still didn’t want a physical confrontation.  There was no point in it, and it would only cause pain to more people.  Tieran had his own demons to battle.

"Sounds good.  We should be done by then.  Lo can help you two as soon as he gets back." Elio turned back to what he was doing.  Partly because he didn't really need to stare, partly to keep from saying something to Tieran again.  He knew the man was trying so he wasn't going to be an ass.

“Come on T, we have bags to disperse.” Einar clapped Tieran on the shoulder as he passed.  The saying ‘fake it till you make it’ was taking on a new meaning.  Ignore things until they stopped, because Einar had faith in Tieran.

“El?” Meeri asked when the other men had left the room and they were once more alone.  She slowed putting the boxes in the cabinet she was working on.  “What's going on? What happened while you were all outside?”  She saw him freeze, and her heart sank.  There had been a sliver of that it was just her imagination.   Obviously, that was not the case.

“Meer, I have my own question.” Elio turned around, leaning back against the counter, and placing his hands on either side of him with the heels of them on the edge of the counter, fingers curled. “You love Einar? Really love him?”

She looked back at Elio confused.  “El?” He raised his brows and tipped his head as an only reply. “Yes.” She let out a shaky sigh. “It's not like I could say or do anything before. Do you know what my father would have done to him?”  Suddenly her voice got choked as she remembered her father ranting at a Commander about Einar paying her too much attention.  “Why do you think I never courted any Prince? I mean I thought he…and I knew I…” Meeri gesticulated as she tried to come up with the right words, then gave up and let out another stuttering breath.

“What if he's not the only one who loves you?” He wasn't sure she was still breathing after he dropped that bomb.  So she had no clue, lovely.  “First, Lo and I love you, in that you're our little sister that we have adopted.   Tieran is not so platonic.  He got called on some of his behavior, and he spilled everything to Einar.  So, it's been a really heavy day, Meer.  But we're a team.  We're a family.  No one's loyalty is in question.   There is just a little tension.” Elio watched her carefully.   

“Oh.” Her eyes fell.  She was causing problems between them. The four had been tight friends since they could barely walk, all their families were aristocrats in the kingdom.  They could all die because of her, and now she was also coming between them. They had all been brothers before she had joined them years ago and their friendships were battle tested. It was her.  She was the problem, the division, the one that needed to go so they could get along.  Just like her father had said, the cause of all problems was her...it was all her.

“Meer?” Elio pushed off of the counter.  Something was very wrong.  He’d thought being honest with her would be the best, but maybe he had been wrong.   She wouldn't look at him, she wasn't talking, hell, he wasn't even sure she was breathing. “Meer, talk to me, sweetheart.” He stepped closer, not having expected whatever reaction THIS was.

Suddenly her head shook and she looked at him with tears streaming down her cheeks.  “I can't El.  I can't be the reason you all could get killed, and be the reason for all the problems.  I…I can't.”  He reached for her but Meeri stepped back too quickly, yanking her arms out of reach and behind her.  Her eyes were wild, unfocused, and her breaths were almost hyperventilating.  Elio was becoming scared.  “It's all my fault…everything….” was the last thing she said before she turned and ran, her heart breaking that she'd have to leave them.   She couldn't stay and hurt them.

Fuck him sideways. He had no clue how she'd gotten THAT from what he'd said, but she had to be stopped before she got out of the cabin. “Guys!  Incoming!!”  That would at least get Einar and Tieran’s attention.

"Dude, can you maybe NOT try to antagonize Einar?" Elio had barely waited till they were outside of the cabin to address Tieran.  "And don't you dare try and play stupid.  You have been hot and cold with Meeri for years, and you know something went down back at the garrison with Einar, so you poke the bear by flirting with her right in front of him?"

Lorcan hung back a bit, ready to back Elio up if needed.  He had the same thoughts.  Something felt off about the whole interaction back in the cabin.  They were all too close of friends for this to be going down now.  In the coming days they would need to be a team, not at each other's throats.  However, if they were all going to function as one, they had to get this one thing that had been hanging over them all for years out in the open.  When things between Einar and Meeri had been more obscure, it had not been such a big deal, but now it was becoming more of one.  He would have Meeri’s back before anyone else’s, which meant having Einar’s. 

"Maybe you don't know all you think you do E." Tieran raised the tailgate and tried to reign in his irritation.  Turning around, he sat on the back deck of the SUV and saw Lorcan’s jaw grinding.  That was one man he didn’t want to fuck with, not that making Elio pissed was top of his list to do either.  "You two want to know why it's been hot and cold?  Because I have been trying to respect the fact that me and one of my best friends are in love with the same woman.  A woman, might I add, that looks at him like her hero every damn time that he steps in the room.  You two might as well be blooded brothers to her, she took a harsh punishment for E, even.  Don’t tell me she wouldn’t do the same for you, Lo.  I don't know where I fit in here, I haven’t for a long time.  I don’t know where I fit in with you guys anymore, and not with the woman that has my heart and I can’t confess it to.  I try to play it off as cool, and I fuck it up.  I try to get closer to her, and I feel like I’ve got Einar’s crosshairs on my forehead."  He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, knowing he probably made things even more awkward but he'd felt like he had to clear the air.

"Tier, bro, you're our brother, and always have been.  You're Einar’s brother.  And it is up to you if you want to be close to Meeri as a brother or just a friend.  But, what we can't have, is you and Einar at each other’s throats, or Meeri upset because you're hostile again to her, and her not understanding why.  All we have are each other now."  Lorcan leaned his hip against one side of the rear of the SUV, and looked towards Tieran.  He understood his friend’s feelings, but they had to get things settled; or they'd turn on one another at some point. Tieran was the weak link in their chain, a chain they needed to be strong as titanium. Damn, he hated that he was now thinking of his friend like they were soldiers on a battlefield; but Lorcan could not ignore that they had a shit ton of Royal Forces looking for Meeri, and by hiding her they were signing their own death warrants too.

"Lo's right, T.  You’ve got to get this settled with Meeri and with Einar.  We can’t have constant upset and people on unstable footing.  If you don’t think you can, and want to leave and go back to your family, I'll give you my keys.  No judgment.   If you stay, you've got to get this worked out." Elio hated this.  He didn't know if Tieran or Lorcan had noticed the ring on Meeri’s finger back at the garrison, but he had.  It didn't take a genius to figure out its meaning; another reason Tieran needed to figure his shit out.

"I'm not walking away, guys.  Give me more credit than that.  Fuck!  I love her, I am IN love with her.  I don't know how to change that, but I can at least try to not piss off Einar, or be an ass to her.  I’ll figure something out, don’t ask me what.  I don't want one of you shooting me, or her." Tieran shrugged and pushed off of the rear of the vehicle to standing.  "I guess we need to get this stuff inside, huh?"  He didn’t want to talk anymore.  At least unpacking the SUV would keep them all moving, and give him something other than the situation for him to think on.

"Damn, you guys are slow." Einar chuckled as he walked up.  Then he caught sight of the full postures of his three friends.  Something was off, he’d known them all too long not to see the signs.  "What did I miss?  And do not lie to me and say nothing.  I'm too tired to deal with bullshit tonight." His gaze alternated between the three of them as his head tipped back, feeling very uneasy.

“Uh…” Elio stuttered as he tried to think how to handle this without there being an actual fight.  Things could even out from here on out, or they could go straight to shit; but it was the watershed moment for the group.   It might be a good thing that Meeri was inside, because one member of the group upset at a time was more than enough for him.  If she came out, and heard what he was sure Tieran was about to say, then both she AND Einar would be pissed.  If she got upset, Lorcan wouldn’t be far behind.  Elio’s eyes met Lorcan’s, who also looked unsure how to progress given the current situation.

Tieran held up a hand to his friend.  “It’s okay, E, I got it.”  Here went nothing.  He squared his shoulders as he faced Einar, a man he’d been friends with since they were just kids.  A man he respected highly, and loved like a brother. “The guys called me out on something that I should have been called out on a long time ago.  I need to stop being an ass to Meeri.  I’ve been handling a situation with her wrong, and it is just cuz I have an issue with the fact that she loves you and not me, even though I’m in love with her too.”  There he’d said it and the slight look of shock on Einar’s face meant that he might have suspected it, but not really known for sure.  For sure it was not what he had expected to hear from any of them.

