quipped, then smirked, turning her head away from him.
Jaden cleared his throat, to gain their attention.
"Okay, as I was trying to say earlier, before Douglas kindly led us to his grisly findings. He then frowned as he thought of something.
"How did you know about that anyway Douglas?" he asked him suspiciously. Douglas in turn just grunted, drinking his coffee that Balin handed him.
"Aggie saw it, then she sent me here. Violent energy kind of rushes to her. That's half the problem with being an empath, she sometimes feels what they feel. So as well as recovering after healing Maya, she's now suffering the after effects of the murder. She also communicates with the dead. The spirit of the victim in this instance, went straight to Aggie; demanding justice. It seems Elenor is also a bit of a busy body in the spirit realm too." Douglas grinned, at his own joke. Jaden ignored him, turning to face the table in general.
"Anyway, as I was saying. If I'm to complete the binding ceremony, I'm going to need help in keeping Maya safe. I'd really rather not have to ask this, and I know Maya is going to be pissed, but we need extra eyes out there watching our backs. I need help," Jaden told the people around the table. Sam had now dropped into the seat on Helena's right, leaning his elbows on the table.
"Good, glad you've realised it," he said. "We weren't sure how you would react to our news. We've already arranged some extra bodies for tonight." Sam told him. Jaden's jaw clenched, as he swivelled, landing an accusing look on his brother. Balin just shrugged, not in the least intimidated by his angry brother.
"I was trying to figure out a way to approach you. We already realised earlier, after Maya's attack, that we'd need extra eyes out there. So, I put the call out," Balin told him calmly. "Leonard has offered his services, as has Luc, and a few of the others.
Just then, there was a knock at the door, to which Douglas stood, and went to answer it."
"So you all knew about this, but didn't say anything?" Jaden asked looking around the table.
"Maya needs protecting, and it seemed the easiest solution," Sam said. Jaden cursed as he ran a hand over the back of his neck.
"Maya's not going to like this, she really isn't," he mumbled.
"Then it's down to you to make her understand the necessity," Helena hissed. "Do you really think I want to be in hearing distance when you... you..." Helena's hands came up in her anxiety. Sam's hand shot out, taking hold of Helena's with his own. He brought them back down; before she torched someone in her agitation.
"We understand what you're saying Helena," Sam soothed. Jaden just frowned at him in confusion. Then he watched Helena's eyes slit, as her cheeks turned pink. Realising what she was talking about, he coughed to cover a laugh. Lower his eyes, he so didn't want to rile her by letting her see the mirth visible. It seemed Helena was uncomfortable with the thought of her daughter having sex, then he frowned. He wasn't over keen on being overheard by the others himself either.
"Yeah, I'll take some music along I think," Jaden grumbled. This made Balin full out grin, before winking at him. Well, until Helen turned venomous eyes on him, making him quickly sober.
There was a commotion near the doorway. Jaden turned, as several large bodies came lumbering through the doorway; filing into the kitchen.
"Meet the extra eyes and ears, for tonight's festivities. We're also going to set up a barbecue in the back garden later. A little bit of a get together afterwards. Hopefully, we'll have something more than just your binding ceremony to celebrate," Sam told Jaden. He then got up, moving towards the newcomers. He shook hands with each of them, before turning to Jaden.
"This is Leonard Smyth, our resident vampire," said Sam. Introducing Jaden to the man who watched him from reserved lavender eyes. He was tall, with midnight black hair. He was also impeccably dressed, in a light wool, black