Fall of the Arch Lich (D'Vaire, Book 6)

by Jessamyn Kingley

  “And you’re sexy as fuck like that.”

  They ran into Victor on their way to the front door. “You guys look amazing,” the cat shifter said. “Have fun.”

  “Thanks,” Alaric replied. Chander was glad he didn’t stop to chat longer. If they didn’t get out of the condo, he was going to start humping Alaric’s leg. Even as a teenager first discovering how good it felt to have his dick touched, he hadn’t been as horny as he was right now. It made no sense; he hadn’t spent the night before just sleeping. A different outfit shouldn’t have had such an effect on him, but Chander was going to blame it on the shirt. It brought out the incredible color of Alaric’s eyes the same way his sash and embroidery did on his more formal uniforms. They were out of the building and down the street before Chander had a rational thought.

  “Where are we going?”

  “A place called Andra’s,” Alaric revealed. “It’s not far from Redmilla’s.”

  “I’ve never been. How did you find out about it?”

  “Drystan. Conley has decided he must try every restaurant in the area. They enjoyed this one.”

  “What do they serve?”

  “Italian food,” Alaric replied. “I’m told their pizza is incredible.”

  Sweetness pervaded through the thick cloud of lust. “I love pizza.”

  “I know. Me too.”

  They made it to the restaurant, which Chander was pleased to discover was a cozy place with red and white decor. It wasn’t fancy and though they were there on a weekend, it wasn’t so packed they wouldn’t be able to hear each other talk. A waitress led them to a table near a large window and they were handed plastic menus.

  “This place is perfect.”

  Alaric grinned. “I’m glad you like it. Although I don’t know why you’re looking at the menu, we both know what we’re going to order.”

  “They have all kinds of pasta if you’d rather.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Just order the pizza when she gets back and shut up.”

  “You’re still staring at me weird.”

  Chander thought he had ratcheted back his leering, but it appeared he hadn’t been successful. “Am I?”

  “Yes, and I have to tell you that if you pop those fangs out in here and make me come in these jeans, I’m going to get pissed.”

  “I promise I’ll do my best to keep my hands to myself while we’re in here.”

  “It’s not your hands I’m concerned about,” Alaric replied. “It’s that grabby demon.”

  “He’s behaved himself since that first time.”

  Alaric leaned forward. “You tried to bite my dick the other night.”

  “Think about how good it felt when I bit your neck. I told you vampires do that stuff all the time.”

  “You can use that argument all you want, but the reality is that it causes both of us to come no matter where on my body you bite. So, you can be a good little demon and put your fangs someplace that isn’t going to give me nightmares.”

  Chander grinned. “I’m going to bite you later.”

  “Make sure it’s later as in when we’re home in bed and not after the pizza is brought to the table.”

  The waitress came by and they ordered beers along with their meal.

  “You’re not being much fun tonight, Alaric.”

  “I’m being a gentleman.”

  “Lucky me, you aren’t one in bed.”

  “Am I going to have to hose you down?”

  “If you want me to keep your clothes on, you need to stop talking about your hose.”

  Alaric laughed. “You’re certainly making this a night to remember.”

  “I’m loving this date so far.”

  “I love everything about you.”

  “Do you want to know what I wish right now?” Chander asked.

  “What’s that?”

  “I wish I was tall enough to lean over this table and kiss you.”

  “If I thought you were considering that because this was a moment that tugged on your heartstrings, and you were compelled to get closer to me I’d have some sympathy,” Alaric replied. “But we both know you want to shove your tongue down my throat.”

  “I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that you understand me.”

  The corners of Alaric’s mouth lifted. “You make me so happy.”

  “Nothing in my life is as important as loving you.”

  Their beers were brought out, and they were promised the pizza wasn’t far behind. Chander took a sip and knew it would do nothing to cool his heated blood. He peeled his eyes off his gorgeous mate and looked around. More than one head was turned toward them and checking out the sexy man he adored. Before, that might have made Chander feel threatened but now, he gloried in it. They could look their fill; Alaric was coming home with him.

