My Brother’s Keeper (Bewitched And Bewildered Book 5)
My Brother’s Keeper: Chapter 3

Anne Bennett followed the three women through the house to a closed door. Without knocking, the smaller woman opened it and breezed through the doorway. Anne hesitated before stepping in. When she looked in the room, she recognized the men she had seen with Keelan the night she met him at work. In her many visits with Keelan since then, she’d heard so many wonderful stories about the men he called brothers. She looked around the room. The tall one built like a linebacker was Aiden McKenzie. He was married to the tiny woman named Meryn. She remembered that Keelan called her Menace. Anne thought the small woman was adorable, and from the way the large man melted when Meryn walked over to him, she knew Keelan had been right in calling the man a giant marshmallow.

The woman who had introduced herself as Rheia Bradley sat beside the one she knew to be Colton. He was the fun-loving one who was always playing pranks. It was for their daughter that the men had been in the store that night buying pull ups.

The third woman was Elizabeth Monroe. She was married to Gavriel Ambrosios, the handsome, dark haired man. She, Rheia, Meryn, and Colton, plus an SUV full of men she didn’t know had parked outside of her work this morning and turned her world upside down. She had run to her boss, Bart, and begged to leave early. Of course, the older man said yes; he hardly ever told her no. Like Aiden, he was a complete softie. Without a thought for her own safety, she had jumped into their SUV and returned with them to the place almost everyone in town knew existed but never dared to try and replace.

Six small words had changed everything.

‘Keelan is hurt and needs you.’

Anne looked around the room. ‘Where is he? Where’s Keelan? What’s happened to him?’

Elizabeth, or as she liked to be called, Beth, pointed to the sofa. ‘It might be best if you sit down.’

Anne looked around the room and saw their grave expressions. She sat down and folded her hands in her lap. ‘Well?’

Aiden began pacing. ‘You see, Anne, there are things in this world that not everyone knows about. Special things that can sometimes be scary but mostly aren’t…’ He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck.

Meryn looked at her husband. ‘You suck at this,’ she said flatly.

Aiden turned and glared at her. ‘The last person I tried to explain all this to knocked me unconscious.’

‘Big baby.’ Meryn rolled her eyes.

Anne looked at Aiden. ‘Are you okay? Concussions can be tricky.’

Aiden exhaled and pointed at his tiny wife. ‘She did it with the deck of my toilet about four months ago. I’m fine now.’

Meryn held up both arms and acted like she was flexing. ‘KO’d, first try.’

Anne looked at her confused. ‘Congratulations?’

Aiden turned to Beth. ‘Maybe you should try.’

Beth nodded and turned to her. ‘Anne, what do you know about the paranormal?’

‘Do you mean like ghosts?’

Beth smiled gently. ‘Not exactly.’

‘Oh for crying out loud! Meryn two-point-oh will be here before you tell her.’ Meryn turned to her. ‘Shape shifters, witches, fae, and vampires are real.’

Aiden buried his face in his hands, and the men groaned.

Anne looked around the room. ‘I know.’

Everyone froze. Aiden looked up. ‘What?’

Anne smiled at him. ‘You don’t remember me, do you?’

Meryn’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she looked up at her husband. ‘What does she mean?’

Aiden, eyes wide, shook his head. ‘No idea.’

Anne chuckled. ‘Not like that, Meryn. I was about six when I met Aiden the first time, though I didn’t know his name then. I was in town riding the new bike my parents bought me, when a man tried to lure me into the alley with candy. Of course I knew better than to go with him. When he got desperate, he tried to pull me off the bike, pretending like he was my father.’ She smiled up at Aiden. ‘That’s when you came along. You plucked me from his hands, and he tried to run. You simply picked up my bike and chucked it at him like a Frisbee. You made sure I was okay and left. The police came and arrested him. I remember my parents were mad at first about my bike being banged up, but when they found out what happened, you were in their prayers that night. A lot of people in town know something goes on out here.’

‘What do you mean, they know?’ Gavriel asked, sitting forward.

Anne smiled around the room. ‘We’re not dumb, you know. None of you age. The true locals, the ones who have been here for generations, know something is in these mountains, but we don’t say anything, because you keep us safe.’

‘Wait. Bart knows?’ Aiden asked.

