“Great,” Conley responded, unsure of how else to answer. They fell into step as they exited the building and cut across a large open courtyard to an area of the Council complex that had a plentitude of shops and eateries. More than one person gave the pair a long look, and Conley supposed it was difficult not to notice them; they were still in their dress uniforms.
They arrived at a set of tall glass doors and Drystan pulled one open and ushered Conley inside. It annoyed him a little; he was perfectly capable of entering on his own. He heard Drystan call out a greeting and saw a pretty redhead standing next to a taller man in glasses who had a striking resemblance to Conley’s mate.
“Reverent Knight Conley Gylde, this is my son, Trystan D’Vaire, and his beautiful mate, Blodwen D’Vaire.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” Conley offered and shook their hands. Without thought, his brain processed that Blodwen was a necromancer, but he got a bit stuck with Trystan. He was definitely half necromancer but the other half was a mix he couldn’t decipher. Conley found it strange he looked like Drystan; fallen knights couldn’t reproduce, and it was even weirder he was a race he didn’t know. They offered greetings, and then the foursome stood there for a minute before the hostess came running over.
“Reverent Knight Kempe, we are honored to have you dining with us this evening,” she said. They all handed her the identification cards they were never without. She swiped them on a handheld machine and then looked up at Conley. “My apologies, Reverent Knight Gylde, I wasn’t aware Reverent Knight Kempe had met his mate. Congratulations to you both.”
“Thank you, we met today,” Drystan replied and again Conley grew irritated. He could answer for himself.
“If you’ll follow me,” she requested and then began snaking her way through the tables. They were shown to a table, and Trystan pulled out a chair for Blodwen. She thanked him and sat. Then Drystan tugged one away from the table for Conley. Throwing him an exasperated expression, Conley planted his butt in the chair and took the menu he was offered. Once everyone was seated, their waiter showed up to get their beverage orders. Conley didn’t know what the hell to drink but he’d seen plenty of beer commercials, so he decided to go with that. The waiter left them alone and Conley already knew he wanted a steak, so he set his menu down and waited for someone to break the ice. He was the outsider here and he knew it.
“Are you excited training is done, Reverent Knight?” Blodwen asked him.
“Please call me Conley and yeah, it was a terrific experience but I’m excited about getting to work,” he said.
“Did I tell you Conley destroyed the requirements Vann and Roman set up to qualify for Venerable?” Drystan asked.
“No, that’s awesome,” Blodwen enthused and aimed a smile at Conley. “That is amazing, congratulations.”
“Thanks, I guess I’m really competitive.”
“So is Dad. Don’t ever play a board game with him,” Trystan suggested. “He pouts if he loses.”
“I’ve never pouted in my life,” Drystan stated with an aggravated expression.
“He totally does,” Trystan replied.
“I’ll have to remember to stay away from them then,” Conley said. It got quiet at the table and Conley began to wonder if he would ever not feel out of his depth around Drystan. The waiter returned and took their orders. They practically pounced on the guy, it seemed they had all been waiting for a distraction.
“So, you both live at a sanctuary?” Conley questioned. If he had to sit here feeling gawky any longer, he was going to go insane. He knew the name D’Vaire was connected to Dra’Kaedan’s Coven. Fallen knights were responsible for the placement of all people to sanctuaries except for that one; they operated by a unique set of rules. He’d memorized them as well as the list of all the safe havens.
“We do; it’s a wonderful place. You’ll have to come and visit with Drystan. He’s a frequent guest,” Blodwen said.
“I think I’d like that,” Conley answered while the two other men at the table sipped their drinks.
Trystan set down his wineglass and asked, “So, how long do you think it will be before the press digs their teeth into the fact that your name is Conley and you’re mated to my dad?”
“I’m confused. What does my name have to do with your dad?”
“There’s a conspiracy theory out there that I was Emperor Drystan in my former life,” Drystan stated with a frown.
