It was part of dragon culture at Court Kestle to find partners that expected nothing but a single night together, and Rafferty simply could not understand why he’d want to do that. His brothers repeatedly called him a prude when he dared comment on the subject, so he’d long ago given up asking questions. Born with a defect in that regard, Rafferty might go to his funeral pyre never figuring out what was wrong with him. But Molly with his father went one step further because he’d never guessed they had those types of feelings for each other. It left him slightly queasy.
“Yes, and she’s already complained to me this afternoon that you’re bothering her,” Charlton said. “You’ve got to leave her well enough alone, Rafferty. She doesn’t want to have a thing to do with any of us. Insists on raising the child herself as if I’ve erred some way with you four.”
“But, why?”
“Son, if I knew that, I would probably have the answers to the universe itself. Women get strange when they find out they’re expecting.”
“Do you think she might return after the baby is born?”
“Rafferty, you need to let Molly go. Her choice is to stay clear of the house and our lives. Is that understood? We have come to an agreement, and Molly will tend to the babe alone. I allow my sons great freedom, but you must heed my rules. Leave her alone.”
Woodenly, Rafferty bobbed his head. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Paunchy, if you start to cry, you’re going to ruin my meal. It’s bad enough I must watch you eat as if you’re a pig at a trough. I can’t take your womanly tears as well,” Sullivan snapped. “Molly was always far too comfortable in her role here, and I believe it is best that we’ll have servants who know their place.”
“Molly’s a kind woman,” Rafferty argued quietly. “I will miss her.”
“Of course you will, she’s always had a soft spot for you,” Sullivan retorted.
“She must fancy fat dragons,” Nollan guffawed.
“With short pants,” Neil tacked on, laughing so hard he had to lean against his twin.
Rafferty tuned them out as they discussed his issues with women, illness, and anything else that came to mind. The truth was, they were welcome to make their snide comments; he was far more concerned with Molly’s choice to cut them out of her life. Although he would respect her wishes because he did care for her and he’d never defied one of his father’s orders, it hurt to suddenly have her absent. All he could do was hope it was nothing he had done to turn her away and if he had done something, then he wished for an opportunity to make amends.
Chapter 5
Present Day
Draconis Court of Kestle
Rafferty sat heavily on the sofa and wondered why he’d been called before his father. After already training for the second time that day with his sword, gun, daggers, and bow, as was required of him and his brothers, his plan was to go to his room. It was where he’d spent most of the last few weeks. Since the moment he’d stood outside watching Molly’s pyre burn, he had a pervasive sadness he could not escape. A century ago, she’d walked out of the house to have Kendrick, and Rafferty had only seen her a handful of times. It didn’t matter if he’d called out to her, she’d scurried away, and he could not refute orders to chase her, but at least she’d still walked the earth. Now she was dead, and he didn’t know how to handle it.
Rubbing his palm over the scar Sullivan had put in his left eyebrow with a slip of his blade during combat practice, Rafferty wondered if he should shift. It had been fifty-two days since his last one, and though he would’ve liked to stretch it out further, his dragon was roaring in his head so often that it made his ears ring constantly.
“Paunchy, your hair is growing,” Neil said, shambling in with the twin he never strayed from.
“I know. I will shave it again tonight.” For decades, Rafferty had mowed down his curls to please his father, and he was glad that he could spare Charlton the irritation of seeing it.
“Where is His Highness?” Kendrick demanded the moment he entered the living room. Charlton had insisted when he’d returned from culinary school at the news of his mother’s death that Kendrick move in, but he did not appear happy about it.
“His Highness will be here shortly,” Sullivan stated, striding in. “Go ahead and take a seat, Kendrick. He’s not purposely keeping us waiting.”
“Fine.”
“Scoot the fuck over, Paunchy. There is only so much furniture in here,” Sullivan said, and Rafferty did as he asked, making room for his brother while Kendrick grabbed a chair opposite them. When his gray eyes met Rafferty’s, Kendrick quickly glanced away. Rafferty had no idea why Kendrick never wished to speak to him, but he hoped to improve the situation—he would like to have a friendly relationship with him as he did with all his brothers.