She nodded. ‘I don’t think he knows exactly what you are, just that you’re something different. He was very disappointed today when he found out that the women wouldn’t be staying for a chat. He wanted to talk to the ‘feisty’ one.’

Meryn glared up at Aiden. ‘Why do I get the impression he was talking about me?’

Aiden kissed her forehead. ‘It’s a compliment, baby.’

Anne looked closely at the men and pointed to Gavriel. ‘Vampire?’ He nodded. She turned and looked at Darian. ‘Fae?’

He smiled. ‘Good job.’

Colton waved his hand. ‘What about me?’

Anne thought about it a moment. ‘Dog?’

Meryn burst into giggles.

Colton frowned at her. ‘I am not a dog.’ Pouting, he looked over at Anne. ‘Why did you guess that?’

Anne gave a half shrug. ‘Because you’re so open and friendly. You were waving your hand so eagerly, it reminded me of my friend’s dog wagging his tail.’

Her response had all the men cracking up. Colton crossed his arms. ‘That’s not fair. She guessed Gavriel and Darian right.’

Meryn was giggling and pointed at him. ‘She got you right, too, admit it.’

Colton sighed dramatically and winked at her, letting her know he wasn’t really mad. ‘I’m a wolf shifter, so half right.’

Meryn leaned in on her elbows. She pointed over her shoulder at her husband. ‘What about him?’

‘Oh, he’s easy. Bear.’

Meryn’s eyes widened. ‘How’d you know that?’

Anne looked Aiden up and down. ‘He’s huge and kinda growly like a bear, but nice and gentle like a teddy bear. Plus, Bart always complains that Aiden eats all the honey buns as he walks through the store.’

Aiden stared, his mouth wide open. He turned to Gavriel. ‘Did you know we were so easy to identify?’

Gavriel brought a hand up to cover his mouth. ‘I think you are a rare exception.’

Anne remembered the reason why she was there. ‘That leaves witch. That’s Keelan isn’t it? What’s happened to him?’

Colton was about to respond when Rheia held up her hand. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to ask. Are you sure you’re okay? You’re taking all of this extremely well.’

Anne shrugged. ‘I’m a nurse; not much fazes me anymore. I’ve known since I was a child that something strange was in these mountains. Personally, I like the idea of vampires and shifter dogs as opposed to the alien invasion theory I heard at the feed and seed last week.’

‘I am not a dog!’ Colton wagged a finger at her.

Rheia nodded. ‘You had me convinced at nurse.’

‘You’re the doctor aren’t you?’ Anne asked, feeling a special kinship with the woman.

Rheia nodded and the twinkle in her eye told Anne she felt the same way.

Aiden cleared his throat. ‘Rheia said that nurses are like the human equivalent to military sergeants in the medical field.’

Anne nodded. ‘That’s about right.’

‘If that’s the case, then I’m going to lay it out straight for you.’ Aiden took a deep breath. ‘Keelan is a witch. One of his gifts is premonition. In his dreams, he saw a scenario play out where all of us died. To prevent that from happening, he sacrificed himself to save us.’

Anne sucked in a breath, and the room started to close in on her. ‘I thought you said he needed my help. I can’t help him if he’s dead!’ She had finally found someone she cared about; she couldn’t lose him, too!

Aiden was suddenly kneeling down in front of her, and he took her hands in his. There were tears in his eyes. ‘He’s not dead, but he’s not alive, either. The spell he protected us from stripped his soul from his body. My brother is also a doctor. He said we can keep Keelan’s body alive for quite some time while we look for his soul, but it will be hard work. He’ll need a lot of care.’

Anne put the pieces together. ‘That’s why you came to get me? Because I’m a nurse?’ She shook her head. ‘There have to be hundreds of nurses out there who are better qualified. Why me?’

Aiden squeezed her hands. ‘Because, after meeting you, Keelan told us you were his mate, his destined partner.’

Anne felt like all the air in the room was disappearing. She had recognized Keelan the second she saw him. She had been dreaming of him for weeks, but he had never said anything to her.

‘You’re telling me that the one man I am destined to be with has had his soul stolen and could possibly die?’ she asked quietly, staring down at the floor.

‘Yes,’ Aiden replied softly.