Feeling like an ass from the way that Einar was looking, Tieran licked his lips, pursed them together, then continued.  “Lo and E are like real brothers to her, you’re her hero that she has obviously loved as much as you love her.  So where do I fit in, Einar?  What is my place when it comes to the group here?  Ya know?”  He swallowed, looked down, and kicked at the dirt a little with his boot.  It was so fucked up that it had gone on so long, and that it was coming out now.  “It’s not her fault.” He looked back up.  “She loves you, I love her, and I fuck up handling it.  The guys are right, I’ve got to stop fucking it up because the stakes are a lot higher now than just some hurt feelings or a quarrel in the group.  We all have prices on our heads and we can’t be hurting one another over this shit.”  Tieran’s head dropped again and he once more let out a heavy sigh, his hands fisting and relaxing as he fought his feelings.  He couldn’t walk away, he couldn’t leave his friends to handle all of this without trying to help them, there was no way he could leave HER, but right now having to be around them, with no escape, felt heavy on him; only his love for all his friends and Meeri kept him rooted in that spot.

For over a full minute Einar stood there trying to come up with something to say, but kept coming up empty.  He looked over to Elio and Lorcan in turn, who looked rather grim and they didn’t know what to say either.  This was heavy, heavier than he’d anticipated, when he’d demanded an answer.  He’d wanted to know, so here it was.  “We’ll figure it out, T.  We’ll handle it.”  His words were stilted.  It was clear that he had no idea what to do now, but was trying.  His brain was just not absorbing it all at the moment.

Taking a deep breath, “for now we need to get everything inside and get this SUV hidden.  This place may not be on the top of everyone’s list, but it will be on a list somewhere.  We have to be prepared.  We’ll figure the rest out later.   It can all be worked out, T.  You’re still my brother.”  Einar swallowed and still felt a little shell shocked.  He was reverting back to handling things as a soldier and nothing more.  If he thought on things too much right now, he would lose focus on what was important.

"How are you holding up, Meer?" Einar’s hands gently held her face between them as he looked in her eyes.  He was worried, not just about her physical safety, but her emotional well-being.  The entire ride there he’d be afraid he wouldn’t see those beautiful eyes of her again.

"I've been better, Einar.  I feel better now you're all here." Her arms encircled his waist as she drew closer. "Especially you.  It was no less dangerous for you three than it was for us.  I was worried." Meeri swallowed as her emotions threatened to well up from deep within.  Looking up into his eyes she felt like she could drown in their grey depths without ever needing to breathe air again.   Leave it to her to pick the absolute worst timing to declare her feelings for him, and vice versa.  Even if there had always been that bond, now it was real.  It was really real.

"There wasn't anything going to keep me from you.  Not tonight, not ever again, Meer."  His head dipped to catch her lips with his, not caring if the others walked back in or not.  He'd waited years for this and he'd be damned if he waited longer, especially after her declaration back at the garrison and just then. 

The kiss was slow, emotion filled, and deep.  Neither of them were in any hurry for it to end, even if both knew it had to.  The SUV did need to be unloaded and they would have more time later.  Even if neither of them said it, they were both thinking it. So, it was with that in mind that they both pulled back to look at one another once more.

"Keep that thought for later soldier, but our friends could use some help.  Don't want to press our luck.  You know Lo, not a sentimental bone in that soldier.  Well maybe a tiny one, he did give us a few moments.  We might owe him one." Meeri couldn't keep the smile off of her face as she brushed her lips over his once more, relishing the feel of being in his arms and being able to be open about how she felt about him.

"Now, Princess, if you think that there is anything on this earth that could make me forget, I'll have to show you later how wrong you are." Einar ran his nose along hers, keeping their foreheads together, and fighting getting lost in another deep kiss.  If it weren’t for the threat to her life, he’d think this was some kind of dream to finally be with her just like this, forget anything more.  But there was that threat, which unfortunately he couldn’t forget anymore than he could how much he wanted to just be like this with her for as long as they both could stay awake.

"I'm going to hold you to that." She teased him, suddenly feeling butterflies that she never had before with him.  It was a feeling she’d never had with anyone.  But then Einar had always been the one that could make her blush with just a look and her heart race with just a touch.  

Lorcan had just shut the door to the cabin after returning when he heard tires on the path outside.  He put Melba on silent guard and had Meeri go into one of the side rooms to hide.  Whoever came through the door would be facing him first.  He was just glad that his timing had been perfect to get him back to the cabin before they had arrived, having Meeri face whoever it was alone was his least favorite option.  Even if she had a bead on him when he’d showed up, he still preferred being there when anyone else showed up.  He knew the stakes.

Outside the cabin, Elio pulled his SUV to a stop and everyone inside surveyed their surroundings.  The cabin looked abandoned, the leaves on the front porch didn’t even look disturbed from anyone going in.  They’d circled the cabin and the back looked the same.  If they truly were inside, then they had covered their tracks so well that the three trained soldiers in the SUV couldn’t even pick up the slightest hint of them being there. The alternative was that they had been captured, causing the texts that Einar and Tieran earlier to have been false, and that the three of them were getting ready to walk into a trap.  No one had to say it, but they were all hoping it was the first option and that they needed to up their ability to detect signs of life and tracking game.

Elio killed the interior lights to the SUV, so they wouldn’t come on when they got out, and they all left their doors open as they exited the vehicle.  If it wasn’t Lorcan and Meeri inside, this would help to mask how many of them there were, and also to make it faster to get back in. The last thing they wanted to do was block their only way out.  As much as they wanted it to be their friends inside, they all three knew that it might not be.

When they stepped up onto the porch, Tieran checked the hiding spot for the key to the front door and found it empty.  He gave a silent signal to the other two to let them know this.  The key missing at least gave him a little hope that it was their friends inside.  It was not an obvious hiding spot, and there was no reason they would have given that information to anyone that would have stopped them.  The only way that it was not them inside was if they’d been found after they’d reached the cabin, which did not seem likely.

Elio was the one to try the door and found the handle unlocked.  The two behind them drew their sidearms and took positions on either side of the door should things go south.   Cracking the door, he called in before any of them moved. “Yo, Lo?  If you’re in there, we’d really appreciate NOT getting shot tonight.  It’s been a long day, and extracting bullets in the dark is not my idea of a good time.”  He felt like he was holding his breath as he waited for any kind of response from inside the cabin.  Bad or good, this was when they would find out for certain.

“Yeah, well, I have a feeling M would be the one doing the extracting, you three suck at it.” Lorcan’s voice came from the blackness inside before a candle flared to life on the other side of the living room barely giving off enough light for them all to see.  “You’re worse at giving stitches, or I’d let Melba bite ya just for shits and grins.”  He joked as he flipped the safety back into place on his rifle and set it aside for the moment.  

“Between the two, I think I’d rather be shot, Lo.”  Einar shook his head as he holstered his pistol and stepped through the door behind Elio who was now inside.  “At least it’s one puncture and done.  I’ve seen her during practice.  You're beautiful when you're vicious! Right girl?”  He crouched down to rub Melba’s head, who was all too happy with the attention of one of her people. Einar’s grey eyes were trained solely on the dark haired female leaning against the door frame to one of the bedrooms though.  It wasn’t until she appeared that he felt he could truly breathe again.

“Should I be jealous of Melba?”  Meeri let out a stuttered breath, her nerves finally calming as she stepped away from the door frame and into the room.  They all five had made it safe and it reassured her some that they were at least going to make it through the night without anyone getting hurt.

“Awe, come on, don’t be like that.  You know we love you a lot more, we just don't want to get smacked for petting you.”  Tieran laughed, pulling her into a hug.  He had been like Einar, not fully feeling like he could breathe or his heart beat till he knew she was alright.  Breathing her scent in deep, he could feel himself relax as she hugged him back.  “We’re just going to have to teach you to shoot better, so that you’re as lethal as she is.”  The mock punch to his gut made him huff then laugh.  “Okay, I deserved that.”

