**Rhian's POV**
I woke up startled at my surroundings but instantly calmed the moment I smelled Erick. Realizing where I was, relief flooded over me. He was still sleeping and I could feel his arm draped over my side. I could get used to this.
I attempted to sneak out by gently lifting his arm off my side. It was enough to wake him and I heard him stirring. Rolling over, I kissed his nose, "Good morning handsome."
"Mm ... Mm.. morning," he mumbled. Still obviously not fully awake.
"Relax, I am going to go fix some coffee."
"Coffee," his eyes still not open.
Note to self: Erick is not a morning person! I chuckled to myself as I picked up his shirt and my panties to throw on quickly. I made my way to the kitchen with one goal in mind: caffeine.
I saw a coffee maker on the counter but started randomly guessing as to which drawer or cabinet might have the rest of what I needed. I had everything but the filters but I spotted them on the top shelf of the cabinet. I was doing my best to reach them on my tiptoes but as much as I stretched they were just out of reach.
**Erick's POV**
I woke up when she tried moving my arm. It was rare for me to sleep so deeply and sound but her presence had me completely relaxed. Rolling out of bed, I threw on a pair of sweats and followed her scent to the kitchen.
Dear Lord, suddenly wide awake at the sight of her wearing my shirt. She was struggling to reach the top shelf and her bare legs led to the hem of the shirt that kept revealing the edge of her panties as she reached. My heart fluttered with the realization that I could wake up to this the rest of my life.
I crossed the kitchen with one hand on her waist. I trailed the other along the length of her entire body and outstretched hand. Grabbing the filters, I planted a kiss on her neck and whispered, "Need help?"
She jumped at the sudden interaction but quickly relaxed and turned toward me. I could feel her hips pressed against me as she playfully smiled, taking the filters from me. She gave me a short kiss before saying with a big grin, "Thanks, I knew there were benefits to keeping you around!"
"Is that so?"
"Yup, reaching the top shelf is always a good trait! Plus, you're pretty cute to look at." She winked. "Now, sit down so we can make a plan for where we will begin today."
"Oh, I have an idea of a few things we can do!"
She laughed, "Well, your insatiable needs will have to wait. I intend on getting to the bottom of this mystery as soon as possible. The sooner we have the answers, the sooner we can focus on more entertaining activities."
"I suppose you're right," I was not hiding my disappointment well.
She walked over with two cups of coffee and set one in front of me. She didn't sit in the chair beside me but took a seat on my lap, sliding her arm around my neck. "One day soon you will learn I'm always right. Kind of like I was definitely right about you being my mate."
She kissed my cheek and squeezed my neck. "Now let's get to business. We need a game plan."
"I can call Doc, ask him about the pack library. You never know we may be able to kill two birds with one stone and find the information about my prophecy and Maeve."
"That would be great. We should bring the laptop so we can use the Wi-Fi there to search as well. Alright, you call Doc and I will go shower and get dressed." She slipped away with a kiss on my head.
I wanted to follow her to the shower but I knew she was right. The sooner we dealt with this the sooner we could be alone. I pulled out my phone and dialed Doc.
"Is everything OK? Did something happen? I'll alert the perimeter guards."
"Whoa, hold your horses Doc, slow down. Rhian had a dream last night that may have given us more information. Have you ever heard of a Goddess Maeve? Do we have a pack library that has," I hesitate, "You know, other versions of history?"
"Interesting, I think she may be related to Irish mythology. We may not have a large selection of information but, yes, we do have a specialized section of the local library. I will give the librarian a heads up so she can prepare a room for you to work in. You may actually have some luck with the standard section of the library as well."
"Of course, you would have to discern truth from legend. However, you can understand now how there may be a bit of truth to even the most exaggerated legends."
I felt relieved that we had a place to start our research. "Great, thanks Doc. We should arrive in town in an hour or so. Rhian is anxious to get started."
"Absolutely, I take it you two are still happy being in each other's company and we don't need to make other arrangements?"