Anne had just enough time to turn to the one person in the room who could help her. Rheia’s look of panic was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.

*****

‘It wasn’t my revelation that made her pass out; it was yours,’ she heard Meryn say.

‘She’s coming to.’

Anne tried to open her eyes, but something cold and wet was lying across her face. She reached up and removed the washcloth. She turned to Rheia who was sitting on the floor next to her.

‘I guess I’m not as bulletproof as I thought,’ she admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Rheia shook her head. ‘You are doing remarkably well. Don’t sell yourself short.’

She sat up and noticed the men around her flinched and reached out at the same time as if to steady her. She held up a hand. ‘I’m okay. I just need a moment. Tell me about mates while I remember how to breathe.’

Colton began to speak and Meryn elbowed him aside. ‘She seems to be able to take my explanations.’

Aiden brought a chair for Meryn, and Colton did the same for Rheia to get her off the floor.

Meryn tapped her lips. ‘Okay. Here it goes. Living in our world and being mated is like getting married to your dream prince, you’re destined to be together like in a fairy tale, but more like Grimm’s Fairy Tales and less Disney. Magic is real, and the fae kick ass. Vampires and shifters are kinda like what you see on TV except for the wolfman thing. The sex is off the charts, but you kinda have deal with some Resident Evil moments with some peeps called ferals, so it balances out. All in all, it’s fun.’

Anne blinked. ‘Oh, my God.’

‘Anne, Anne! Breathe.’ Rheia waved her hand in front of Anne’s face.

‘I’m okay; I’m okay.’ She stared at the floor again and concentrated on taking even breaths.

Resident Evil?

She whipped her head over to Aiden. ‘Please tell me there aren’t any zombies! I can handle anything but zombies.’

Aiden rubbed her back soothingly. ‘No zombies. We have ferals, but they are not zombies.’

She began to calm down enough to process more of what Meryn said. ‘What are ferals?’

Rheia smiled at her. ‘Ferals are beings that used to be witches, fae, vampires, and shifters. But they chose to give up their souls by committing murder. They lose whatever made them good and they attack people.’

Anne looked Rheia in the eye. ‘But not zombies, right? A scratch or bite won’t turn you into a zombie like in Night of the Living Dead?’

Meryn shuddered. ‘That movie fucked me up for years.’ Anne nodded in agreement.

Colton winced. ‘Sort of.’

Anne’s eyes narrowed. ‘Define sort of.’

Rheia glared at her husband. ‘What he means is, their bite can hurt you if you’re a paranormal. Colton was bitten by a feral, and he began to decay from the bite but didn’t turn into a zombie. Feral bites don’t seem to affect humans, so you don’t have to worry.’

Anne stared in horror at the people around the room. ‘Is it safe here?’

When no one answered right away, she began to shake. If it weren’t for Keelan, she’d head directly to her apartment, pack what little she owned, and disappear.

‘I see you have discussed the somewhat scarier aspects of our world with her.’ A male voice said from the door. She looked up to see a beautiful Asian man approach while pushing a serving cart. His old fashioned butler’s outfit seemed out of place, yet suited him perfectly.

‘Denka, if you would excuse me?’ he asked politely.

Meryn stood and nodded at the man before moving closer to Aiden.

He lifted Meryn’s chair out of the way and rolled the cart closer. With elegant movements, he poured her a cup of fragrant tea.

‘How do you take your tea?’ he asked.

Anne blinked. ‘It depends on what type of tea it is.’

He nodded. ‘This is jasmine green tea, a house favorite.’

‘I’ll take it as it is please.’

A look of approval crossed his face as he handed her the cup and saucer. When she was holding her cup, he bowed. ‘I am Ryuu. I am the squire of the house. If there is anything you need to make your transition any easier, please do not hesitate to ask.’

‘Domo arigato gozaimasu.’ Anne said softly, taking a sip of tea. The fragrance alone had helped to soothe her nerves enormously.

Ryuu’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Do itashi mashite.’

Meryn looked at Anne. ‘You speak Japanese?’

Anne looked down at the floor. ‘A bit.’

‘If you wish to learn more, I would be honored to teach you. Kendrick is also fluent and can answer questions for you,’ Ryuu offered.

Anne looked up and smiled at the man. He looked like he had just walked out of one of her cosplay fantasies.

