“Somerly?” she asked after several minutes of silence.
“Yes?”
“Why haven’t you been present at the meetings to go over the marriage agreement?”
“Have you been in attendance?”
Her expression was incredulous. “Of course. It’s my life being plotted out, isn’t it?”
“I’m a prince. My father feels it’s his duty to look out for me.”
“I hope you won’t have such a hands-off approach in our lives. You’re young, but you’ll have to accept some responsibility in your future.”
“I’m not afraid to have responsibilities. Have no fear that I won’t hold my weight in our marriage.”
Lucretia bobbed her head. “That’s good to hear. I haven’t known what to think these past months when you’ve failed to attend the negotiations. I know this is no love match nor do I intend for it to be, but I’d like a partner who I may count on in the thousands of years we have ahead of us.”
Century after century being denied who he truly was flashed through Somerly’s mind and for the first time, he wondered if he’d be able to say “I do” when the day of his marriage ceremony came around. “I’m not looking for a love match either.”
“Good, because no offense—but you aren’t my type. I hope you don’t object to me looking outside our marriage for sex.”
“Not at all, I was hoping you would feel that way.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I’d like to know our children are mine, though.” Somerly thought it was only fair that if he was trading his freedom for a political alliance, any children born of the arrangement belonged to him.
She let out a laugh. “My lovers will all be women, Somerly.”
“I’m gay as well,” Somerly dared to respond as soon as he checked to make sure his father was still safely on the other side of the room.
Lucretia grinned. “Splendid. Perhaps we’ll tack up a rainbow flag above the bed in our room.”
“It might help me get about the business of making a child.”
“Have you been with a woman before?”
“No.”
“Do you fear not being able to perform?” she asked in a hushed voice, so they wouldn’t be overheard by any of the guests milling about.
Somerly shifted from foot to foot. “It’s a possibility.”
“Don’t worry. All you need is some friction. We’ll get the deed done. I don’t care if you have a man in your mind while you go about your business, but it’s vital we have kids.”
The idea of being in bed with Lucretia while she provided the “friction” he needed to get her with child made him a little queasy, so he set it aside. She was a beautiful woman, but he had a sexy warlock waiting for him in Arizona. He took a quick peek at his watch and discovered he was already late for their nightly ritual. Somerly hoped Dre’Kariston wasn’t too upset that he hadn’t texted him yet to teleport him to Court D’Vaire. It was going to take another lie to explain away his tardiness. Shaking off his disappointment of being dishonest with Dre’Kariston, Somerly realized Lucretia was still waiting for some sort of response from him. “Right. Friction.”
“You’re practically green at the thought.”
“Sorry, I promise it’s nothing personal.”
“I understand, Somerly. This isn’t how I wished for my life to go either, but this will be good for all the dragons in the Consilium. Court Varius will be the envy of the world and even the Emperor himself will see that Fate doesn’t always know best.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
Lucretia smiled. “I do. A lovely woman with a full understanding of what the future holds, which includes my marriage to you. Are you seeing someone?”
“Yes, but he doesn’t know about all this.”
“If I might offer you some advice, it would be to be honest with him. If he cares for you, he’ll understand the responsibility you have as Prince Ethelin. There’s no reason he can’t continue to play a significant role in your life after we say our vows. In fact, now that we both know where our true passions lie, I could see an arrangement where our lovers are brought more fully into our lives. No reason why anyone needs to know that we lie down at night with someone besides our spouse.”
Somerly tried in vain to picture Dre’Kariston living in a home with Lucretia and her lover. As nice as it would be to solve the problem of his need to be married with his desire to stay with Dre’Kariston, he couldn’t imagine the Grand Summoner giving up his life in Arizona to play a phony role in Court Ethelin or Court Varius. “I would have no objection to that.”
“Talk to him. He’ll be taken aback at first, but I’m sure he’ll come around.”