“Damn right you did.  I’m just glad Melba didn’t bark when I returned from hiding the Jeep.  I had a little red dot in the middle of my chest.”  Lorcan joked and winked at Meeri.  He had been proud that she’d been ready to shoot if she’d needed to, but eternally grateful that she trusted Melba and didn’t.  

“Hey, no shooting the friendlies!” Elio laughed trying to imagine Lorcan’s face with that happening.  “I promise, we’re not all as big of assholes as Tieran.”  Now it was his turn to pull Meeri into a hug. He’d seen the death glare on Einar’s face towards their other friend and decided to cut that.  There would need to be a talk later between all of them.

“He deserves it after that trip out to the Jeep!”  Meeri stuck her tongue out at Lorcan who rolled his eyes at her.  

“I’m never going to live that down.  Save her life, keep her out of their hands, and a few insults damn me for life.  I’m wounded, sis, WOUNDED!” Lorcan grasped his chest and feigned being shot.  “I don’t know if I’ll ever recover.”

“I’m sure we can find you a blonde, eventually, that will help you.”  The look that Meeri got back from Lorcan had her dissolving in laughter against Elio.  

“Can you control your woman?  Do you hear this shit, bro?”  Lorcan looked over at Einar who was laughing too. It was good to see his friends laugh, after what they’d all been through that day, and the worry that had filled them all since they’d heard of the coup.

“DO NOT bring me into this.  I have nothing to do with it.” Einar held up his hands looking between them and trying not to fall over from laughing so hard and Melba wanting more pets.  “Damn, you two!”

The laughter was something they all needed.  It broke the tension and allowed them to relax for a few moments and enjoy the fact that they had all made it alive.  The teasing continued a bit longer, then the exhaustion of the day once more began to set in for all of them.  The SUV still needed to be unpacked and all of the gear brought in, then deciding where they were all going to sleep and division of duties.  They were military men, aside from Meeri, and were already looking at keeping hidden and discovering who had betrayed Meeri’s family as a covert operation.  

"I remember." Meeri nodded in the almost pitch black of the living room, not sure if he could see her. Melba was laying at her feet as she stood and talked to Lorcan. They had completely unloaded the Jeep, the contents were just to the side of the door, waiting for the others to get there so they could decide where everything would go.

"Good. The guys should be here in a couple hours, they thought, but they could be closer than that, so if they pass me I'll let you know so that you don't shoot Einar. Kinda get the feeling you'd both hate me if that happened." He was trying to lighten the mood just a touch by teasing her. He took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. The four men had been soldiers since they’d gotten out of school, Knights to the Royal Family almost as long, but Lorcan still couldn’t quash the nerves he felt. They were without backup, Meeri was being hunted and someone else’s life was on the line if there were mistakes.

The guys had all known that Einar had been in love with Meeri for years, just no one was going to come out and say it. It was an unspoken thing, all of them respected and even kept teasing off limits. The seeming reciprocated feelings they had glimpsed earlier at Einar’s apartment meant she had probably been hiding her feelings for as long, most likely to protect him from her family. Lorcan considered her a little sister, and he was pretty sure Elio did as well. Tieran was the one no one knew quite what his feelings were. One day he’d be hot and the next day frigid. Lorcan just hoped including him in all of this wasn’t a mistake they’d regret later on.

"I wouldn’t hate you,” Meeri fought a laugh, “but I have a feeling it would make things extremely complicated. As if things aren't complicated enough suddenly, putting a bullet in him would definitely not help." There was a slightly nervous quality to her laugh that followed and Lorcan didn't miss it.

"Only complicated if you want them to be, sis. His feelings are pretty damn simple. You know I'm in your corner, whatever happens." Lorcan pulled her forward by her upper arms and kissed the middle of her forehead. "Now, I'm going to go hide the Jeep. I'll be right back." He lightly ruffled the side of her hair then headed out the front door. Time for getting all fucking sentimental later.

As Meeri heard the Jeep fire up, she went over and sat on the couch. Melba went with her and put her head in Meeri’s lap. As she waited for Lorcan to return or the others to show up, her fingers gently ran over the top of the dog's head. It was a gentle and repetitive motion that seemed to soothe both of them. The doberman might scare a lot of people, but having her sitting there on the couch with her actually made Meeri feel a lot safer and calmer.

The more she mulled over their conversation, the more Meeri knew Lorcan was right. Einar’s feelings towards her were straightforward. She'd known it for a long time but had feared acknowledging them or acting on her own. Her father was capricious on a good day and she couldn't risk losing the man she loved to him because he wasn't royalty, even if he was high born. Status only mattered to a point when it came to him. To her, it didn’t matter at all, but as in many things, what she wanted or thought didn’t matter at all to her father. In the end, her father had abandoned her where Einar hadn’t. That spoke loud and clear about who cared for and loved her more.

“Any sign of them?” Tieran asked from the back seat, leaning forward so his head was squarely between the headrests for Elio and Einar. He had stopped receiving any response from the two in the Jeep, and he was starting to get worried. They were still a decent distance behind where the Jeep should be, but that didn’t mean if there was trouble that they wouldn’t see them since the route they were on was the same that Lorcan had taken.

“They are at least two to three hours ahead, even at our pace, Tieran. I can only go so fast without risking the undercarriage.” Elio sounded tired as he spoke, then blew out a long breath. He was tired. Darkness had fallen hours ago and the only light was the illumination from the dash and the headlights. The reroute was going to increase the time until they were able to rest too. He was already considering whether to have one of the others swap out driving for a while and give his eyes a rest from focusing so hard on the terrain in front of them. “Meeri is probably asleep, and Lo is driving. I’d prefer he not get them killed, rather than responding to you.”

“Likewise.” Einar’s voice was just as tired and also slightly frustrated. He too would have liked to hear from the others, even if just Meeri saying she was going to sleep and Lo was driving. The whole situation was so fucked up, he almost guaranteed that neither of them in the Jeep would have thought about how it would seem when they stopped responding. Neither of them would have purposefully made them worried.

“I know.” Tieran’s voice was resigned to the conclusions his friends had just voiced. He’d thought as much, he’d just hoped. “Just with all that has gone sideways today, it would be nice to be sure that they were okay.” He sat back in the seat, blowing out a breath. They were all going to soon be on each other’s nerves. The best they could hope for was that they’d get to the cabin without any problems with the soldiers that were out looking for Meeri.

“Has your family asked where we’re at?” Elio asked Einar, curiosity having gotten the best of him. They should have arrived at the estate hours ago, not counting Lorcan and Meeri. He’d tried to avoid the subject, figuring that after finding out about the soldiers being all over the estate that it might be a touchy subject.

“Several times. I haven’t responded, or even opened the messages beyond what can be seen on preview. I don’t know if I’m being pinged, but I know I definitely will if I open them. I also know that my parents will know why I didn’t go to the estate if there are Royal Soldiers there, so the only reason that they’d be asking is that they’re being forced to in order to make it seem like they don’t. Someone is wanting to know where we are and I’m not going to tell them. Maybe once we’re all together and can work out a strategy on how to handle things. If we look like we’re hiding for too long then it’s going to be obvious we’ve got Meeri.” He’d already been thinking over that. Right now, no one knew for certain that she was with them. Someone might have thought that they saw her with them, but if they played it right, they could make it like they were upset that they didn’t know where she was or what was going on. That might buy them more time to figure something further out.

“I don’t blame you, I am not really feeling all that trusting right now either.” Elio glanced over at Einar. “Do you guys think we have enough supplies and things for Meeri? “We’ll be passing one more small town we can stop in if you think we should? We need one last fueling stop, I need something to drink, and one of you guys is taking over for a bit.” He didn’t really want to have to go to a general store, but he’d leave it up for a vote. With as tense as they all were, the last thing he wanted to do was upset one of the others and it becoming something larger. They were going to need each other to survive, starting off on the wrong foot was not something he wanted to do.

Suddenly Einar’s phone pinged and Tieran’s did simultaneously, making all three men in the vehicle twitch from being so tense. Only Elio hearing Tieran’s relieved sigh, and then seeing the hint of a smile on Einar’s face kept him from pulling the vehicle over and demanding answers. Obviously both were good, which meant their friends were safe, and that it hadn’t been Einar’s family again. They’d all agreed that once they were together the phones would be off, at least at first. Even if the soldiers were able to find the last location they went to, they wouldn’t be able to track them after that without them being on.