“Ah good, everyone is here,” Charlton greeted them when he stalked into the space.
“You’ve been upset since this morning, Your Highness. What’s wrong?” Sullivan asked.
“We’ve been keeping up with the news. I think this whole Consilium Veneficus thing has gone to pot. The Arch Wizard has left and was replaced by some tribunal of weak idiots. That damn King Ethelin has found his way to signing a treaty. He actually had the audacity to sign it as a representative of Draconis. The man is no emperor.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in answering to an emperor, Your Highness,” Rafferty said.
“Well, now, I did say that, but I’m thinking we might need to reevaluate. I don’t know much about Emperor Chrysander except that he’s given his people a fine living. Things are tight around here as having all these sons is not so easy. Meanwhile, Ethelin burns through money like he’s got holes in his pockets. I’ve no reason to trust he’ll help the rest of the dragons.”
“Are you suggesting we join the Council, Your Highness?” Kendrick asked.
“I am. I know it will mean a big change and giving up our home, but the truth is, it’s seen better days. We haven’t had new ways of bringing in funds since I married off that girl to Varius’s son. My supposed daughter started flapping her mouth the minute she got there about how her mother was raped, and that’s how she came to be with child. I didn’t have nothing to do with that, but I was kind enough to acknowledge the girl to help her poor mother, knowing she wasn’t part of my brood the whole time. Now both Ethelin and Varius have decided they’re too good for the likes of me, and look at what happened. They wanted to unite their families, but that Ethelin boy ran off to the Council to be with another man, embarrassing his family name for eternity. Is this the kind of man we wish to follow? He drove his son to perversion, and he’s got two others that can’t stand him. Ethelin pretends that middle one ain’t his, but who can believe a word that comes out his mouth? Of course, if a man went around telling everyone I was cursed because my dragon was different, I would feel the same as that oldest one. I mean, Nollan and Neil ain’t traditional colors for dukes, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve their titles. Don’t you worry, Kendrick. We’ll get one for you too once you settle into the family. You’re my son, and I won’t have you slighted.”
Rafferty didn’t know anything about Ethelin’s sons and since it was irrelevant, he didn’t bother to ask.
“I appreciate the thought, Your Highness, but I do not intend to continue living with you and your sons. I plan on figuring out where I want to go from here, but this is not where my mother wanted me to be, and I must first and foremost honor those wishes,” Kendrick remarked.
Charlton might’ve been glaring, but he shrugged nonchalantly. “Suit yourself, boy. Seems to me you’re acting a bit high in the instep. Your fool mother put all kinds of wrong notions in your head.”
“Let me know when we’re leaving for the Council, Your Highness,” Kendrick stated, promptly leaving the room.
“He is already getting on my nerves,” Charlton complained. “For the rest of you, we might be joining the Council, but nothing at our home changes. I’m still in charge, and we play by m
y rules. I don’t want you fraternizing with these sorcerers and elves. We’re dragons and proud of it. Your duties will remain the same, and though they’ve got these fallen knights and sentinels who take care of justice, we’ll see to our own. You steer clear of them most of all. I don’t want them in my business. And them being around doesn’t mean you skimp on your weapons skills. That fool Kendrick might not know which end of a sword is up, but I taught you better. Now, get on upstairs and start packing. We’re leaving tomorrow…and, Paunchy, shave your head.”
Rafferty nodded and instead of following his brothers up the stairs, he went outside and went to the grassy mound far from the house where they held funerals. It’d been decades since he’d last spoken to Molly, but not a day had gone by that he hadn’t missed the woman Rafferty had wanted as a mother. Although there was some excitement in him at the idea of joining the Council, it hurt to leave the land she would always be a part of. With a tear sliding down his cheek, Rafferty said good-bye to Molly one last time.