She turned to Ryuu. ‘Who’s Kendrick?’

‘Heika is Keelan’s older brother,’ Ryuu explained.

‘Oh my gosh, does he know I’m Keelan’s mate?’

Everyone nodded. That would make him her brother-in-law. ‘Can I meet him? I’d also like to check on Keelan.’

Aiden looked at Rheia. ‘I think that is an excellent idea. Rheia, if you would take her upstairs to meet with Kendrick, that would be appreciated. Alpha Unit has to report to the Council later this afternoon. I had just gotten off the phone with them when you all arrived. They have called us in for yet another meeting,’ Aiden sighed.

‘Tell Dad I said hi,’ Meryn requested. She stood on her tiptoes for a kiss.

‘Of course.’ Aiden kissed her and then rubbed noses with her.

Ryuu held out his hand. Anne took one last sip of tea and handed him her cup. ‘Thank you for the tea, it really helped calm me down.’

‘I’ll bring up some more tea along with Heika’s snack. I have a feeling you’ll be up there a while.’ He winked at her, and she could feel herself blushing.

Rheia took her hand. ‘Come on, I can show you his chart and how we currently have things laid out.’ Rheia gave her hand a squeeze.

Anne felt relieved. She stood with a sense of purpose. Nursing she knew; she was good at it, and if they needed doctors like Rheia, then they needed someone like her, too. This was normal to her. Things couldn’t be that scary if they were human enough to need doctors and nurses.

She took a deep breath. ‘Let’s go see our patient.’ Anne said, feeling better now that she was on familiar ground.

*****

Rheia knocked.

‘Come in,’ a male voice called.

When Rheia opened the door and walked in, Anne followed. They immediately went to Keelan’s bed.

She covered her mouth with her hands. ‘Oh, Keelan.’ Her heart was breaking. In her mind, she knew what a coma was; she was a nurse, after all. She knew what to expect. But this was Keelan, her closest friend since the death of her parents. She didn’t want to see him hooked up to machines with IVs and other tubes running out of him. He should be sitting up and laughing, eyes sparkling as he teased her mercilessly.

Rheia wrapped and arm around her shoulders. ‘I know,’ she said simply.

Anne shook her head. ‘No, you don’t understand. It’s like whatever made Keelan Keelan is gone. I’ve seen coma patients before; this is different. I can’t explain it.’

‘It’s a shell,’ a male said from behind them.

When she turned, she felt her world tilt. ‘Keelan!’ She turned to look at the man on the bed and then to the one behind her.

He shook his head. ‘I’m sorry; I know we look alike, so I understand your confusion. My name is Kendrick I…’ He squinted at her. ‘Have we met before?’

Anne just stared. She had seen him before, every night for weeks. The longer, shaggy, auburn hair, the sexy stubbled chin. His defined jaw and angry expression only accentuated the power this man carried about him effortlessly. In her dreams, his eyes only softened when he spoke to her, and it was in his arms where she truly felt complete. He was also the only man to ever evoke any type of sexual response. Some of the dreams she’d had were downright pornographic, and she had enjoyed every second; in a wakeful reality however, he scared the living hell out of her.

She knew that if she loved him recklessly–the way she had in her dreams–and lost him, there would be no recovery. She would be destroyed. That was why she had been so relieved when she met Keelan. He made her feel comfortable, and he didn’t threaten to steal her sanity with a dark look that promised the forbidden. Keelan ordered Chinese food and watched anime with her. He made her laugh with made-up fortunes from their fortune cookies. She didn’t think twice about sleeping next to him on the sofa in her stained sweatpants. He was her best friend; he was safe.

She took a deep breath and told the biggest lie of her life. ‘No, sorry, I’ve never seen you before.’

He blinked and his eyes narrowed. ‘Really?’

Double damn, he knew!

She turned her back to him and took Keelan’s hand. ‘I would remember somebody like you.’

‘You would think,’ he replied flatly.

‘Kendrick, can you tell us what type of magic you’ll be using here?’ Rheia asked. ‘I’d like to disconnect him from as many machines as possible. The more the body does for itself, the better.’

Anne was thankful for the interruption. She had to concentrate on Keelan now. After all, they told her that Keelan had said she was his mate.