“They’ve made it safe to the cabin. Lo is going to be getting all of his stuff inside, along with Meeri and Melba. He says the cabin is in good shape and that there are a few provisions there, but that we are definitely going to need what we picked up. They at least seem to have had a smooth trip, kind of like we are.” Tieran let the others know what he had received.

“Yeah, just getting tired again. Do you mind if I take another nap?” The constant up and down of her adrenaline levels had a huge part to do with how she was feeling, she was sure. It seemed like every time that they thought that they could relax, something would alert Lorcan that there were more soldiers around. Thankfully, no one looked too closely in the jeep with Melba losing her mind next to him.

“Sweetheart, do whatever you need to. I’ve got this. If I need help staying awake, I’ll wake you up. Okay.” Again he looked in the rear view mirror. Lorcan was actually worried about her. Physically she was fine but he knew mentally she'd had a day none of them could imagine. Then there had been the damn trip to the Jeep. “But hey, M?”

“Hmm? What?” Her chin once more was resting on his seat back so she could talk low to him, since she was tired.

“We’re good, right? Right?” It had been bugging him since they went through the outer gate at the city. He hated how he’d had to get her to the Jeep. Guilt had been eating at him. You didn’t treat friends like that, and she was more than just a friend.

“Lo,” affection filled her voice as one arm came to wrap around his upper chest, high enough not to interfere with his steering. “Of course we are. Stop over thinking.” She hugged him lightly. “If you’re worried about earlier, if you hadn’t done what you did, I wouldn’t be here with you. You got me out of the city alive. You and Melba.” Meeri leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. “You know you’re not bad for a big brother.” For a few minutes she laid her head on his shoulder over the back of the seat.

“Yeah, well you know me. I can’t stop chewing on something till I’m sure.” One of his hands left the steering wheel to hold hers and bring it up so he could kiss the back. “You’re pretty cool for a little sister too. Don’t tell the others I said that, they’ll think I’m going soft.” That earned him a soft laugh, which made him smile. The group really were like family in many ways. Maybe that’s why Meeri’s father had never liked the guys, and had turned on her in the end.

The former King had been a stickler for protocol and gender conformity, so his tomboy daughter running around with four paiges as a child had not set well. As she'd aged it had set even less well when she would have one of them as her escort to royal balls and galas. Her never having shown interest in any of the Princes paraded through also probably didn’t help, especially coupled with the fact someone would have to be blind not to see Einar was in love with her. Lorcan wasn’t for sure where the King and the rest of her family ran off to, but he knew that neither he nor the other three were going to let anything happen to her from here on out, so her other family might as well be actually dead; they'd been replaced anyway.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Lo. I couldn't hear anything over Melba snoring back here." Meeri laughed softly and offered thanks to the goddess that she had "her boys". Next to Einar, Lorcan had always been the one she was closest to and then Elio. Things were complicated with Thieran, but that didn't mean she loved him less.

"Better her than me. Although, you do realize that you are going to be trapped in a cabin with four of us, right? Might want to ask the others to get you ear plugs." Lorcan bit his bottom lip as she made a squeak. He had been kidding but now it was too funny to tell her.

"Oh, you're kidding. Right?" She tried to pull her hand back but he wouldn't let go. "Lo, you're kidding." She pulled again and heard him start to laugh. "Ass!!" Now Meeri joined him. "Complete ass."

"Part of my charm. Why else do you think the women love me? The uniform?" He was laughing and squeezed her hand. "Okay, it is probably the uniform, but my sense of humor is second."

"Goddess knows it's not looks." Meeri bit her lip as she saw his fake outrage in the rear view mirror.

"Meeri! I save your life and you put a dagger in the heart like that." He couldn't even muster enough sarcasm to stop laughing, which he didn't mind since after the day they'd had it felt good. "I mean, I knew I wasn't your favorite, but damn woman! That, that was just painful."

"Do you need me to kiss your wounded ego to make it better." She couldn't stop laughing. This felt like old times with Lorcan, they teased each other mercilessly.

"You kiss anything other than my cheek and you'll probably have to dig one of Einar’s bullets out of me. I love ya, but I don't love anyone enough to get shot." They both laughed, and both knew it was a lie. He'd die for any of them. They all were like that.

"I knew it! The only loyal one is Melba! GIRL POWER!!" Meeri was now laughing so hard she was crying. The emotions of the day having given way to giggle fits and slight delirium.

"You just love me for my dog." Lorcan now fake pouted.

"Well, it's been a good run, Lo, but I guess you figured me out. It's Melba, it's always been Melba." She was starting to wheeze when laughing.

"You know how to gut a man, M. Geez!" Lorcan laughed and shook his head.

"Side to side, not up and down, otherwise gravity won't complete the evisceration." Meeri nodded then caught Lorcan staring at her slack jawed in the rear view mirror. "What?"

"Remind me to tell Elio that some things from field training really don't have to be shared. Also, the fact you remembered that so easily is impressive. I'm now scared of you with sharp objects, but it's impressive." He laughed. She really had spent too many years around the four soldiers, they had completely rubbed off on her. Lorcan loved it.

"It was Tieran." Meeri laughed. "It came up when talking about dissecting a corpse for an autopsy. So, it wasn't THAT bad.

"You still remembered it off the top of your head without missing a beat, M. You are officially one of us now. Sorry, Princess, we can't let you go. You're stuck with us." Lorcan just grinned. Goddess be damned, he loved her.

"Other than needing ear plugs to sleep, I'm perfectly fine with that." Her head was once again on his shoulder as exhaustion was overcoming humor.

"Hey, we all have faults. Ours just happen to all be snoring and devastating good looks. Einar and I got some charm going on too. Just a little." He chuckled and kissed her hand again. "Lay down, sis, and ger some sleep. I'll watch over you. We shouldn't have any problems between here and the cabin. No one knows we're going there."

"Okay." Meeri kissed his cheek. "Night, Lo."

As Elio navigated off of the main paved roads and onto the smaller country ones that would take the three in the SUV towards Einar’s family’s property through more covert means, Tieran’s phone dinged with a text.  He glanced down to silence it when he saw who it was from, and brought it up immediately.  The first time he read it, he thought it had to be wrong. Two more readings didn’t change one word of what it said though, which didn’t make him feel any better.  It was time to clue in the other two in the vehicle on how bad the situation ahead of them really was.  This was not going to go over well, but at least their friends were safe and had avoided the danger.

“Elio, you’re going to need to reroute to my uncle’s hunting cabin in the mountains, the one that we stayed at last fall when we killed that stag.  We’re skipping the estate Einar was going to take over, completely, permanently.  In fact, we’re not going to tell them we’re not coming, and avoid any questions we get as to why we haven’t shown up.  Lo says that there are Royal Forces all over the estate and inside the manor house.  If it hadn’t been for someone at the manor killing the lights out by the gate, he and Meeri might have driven right into the middle of it.  The light being off was their first clue something was wrong and they took it from there.”  Tieran was fighting to keep his voice calm and breath even.  Lorcan had made it clear that they were both safe and heading to the cabin, which hadn’t been actually used in years by anyone but the five of them on occasion.  That was the reason he’d chosen it.  It was secluded, the key was accessible, the access road was easily monitored, and few people even knew it existed.

“So, they’re fine. Meeri and Lo.  Nothing happened to them?”  There was no missing the thin quality to Einar’s voice as he had turned around in his seat to look back at Tieran.  He hadn’t expressly said they were fine, but Einar hoped his friend would have led with that information, not waited until last.  His heart was hammering against his ribs as he waited for an answer.  Elio could be seen in his peripheral vision checking the rear view mirror waiting for the same.