Conley let out a nervous laugh. He’d read the history of dragons, but he hadn’t connected the dots until now. “I guess you don’t buy into it?”
“Not at all, and we’re likely to get no end of grief about it.”
“Dad, you could just have your DNA tested,” Trystan suggested. “That might shut down the rumors for good.”
Drystan set his glass down with a snap. “I’m not going to just hand over my DNA.”
“The former emperor has living relatives?” Conley asked.
“King and Queen Beradraconis claim my dad is their son.”
“I’m a parent; I realize they must have been devastated by the loss of their son,” Drystan said. “But I’m not him.”
“Emperor Conley, does he have any living relatives?” Conley asked.
“No, his parents died before he did and he was an only child,” Trystan replied.
Drystan gave Conley an irritated look. “You wouldn’t seriously give up your DNA to be tested if the former emperor did have living relatives, would you?”
Conley shrugged. “It would solve the issue, wouldn’t it?”
“That’s what I told him,” Trystan confided. “We’re confident he’s not, so what’s the big deal?”
“Trystan, we’ve been over this at least a million times. It’s unnecessary, and I don’t appreciate a pair of dragons who don’t even belong to our Council spending two centuries making demands of Emperor Chrysander,” Drystan said. “Even before we had DNA capabilities, they tried to force him to arrange a meeting between me and them. I don’t have time to deal in fantasy.”
“Well, I don’t think a face-to-face meeting would have been very helpful,” Trystan remarked. “They’ve seen you already, but the DNA would solve the mystery.”
“There’s no mystery. Conley and I were both named for two dragons who are revered by their kind. Our names have been popular since their deaths, it’s no surprise Chand would pick a couple of fallen knights to honor those men.”
Conley was grateful when the waiter arrived at the table with their meals. While Conley didn’t really get why Drystan didn’t just get to the bottom of the whole thing, he resolved not to make it a big deal. As far as he was concerned, it didn’t matter, even if they were those dragons. They had no memory of their lives before and therefore had no connection to King and Queen Beradraconis.
The foursome was relatively quiet as they ate. Conley was too busy enjoying the best meal of his short existence and Drystan appeared to be peeved over their discussion.
“Conley, are you excited about living here in Vegas?” Blodwen asked after the silence had stretched for so long, Conley was nearly finished with the entire contents of his plate.
“I am,” Conley replied. “I’m thrilled I get to be at the center of the Council world. Although I confess I am nervous about being a leader.”
“You’ll do fine,” Drystan stated.
Conley found his confidence a bit overbearing. “With time, I’m sure I will.”
“I’ll be at your side; I’ll see to it your transition is a smooth one.”
Wanting to roll his eyes at Drystan, Conley settled for thanking him.
“Did you like your apartment?” Blodwen asked.
“You mean in the few seconds I got to see it?” Conley asked.
Blodwen laughed. “Exactly.”
Smiling, Conley said, “It’s nice.”
Their server came around again and offered dessert options but it seemed none of them were interested. Conley had gorged himself on his steak and potatoes and feared
he would pop if he ate another bite. He was ready for this dinner to be over. Drystan’s son and his mate seemed nice, and he looked forward to getting to know them better, but his day had been overwhelming. It seemed he wasn’t the only one eager to leave; Drystan paid the bill before anyone could argue and Conley was beginning to understand that Drystan had one hell of a heavy-handed streak. It must serve him well as Reverent Knight; time would tell how he would do as a mate.
Chapter 31
Once they said their good-byes to his son and Blodwen, Drystan and Conley found themselves standing outside the restaurant, staring at each other. Dinner had been awkward and Drystan was annoyed his son had brought up the whole emperor conspiracy theory. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss that bit of ridiculousness. What he wanted right now was to get to know Conley better.
Drystan cleared his throat. “There’s a bar not far from here, would you care to get a drink?”
Though he seemed a bit hesitant to accept the offer, Conley replied, “Sure, that beer was pretty good. I wouldn’t mind having another.”
