“You’ll get to meet him when you go to D’Vaire, Worth. You’ll have to tell me all about it and the others. They have sentinels there. I used the computer to look them up—they have these glowing daggers at their sides,” Lex enthused.
“I want you to come to D’Vaire,” Somerly told him.
“Their sanctuary’s closed,” Worth reminded him. “And you know why, apparently.”
“There’s a crazy lady they can’t find that might wish to hurt the D’Vaires,” Somerly explained.
“Lex here can tell King D’Vairedraconis he’s never been with a crazy lady, and she’s certainly not hiding under his clothes,” Worth said.
“I’ve never been with a lady at all. She’d be missing my favorite parts of a body,” Lex retorted.
“No need to explain, I’ve the same orientation myself. I’m still looking so forward to meeting Boian’s enemy. A part of me wishes to ask him to pose for a photo with me so I can send it to the bastard who fathered me,” Worth remarked.
Somerly waved in the direction of the laptop Tillie lent them. “You can use that program to modify photos. Simply color your eyes navy and black and add the blue to your hair. King Aleksander’s a bit taller and has broader shoulders maybe, but you two are practically twins.”
“It’s getting rather annoying being told he looks like me all the time,” Worth complained. “I prefer to think of my reflection as a unique one.”
“I guess you’ll find out for yourself soon. Please invite me over when you can. I want to see the pair of you together after all the talking Somerly has done about it.”
“I wish you’d stop speaking as if we’re about to be separated,” Somerly retorted.
“He can’t deal with reality just now. Heartbroken and all,” Worth told Lex. “I’ll do my best to include you in everything.”
“You’ll have to help Somerly with Dre’Kariston,” Lex warned.
“No kidding, Somerly here will be throwing himself down on the sofa while the Grand Summoner starts badgering him with questions about why he’s such a liar,” Worth retorted.
“I guess it doesn’t matter that I can hear you both,” Somerly complained. They continued to carry on their conversation about how much help Somerly was going to need when he finally got to Court D’Vaire. Somerly tuned them out; he already knew how sad his situation was and the truth was, he was going to need all the assistance he could get. But he was beginning to feel a little better about having the opportunity to speak to Dre’Kariston. It was the tiniest step toward finding a way to explain himself. Worth was right; he needed to start choosing the right words because he doubted he was going to get more than one shot to fix it.
Chapter 32
“The respite’s over, isn’t it?” T’Eirick asked.
“What do you mean?” Renny questioned.
“It’s been a couple of days since we were resurrected. We’re not sick any longer. I know you all have questions for us,” the former Grand Warlock responded.
“Well, you should all know me well enough to know I’m not answering anything before I’ve had my coffee,” Saura said.
“Mom, you didn’t even drink coffee the last time we were together. You had it for the first time on Saturday morning,” Dra’Kaedan argued.
“T’Eirick, your sons are annoying,” Saura stated.
T’Eirick lifted a brow after turning his gaze to his mate. “You’re the one that encouraged our children to speak whatever was on their minds.”
“One of many mistakes I’ve made in my life but if we’re ready to start playing catch-up with everyone, then I want to go first,” Saura remarked after taking a big gulp of her hot beverage. Her blue eyes found Dre’Kariston and as always, he was unnerved by her direct stare. “Time to talk about Somerly.”
“There’s not much to say.”
Saura set her mug down onto the coffee table with a sharp click. “Bullshit.”
“Mom, language,” Dra’Kaedan complained.
Her head swiveled toward her oldest son and she narrowed her eyes. “I’ve heard you say worse, and if you think for one minute I should watch my choice of words because I have different parts than you, then you need to take two steps back and rethink your position on the subject.”
Aleksander grinned. “I like your mom, Squirt.”
“I knew you would, Batutut,” Dra’Kaedan retorted.
“What in the name of Fate is a batootoot?” T’Eirick asked.
“It’s what they call Bigfoot in Vietnam,” Dra’Kaedan answered.
Before anyone could offer any further comment, there was a knock against the open door, and two dragon-shifting fallen knights walked into Aleksander’s office.