“Huh?  Yeah!  Yeah, they’re fine.  Sorry!”  Tieran realized he hadn’t continued with more information and his friends were concerned.  Einar possibly was ready to join him in the back seat, something he wished to avoid.  “Lo noticed the gate lights off and drove by; said it gave him a bad feeling. Then they went up on our overlook and he scoped the place out.  As soon as he saw soldiers, they made a very quiet and quick exit.  The cabin was the first place he thought of to head to.   Here, look.”  Tieran handed his phone to Einar so he could see.  There was a slight tremble in his hand as he held the phone out, his own nerves heightened from just the thought that their friends could have been in such danger.  Knowing how Einar felt for Meeri, Tieran could only imagine the thoughts that had been going through his friend’s head, especially after the incident in the garrison earlier in the day.  

“Okay, boys, we’re going off-road for a bit.” Elio grinned and kicked the SUV into four-wheel-drive.  “This will be a fuck ton faster and keep us from having to back track at a couple points.  It’s a lot bumpier though, so I’d recommend seat belts if you don’t want to bounce off of the ceiling.”  Elio didn’t give his friends much warning before leaving the road completely, but he did give them warning.  The SUV was elite and could handle anything, that didn’t mean it wasn’t a bumpy as fuck ride while doing it.  

“Don’t forget we’re going to need to stop for food if we’re going to the cabin.  It’s not stocked with anything besides the bare bones essentials.  Might be good to stop three or four times so we don’t attract too much attention.  Three guys going camping is one thing, three guys shopping for an extended stay in the middle of nowhere is another.” Einar had a thought as they were bumping over the terrain that Elio was handling like a pro.  He’d turned on the undercarriage lights and it actually showed the ground better than his headlights were due to the terrain.  

“Do you think we need to figure out a way to get shit for Meeri?  I mean we’re all about the same size and brought fucking everything we had at the garrison, but she’s what…six…eight…inches shorter than any of us.  Shirts might not be a problem for her to borrow, but I’d love to see her try to fit into any of our jeans.”  Tieran actually got everyone in the vehicle laughing trying to picture that.  Einar actually knew what she looked like in one of his shirts after a red wine disaster one night when they were practicing for a State Dinner, and he didn’t have a problem seeing her in that again, but Tieran had a point about the fact she WOULD need pants…especially around the rest of them.

“Text Lo and ask for her sizes.  We’ll make a few more stops along the way and pick up a few things at each one.  Like you said, shirts she can share with us, but the bottom half is going to have to be all hers.”  Einar tried to keep any mental pictures out of his mind.  This was not the time or the place to be going there.  He failed, but the man did try.

“On it.”  Tieran grew quiet in the backseat except for some grunts when Elio hit a rough patch of earth.  Then he swore low, which had Einar just about undoing his seatbelt so he could climb in the back and read whatever Tieran was getting as it came in.  Being separated from Lorcan and Meeri was bad enough, but having to rely on a third party for information was excruciating. 

“What?” Einar snapped a lot more tersely than he had meant to, then held up his hands, “Sorry, it’s been a long twenty-four.  What’s going on?”

“Lo says that they were able to skirt them, but that there are a fuck ton of different squads of soldiers out on the main roads.  He’s warning us to be very careful on our route and where we stop.  While we don’t have Me with us, we might be down as her friends, so we don’t want to attract any extra attention.   Just watch out for anyone following us, El.”  Tieran filled the other two in on what Lorcan, well actually Meeri using Lorcan’s phone, had texted.  His foot was tapping lightly against the back of Elio’s seat and he kept having to put his other one on top of it to stop it before he drove his friend insane.  Everyone’s nerves were about shot and he didn’t want to literally be.

“If someone follows us the way we’re going to go, then they are going to be pretty damn fucking obvious.  All the munitions in the back are loaded.  Feel free to unload on anyone who does.  All rifles are also scoped and sighted in, so you’re good to go, T.”  Elio just grinned as he continued to navigate off road to get closer to where they were going.  They’d need to stop soon to re-fuel.  That would be their first trip to a grocery store and to get some things for Meeri. Covert ops, one of Elio’s favorite missions.  That’s how he was going to think of it to not let the reality of the situation get to him and cause him to lose focus on everything. 

“Put the cuffs back on and lay down again.”  Lorcan suddenly demanded from the front of the Jeep, catching Meeri off guard.  She didn’t hesitate though, she knew he had his reasons.  He watched till he saw her lay down, then gave another command, “Melba, guard Meeri.  Danger!” Melba was up out of the floor, head between the seats, on high alert.  He loved his dog!

At the gate out of town, this would be the test.  Lorcan rolled down his window, which immediately set Melba to growling.  He raised a hand to wrap around her collar, showing the guard at the gate he had control of her.  “Yo, let me through, I have shit to do.”

“Have you seen the Princess, full press to find her.”  The guard asked, not wanting to get too close to the snarling and now snapping dog trying to come across Lorcan. “Nah, man, I got some chick that was throwing shit at some of us.  I just need to drop her off then I’ll head back in and see if I can help find her.  Bitch can’t be that hard to find.” He huffed and shook his head.  Melba was losing her mind and he was honestly starting to have trouble containing her.  She really wanted to bite the soldier.  

“Cool, man.  Steady on.”  The gate opened as Lorcan rolled up his window.  He was thankful that the soldier hadn’t asked to see his captive, but with the chaos going on, they might have had a bunch going through the gate to drop off anarchists taking advantage of the situation. Then there was, of course, Melba wanting to eat him.

“Stay down for a bit.  I’ll let you know when you can get up.  We’re heading towards the depot, but I’m going to cut out and head through the backwoods to get to Einar’s.  They won’t realize I’m off track till I don’t show up that way.”  Lorcan was watching all of his mirrors now, and not for Meeri sitting up this time.  It had almost been too easy making it through that gate and he was a bit paranoid.  

“Lo?”  She waited until she got a “hmmm…” back and Melba had laid down in the floor again.  “Thank you.  Your life was on the line back there at the garrison and at the gate.  You didn’t have to..” Meeri’s voice broke, and she swallowed to keep from crying.

“That’s what real friends do, Meeri.  Don’t even tell me that you wouldn’t risk it for any one of us.  Like when someone accidentally shot your dad’s thoroughbred that you took the blame for…”  That hadn’t been Lorcan, but Elio.  It was a series of cluster fucks.  The King had demanded the life of whoever had done it.  Meeri had been there when it happened and knew that it wasn’t on purpose and had stepped forward to put on an acting performance worthy of an award to tell her father it had been her.  Told him the boys had gone hunting without her, and that she had wanted to, so she tried…and made a mistake.  It was all that the four knights could do not to step in when her father backhanded her to the floor.  If he’d started to do more, Lorcan wasn’t sure anyone could have stopped Einar and Tieran from interfering.  Guilt had eaten at Elio for weeks.  Meeri never said a thing.

“It was a fucking horse.  I should have seen then that my father’s priorities were fucked up.”  Meeri had once more shucked the cuffs and now rolled to her side so she could see Lorcan from where she was laying in the back seat.  “I knew he wouldn’t kill me, but any of you boys he would have.  His horse meant more to him than a knight’s life, any knight, no matter what you guys meant, and still do mean, to me.  I guess he paid my insolence back today.”  There was a weight in her voice.  It was a sadness that went to the core of her.  

“Well, when we find him, we’ll make sure to pay him back again, this time with interest, sweetheart.  No one does this shit to our friends.  Who am I kidding, at this point you’re my little sister.” Meeri could hear the frustration and anger in his voice, but also genuine affection in the last statement.  His hand reached back and she met it with her own, their fingers lacing for a few minutes of silence in the Jeep.  

Meeri felt guilt having ever doubted that “her boys” would be behind her.  She remembered when Einar had found her standing there in the rain and she’d actually been afraid and doubted him at first.  Those three had been more loyal to her than anyone else in her life.  Yet she had doubted Einar and when he’d been taking her to his Jeep, she’d almost lost faith in Lorcan. Now both of them had shown how much they loved her.  

****

At some point, Meeri had fallen asleep laying in the back seat of Lorcan’s jeep with Melba curled up half on top of her.  Lorcan had heard from the others, they were about three hours behind the couple.  Einar had wanted to talk to Meeri and had seemed unhappy she’d been asleep, but he’d video chatted and showed her asleep and being guarded by Melba, so it had calmed his friend’s fears.  Even if Lorcan had not cared for her as he did, the fact she meant so much to Einar was enough for him to ensure her safety above all else.  However, they really were like a small family that had bonded over the years, and no matter what happened to him, Lorcan would ensure that Meeri made it to Einar’s family’s estate safely.