“Great,” Drystan said, feeling like an idiot. This entire day had been a study in being out of his depth. Conley was gorgeous and he tied Drystan’s tongue in knots. Slowly, they left the restaurant in the distance as they began crossing the large courtyard that would bring them closer to Redmilla’s, the bar almost always full of fallen knights. “I’d like to apologize for the entire emperor conspiracy theory thing; I find the subject a pain in the ass.”
“You’re confident you aren’t Emperor Drystan?”
“For the story to work, Chand would’ve had to steal our bodies from Castle Draconis,” Drystan began. “Not only is the idea absurd, but it also fails to explain just where the hell you have been for the last six or so centuries.”
“Good point, besides it doesn’t really matter if we were or not anyway.”
“It doesn’t?”
“No, we have no memory of it. No recollection of the Beradraconises. We have no hope of recovering our so-called previous lives. Whatever relationship you could have with King and Queen Beradraconis would have to be built from scratch. Even if you were their son before, you aren’t that person anymore.”
Drystan was impressed. “Exactly, I’m glad we agree on the subject.”
“Your son and his mate seem nice.”
“They are, I’m sure you will be friends in no time.”
Conley chuckled. “You are very sure of yourself when it comes to everything, aren’t you?”
“Nearly everything. I don’t have any clue what I’m doing as a mate.”
“That makes two of us,” Conley confided. “And I don’t have a clue about being a Reverent Knight either.”
“You ripped through training. I have little doubt you will use the same aggressive approach in doing your job. And as I said before, I’m not going to toss you into shark-infested waters. I will be by your side whenever you need me.”
Conley offered him a smile. “Thank you. I like the idea of us working as a team.”
“That’s exactly what we are. I didn’t give you the title of Reverent Knight-mate. You are the Reverent Knight, the same as I am. We will wear the mantle of leading our people together.”
“I have to say I’m still not used to the idea that I’m one of the leaders of the fallen knights.”
“Fate chose you. You’re going to do fine. And we will figure out the whole mate thing together.”
“I’d like that,” Conley confessed. “But I will admit I was annoyed at dinner when you opened the door for me, pulled out my chair, and paid the bill. I’m capable of handling those things myself.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Drystan asked. “I simply like the idea of taking care of you.”
“Fair enough, then expect me to do the same to you.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Drystan said as they stopped to cross the street. The red neon of the bar sign glowed in welcoming. Once they got to the door, Conley gave him a smirk, opened it, and waved Drystan into Redmilla’s. Returning his grin, Drystan walked in and his eyes were drawn to the barkeep who was flirting with one of their graduates.
Conley remarked from behind him, “That looks like Ramona.”
Before Drystan could reply he heard his name shouted from across the establishment. It was Vann. He was sitting at a large table with Roman and the other new fallen knights. Drystan turned to Conley. “Would you like to sit with them or have a drink at the bar?”
“Let’s join them.”
Drystan nodded and weaved his way toward the group with Conley at his back. Once they arrived, they were greeted by everyone.
“Did you see Ramona?” Vann asked, grinning like a fool.
“That was her flirting with Redmilla, wasn’t it?” Drystan asked, referring to the bear shifter who owned the bar.
“It was,” Vann replied. “They’re mates.”
“That’s awesome,” Conley exclaimed.
“She needs to be transferred to Vegas,” Drystan remarked.
“Already contacted Seattle,” Roman said. “They weren’t thrilled about losing her. Want me to see if anyone is interested in transferring to Washington?”
“Yeah, hopefully we’ll get a taker,” Drystan replied. A waiter came by and Drystan ordered a round of beers.
“I’ve got next round,” Conley stated.
“Oh, look who’s the shit now,” Melinda retorted before slapping her hand over her mouth.
Conley just laughed.
“Don’t mind her, she’s had like six beers,” Torston said.