“It’s lovely to see you again,” Saura offered as she quickly rose to hug the pair. After everyone in the room greeted the two men, Aleksander invited them to take a seat.
Dre’Kariston didn’t have to guess what brought the Reverent Knights back to their home. “You have a form for me to sign, right?”
Drystan nodded. “We do, but I think we need to have a little chat first. Aleksander, would you mind asking your cousins to join us?”
“Why do you need Dravyn and Noir?” Scheredin asked.
“I’ll explain everything when they get here,” Drystan promised.
Aleksander made quick work of locating his family members. Within minutes Noirin walked in and found a seat. Seconds later the rich smell of earth heralded the arrival of the D’Vaire’s incredible gardener. Dravyn’s baseball cap was pulled backward and his smattering of freckles was highlighted by the pink the sun had left on his face.
“Thanks for taking the time to talk with us, guys,” Conley said. “We’ve just met with Somerly and his two companions. Our plan was to bring the form over here directly but after we read it, we knew we needed to speak with him.”
Dre’Kariston’s brow furrowed. “Okay, that’s weird and I have no clue what Somerly has to do with Aleksander’s cousins.”
“Because Somerly happens to be the son of King Boian Ethelindraconis,” Drystan stated.
Aleksander leaned back in his chair with a startled look. “That would make him my half brother.”
“A connection he failed to tell me about. I don’t know why I’m surprised. I wonder if there was anything he was truthful about,” Dre’Kariston growled.
“Settle down, and give him the chance to explain,” T’Eirick suggested in a soft voice.
“He doesn’t look anything like me, but obviously we have different mothers. Mine died when I was a baby,” Aleksander said, collecting himself. “Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed we were related.”
“Let’s talk about that for a minute. You and your cousins resemble each other a great deal,” Conley remarked.
Dravyn nodded. “Our fathers were brothers and our mothers were sisters.”
Noirin leaned her head against Dravyn’s shoulder. “Mom had stunning raven hair. We were lucky enough to inherit it.”
“It’s all I remember of her—they died when I was a toddler,” Dravyn added. “That’s when we went to live with Boian and Aleksander.”
“And he turned you into servants,” Aleksander groused.
“It wasn’t so bad. Those skills helped us all survive when the dragons ostracized us,” Noirin told her cousin.
“And we both love what we do,” Dravyn threw in. “I don’t know what I’d do without my garden.”
“I’m happier than anyone you two wound up loving cooking and gardening, but it will always be a bone of contention for me that Boian treated you the way he did. You should’ve grown up alongside me, unfettered by responsibility,” Aleksander retorted.
“It’s ancient history now,” Noirin reminded him. “And we have a new cousin we should be focused on right now. Your brother.”
“About that,” Conley said. “Somerly has two companions with him. One of them is Prince Worthington Ethelindraconis, though your brother prefers Worth.”
Aleksander’s eyes wide
ned almost comically. “I have two brothers?”
“Somerly told me he had a brother who died during his first shift,” Dre’Kariston commented after Aleksander’s outburst. “So, did he lie about that too?”
“I can’t answer that, but I will tell you that there’s no love lost between Worth and Boian,” Drystan replied.
“Do Somerly and Worth know we’re brothers?” Aleksander inquired.
“You’ve kept the secret of being King Boian’s son for all these centuries, so I wasn’t just going to hand that information out. You can handle the knowledge of their connection to you however you wish,” Drystan replied.
“I have a feeling the cat isn’t going to stay in the bag long once they get here,” Conley predicted.
Aleksander’s brow furrowed. “Why is that?”
Conley gave him a negligent shrug. “You could say it’s a feeling I have.”
“Who’s the third person with them?” Dra’Kaedan asked.
“I guess you haven’t checked your sanctuary applications, because he claims to have filled one out,” Drystan said.
“We’re essentially closed, and shit was busy here for the last couple of days,” Renny defended as he tapped on the screen of his phone.
“Did you find it?” Dra’Kaedan asked his familiar.