“I will,” Somerly lied. Dre’Kariston wasn’t simply a relationship he’d picked up along the way. The warlock was the other half of his soul, picked out for him by Fate. It was not Lucretia Somerly should be planning his future around but Dre’Kariston. However, Fate hadn’t taken away his role as King Boian’s son, and he couldn’t deny a lifetime of being his only child because of his selfish desire to run away to Arizona. His father hadn’t asked him for anything but to agree to this alliance.
It would bring forth a future where the Ethelin dragons would have a say in their government and could improve their lives. Lucretia and her family saw the value of it the same way Somerly’s father did. How could he toss that aside because Fate gave him such a huge gift that was equally a burden? Those thoughts distressed Somerly more than any other. He didn’t wish to think of Dre’Kariston’s presence in his life as anything negative but the reality was, he was stuck on a path where there was no other option but to marry Lucretia.
Each day at Court D’Vaire brought him closer to Dre’Kariston, and it was dangerous to keep traveling there knowing that his heart was going to be lost. But Somerly couldn’t force himself to stay away, even though in the end it was likely going to crush him if he had to say good-bye to Dre’Kariston. His only hope was that the warlock would somehow understand the marriage he was committed to and that they could find a way to stay together. It was probably a foolish idea, but Somerly couldn’t help but dream of a future where he was able to please both his father and Dre’Kariston.
“Come along, Somerly,” Lucretia invited from his side. “Let’s go and see if we can wrap up this celebration.” She leaned close. “I have a date tonight.”
“Me too.”
“Then shall we tell our fathers we’re tired and need to retire for the night?”
Somerly thought of the warlock waiting for him to text and smiled genuinely. “Absolutely.”
Chapter 15
“Dra’Kaedan, what the hell? Stop beating on that keyboard. You’re going to break it,” Renny warned.
Whipping his head around to face his familiar, Dra’Kaedan snarled, “Well, the damn thing isn’t working.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s warlock error,” Scheredin drawled out. He was sitting on the sofa while his familiar twirled a dagger in his hand next to him.
“All I’m trying to do is delete some damn emails and the stupid thing keeps telling me I need to restart it. What the fuck?” Dra’Kaedan retorted.
“Here’s an idea,” Dre’Kariston said. “Why don’t you try restarting it, then deleting your emails?”
“It’ll take me three seconds to delete them. The damn computer can take its sweet-ass time restarting when I’m done,” Dra’Kaedan shot back.
“Move,” Renny ordered and waved at Dra’Kaedan to get out of the office chair.
“Fine, you deal with it,” Dra’Kaedan replied as he stood and leaned his weight against the desk. “I almost torched the fucker.”
“No setting computers on fire,” Scheredin demanded.
“Couldn’t he just use his magic to fix it if he did?” Somerly asked. If he had the ability to cast spells, he’d like to think he could remedy any issue he created. In fact, the more time he spent around magickind, the more in awe he became of their skills. It wa
s as if his previous aversion to it was melting away. Or perhaps I’m just enamored of Dre’Kariston, he thought as he stared at the dark-haired warlock.
“Nah, it would act all fucking crazy because he has no idea how a computer really works,” Renny explained as he tapped keys. The screen flashed, went dark, and booted back up again.
“I was stuck in a cabin with Latarian when the fucking things were invented,” Dra’Kaedan argued as he crossed his arms over his chest.
“Blah, blah, blah…I was comatose in a cave with a Cwylld rock on my chest. I still manage not to yell at inanimate objects,” Scheredin countered.
“That’s because you’re into those video games on it,” Dra’Kaedan replied.
“I don’t get that one—you can cast magic in real life. Why do you need to do it in a game?” Renny asked.
“Because it’s fun,” Scheredin said.
“It’s awesome. I always play as a rogue,” Brexton informed them.
“Just try to remember you’re only a rogue in games and a warlock familiar in real life,” Dre’Kariston suggested.
“Scher, what kind of games do you like to play?” Somerly asked.