Melinda’s eyes were wide as she slowly dropped her hand. “I didn’t mean that, Conley. I think it’s amazing you are a Reverent Knight. I’m so sorry.”
“Come on, no apologies. I know about your smart mouth,” Conley remarked. “I’ve been listening to it for eight weeks.”
“We probably would have been nicer to you if we had known about your title,” Ainsworth commented.
Conley’s rich laughter rang out again. “Bullshit.”
“Don’t worry,” Vann said to Ainsworth. “We won’t be nice to him either.”
“Thank goodness VK Ruarc is willing to carry the torch,” Torston pronounced loudly as he lifted his beer bottle and the others clanked theirs against it. It was obvious to Drystan they had all had the same amount of beer as Melinda. They deserved it after all the stress of the last eight weeks.
Gesturing with her bottle, Melinda asked Conley, “So when is your mating ceremony?”
Conley’s amber eyes widened. “Mellie, we met today.”
“And?”
“And we’ll need time to get to know one another,” Conley said.
“Hurry up dude, he’s hot,” Melinda whispered.
“I know,” Conley replied back in the same low voice.
Drystan was not going to allow himself to be embarrassed. The hot one in their relationship was Conley and while he was very interested in seeing the body under his uniform, it was also more than a little mortifying for his mate to figure out Drystan’s nearly six hundred and fifty-year-old self was a virgin. Fortunately for Drystan, the conversation quickly turned to their excitement over reporting for their new duties. He was proficient in the tasks that made up being a fallen knight and he was happy to discuss something he was an expert in.
However, the banter of the increasingly drunk fallen knights at his table didn’t allow for any worthwhile exchanges. Mostly it was a repeat of the same questions and answers over and over again. Conley offered him an amused glance and then leaned close, his intoxicating scent floating toward Drystan. “You ready to get out of here?”
“If you are, then yes.”
Conley stood and the other new recruits followed suit. Soon there were hugs given all around as they all said their good-byes. Everyone was expected to head to their new lives in the morning. Ramona came from out of nowhere and grabbed Drystan’s mate in a hug. Conley offered her his congratulations and then
they spoke too quietly for Drystan to hear their words.
After the group finally released Conley, he and Drystan left Redmilla’s and headed back to the building where they both now lived.
Drystan walked Conley to his door. “Thank you for tonight.”
“I feel like I should be the one thanking you.”
“Don’t worry, we don’t need to rush into our mating ceremony,” Drystan found himself blurting out.
“We’ll schedule it as soon as we are both ready.”
“That sounds perfect,” Drystan replied. “What’s your plan for tomorrow?”
“Hadn’t thought about it yet.”
“If you’d like, I could show you around Council Headquarters.”
The next day was a Sunday and Conley didn’t need to start until Monday morning, but he nodded. “I’d like that.”
“Call me when you want to head out,” Drystan requested as Conley slid his card into the lock of his apartment door.
Before he entered, Conley turned back and said, “It was really great meeting you today.”
Drystan winked. “The pleasure was mine, Reverent Knight.”
* * *
Late the next afternoon, Drystan stood with Conley in their office. Several weeks before, Drystan had ordered a desk and chair that matched his own furniture. His mate had called him early that morning and they’d probably walked twenty miles as Conley wanted to see all of Council Headquarters. He knew Conley was nervous about his first day, but Drystan was confident he was going to tackle this challenge well. It wouldn’t surprise him if Conley turned out to be a better Reverent Knight than he was. If he’d learned anything at all about Conley, it was that he attacked life. Drystan knew his attitude would prove successful in the quagmire of Council politics as well as the task of overseeing thousands of fallen knights.
“So, we are in the Main Assembly Hall every morning and then back here after lunch?” Conley asked, referring to their shared space.
“Yes, I generally go to lunch in the Council Leader’s cafeteria. It gives us the opportunity to mingle with the other leaders and if someone is making it difficult to schedule a necessary meeting, we can hunt them down there as well.”
Resurrection Of The Fallen Page 21