As the Jeep drew closer to Einar’s family’s estate, Lorcan knew something was off.  At least once a year he and his friends visited the estate and the lights at the end of the drive were always lit after dark. Yet now they were not on this night, a night when supposedly they were expecting not only him but also the three that were a couple hours behind him.  The house too was dark as well, and the house was NEVER dark.  Not even slowing down, Lorcan drove by and headed to an overlook that he and the others had gotten drunk at more than once in the past.  From there he could get a better view of the entire property from a vantage point that would keep his presence hidden and Meeri safe.

The jostling of the Jeep as it went off-road woke Meeri up.  She immediately knew something was wrong from the way that Lorcan was focused on his driving and the absolute blackness around them.  Trying not to panic, she slid into a seated position once more behind Lorcan’s seat, gently resting her hands on his upper arms as he guided the Jeep through the inky blackness around them, the lights almost completely turned off on the exterior.  She wasn’t completely sure how he was even seeing.

“Lo, what’s going on?  Where are we?” Meeri had her chin resting on the side of the seatback so that she didn’t have to speak loud for him to hear her.  

“We’re heading up to that lookout where we always go to drink, and where you almost fell off that one time that Tieran wasn’t careful.” Lorcan didn’t know why he felt like he had to keep his voice low.  Maybe it was the dark or the situation, but he felt the need to keep his voice quiet.  “The lights by the gates weren’t lit when we got near the drive, and none of the lights in the house were either.  I don’t know what’s going on, but something doesn’t feel right, Meeri.  I’m not going to take you up there and chance having someone lying in wait.  Just because we trust Einar and his family doesn’t mean that any of their staff can be trusted.”   He didn’t like saying it, but ever since seeing that the gate lights weren’t lit, every scenario for what could be going on was going through his mind.  Even if Einar’s family adored Meeri, she still carried a death sentence on her head.  If they had been threatened, or if someone on their staff had heard she was coming and told others, it could be a trap.  Without knowing, he wasn’t willing to drive them onto the property.

“Okay.  Just let me know what I need to do.”  Her father had always hated when Meerie ran off to “play with her boys” instead of attending Court functions or attending some kind of lesson on how to be a better Royal.  Now the skills she had learned over all those years keeping up with them might come in handy.  

“Just hold tight, Princess, we’re not going to get close enough to any danger for you to have TO do anything.”  One hand left the steering wheel to come to rest over one of hers.  “However, there is a pistol and mag in the pocket on the back of this seat.  Shoot anything not me, Melba, or one of the guys if something goes down.  I’m hoping maybe they’re trying to look not at home so that other soldiers won’t show up, but until I can get a good view, I won’t know.  We got this, M.  We got this.  You and me.”   His fingers laced with hers.  Never in his life had he expected for Meeri to be the one to have his back if shit went south; but now that it had, he had no problem with her being the one for him to depend on.  With both her and Melba, it would take more than one or two coming after them to get even close.  Meeri was a good shot, and Melba loved to attack assholes who messed with her people.

“Never thought that playing games of capturing each other’s castle would become a literal event.” Meeri chuckled as she leaned more onto Lorcan’s seat so that she could try and see more out the front window.  “At least we know the woods better than those who live on the property.  How many years have we run through them playing games and hiding from the adults when we were kids?” She squeezed his hand, they would get through this, but she was worried about Einar, Elio, and Tieran coming behind them.  What if they walked into the trap?  “Should we let the others know what we think is going on, Lo?  Do you think that they’ll get hurt?” The fear was almost palpable in her voice.

It took all Einar’s strength to let Meeri go after their conversation, but finally they walked out into the living room to their three friends wearing matching expectant expressions.  However, some things they were going to keep to themselves for a minute.  “Okay, let’s do this, Lorcan, before I chicken out.” Meeri nodded and turned to softly kiss Einar one more time, her eyes saying so much that she wanted to, and from the expression reflected back at her, he understood every unspoken word.

“Put your hands behind your back, Meeri.  You’ll be able to slip your hands out of these, so keep your thumbs and fingers spread or it will be obvious what I’ve done.  I have to put cuffs on to make this look real, babe.”  Lorcan had her move near him and put the cuffs on just tight enough they didn’t hit the floor.  He had her show him that she could slip them off to make sure that once she was in the Jeep that she could.  Here went nothing…

Meeri played the good prisoner as Lorcan took her to his waiting jeep.  Because she had the cuffs on, Melba was confused and kept jumping at her and barking.  That kept anyone from getting too close.  It seemed that they were convinced the dog was mad, not that she wanted to know why her friend wasn’t petting and had her hands bound.

By the time that they made it to the jeep, Meeri was crying real tears.  There had been some nasty comments to her from soldiers in the garrison, and Lorcan had joined in more than once.  She knew that he was playing a part, but to hear some of the horrid things coming out of his mouth hurt more than she wanted to admit. More than once her knees had given way under the weight of it all and he’d had to yank her up from almost falling.  To others it would have looked rough, and his yelling right behind her head had made her flinch, but he was as gentle as he possibly could be.  Lorcan honestly wasn’t sure if she was collapsing for real or if she was playing along.

“Get in the Jeep, bitch!” Lorcan pulled Meeri back against him fast, but as gently as he could.  Damn there were too many fucking people around watching.  He used the car door and the turn of his body to make it look like she was struggling as he dropped his head to say very low next to her ear.  “God, I’m so sorry for all of this sweetheart.  If you hate me forever I’ll understand.  I’m going to get us out of here before anyone calls my Lt.  Put your foot up on the running board and duck your head and I’ll push and it’ll look more like you were thrown in the back.  Melba’s losing her shit, so people are staying back.”  He gently kissed the side of her head and prayed Einar and their other friends didn’t shoot him later when they heard about this.

Meeri had known what Lorcan had been doing, but hearing it come from him made a world of difference.  Looking like she was fighting with him, she did exactly what he asked.  She had done training in parkour with the guys since they were kids, which aided quite a bit in getting her in, Melba on top of her, without getting injured.  Her dad always hated her being a tomboy, but at the moment, it might have just saved her ass.

Less than a minute the front door of the Jeep slammed and the engine roared to life.  She heard Lorcan hit the clutch and shift, then they were off.  “Don’t skip a gear.”  Meeri said.  Lorcan tended to do that when he was in a hurry and it jerked the Jeep a bit much for her.  The way she was laying, she or Melba would get hurt.

“No worries, Princess.  I’ve got it now.  I just had to get away from those damn people.  Are you okay?”  He looked in the rearview mirror as he threw his lights on to clear the road in front of him.  She was still laying down in the seat, and he was worried he’d pulled or pushed too hard.  The fact Melba was sitting on top of her might not have helped.

“I’m fine.  Melba might need a diet, though.”  Both of them laughed at Meeri’s response.  Once Melba had moved to the floor, Meeri sat up but hunched behind Lorcan.  The windshield was the only window not tinted almost completely black.  She knew that the only way someone would see her was to not be hid by the dog or seat. 

“Meeri, I’ll say it again.  I hated having to do that, please don’t hate me.  There were so many people watching, I was afraid if I didn’t make it look real that we’d end up with more soldiers and then I’d lose hold of you.”  There was no missing that he was upset about what had happened.  She caught his eyes in the rearview mirror and he wasn’t hiding how worried and upset he was.

Suddenly bright light flooded the closet and a hand grabbed her, hard.  Yanked up by her forearm, she found herself wrapped up in Einar’s arms.  “Don’t you fucking scare me like that ever again.  Make some damn noise, woman!”  He hissed in her ear, kissing the side of her head.  “That closet was organized, to my eyes, so you were easy to spot.  Good job hiding, though.” Einar was shaking, he’d thought the worst when she didn’t appear after the door slammed.  He’d searched his entire room before thinking of the closet.  If she hadn’t been in there, he might have lost his mind.