  “I think that woman across the way is creating a new religion with you as her god,” Chander informed Alaric.

  “I think you need your head examined.”

  Desperate to get his mind off carnal pleasures, Chander decided to find a safe subject. “How did you manage to convince the skeletons to start staying at the condo every other weekend?”

  Alaric set his beer down before answering. “At our meeting the other day, they said the reason they weren’t sleeping at the condo was because they wanted to give us time alone. I told them it was unnecessary and that if you knew about their reasoning, you’d be unhappy they were staying away because of us.”

  “It’s not like we’re alone and if we want privacy, we have our own bedroom,” Chander responded. “I plan on using you in it later.”

  “I don’t think it’s using me if I’m experiencing the same pleasure.”

  “We’ll use each other.”

  “Thank you for going into more depth on the staff issues with the Skeleton Seven. I’m afraid we were overwhelmed by our choices.”

  Chander nodded. “You guys get overwhelmed by your desire to make everything perfect for the sentinels. You have the same issue I’ve had in the past. You obsess over it until your anxiety overrides your good reason. All of you can make any of these decisions. You’re intelligent and you have the right goal in mind. You need to relax and I’m always happy to help. You know that.”

  “How were you able to move past all of your anxiety?” Alaric asked. “As sentinels, we push fear away when we have to do something that intimidates us, but trying to navigate in a world we’re still learning can surpass our training without realizing it I guess.”

  “I didn’t move past it. I’m learning to deal with it. My biggest anxiety became making mistakes which is silly because they are inevitable. The only thing anyone can do is make the best decision with the information they have and hope for the best. I was also obsessed with the idea I didn’t deserve a mate, so I convinced myself I didn’t want one.”

  “Baby, you understand that everyone deserves a mate, right?”

  “It should’ve been basic knowledge that was easy for me to understand, but everything was so messed up in my head. I know I deserve a mate, and I try every day to make sure I deserve you. I had to lose you to appreciate you. I can’t lose you again, so our relationship is my top priority.”

  “Just try and lose me a second time.”

  “No thanks,” Chander quipped as their food arrived. It smelled almost as good as the man sitting across from him and when he took a bite of it, his eyes rolled back. “If this pizza was a man, you might have some competition.”

  “I damn well better not.”

  Chander looked up at that mouth which drove him crazy and the rest of Alaric’s stunning face and reconsidered. “Then again, maybe not.”

  “Maybe?”

  “It’s not like I could even if I wanted to.”

  “Not that you want to.”

  Grinning, Chander said, “I really don’t.”

  “I was getting ready to throw the pizza on the floor.”

  Chander stared down at his plate. “Don’t
listen to that crazy man over there. Yes, he’s sexy and we want to fuck him, but I won’t let him hurt you.”

  “How much beer did you drink?”

  “Not enough.”

  Alaric wiped his hand on his napkin. “Can you tell me why I saw Victor mopping with some kind of crown on his head?”

  “It’s a tiara. I made it for him, and he apparently loves it.”

  With nothing more than a nod, Alaric moved on. “I should tell you I’ve been having dreams. Vibrant ones.”

  “Memories or dreams, babe?”

  “I think they’re memories. Ever since you bit me, the centuries have come roaring back. I can remember more each night.”

  “Remember, nothing competes with a matebond. It’s probably the fact that ours is complete that’s helping your memory restore itself with sudden intensity. Have you remembered anything interesting?”

  Alaric’s head cocked to the side. “I’ve remembered all the skeletons. I know what they looked like before they became that way. And no, I’m not telling you. You’ll see it for yourself once they get their bodies back. Well, almost all the skeletons. So far I don’t remember Albrecht.”

  “How far back do you think you’ve remembered?”

  “I’ve matched it up with the ledgers I made throughout the centuries. I’m pretty far back.”