“Yep, we’ve only got one. I’m sending it to your printer, Aleksander,” Renny informed them.
Seconds later, the printer in question rumbled to life and pumped out pages. Aleksander rolled his chair over to it and grabbed them. He read the first one and closed his eyes for a second, then lifted his lashes. “His name is Marquis Lex Ethelindraconis.” Aleksander met the eyes of the D’Vaire dragons in the room. “He’s Duke Drogo’s son.”
“The guy we met when we went to Court Ethelin?” Dra’Kaedan asked.
“Yes, Drogo’s a great guy,” Brogan said.
“Somerly, Worth, and Lex would all like to come here,” Drystan said. “I know your doors are closed and with good reason, but these guys don’t even know who Latarian is.”
“Well, obviously I can’t say much about Somerly. Legally he’s free to ask for the right to stay as long as Dre’Kariston lives here,” Aleksander remarked.
“And you aren’t moving, so shut up,” Dra’Kaedan snapped at his twin.
Dre’Kariston rolled his eyes. “Right, let me just pack my bags and leave my entire family. It’s a big fucking house. He can stay here, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to talk to him.”
“You can have an open fucking mind. This is your mate,” Saura shot out.
“Mom, can we at least agree that you don’t use the word ‘fucking’?” Dra’Kaedan pleaded.
“You’re turning into a real prude. And no,” Saura retorted.
“I can’t keep the other two rotting in a hotel room forever. They’d like to stay together, but if that’s not possible, I’ll give my parents a call and see if they’re willing to take in Worth and Lex,” Drystan said.
“I’m not going to say no to my brother, even if I’ve never met him,” Aleksander replied. “Dra’Kaedan, what are your thoughts about Lex?” The D’Vaire king stood and handed Dra’Kaedan the application Lex filled out at some point in the last few days. Renny smashed himself up against his warlock to read it, but he didn’t have to because Dra’Kaedan handed the pages to him after barely glancing at it.
“It’s what Somerly wants. Lex has left his home and his parents. He’s welcome into our sanctuary,” Dra’Kaedan stated.
“They’re best friends—that much I know,” Dre’Kariston added.
“According to the form, he’s always wanted to join the Council,” Renny supplied as he continued to scan Lex’s application.
“Great, we’ll let them know and make arrangements to bring them here today,” Drystan said.
“Okay, I’ll be here trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’m not an only child,” Aleksander commented.
“He’s probably going to have a tantrum,” Dra’Kaedan predicted.
“Make sure you call me, so I can watch,” Conley remarked. “There’s just one other thing. Worth has asked us to make arrangements to have Somerly tested. He believes Boian did something to somehow stunt Somerly’s growth. I’m going to call Vadimas, but I wanted to give you all a heads up.”
“He is the smallest dragon I’ve ever seen,” Dravyn said. “And Boian’s a fuckhead.”
“Okay, but why? What would be the point?” Aleksander asked.
“Your father’s fucking crazy. Does he even need a reason?” Brogan demanded.
“Just seems like a strange-ass thing to me,” Aleksander responded.
“We’ll figure it out one way or another. There’s certainly nothing wrong with him being shorter than the rest of you dragons, but he has a right to know if there’s a nefarious reason for it,” Drystan stated.
“Uh-hem. I believe you mean us dragons,” Noirin remarked. “You happen to be a shifter again yourself.”
Drystan grinned and it lit up his black scaly eyes with the twisted silver circle in the center. “Can you believe I forgot?”
“On that note, we’re out of here. We’ll be back later. We don’t want to miss the family reunion,” Conley said, then turned to Drystan. “I’m so glad we skipped Council session for this.”
Drystan nodded. “I’m not even going to complain when Chrys bitches about it.” The pair of unique fallen knights shimmered out of the office to take care of bringing the three new D’Vaires to their home.
Noirin got to her feet. “Well, I have three rooms to get ready.”
“Somerly won’t need his long. Dre’Kariston’s going to fix his matebond,” Saura said.
