Myranda

Jyriah hadn't planned to burst in on his sister and her mate, but his news was too important to care about decency or manners. He could scrub the image he saw out of his mind later.

Metas had to pull her towards his chest to hide her breasts and the sopping area between her legs where he had been licking her. He's rather Jyriah see his bare ass than to see the activities he had been doing with his sister.

"Whoa - a warning would have been nice! What is with you and walking in on me enjoying time!?" Myranda squealed and hid behind Metas' large body.

"Yeah, no time for that ...- Syrana is in danger - .....so much so that she left Syri with Joss and I" Jyriah panted, but spoke clearly.

"Silas...-unfaithful. Syrana...- sick and being replaced," he continued as he scooped air into his lungs as fast as he could.

"What? What do you mean unfaithful?" Myranda asked angrily.

"It means unfaithful.... - I can't define it any more than that...gah.." Jyriah felt like he was always out of breath these days. If he never had to run to and from this cave again, he'd be happier than a vampire in a blood bath.

"That absolute worthless piece of fucking fly shit!" Myranda let out angrily.

"Metas - there is no beating around the bush here, Lara and I need your help. She's escorting Syrana down to the west wing where I suspect Veltar is being held. Lara will inform Ajax, and meet us here when Syrana is secured, or they've hit a dead end."

"Done. I don't care what the cost. I know how much she means to you. Mandy - would you be okay if I went without you? If Joss comes here for any reason, I want he and Syri to have you," Metas asked once he turned around to face her.

Myranda nodded, then kissed his chest, closed her eyes, and leaned against him with her forehead.

"Hee hee - Mandy..." Jyriah snickered. There was always time for laughter as long as it took the pain away from his current reality.

"Holy shit, Jyriah - get out!" Myranda shouted. She tried to lean over to look at her brother, but Metas blocked her movements so that she didn't expose anymore of herself than necessary.

"I'm going - but get dressed quick, Metas - I don't want to leave my sister in that damned place if I can help it," Jyriah said hurriedly as he slipped back through the waterfall.

"Metas...you better come back," Myranda mumbled into his embrace as he squeezed her towards him gently.

"I will never leave you alone, my love. I will return, and when I do - I will kiss your forehead before I greet anyone else. Deal?" he playfully bartered, hoping she would soften her worried face a little.

"Deal. Don't do anything Jyriah would do, and you should be fine - and don't kill Silas. It would make you look even worse in the eyes of your opposition," she answered and gave him one last kiss before she let him go so that he could dress himself.

'I love you, my Alpha King' she wanted to say out loud so badly, but her mouth was paralyzed. Even after all of this - she still found it hard to say.

"Sweetheart, I'll be back with your sister - I swear to you. Don't worry, okay?" Metas tried to reassure her, but it was pretty evident in her eyes that she was scared to lose him, her sister, and her brother all in the same day.

"I know you will. I'll be waiting - so don't be too late, okay?" she replied with a weak smile.

He kissed her forehead and turned to leave, but changed his mind so he could kiss her once more. "For luck," Metas quipped.

Myranda gave him a goofy smile that held strong until he faded through the curtain of falling water.

'Jyriah said she was sick... I should make her a bed to make sure she's not going to be cold on the ground,' she thought as she looked around the cave.

In fact, maybe she'd need medicine. Luckily, with the lower rungs never getting very good medical care, almost everyone knew how to treat a slough of injuries, illnesses, poisons, and some of them even knew old magic - but not many were left who did.

Before she could make a bed, she'd need some soft grasses and moss. If she was going out for herbs - she could so both at once.

Sitting around had never really been Myranda's thing, and it wasn't about to be now. She took the basket that Metas often used to collect food and supplies, as well as a few strips of cloth to keep things as separated as possible and left the safety of the alcove to grab what she could.

It was a beautiful day despite the bad news that juxtaposed her mood. She first went to gather some watercress which was the easiest thing to gather being that it was all around the lagoon Metas had taken her to. It would only be good for a few days, so she didn't take too much - just enough to make a paste.

Alfalfa would also be great to use for bedding, so she went to a much dryer part of the woods to collect it.

She also gathered berries, nuts, a nice bunch of clover, a lovely handful of dandelions, chamomile - and luckily a little patch of ashwagandha. Had it not been early spring, she'd be out of luck - but Myranda found a lovely little area of rocky soil where the 'winter cherries' were bright and red against the grey and browns that surrounded them.

Myranda basically had a gold mine of ingredients to make some pastes, powders, and tea. Now she just had to find the softest leaves in existence to made a comfortable place for Syrana to sleep.

Next, she'd go hunting for some food in order to help feed the new mouths, but especially Metas, who she knew was hungry when he had left. They had planned to go out together and chase a few rabbits, and what a great surprise it would be for her to have food ready for him to eat upon their return.

At first she felt a little useless. Everyone else was out there doing actual work, and Myranda had been left behind to do mundane tasks. While feeling sorry for herself, she then realized that sometimes doing the smallest tasks had the biggest impact.

Food would be a huge relief to counteract the adrenaline she was sure all of the team was burning in such an important task.