“Fantasy role-playing. I always play as a warlock,” Scheredin replied, his green eyes bright with excitement. Somerly enjoyed the company of nearly everyone who was a part of the Coven of Warlocks. He didn’t know the newest addition, Wullem, well. The former Court Ethelin member was on the quiet side, but he was polite when Somerly did get the chance to spend any time with him. The same couldn’t be said for Dre’Kariston’s familiar, Derwin, who was always rude to Somerly. Not wanting to create any drama or problems for his mate, Somerly did his best to be cordial, which was easy because Derwin was spending more and more time alone in his room.
“Why play as a warlock when you’re that in real life?” Brexton asked. “Not much of a fantasy if you’re playing as yourself. You could choose so many other options.”
Scheredin shrugged. “I happen to love being a warlock and couldn’t imagine being anything else.”
“Not to interrupt your fascinating conversation but, Dra’Kaedan, which of these emails are you trying to delete?” Renny asked.
“All the applications,” Dra’Kaedan answered.
“Are those the applications to your sanctuary?” Somerly ventured.
“Yeah, there were some I wouldn’t have minded exploring but since we’re kind of unofficially closed right now, I’m just deleting them before I get sucked into someone’s story and have to fight my urge to potentially add them,” Dra’Kaedan explained.
“How long are you guys going to be closed?” Somerly asked.
“Until someone finds that bitch Latarian and takes her ass down,” Renny informed him.
“It’s too bad you guys can’t help any people in the Council because she was resurrected and is out in the world somewhere,” Somerly said.
“Tell me about it. I hope Gavrael throws another damn dagger in her heart,” Brexton retorted.
“Are there sanctuaries in the Consilium?” Dra’Kaedan asked.
It was rather embarrassing to Somerly that he had no idea. He’d just found out at his engagement party that there were only three kings who’d defied Fate and hadn’t followed their Emperor to the Council. In his mind, he’d imagined this ogre who’d uprooted people against their will and that thousands had rebelled against him. Was his father wrong in thinking the Emperor didn’t have the best interests of dragons at heart? Somerly wasn’t sure, but his own life wasn’t going to follow the path of what his heart was telling him was the way to go. Instead, he was going to be living with a woman, perhaps not even in his father’s court. He didn’t know what that meant for him or his best friend, Lex. With a shake of his head, he cast aside his thoughts, so he could answer Dra’Kaedan’s question. “I’m not sure. I never thought about sanctuaries before I met you guys.”
“I imagine most people don’t broach the subject if they aren’t in need of one themselves,” Dre’Kariston added. Somerly glanced over at him and was rewarded with a small smile from his mate. Once again, he found himself appreciating the way Dre’Kariston always rose to his defense and didn’t make him feel like an idiot.
“I was just curious if Somerly knew. I don’t expect him to be a Consilium expert,” Dra’Kaedan retorted. “Was your father ever in the inner circle of your king? Do you know anything about him?”
Somerly squirmed. The magnitude of the lies he’d built around himself grew heavier with each passing day, but even if he wanted to clue Dre’Kariston in on his real identity, he doubted a room full of warlocks and their familiars was the place to do it, so he tacked on one more untruth. “No.”
“That’s good. King Boian’s an asshat,” Renny shot out. It was the first time anyone in the D’Vaire household had said anything negative about Somerly’s father or his court.
“Renny, be nice. Somerly owes him fealty,” Dre’Kariston chided.
“Honesty’s the best policy, Dre’Kariston, and it’s no secret that King Boian did everything he could to convince the world that Aleksander’s cursed. I owe my king fealty, and I’m not going to hesitate to stick up for him.”
“I’m sure Somerly understands why we as D’Vaires would have an issue with King Boian,” Dra’Kaedan said.
Somerly couldn’t defend the things his father said about King D’Vaire. He didn’t know Aleksander well. The few weeks he’d been coming to his home, Somerly did his best to avoid the man he’d heard so many harsh things about his whole life. However, Aleksander’s home was filled with happy people who had the freedom to do whatever they wished. To Somerly it spoke volumes about the way Aleksander ran his court and who he was as a person. “It’s okay, I get that my king and yours have a history.”