“I didn’t fuck it up,” Dre’Kariston growled. “If anyone’s going to be fixing anything it’s Somerly, and I don’t want anything to do with his lying dragon ass.”
“All you have to do is listen to him. He can’t fix it if you don’t,” Saura reminded him gently.
“Let’s focus on Aleksander right now. He’s the one who just found out he has two brothers,” Dre’Kariston suggested.
“I’ll admit I’m stunned, but I’m also curious. Somerly avoided me before—I can only imagine what he’s heard about me over the last century. Hopefully he’s come to realize I’m not an ogre. I’m curious to meet Worth and get to know Duke Drogo’s son, but all of that is second to your matebond.”
Dre’Kariston blew out a frustrated breath. He was tired physically and mentally. For him, having a matebond was just an awful exercise in futility. When he closed his eyes, he dreamed of a man he could no longer touch. And when he was awake, his belly churned with anger. All he wanted to do was pretend he’d never met Prince Somerly Ethelindraconis, and now they would be sharing a common roof over their heads. “I’m done talking about Somerly.” He smiled at his parents. “I want to focus on the two of you and find a way to be happy again.”
Saura winked. “Stick with me. I’ll make sure you’re overjoyed with life in no time at all.”
“Let’s give Dre’Kariston some space to settle his emotions before his mate arrives and our good King D’Vairedraconis and his cousins some time to handle the fact that their family has expanded,” T’Eirick suggested.
Getting to her feet, Saura flipped her blonde curls behind her back. “You have a plan, T’Eirick?”
“I believe we should go have another chat with our youngest warlock, Wullem. I’m sure we can think of more tales of his mother to share with him,” he replied. “She worried so much for him after she crossed the veil. Hilanore must be so pleased to know he’s finally found a place where’s he’s safe and cared for. He truly was the apple of her eye.”
Saura took his hand. “Absolutely. Dear Hilanore was such a wonderful asset to our home. I enjoyed her company a great deal. She was the nicest woman. Though she gave Dra’Kaedan entirely too many sweets as a child. He’s obsessed with cookies and cakes.”
Renny barked out a laugh. “You could say he’s cake-
addled.”
“I do believe you’re the most perfect familiar I’ve ever met, Renny,” Saura remarked as she sailed out of the room at T’Eirick’s side.
Once the pair were gone, Renny sighed. “I love her already. We can’t let them go back.”
Dra’Kaedan’s expression darkened. “I’ll figure out a way to trap their souls here if I can’t convince them to stay.”
“Says the light caster—and you’d never take away anyone’s choice, especially not our parents’. We’ve got time to convince them. Let’s not waste it. In the meantime, I need stuff to do. We should get the group together and focus on our Carvallius and Latarian problem.”
Dra’Kaedan’s gaze met his and nothing about his countenance softened. “I agree, we need to get moving on that but listen to me…you can’t avoid Somerly forever.”
“I know,” Dre’Kariston grumbled. More’s the pity, he added silently.
Chapter 33
Lex led a group of five men into their hotel suite. Two of them Somerly recognized, as he’d met them earlier in the day. The legendary resurrected dragons who now led the Order of the Fallen Knights were all grins. So were the three strangers with them and although Somerly had never been introduced to the man in the center, the gold ring around his pupils told him exactly who he was.
“Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Emperor Chrysander Draconis and his brothers, Imperial Duke Damian Draconis and Duke Zane Draconis,” Reverent Knight Drystan said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty,” Worth offered and thrust his hand out toward the man Fate chose to lead the dragons.
The Emperor didn’t hesitate to shake it, and his smile was wide in his handsome face. “The pleasure’s mine and I think under the circumstances, you can call me Chrysander or Chrys.”
“What circumstances are those?” Lex asked after he too greeted the men. Somerly took his turn as well and was just as confused by the Emperor’s words.
“Well, I begged for the honor to come here today and let you know that King D’Vairedraconis has approved your request for all three of you to call his court home,” Emperor Chrysander replied. “I’m a regular visitor to your new residence, and I shed my title once I step through the doors.”
The Summoner's Path (D'Vaire, Book 10) Page 24