"You are correct, speaking of being together, Rhian mentioned a ceremony for mates and needing witnesses."
Doc cut me off, "Well I'll be. I mean I sensed you two were mates. I guess we can say it's official now."
"Yes, I believe she is mine. However, that is something that could prove complicated. We don't have all the details yet, but could we have dinner tonight to discuss what we uncover?"
"I will let the Missus know. I am sure she will be excited about finally meeting you and your wonderful mate. How does 6:00 sound at my house? I will text you the address."
"Great, thanks again Doc." I hung up the phone. Heading back to the room, I caught a glimpse of Rhian in front of the bathroom mirror. She was brushing her hair wearing nothing but a towel. Robin was going nuts and desire was welling up in my belly.
She caught me staring, "Don't go getting any ideas now!" She came over to me and pushed me towards the bathroom. "Hurry up, get cleaned up. We can have fun tonight, but for now, we need to get to work."
I grumbled but knew she was right. Not that helped my body's physical desire for her. The cold shower offered minimal relief but it did make for a faster shower.
Fifteen minutes later, we headed out and drove to the library. Her hand holding mine, windows down, radio playing. For just a moment, I forgot the storm that was headed our way and just enjoyed the casual moment, together. We popped into the coffee shop to get a quick bite to eat while we walked the rest of the way to the library.
We arrived and the librarian led us to a back room. There was a large conference-type table and it had stacks of massive old leather-bound books. They looked like they were hundreds of years old. She reminded us to be careful and wished us luck. If we needed anything else, she would be out at the front desk.
We had been at it for a couple of hours. She was so focused and her intensity had me mesmerized. She was surrounded by books flipped to random pages. Her notebook in front of her, she furiously scribbles notes before going back and highlighting key points. Her face made a myriad of different contortions the more information she found.
I was doing my best to keep up, but I realized just how unmatched I was in this area. I focused on locating the books she requested and skimming to see if they might be relevant.
**Rhian's POV**
Doc had been right. Maeve was part of Irish lore, she was regarded as the Goddess of Sex and Sovereignty. She was beautiful, intelligent, jealous, scheming, and a great warrior. Great Rhian thought to herself, this is who I have to defeat. Worry and fear filled her as she doubted their capacity to best such a great enemy.
As a reward for his deeds, she was married to a bad man, the King of Ulster. Unhappy with the arrangement, she left him, but her father, to fulfill his end of the agreement, allowed another of his daughters to marry the King instead. Despite not wanting to be with him, she was jealous of the power of the sisters union.
To settle the score, she murdered her own sister while she was nine months pregnant. Her sister died, although they were able to save the baby by cutting him from his mother's belly. That baby Furbaide when he was grown, avenged his mother's death by killing Maeve.
If her nightmare held true, that would mean Erick and Furbaide were the same. He must have reincarnated like Maeve, forever destined to avenge his mother's death. I wonder why he has no memories of his past lives like Maeve does?
I was so caught up in what I was learning I was startled when Erick came back with another book. He was so helpful. I was truly grateful to have him by my side. I slid my hand around his waist as he stood over me and gave him a hug. "Thank you! I couldn't imagine going through this without you."
He leaned down and kissed my head, "Of course, have I told you how cute you are when you are working?"
I laughed, "You're sweet, full of it but sweet. I have no idea where to start to explain what we were up against. I think we could be in trouble. Does the name Furbaide sound familiar to you?"
He sat down beside me, "Furbaide? No, I have never heard of him. What does he have to do with this? Start at the beginning."
"If I am correct, you were Furbaide. That is the name of Maeve's nephew. She murdered your mother while she was pregnant with you. That is why you killed her when you were an adult. She has a truly horrific history full of war, murder, and revenge. She was able to easily manipulate and deceive men. What if we can't beat her?"
He hugged me, "Listen, not only are we in this together, we have the whole pack to support us. Besides, we have something she doesn't love."