  “But not all the way yet, I’m guessing.”

  Frowning, Alaric said, “No, I don’t remember the spell being put on me or my resurrection.”

  “I wonder what the deal is with Albrecht. He’s the only other sentinel with an A name, and you’re moving far back in your memory and still have no recollection of him. He was never listed on any of your ledgers.”

  “So how the hell did he get to the compound if I never knew him?”

  “Until you remember all of it, we can’t start guessing. Have you told the skellies about your memories?”

  Alaric shook his head. “I don’t want to influence their own memories as they return or potentially speed up memories they might not be ready for.”

  “Makes sense,” Chander replied. “I want to know who put that spell on you.”

  “Me too.”

  “I also want to bite your dick.”

  Alaric grabbed another slice of pizza. “Keep dreaming, demon.”

  Chapter 38

  Alaric was itching for the Council session to end. It had been a boring morning, and his mind kept wandering back to the date he’d shared with Chander over the weekend. The food had been excellent and the company even better. It was hilarious the way his outfit put Chander in a cloud of lust all night. Of course, Alaric hadn’t appreciated when they’d returned home and that impatient demon of his had bitten off all the buttons to his new shirt with fanged teeth. When they woke up the following day, Chander had promised to have them sewn back on and Alaric had been mollified.

  The Emperor finally called the proceedings to a close, and Alaric rose to his feet so he could adjourn to the alcove to teleport home for lunch but was stopped by the ringing of his phone. Pulling it from his pocket, he saw it was Drystan calling. He hit accept and greeted the Reverent Knight.

  “Do you have any immediate plans?”

  “I was planning on going home to have lunch with Chand. Why, is something wrong?”

  “It appears we have a situation, but I don’t have all the details yet. Can you meet us at our office?”

  “Let me call Chand, and I’ll be there.” The call ended and Alaric dialed Chander.

  “Hey, handsome, I thought you were coming home for lunch.”

  “Drystan needs to see me. I don’t know what for,” Alaric said. “Go ahead and eat without me.”

  “Okay, see you soon.” Another phone call completed, Alaric set out for the Order of the Fallen Knights. He was waved back to the office shared by the Reverent Knights. Before he could knock on the glass door, it was swung open by Conley. Alaric’s senses went into overdrive. There were four fallen knights in the room, two Reverent Knights, and two Venerable Knights. The entire leadership of their race. Alaric knew them all and their presence was no surprise. It was the fifth man who was making his normally reliable ability to recognize types of people go haywire. He was short, maybe even shorter than his Chander who was only five foot six, and his hair was like a blond halo of curls around his head. The man’s eyes were almost all yellow with a ring of green near the pupils. He was wearing a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers. Alaric’s senses told him the stranger was definitely resurrected, but he had never met another of his kind.

  “Lich Sentinel, allow me to introduce you to Grymington,” Drystan said. Alaric offered him a nod in greeting which Grymington mirrored.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lich Sentinel,” Grymington responded.

  “What race are you?” Alaric asked.

  “I’m told I am a reaper.”

  “I have never heard of this race before,” Alaric revealed. “Are there many of you?”

  “I believe I am the only one so far.”

  “So far?” Drystan asked. “Who exactly resurrected you and when?”

  “Arch Lich Sigimund Roth resurrected me,” Grymington stated. “I’m the leader of the reapers. I am a few days old.”

  “I think you should call your mate,” Conley suggested to Alaric.

  Alaric didn’t hesitate to yank his phone from his pocket and get Chander on the line. He was greeted warmly. “Babe, all done with your meeting?”

  “No, I need you to come to Drystan’s office.”

  “You sound funny. You okay?”

  “I’ll explain when you get here.”

  “Cryptic. Tell Drystan I’m teleporting there in a sec,” Chander ordered. After hanging up, Alaric informed the assembled group. A second later Baxter popped in followed by Chander and Benton.

