“Yeah, I hear you and I know you don’t have a choice. You need to be close to Council Headquarters.”
“I do. I’d like to be close to you as well.”
“I’ll talk to Bax and Ben. We can decide if we want to stay at the hotel or find an apartment or something.”
“Thank you, Chand. I’m going to have lofty expectations for us.”
“Stop thanking me,” Chander grumbled. “I’m the one who should be saying thank you for giving me a second chance.”
“We’re giving us a second chance.” Alaric got to his feet. “Okay, I’d love to stay but I need to get back to the compound. I have over eight thousand men in the process of arriving here to get ID cards.”
Chander rose as well. “One quick question, are we telling people about us?”
“Maybe our inner circles and close friends for now?”
“Great idea. We don’t want the Order of Necromancia deciding our separation papers are a sham and fighting for those properties after all.”
“I forgot about that,” Alaric confessed. “But I’m not afraid of fighting them.”
“Me neither but you don’t need that land tied up. You’ve got sentinels who need it.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll see you on Monday.”
Chander expressed a similar sentiment and then Alaric teleported home. He was equal parts terrified and relieved that he’d convinced Chander to try their relationship again. Only time would tell if it was a mistake, but he needed to know if there was any way they could accomplish it. The not knowing combined with endless loneliness would have torn him apart eventually. Chander’s apology had been heartfelt, and when he’d confessed his feelings for Alaric—this time not in anger—his heart had been lost. He was committed to this second chance, and he wasn’t going to settle for anyone getting in the way of their happiness. Not even Chander.
Chapter 19
Chander had spent the last day at D’Vaire pleasantly fatigued from all the power he’d put into his spell and terrified of what he’d agreed to with Alaric. He’d been flummoxed when Alaric had suggested they try to take another stab at their relationship, but he wasn’t stupid enough to say no. It had been the first time in four months he’d been close to him and the truth was, he had wanted to crawl into his lap. Chander had looked at that sexy mouth and those curious glowing eyes and he’d craved him.
It wasn’t only a sexual thing for Chander; he’d wished he could talk to him all day and night. Being close to him had brought back the joy he remembered feeling when they’d been a couple. He also recalled it had been Alaric’s presence that had given him the strength to pull out of his coma. Alaric had dragged him from the darkness and was the best part of his soul. It was clichéd, but he was definitely Chander’s better half.
Now he was sitting out on a comfortable chaise lounge looking over the expansive flowers and beautiful memorial garden in the backyard of D’Vaire, making promises to himself. No matter what happened, he was going to discuss shit with Alaric before losing his mind. He was going to be brave and not look for pitfalls. Chander was going to do all he could to make sure this second chance Alaric was giving him wasn’t a mistake.
“Hey,” Benton said as he walked out onto the deck with Baxter.
“Hey, yourself, I thought you were watching a movie.”
“It’s over.” Baxter took a seat and slung an arm over Benton who was pressed close.
“You two still pissed at me?”
Baxter frowned. “You tranqued us.”
“I know and I’m sorry.”
“You could’ve just told us what you were planning,” Benton said. “Do you honestly think we would have disagreed with the idea of casting that spell?”
“No, I think you would’ve been on board, but I wasn’t even sure if it would work.”
“Were you afraid we’d think less of you if you had to go back to the drawing board? If you had failed, we both know you would’ve eventually figured it out,” Baxter replied.
“I know you have faith in me. In fact, you two have always had too much confidence in me. I was afraid you’d want me to at the very least discuss it with Alaric. I needed to get this done before I saw him again. I can’t explain why.…It was just the way I felt. I’ll admit I took the easiest route, but I also wasn’t sure if unleashing that much power would make your sentinel instincts go all nutso and that you’d do something to stop me.”
“I suppose that’s fair. If we’d been awake, who knows how the spell would have caused us to react?”
“I really am sorry.”
“Promise to never do it again,” Baxter demanded.
Chander rolled his eyes. “How in the world do you think I could manage that? I had to order you to steal them. I don’t have that power anymore. I think you’re safe from me in the future.”
“He’s getting lippy,” Baxter told Benton.
“When isn’t he?”
“And I want to say this again, and you two need to remain open-minded,” Chander said. “You don’t have to stay with me all the time anymore. I know you want to be close and we always will be, but maybe you’d want to travel or do something normal like going to visit a museum. There’s no reason you need to spend your lives guarding me twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I’m just a demonic former necromancer who has no danger lurking around the corner.”
“Our choice is to keep an eye on you,” Baxter insisted.
“You know most adults don’t require two sentinels breathing down their neck telling them to eat, shower, or whatever.”
“You aren’t most adults,” Benton fired back.
“That’s right. You don’t remember to have meals or sleep or any other normal things adults do,” Baxter added.
“I hate you guys.”
“You do not. You love us. You’re grateful to have us,” Baxter countered.
“And we’re grateful to you for all you’ve done for us and for our people,” Benton said.
“I swear, if people are going to keep thanking me, I’m going to start wearing headphones or something.”
“You start blasting Oingo Boingo or Flock of Seagulls and I’m going to pretend I don’t know you,” Benton responded.