“Quite an extensive and complicated one,” Dra’Kaedan agreed. “But we don’t need to cover old ground. We’re trying to get to know you better and alienating you by badmouthing your king isn’t going to get us anywhere. All of us enjoy your company and are glad you take the time to visit D’Vaire every day.”
“Thanks, I really like coming here,” Somerly replied. His gaze again traveled to Dre’Kariston. Sprawled over the sofa cushion, Dre’Kariston looked gorgeous in his dark shirt and faded jeans. His navy eyes were full of good humor, and his black curls were glossy in the bright light of the office. As amazing as D’Vaire was, nothing compared to the warlock smiling at him with a mouth that drove Somerly absolutely crazy no matter where Dre’Kariston used it on his body.
“Music to my ears,” Dre’Kariston said.
“He can’t even say that without sounding smug as hell,” Scheredin observed.
“Wait until your mate shows up, Scher. You’ll know exactly why I’m feeling smug,” Dre’Kariston retorted.
“He’d have to quit playing video games long enough to take time for his mate and act all full of himself around us. I’m not sure there’s enough time in the day for all that,” Renny threw in.
Somerly continued to stare at Dre’Kariston as the men in the room bantered over Scheredin’s love of gaming and his potential arrogance when his mate was found. It’d been a few days since his engagement party, and he was still feeling raw after speaking with Lucretia about his future. It was the first time his marriage had seemed real, and Somerly wasn’t sure how he was going to muster the strength to go through all that was expected of him. Confusion reigned supreme in his mind as well because he was beginning to doubt that his father had his best interests at heart.
He’d known an alliance with Court Varius was vital to King Boian, but why would he even negotiate Somerly leaving his home? How would he be helping the Ethelin dragons if he was living at Court Varius? His own name and potential children would be Varius, not Ethelin. What benefit was his father truly gaining from such an arrangement? A cold shiver worked through him as he considered that what his father truly wanted was the money he was going to receive out of the deal.
He was his father’s only child—w
ouldn’t he want him close? Spending time at D’Vaire and speaking with Lucretia was expanding Somerly’s view of the world and he was finding that not everything was as simple as King Boian always made it. Why did his father hate King D’Vaire so much? What had Aleksander done to him to cause him to spend over six centuries saying awful things about him? Aleksander hadn’t retaliated in any way, even though he’d managed to regain his standing in the dragon world, yet King Boian still griped and complained that the leader of D’Vaire wasn’t banished from the rest of their kind.
Somerly was growing fearful about the truth of the situation. It was difficult to think of his father cast in the role of villain, but he was struggling to find another conclusion that made sense. And once he traveled down that road, a great many things were painted in a different light. It made him question his father’s judgment, and that made Somerly sick to his stomach. He didn’t want to distrust his father and have issue with his motives, but he couldn’t return to his innocence.
It made Somerly think of Lex again. Since they were young, Lex had begged Somerly to view Court Ethelin in a logical way. He’d accused Somerly of only seeing what he wanted to because of his love for his father. Somerly was growing afraid that Lex was right all along, and he had no idea what that meant for his future. Was he giving up a truly happy life with Dre’Kariston for his father, even though it might not be the noble sacrifice he’d always believed it to be? Somerly wondered if it was worth discussing any of this with Lex. Deep down, he knew exactly what his best friend would say and what advice he would offer.
But Somerly wasn’t ready to fully believe his father didn’t want the best for his people. If the three Consilium dragon courts were united, they might very well be able to have a voice in their government. Surely that would be beneficial to not only Ethelin dragons but all the Consilium ones as well. How could Somerly put his selfish desire to make a life with Dre’Kariston ahead of that?
The Summoner's Path (D'Vaire, Book 10) Page 11