She turned around and looked Kendrick in the eye. ‘What can be done for my mate?’

He flinched, and the muscle along his jaw tensed.

‘Heika, ladies, I have brought refreshments,’ Ryuu announced as he carried in a large tray.

‘Impeccable timing, as usual, Ryuu,’ Kendrick muttered.

‘Of course, Heika.’ Ryuu set the tray down on the round table in the middle of the room. ‘I took the time to make another of your favorites, but if you prefer, I can take them back downstairs…’

Kendrick peeked over at the tray, his eyes betraying him. ‘Is that taiyaki?’

Ryuu nodded. ‘I have red bean paste and cheese filled.’

‘Anko?’ Anne and Kendrick asked at the same time.

Ryuu smiled. ‘It’s so refreshing having the two of you here. Yes, anko.’

Anne stepped forward. ‘I’d like one of those, please, and more of that green tea if you have any.’

‘I’d like two of the anko and one cheese filled, Ryuu,’ Kendrick said.

Ryuu turned to Rheia. ‘None for me thanks, my tummy is a bit on the wobbly side lately. Just some tea would be great.’

Kendrick turned to her. ‘How do you know what anko is?’

‘How do you?’ she asked him in response.

‘I have traveled all over the world, including a nice long stay in Japan. You?’

Anne looked down at the floor. There was no way in hell she was going to admit to being the biggest otaku in the state, especially not to him or Ryuu. ‘I must have seen it on the travel channel or something,’ she mumbled.

‘She speaks with a perfect accent. She must have seen many programs with native speakers for her to speak so well,’ Ryuu volunteered.

Kendrick smiled at the squire. ‘Thank you for making another one of my favorites. I won’t scandalize you again by offering sexual favors.’

Anne felt her eyes nearly pop out of her head. Kendrick was flirting with him? Ryuu not only knew his favorite foods, but made them for him as well? Could they be mates? Maybe the dreams she saw was showed an older version of Keelan after all.

Rheia sipped her tea. ‘While you two snack, can you tell us what spells you’ll cast?’

Kendrick had just taken a huge bite of one fish-shaped treat. He went to answer and nearly choked. Laughing, Anne handed him his tea. When their fingers touched, she felt a jolt of electricity run down her arm. He gulped down his tea, his eyes never leaving hers. Finally, she looked away and picked up her own snack.

Unfaithful hormones!

Kendrick cleared his throat. ‘I’ll be casting a stasis spell, which will prevent muscle atrophy. I have material that can be used as a diaper that is self-cleaning and a set of garments that will not only become whatever type of clothing you require, but will also keep him clean.’

Anne turned to Rheia. ‘That would eliminate the need for a catheter or rectal Foley, which can cause necrosis.’ She turned to Kendrick. ‘Your stasis spell, would that also prevent bed sores?’

Kendrick nodded. ‘Yes, it will preserve the body exactly how it is now. Considering the fact that there is no current physical damage, it will keep him in ultimate health.’

Anne ran through the mental checklist for coma patients. If she didn’t have to worry about bathing, turning or changing Keelan, then there was little need for most of their equipment. ‘How does that self-cleaning diaper work?’

‘I’ll put it on Keelan in the same way a mother would diaper her baby. Any form of elimination is immediately disposed of and the body cleansed. It requires no maintenance or monitoring,’ Kendrick explained.

‘I can do that for you if you’d rather not,’ she offered.

Kendrick shook his head. ‘It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve put a diaper on Keelan. I raised him after our parents died.’

Rheia sucked in her breath. ‘Kendrick, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry. It must be hitting you twice as hard since you had to be both a brother and a parent. I can’t imagine Penny being…’ She stopped and swallowed hard. Ryuu wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

‘Is he on any type of medications?’ Anne asked Rheia gently.

Rheia shook her head. ‘As Kendrick said, he wasn’t hurt physically so there was no reason for antibiotics or painkillers.’

‘So the only thing he’ll need is a feeding tube and an IV for hydration?’ Anne asked out loud.

Rheia thought for a moment and nodded. ‘Kendrick’s spell and magic items will actually help Keelan tremendously.’

Anne looked over at Keelan. ‘Kendrick, Rheia, whenever the two of you are ready, let’s get our boy comfortable.’