“There’s nothing wrong with ’80s music.”
“So, what happened with you and Alaric yesterday?” Benton asked.
“What makes you think anything happened?”
“I just wondered since he teleported straight to the compound,” Benton replied.
“He has a great deal to do.”
“Yeah, so what did you two talk about?” Baxter asked.
Chander had every intention of telling them what he and Alaric had decided. It impacted them, and they would figure it out even if he didn’t, but Chander was enjoying dragging it out. He knew it annoyed them, and he was feeling a bit perverse. Not to mention, he was nervous about the way people were going to react to the news. Would they think Alaric was insane for letting Chander back into his life? “Don’t I deserve any privacy around here?”
“You should know better than that by now. Of course the answer is no,” Baxter said.
“Bax, he doesn’t have to tell us if it makes him uncomfortable.”
“I hope you told him you were sorry for thinking he fucked Victor.”
Benton glared. “Baxter! I can’t believe you just said that.”
Chander cracked up. “As a matter of fact, I did.”
“Did he accept your apology?”
“I was as sincere as I could be, and I do think he was receptive to it,” Chander replied.
“That’s it? He accepted your apology and bounced back to the compound?”
“More or less.” Chander had to put his hand over his mouth to cover his smile.
“He’s fucking with us,” Benton said to Baxter who scowled at Chander.
“You guys are friends again, aren’t you?” Baxter asked.
“He did invite me to come to the office tomorrow, so I could mee
t the rest of the Skeleton Seven in person,” Chander confided.
“Oh, I thought he might have invited you to see his new condo.”
“Alaric has a new condo?”
“Well, it used to be one of yours, but Ben and I paid to have the thing renovated and decorated for Alaric as well as the non-D’Vaire members of the Skeleton Seven.”
“Huh.”
“Yeah, supposedly it looks great. Gavrael said it was finished Friday. They weren’t sure when they’d actually move in because of the sentinels, but you probably seriously fast-tracked their timeline,” Baxter responded.
“Well, I’m glad they’ll have a place to lay their heads when their new complex is ready. Which condo did they pick?”
“We chose the one we were living in. It was big enough for all of them plus plenty of guest spaces.”
Chander easily recalled the enormous condo and figured his sentinels had made an excellent choice. It was perfect, and he was glad Alaric was going to be in a penthouse in one of the most sought after addresses available. “Awesome.”
“But he didn’t invite you to see it?”
“He never even mentioned it.”
“Well, what the hell did you talk about? It can’t take that long to say I’m sorry,” Baxter groused.
“He expressed his gratitude for my spell.”
“He didn’t need privacy for that.”
“I’m curious what you think we talked about,” Chander said.
“If I knew, would I be asking?”
Clearly Baxter was getting annoyed. Chander decided to put the man out of his misery. “We talked about us.”
“The three of us sitting out here on the deck?”
“No, dummy, Alaric and me. That us.”
“You two are legally separated,” Benton stated.
“Yes, we are and we’re going to remain that way.”
Both sentinels looked crestfallen. “Oh,” Baxter said.
“But we’re going to try a second time to build a relationship.”
“You are?” Benton asked.
“Yes, but we’re going to take things very slowly.”
“If you’re going to try again, why did you say you’re going to remain legally separated?”
“Because nothing is set in stone yet. We don’t know if we’ll be successful and because that piece of paper keeps the Order of Necromancia from putting their grubby hands on what are now Alaric’s properties.”
“Please tell me you’re not going to keep yourself from being happy because Sigimund wants the Sentinel Brotherhood’s real estate,” Benton demanded.
“Our second try is going to be quiet for now. It’s between Alaric and me. We’re going to tell people closest to us but not the general public. We can figure out how to build a relationship without announcing it to the world. Technically, we’ll still be separated. As far as I’m concerned, that has no bearing on our personal lives—it’s a necessary legal matter since Sigimund is such an asshole. As soon as the sentinels are here and living in their complex, it won’t even be an issue. The Order of Necromancia can’t seize land all those men live on. The Council would never let it happen,” Chander explained.
“Okay, that makes sense. I can see why you two would want to avoid all that legal bullshit,” Baxter said.
“It’s a complication we can all do without, that’s for sure.”
“I’m so happy you guys are going to try again,” Benton enthused.
“I don’t want you getting too excited. I’m going to try my best, but there’s no guarantee this is going to work.”
“Don’t psych yourself out. When you were together before, you two seemed happy. Just focus on that. And this time you aren’t sick, so you don’t have to worry about dropping dead and fucking it up that way,” Baxter replied.
“And don’t you dare say dropping dead would have been better than what you did do, or I will smack you right off that seat,” Benton threatened.
“To think I’m the one who gets accused of being mean.”
“Promise us that you’ll start taking better care of yourself. If you’re sleeping and eating right, you’ll be less likely to do crazy shit like believing fake photos,” Benton begged.
“I told Alaric next time I get a picture like that, I will take the evidence straight to him and I won’t leave him without a chance to defend himself.”
“That’s a start, but you’re ignoring the part about taking care of yourself.”