  “What the fuck?” Baxter blurted out.

  “Lich Sentinel-mate and Daemon Lords, allow me to introduce the leader of the reapers, Grymington,” Drystan said. “He’s recently been resurrected by Arch Lich Roth.”

  Alaric watched as Grymington nodded at the three men and Chander’s eyes narrowed. He walked over and slipped his hand into Alaric’s.

  “Are you past your resurrection sickness?” Chander asked.

  “I have not been ill since last evening,” Grymington responded.

  “Does the Arch Lich know you are here?” Venerable Knight Vann inquired.

  “No,” Grymington replied. “I left the basement of the house where I was kept this morning. I did not feel it was wise for me to stay.”

  “Why not?” Alaric asked.

  “He has resurrected a trio of former warlocks. They aren’t happy about it. There has been a great deal of fighting. The warlocks have no magic and continue to accuse Arch Lich Roth of going against Fate,” Grymington answered. “They also fear me especially when I am in my other form. They have ordered the Arch Lich not to resurrect any more reapers if he wishes their help.”

  Chander blew out a breath. “Warlocks are taught necromancy goes against Fate because we bring back the dead. I don’t believe that’s true. Fate wouldn’t give us a power she didn’t want used. Can you tell us the names of the warlocks?”

  “I was kept in the room next to theirs and never properly introduced the only time I saw them. I heard their fears through the wall. They’re all related and part of a family that sounds like lament or perhaps misspent.”

  Chander looked toward the ceiling and stared for several seconds before closing his eyes. He lowered his head and pinned Grymington with a look. “Is it possible the word you heard was Mallent?”

  “It is possible.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me right now? That’s Carvallius and Latarian,” Drystan retorted.

  “Who is the third one?” Vann asked.

  “I don’t know but those two, even without power are dangerous,” Chander replied.

  “They’re also criminals. Carvallius brought about a war that destroyed almost all warlocks. He also cast dar
k spells on Cwylld elves—one of which separated two mates. He kidnapped Dra’Kaedan and turned him into Latarian’s familiar for over six centuries,” Drystan said. “And Latarian personally put a knife in Dra’Kaedan’s chest. If they are walking around, they need to face justice.”

  “Can you find the house where you were kept?” Conley asked.

  “I have excellent tracking skills,” Grymington explained. “Arch Lich Roth created the reapers to be an advanced version of sentinels. We have many similar traits.”

  “You said you have another form, can we see it?” Chander asked.

  Grymington looked up. “I do believe there is room,” he stated before morphing into a cloaked skeleton with glowing yellow eyes who had to be around eight feet tall. His head brushed the ceiling.

  “A reaper named Grym who can change into a version of death,” Benton observed. “Sigimund has seen one too many movies.”

  Grymington returned to his normal self. “I did not find him honorable, which is why I chose to leave and seek out the Lich Sentinel. My race is meant to replace yours, according to Arch Lich Roth, but I’m not even trained with weapons. I was given a scythe which I left behind because it’s cumbersome and I didn’t wish to carry it.”

  “Why would you resurrect a warrior and not give him weapons expertise or tactics?” Vann wondered.

  “I’m correct in believing your soul is not tied to Arch Lich Roth, right?” Chander asked.

  “Arch Lich Roth says the soul connection was abhorrent and he would not replicate it. I have free will,” Grymington replied.

  “At least he got that part right,” Chander muttered. “Many sorcerers feel the same as Sigimund. It’s one of the reasons the sentinels were so easily dismissed. People wanted to forget them. I believe permanently resurrected men and women brought back without their memories are given by Fate incorruptible honor. It’s a gift bestowed to them to compensate for being brought to life without their permission. The Arch Liches who created the sentinels created a repugnant workaround to that by tying their souls so they couldn’t refuse an order. I’m relieved Sigimund didn’t go there. Alaric, you sense him differently than the fallen knights or sentinels?”