“Wait, so she was here?” Tieran’s voice came from the doorway to the bedroom, incredulous.  He’d thought sure the soldiers had found her.  From the way she was shaking, he had a feeling she hadn’t been sure they were gone.  Einar was shaking too, he’d thought the same as Tieran.

“She was still in the closet.  By the gods I…” Einar swallowed, unable to say it out loud.  His arms that embraced her held her tighter and kissed the side of her head.  Words were failing him at the moment, but she was in his arms and safe, so that was all that mattered to him.

“Told you.  Too smart.”  Elio sounded smug, but looked grim.  They’d all thought she’d been found when the other soldier had said they’d found what they were looking for, just none of them were quite wanting to say it in so many words.  

“You need smacked dumbass.” Lorcan rolled his eyes. “Let me get her out of here.  Melba is in the hallway.  I’ll arrest Meeri and get her out to my Jeep.  They didn’t even look at me when they left.  With Melba in the backseat with her, no one is going to blink when I go through the gates either.  By the time it hits them I should have taken her to the stockade, we’ll be halfway to your country estate and Melba will be in heaven with tummy rubs.”  He grinned.  

Meerie looked between Lorcan and Einar.  “Do you think that will work?”  She trusted Lorcan, that wasn’t the problem.  It was the other soldiers out there that she worried about.  If they stopped him and demanded that he hand her over, it could go bad quickly.

“I’m still in uniform.  I’m an MP.  Meeri, they don’t know who is loyal to your uncle right now and who isn’t.  If you’re in the back seat with my tinting and my dog, no one is going to look too close, Melba takes faces off.” Lorcan raised his brows and looked at her more intently.  “They’ll know I have a female under arrest that I need to process, and I’ll only tell them that if they ask what my purpose is.”

He had a point, which is why Meeri nodded.  She looked over at Einar who was still holding her, as reluctant to let her go as she was to let him go.  “Okay, you guys don’t wait around too long, okay?”  She let out a breath and gave him a hesitant smile, that didn’t even come close to her eyes.

“Don’t worry, Princess, your knights aren’t going to abandon you.  We’re your friends and have been because we love ya, not because we had to be.”  Einar kissed her in the middle of her forehead, closing his eyes and tightening his hold again.  His heart ached and his chest was tight with the thought of letting her out of his sight.  He too trusted Lorcan, not only with his life, but more importantly, with hers. “Some of us love you a bit more.”  He added as a whisper.

“Be safe, bro,” Elio shook Lorcan’s hand.  He didn’t like the idea, but like Meeri, it wasn’t a lack of trust in Lorcan.  The whole kingdom was a shit show.  Meeri had a price on her head, and Lorcan having her in his possession meant so did he till they could have her in hiding.

“Yeah, keep your head down, Meeri, and trust Lo, he’s got this!”  Teiran’s face was serious and he was fighting showing emotion.  He cared almost as much for Meeri as Einar did, and the only thing that had ever kept him from acting on it was he knew that Einar loved her first.  Einar was as close to him as his brother and he wouldn’t interfere.  That didn’t mean that he wasn’t about to lose it over Meeri being out there with only one of them to protect her.  But Lorcan was right, he was the only one still in uniform.  Having Melba made it better though.  That dog adored Meerie, and she really did rip faces off.

“Hold on,” Einar thought of something and headed over to his dresser where he opened the carved wooden box on top that held his jewelry and regency regalia.  Pulling out a few things he came back over.  First he handed a ring with his family’s crest on it to Lorcan. “Put that on, bro.  No one at the estate will question anything you tell them to do.  The only way you could have it is if I gave it to you and they know I’m coming.  It will give you command over the whole of the estate until I get there.”  The men nodded to one another.

Next was Meeri and he was a lot more nervous here.  First he slipped another heavy ring on a chain over her head and dropped it down inside her shirt.  “THAT, that makes you his boss. If anyone challenges you once you’ve made it into my family’s territory, show them that and they will back down.  They’ll also probably call dad, so be prepared for a visit if you have to do that.”  His dad loved Meeri so it wasn’t something he was worried about. He looked up at the other three with them in the room, “guys, can you wait in the front room for a minute, please?”  Einar got raised brows but all three went out into the living room.

“What are you doing, Einar?”  She looked at him a little suspicious. It wasn’t that she minded a few extra minutes alone with him before she left with Lorcan, but she wondered what he had in mind that made him ask the others to leave.  She still hadn’t fully come to grips with his declaration of love from earlier, but she couldn’t deny that those feelings were mutual, even if she’d never gotten the words out herself.

“I have one more thing for you, but I wanted to give you this one with it just being you and I.” Looking into her dark eyes, Einar felt like he could get lost in them, and if it were any other time but this one, he might have been tempted to.  “That other ring will open any door in my family’s territory and get you anything you need.”  He took a deep breath, not really having given a whole ton of thought to what he was about to do, but maybe it was better that way.  “This one,” he held up a smaller, more delicate ring, “it just holds the key to my heart.”  His eyes fell down to the ring and back up to meet her eyes.

“Einar,” Meeri breathed out his name and felt like she couldn’t breathe in again.  Looking down at the most unique ring she’d ever seen, and the most gorgeous.  The stone was dark, alternating from an aqua to a deep purple as the light hit its pear shape, and the band was in a black metal that had been intricately crafted to look like tiny branches.  She was completely dumbstruck by it, and by what she understood from his words for it to mean. 

“Meeri, I’ve had it for a while.  I always thought that we’d have more time, that I’d find the right way, that we’d have that moment…but the fates have a different plan for us.”  He could see her hands trembling as she gently touched his and he knew she was just as nervous as he was.  “I don’t want you leaving here without KNOWING exactly how I feel, how I’ve felt, and I’ve tried to show you in so many, many ways.”  There was so much more his eyes were saying to her that he couldn’t put into words.  He could only hope that she understood. 

Meeri had never seen so much emotion in Einar’s eyes as she did in that moment between the two of them.  There was no doubt the sincerity of what was in his heart, and she definitely knew her own.  Swallowing, she nodded, tears stinging at her eyes, “then there’s no other ring I’d want, Einar.” 

He knew that time was wasting, but he had to do it before they left.  If Meerie and Lorcan had left, and something happened, without her knowing…he never would have been able to forgive himself.  Every time he’d wanted to say something to her in the past, he’d kicked himself when he’d chickened out over the fear that it would just fuck everything up.  But now he was putting the most precious thing in his life in one of his best friend’s hands and he didn’t want to do that with there being and doubt what she meant to him. So, as he slid the ring onto her finger, he wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her in flush against him. “I’ll see you tonight at the mansion.  Now we better go before any more time passes.”  

“Now, stop that before we both cry.” Einar took her head in both hands very gently and placed a kiss in the middle of her forehead.  “Love you too, Meeri.”  He turned and strode from the room, giving her a wink as he closed the door.  If he hadn’t gotten out of there, he would have been too emotional over what was going on and what had just happened between them to go find his friends.  

For a full minute, if not more, Meeri stood there staring at the closed door that Einar had exited through.  Had that really just happened?  Was she hallucinating?  No, she was sure that it had just happened and she was lucid.  Somehow in the middle of a day that seemed sent straight from the bowels of hell to swallow her and her family whole, something good had happened.  It was to that she would cling as she waited for Einar and his friends to return.  Even when her family had turned their back on her, when she had been betrayed, there was one who believed in her and would not do the same.

It was the sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway that brought her out of her thoughts and had her backing towards Einar’s bedroom.  It was too soon for it to be Einar and their friends returning, which meant that it was most likely someone loyal to her uncle.  She had to hide just in case they somehow had a key to Einar’s rooms and were coming to see if he had vacated them yet.  

Just as she’d crossed the threshold into his room, a heavy fist pounded on the main door to the room.  Meeri’s hand went to her mouth to stifle the scream of shock that almost emanated from her.  It was definitely someone looking for Einar.  Her head whipped around as she tried to find somewhere to hide in the low light.  His bed was too close to the ground and his furniture not large enough to hide her, but his closet might work.  It was the best shot she had.  Hopefully if whomever it was entered, they would not find her.