∞∞∞
Two weeks later
Draconis High Court of D’Vaire
High King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis sat on the sofa and smiled. His incredible family was gathered for their weekly meeting. They numbered forty people and three tiny dragon familiars, and that population included some of the most powerful and influential people in the entire Council of Sorcery and Shifters. But that didn’t matter to Aleksander; he loved them for who they were, and thanks to the tiny warlock sitting on his best friend’s lap, everything about being D’Vaire was synonymous with prestige instead of curses.
“Hey, Bigfoot, you going to start this or what?” Grand Warlock Dra’Kaedan D’Vaire asked.
Of course, the guy was also an annoying brat, but Aleksander appreciated every facet of his gigantic personality. “I was waiting for everyone to shut up, Squirt.”
His only full-blooded sibling, Duke Argent Worthington D’Vairedraconis, whistled loudly, and the entire room fell into silence. “You’re welcome,” the brother who resembled Aleksander so much it startled people, including the High King, drawled.
“You make me wish I was an only child,” Aleksander’s half brother, Grand Summoner-mate Somerly, complained.
“You’re insulting our High King,” Worth reminded him.
“I’ve decided he’s to blame for your irritating behavior. He’s had full opportunity to punish you.”
Worth snorted. “For a whistle?”
“I’ll just sit here all night listening to you two bicker. It’s fine. Just let me go grab a beer so I can unwind,” Aleksander teased.
“We’re going to need something stronger than beer to deal with this crowd,” Brogan told him.
“You want me to start?” Aleksander asked his brothers, and they both nodded. “Great. Thanks for taking the time out of your schedules to be here tonight. I’m glad we’ve been able to maintain this tradition even as we’ve slowly grown. Let’s start with Royce. We finally have the new larger sink in so Chance can dine in there with his dragon buddies. How’s that working out?”
The newest addition to their house, High Arcanist Royce D’Vaire, smiled brightly, lighting up his reddish-brown eyes. “Very well. Chance loves being with Roger and Greggory.”
“Wonderful. I’m glad we were finally able to convince you to let Harley Griffinis put it in.”
“It was such an expense for you, but I simply couldn’t take Chance pouting because he had to wait to eat until they were finished.”
“Don’t worry about the expense. We still need to work out something permanent for your security needs.”
“I don’t really leave the estate much; I see no reason to bring in a person just for me. Brogan’s been able to assign either Mac or one of our great sentinels on the rare occasions I’ve left by myself, and I’ve only gone off to get books from the Spectra Library.”
“I’m okay with keeping it like that for now,” Brogan said. “But if you want to make more forays off D’Vaire, we’ll need to do something. I can’t expect Mac to spread himself over three different High Arcanists constantly.”
“That sounds kind of dirty,” Dark Indigo Duke Macardle D’Vairedraconis remarked.
“Moving on,” Aleksander said. “Let’s discuss the sanctuary. Dra’Kaedan?”
“Finally,” Dra’Kaedan exclaimed. The Grand Warlock gestured to his familiar, Renny, who grinned as he picked up a stack of papers and passed them around the room. “It’s our first dragon, you guys. His name is Kendrick Kestledraconis, and he’s new to the Council. His entire court just got here a couple of weeks ago, and he hardly knows anyone. Kendrick was raised mostly by a single mom who took a century to scrape up enough money to send him to culinary school. He was in his second term there when he found out she died.”
“That’s so sad. I feel horrible for him. Is he planning on finishing culinary school?” Seneschal Duchess Noirin asked. Aleksander had proudly given her the title he’d denied her for centuries, believing it was against the law, and he would always feel guilty, but she was too warm of heart to hold a grudge.
“He’s honestly not sure. His mom dying has thrown him for a loop, and he’s not comfortable around his father or his half brothers, who he hardly knows,” Dra’Kaedan answered.
“We spoke briefly to his father, who happens to be King Kestle,” Aleksander added. “We had to go through his son Duke Sullivan because apparently His Highness doesn’t give out his phone number. He admitted that Kendrick’s not fitting in and that his mother—for reasons he doesn’t comprehend—told him to keep his distance from him and his other children. King Kestle sounded really hurt by it, but he wants the best for Kendrick.”