“I still have shit to do. I haven’t gotten anywhere in my quest to return Drystan and Conley’s dragons.”
Baxter narrowed his eyes. “No excuses, Mr. Daray. You have a matebond to grow and nourish. You need to be healthy and strong.”
“How the fuck did you two become such relationship experts? You hated each other for six centuries—not that you even knew each other. Then you met, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard you assholes have a real fight. How does that even work?”
“We have a common goal of being happy,” Benton said.
“And we like to fuck,” Baxter added. “Did your sex life suck or something with Alaric?”
“Do not answer that,” Benton ordered. “And we aren’t together because we like to fuck, dickhead.”
Chander chuckled. “Alaric left me with no complaints in the bedroom. For the record.”
“Stop bragging,” Baxter teased.
“I guess we’re going to have to continue to badger him to eat and sleep,” Benton complained with a sigh.
“At least we’ll have Alaric helping. He’s about the only one that’s ever been able to get Chand to behave himself.”
“Fuck you both. I’m going inside to enjoy dinner with the D’Vaires. I have a busy day tomorrow and need to relax before getting a good night’s sleep,” Chander said before getting up and heading into the house. His sentinels offered no comment, but that didn’t mean they weren’t using their mindlink to privately add their two cents. The following morning probably wasn’t going to be any fun, but he was looking forward to his time with the sentinels, especially their leader.
Chapter 20
Walking out of his bedroom, Chander saw the sentinels he lived with wearing the spiffy new uniforms that had been designed a few months ago when their race had joined the Council. Their version was less flashy than the one Alaric and the Skeleton Seven wore; it didn’t have a skull on the chest. The sash and thick embroidery were a medium gray over the same charcoal mandarin collared jacket and slacks worn by the rulers of the Sentinel Brotherhood.
“You guys look amazing,” Chander told them.
“I know, right?” Baxter said. “I almost tore Ben’s uniform right off when he put it on.”
“On that note, let’s go,” Chander replied and they teleported to Council Headquarters. They should’ve had to stand in line to get through security, but Venerable Knight Vann Ruarc demanded they bypass it and since it was Vann’s turn to oversee the building’s security, Chander didn’t argue. He walked into the Main Assembly Hall through the public entrance and he had to admit he was nervous.
Looking around, he saw the new Arch Lich was already poised in his box. So was the Lich Sentinel and the sight of him in that damn uniform always made Chander’s pulse pick up. Alaric offered him a small smile, and Chander hoped he did his best to discreetly return it. Baxter and Benton led Chander over to the first row of seats; he was going to be called to the podium so if he stayed close, he wouldn’t have to hurdle over people. He barely got his butt on the seat when the Council leaders in the room all rose to their feet. Following suit, Chander watched as Emperor Chrysander walked into his large vestibule, his gold crown gleaming.
“Ladies and gentlemen, good morning,” Chrysander said after everyone was back in their chairs. “Let’s begin with our first item on the agenda. I’d like to ask Mr. Chander Daray to come forward to speak.”
Chander rose and walked to the large podium. Baxter and Benton flanked his back. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”
“Thank you for being here this morning, Mr. Daray,” Chrysander replied. “Your presence was requested by the Order of Necromancia. Arch Lich Roth, you may begin with your first question.”
“As this Council is aware, on Friday afternoon Mr. Daray took it upon himself to illegally sever the bond between all necromancers and their sentinels. Innocent people had their lives upended with no warning, and they are now irrevocably changed. There is no way to undo the actions of Mr. Daray’s criminal act,” Sigimund insisted. “Mr. Daray, your actions are unjustifiable and unlawful. Do you have so little regard for the rules which govern this Council that you did not take into effect the consequences of your actions?”
“I am very familiar with the laws which govern this Council. I was an integral part of the ratification of many of them. There’s nothing at all that prohibits a sorcerer from casting a spell such as the one I chose to do on Friday. The criminal act was committed two thousand years ago when two necromancers took it upon themselves to create a race beholden to their kind. That was followed by the even more unlawful actions of forcing an entire race to live in a prison and placing the leader of the Sentinel Brotherhood under a mind-altering spell,” Chander stated.
Sigimund was indignant. “Mr. Daray, you will conduct yourself as expected in this room. I am the Arch Lich and I will be addressed by my title. It is a measure of respect given to each Council leader and I have not given you leave to drop it. I’m not here to debate the actions of the far past. We are talking about the unlawful actions you took. People could have been hurt. The entire necromancer population was comatose for over sixty minutes. It was blind luck there were no car accidents or any other disasters while you went about your foul deed.”
“Sigimund, I’ll be damned if I’m going to call you by the title Fate gave me,” Chander countered. The room was filled with gasps and murmurs, but Chander couldn’t care less. “It wasn’t blind luck that kept the necromancers safe. I took their well-being into account and cast a mass compulsion spell first. There was no danger.”
“Your Majesty, I must request that you order Mr. Daray to behave with the decency we expect in this room,” Sigimund demanded.
Fall of the Arch Lich (D'Vaire, Book 6) Page 13