Opening the door to Einar’s closet, Meeri stifled a laugh, it was a disaster.  Hiding in it wouldn’t be a problem.  Thank the heavens that the man was not neater or if someone did come looking she might be discovered.  “EINAR!  We are looking for Princess Meeri!  Open your door!”  Meeri recognized the voice coming through the door and once more put a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out as she stood completely still in the open doorway to Einar’s closet.  It was the head of her father’s legion, but she doubted that he was anymore.  She could hear the slide on his weapon being pulled, and she clenched her teeth together as hard as she could to keep from crying.  If he found her, she would be dead.

“EINAR!  You were seen going in there!” The heavy fist hit the door two more times making it rattle.  Meeri quickly started moving the clothing on the floor of Einar’s closet.  Silent tears streaming down her face as she battled hyperventilation, she started making herself a little pocket in the back to slide into where she could hide.  She would just pile everything on top of her.  Every time the soldier’s fist hit the door she would jump and move faster, more tears coming, but she was silent in her movements and her breathing.  All she had to do was stay alive until Einar found their friends.  

Finally there was just enough room to slide onto the floor and she quickly piled things on top of herself.  The fact it was messy not making a difference since that was the point of his closet anyway.  Her back was pressed against the back wall of the closet with his training gear, clothes, a few weapons, a ruck sack, and a coat just thrown over her.  All had been on the floor when she’d come in.  She was not sitting straight up, not wanting to create straight lines.  At least she had been taught how to hide as a child in case of kidnappers.

Then the sickening sound of splintering wood was heard after a boot impacted the door to the main room to the suite.  Both hands covered Meeri’s mouth as she tried to slow her breathing as much as possible.  The boots were heard in the front room, slow and methodical as they were sweeping for Einar being in there.  It would not be long until they’d be in his bedroom.  Then the test of how well she hid would begin. “What the fuck?  What did you do to my door?”  Einar’s voice was now heard, and he was pissed.

“Duuuuude, they fucked up your shit!”  That was Tieran.

“I was told I had until tomorrow to be out.  I was just checking on my friends before packing my clothes.  I assume there’s a good reason you’re in my living room?” Einar again, still pissed, maybe more pissed.  Meerie was crying hard, silent and still in the closet.

“The princess.” It was all the soldier said.  

Then there was another voice that Meeri didn’t recognize “Nevermind, we found what we were looking for.”  

“Excuse me?” This time that sounded like either Elio or Lorcan.  It was hard to tell through a closed closet door and a wall.  They sounded similar even when you were in front of them.

“Get your friends and get home.  Only those loyal to the King should be here by morning.”  That was all the soldier said and she could hear the heavy boots moving again.

The sound of the heavy wood door to the suite slamming reverberated through the wall, causing it to literally vibrate.  Meeri choked on a sob but felt unable to move.  She was in shock, feeling saved by the four of her friends coming back right when she needed them most.

“No, you don’t think….” Tieran started.

“Meeri’s too smart…” THAT was definitely Elio.

“Shhhhh….you want the bastards to come back?”  Lorcan hissed.

“Meeri!” Einar called as he saw standing in the middle of the road, soaked to the skin in her cape and dress, unmoving and seeming in a daze.  What the fuck was she doing out there?  Where were her parents and siblings?  When she turned to face him, he pulled his horse to a stop next to her and dismounted in an instant to pull her in close in a tight embrace.  Everything about her screamed devastation at him in the loudest sense, which made sense with what had happened with her uncle, but did not answer why she was alone when it was not safe for her to be.  “Meeri, what the fuck is going on?  Where is everyone?!  Why are you alone?  Fuck, sweetheart you're trembling.  It is not safe for you out here.”  He held her closer, draping his own cape over her to keep more of the rain off of her as he waited for some kind of answer.

“They..they left me.” She sobbed against the knight's shoulder.  Now he would too, now he knew and would abandon her like her family had.  She would have no one.  It would be no time before her uncle's men found her. “Father said it had to be me who helped uncle. That I was the traitor.  I wanted him dead.. I’m the oldest, so I’m the only one who could have conspired with uncle.”  Her whole body shook as she clung to him and sobbed, praying he wouldn’t pull away and leave her.  She had always thought him a friend, feeling more but of course it would never be reciprocated.

Einar was at a complete loss for words.  Even though her words were stilted and somewhat disjointed, he understood it all. This had to be some mistake.  There was no way that they would have just left her, was there?  “Okay.  It’ll be okay, Meeri.  Let’s get you out of this rain first, then we can figure out what is really going on.  Okay?  I'll take care of you.”  He felt her nod as he held her tighter.  Fucking hell!  He had no problem making sure she was okay, but he could not fathom how her family just abandoned her.  There was a death sentence on them to be executed in less than an hour if any of them were found. 

“I’m going to put you up on Khaos sidesaddle, then I’m going to get up so we can get back and you up into my room at the garrison.  They haven’t dismissed us yet, so I can at least get you some dry sweats and sneak you out after midnight.” He pushed her back from him so he could look her in the eyes and make sure she was actually hearing him.  The whole coup from the Duke had been a surprise and happened so fast there had been no fighting. Now many in the castle did not know what they would do or where they would go.  His family was landed gentry with multiple estates.  He would take over as Lord Baron of one, and he’d just take Meeri with him.  They’d figure it out from there. 

Meeri had ridden with Einar before this way, so she knew how to position herself atop the horse once he'd placed her up there, to make it easier for him.   Once he joined her, they headed to the garrison at top speed.  Her uncle had only given her family a one hour lead before ordering that if they were found, they were to be beheaded.  They had to get her hidden quickly.  

As they rode, Meeri leaned against her knight that she’d always considered a friend, her arms encircling him.  She still wasn't quite sure why he was helping her at such a great risk.  By protecting her, he was signing his own death sentence. While they had always been friendly, maybe even friends in his mind like as in hers, as soon as her father was deposed, his duty to her ended and she became enemy of the crown and so him as well.  She could only hope that he was not betraying her into her uncle's hands.

Once they arrived at the garrison, he rode around to the back.  There were fewer eyes there to see him secret her into the building and up onto the floor his rooms were on.  “Come on, follow me.  Once I’ve got you in my rooms, I want you to hide in the bedroom while I get Tieran, Lorcan, and Elio.” Einar told her as he helped her off of Khaos.  He knew his three best friend would help without question.  For one, they all hated the new King.  For another, they all adored Princess Meeri.  And third, they were loyal to one another like brothers. Taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers, he led her through back hallways and stairwells up to the floor where his suite was.  Thankfully they didn’t run into anyone.  With all the commotion of the coup of the Duke over the King, many of the legion had fled, or were out on patrol.  It helped their situation, something that Einar was thankful for.  “Stay here, do not answer if anyone knocks, and don’t worry.  Meeri, it’s going to be okay.  We will take care of you.”  He looked down into her grey eyes, looking up at him filled with worry and fear.

“They will kill you all if they find out you are helping me.  Why are you doing this?” She searched his eyes, her brows drawing together in confusion.  His duty to her father was done.  Was there more to it?  Had the friendship she’d felt towards him been reciprocated? His eyes softened around the edges as his dark eyes imported her to see him the way he saw her, but maybe she never would.  Maybe she didn’t understand or never had. “Do you really not know, Meeri?” Einar asked, cupping her cheek with one hand as he drew in closer to her.  The large room seeming to close in around them as the space between evaporated with his movements.  “I would kill for you, die for you, keep you safe any way I could, and always will. Even if you haven’t seen me as I’ve seen you.”  He could see it sinking in as her face relaxed and eyes widened, lips parting as she seemed to fight to find a response, not that he needed one.  

“I…Einar…” her lips kept moving but words were evading her like somehow the two of them had just evaded her uncles knights. Tears stung at her eyes, how had she never known?  How had she never seen?  How?   She covered his hand with her own, swallowing down the emotions that were threatening to overwhelm.  Her fingers wrapped around his hand, clinging to him.

“Now, stop that before we both cry.” Einar took her head in both hands very gently and placed a kiss in the middle of her forehead.  “Love you too, Meeri.”  He turned and strode from the room, giving her a wink as he closed the door.  If he hadn’t gotten out of there, he would have been too emotional over what was going on and what had just happened between them to go find his friends.