“Kendrick was very nice when we spoke with him. I thought he was pretty open about not being sure what to do with his life with his anchor gone and that with this new opportunity in the Council, he found himself drawn to a place with many races,” Vampyr Lord Grigori D’Vaire explained. For each application they processed, a random D’Vaire was chosen to assist the Coven of Warlocks and Aleksander, who made phone calls to verify the candidate’s information, and Grigori had been thrilled to be part of it. “He and his mother were close, and he longs for a family again.”
“Noir, how would you handle another chef in the house?” Aleksander asked.
“You kidding? He went to school and I didn’t. I could probably learn a lot from him. I’m sure we can work out something if he wants to share any kitchen duties.”
“Does he believe in Fate?” Worth asked. “You know those fools in the Consilium teach ridiculous things like mates aren’t real or some such shit.”
“He does—he’s a young dragon born in 1906. His mother told him all about Fate and matebonds but wouldn’t speak ill of his father, so they kept away from the topic of King Kestle ignoring Chrys when he took over the Council and we came to North America,” Aleksander responded. “Chrys and Elf briefly met Kendrick when the Kestles arrived but couldn’t really offer much insight since they barely did more than say hello. King Kestle apparently ignored Elf, and so did a few of his sons, but not Kendrick, so at least he’s being honest about his desire to acknowledge races other than dragons.”
“How many sons does Kestle have?” Worth asked.
“I believe Kendrick has four half brothers,” Renny answered. “They’re a lot older than him, and he’s only semi-friendly with the eldest. That’s Duke Sullivan, and he doesn’t know him that well. His mother kept him away from them, believing it was better for him to be raised separately. Kendrick couldn’t go into any detail on that because he’s simply not sure. And I wasn’t going to press the guy because he just lost her, and it’s not relevant to his application.”
“Is he okay with people who aren’t heterosexual?” Lex D’Vairedraconis asked. “Your dad isn’t the only asshat in the Consilium who doesn’t like anyone who isn’t straight.”
“We posed that question to him and while he is heterosexual himself, he has no issue with anyone who isn’
t,” Aleksander responded.
“It’ll give Aleksander someone to talk to besides Trystan for whatever straight guys discuss,” Dra’Kaedan teased.
Since it would be a cold day in hell before Aleksander even dared mention his true sexual identity while his mate wasn’t around for it to matter, he rolled his eyes. “Are we ready for a vote?” Once he was satisfied there weren’t any questions left, Aleksander grinned at all the raised hands and a minute later, Kendrick became the first-ever dragon to be accepted into their sanctuary, Dra’Kaedan’s Coven.
Chapter 6
Rafferty might not be sculpted like his brothers, thanks to his love of food and his constant fighting with his dragon, but that didn’t stop him from trying to best them in every weapon they used to train. Pivoting to the left, he slashed his sword through the air, which earned him a smattering of curse words from Sullivan, who barely missed being cut. The loud clang of metal filled the air as their weapons hit, and the force of it had the muscles in his arm trembling, but he would not be deterred. With a quick spin, Rafferty managed to swing around and was quick enough to slice a thin line in Sullivan’s shirt before his brother could even react.
“Well done, Paunchy,” his father called out when he reached the area of the backyard they’d designated for their exercising.
“He’s ruining all my clothing,” Sullivan grumbled, tossing his blade aside.
Not one to mistreat his weapons, Rafferty slid his blade into its scabbard. “You get slow after an hour, Sully.” It was a salve for Sullivan’s ego; no one at Court Kestle was Rafferty’s match with his two-handed sword.
“Perhaps I didn’t eat enough donuts this morning. I swear you must’ve inhaled sixteen.”
“They were delicious.”
“You’ve not met a food you don’t like,” Charlton interjected. “You’re eating me out of house and home. I still can’t believe I had to waste money to buy you boys new coronets. Imagine those emperors demanding dukes still wear them. I had your old ones melted eons ago.”
Heart of the High King (D'Vaire, Book 19) Page 4