“Hell, yes.” Baxter slid his hand to Benton’s cheek and kissed his sexy mouth. He was the luckiest sentinel alive and he dared anyone to argue with him.
Chapter 19
His lashes fluttered as he tried to open them. It was as if a fog was slowly drifting out of his mind. Then Alaric’s eyes flew open. He’d been asleep. It was the first time he remembered ever doing that. He took stock of his thoughts and tears leaked out as he realized there was no burning desire to hunt down a sentinel who was feeling restless or bored. The sorcerers had freed him. Alaric would never forget that moment when Chander had placed his small hand against his. He’d not felt the connection he had expected. It was there but not with the intensity the book he’d read said it would be, but perhaps it was their lack of emotion for each other.
Then Chander had detected the spell Alaric had not been aware he’d had. It explained why he could not eat or rest, and he was so incredibly grateful he could now attend to his own needs. He was still driven to improve the lives of all his men, but it was tempered by his own wishes and desires. Sitting up, Alaric scrubbed away the wetness from his cheeks. A blanket slid down to his lap and he wiggled his toes.
Alaric was a bit disoriented. He didn’t know what time it was or even what day. Looking to his right he saw a table with a clock which read 8:05. The sun was shining in through the white curtains, so he figured it had to be morning. Under a lamp was a piece of thick, folded parchment. It was cream and had a blue-black dragon head in a circle decorated with a twist of gold and silver at the edges. He picked it up and opened it.
Lich Sentinel,
I hope you had a good night’s rest. The Grand Warlock decided you more than deserved it and placed a light spell on you to allow you to sleep the night through. Your mate approved. We hope you don’t mind us not waking you to ask. Inside the bathroom are toiletries and fresh towels if you would like to get cleaned up. When you are ready, there will be plenty of food waiting for you in the kitchen.
Yours,
Aleksander
Alaric creased the note and placed it in his shirt pocket. He certainly would not argue with the rest he had been desperate for. In fact, he was looking forward to getting more of it at the end of the day. His face broke into the first smile he could remember at the prospect of such a thing. Then his stomach growled. He gave it a pat and stood up.
Gathering up the blanket, he folded it and laid it down on the bed. Then he headed to the bathroom and stared at the glass-walled shower. He’d never experienced the sensation of one and was intrigued by the prospect of doing so. Sitting on the toilet, he pulled off his socks then rose to his feet to strip off his clothes. Once naked, he fiddled with the knobs until liquid sprayed out. Impervious to extremes in temperature, he settled for lukewarm and stepped onto the tiles to get drenched.
It was glorious. Alaric wasn’t sure which stuff to use where so began with the square of soap. He figured he would just apply all of it everywhere. He liked the suds that using the bar produced and when he switched to something called shampoo, he laughed out loud at the foam. Once all the bubbles were finally down the drain, Alaric decided perhaps next time he would be a bit more conscious of the volume he poured out. Next came the silky conditioner; it had a texture he enjoyed.
Rinsing that off, Alaric reluctantly turned off the tap and grabbed one of the fluffy white towels to dry himself. He scrubbed it over his head and then ran it over all six feet four inches of his body. Alaric had never been allowed to care for himself, so he had only created a single uniform he did not change. He would have preferred to put on a fresh one now, but it would have to wait until he returned to the compound. Reluctantly he pulled on his old clothes, whispered the word that sent his daggers to hover over his hips, and looked in the mirror. He saw a sentinel with messy black hair that hung into his eyes. They were strange and glowed green like his daggers; Alaric wondered if Chander found them pleasing. Now that they had the opportunity to get to know one another, perhaps someday he would ask him.
Taking care to put the cloth he’d dried off with back on the rack to dry, Alaric squared his shoulders and headed out to begin a new chapter in his life. He needed to thank the sorcerers who had freed him and fill his belly. Alaric headed out of the room and walked down the wide hallway to the kitchen, which was full of people. He saw the Arch Lich first. Chander was smiling as he lifted a piece of bacon to his mouth. The necromancer must have sensed his stare because he turned to look at him.
“Good morning,” Alaric found himself saying.
“Alaric,” King Aleksander said. “Good morning. I hope you slept well.”
“I slept wonderfully,” Alaric replied. “And I want to thank all of you for giving me that ability. Words cannot begin to describe what your gift means to me.”
The Grand Warlock walked up to him and handed him a plate heaped with scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and hash browns. “Absolutely our pleasure,” he responded as Alaric took the dish and utensils from him. “No thanks necessary. Now sit down and eat.”
“Thank you, Grand Warlock, I’m famished.”
“Call me Dra’Kaedan,” the small blond insisted as he led him to the table where Chander was sitting. “And hey, my philosophy is, eat until you pop. So, you better get started.”
“Sound advice, I’m sure,” Alaric said as he took a seat. He filled his fork with fluffy eggs and lifted it to his mouth. When the taste hit his tongue, he closed his eyes and moaned. He swore his whole body took pleasure from the simple act of finally appeasing his hunger. Alaric was several bites in before he remembered he wasn’t alone in the room.
When he lifted his lashes, his gaze went directly to Chander. The Arch Lich had a piece of bacon halfway to his face and was gawking at Alaric. It made him wonder if he was doing something to embarrass himself. He looked around and saw the others using their eating utensils just as he had used his own.
Shrugging, Alaric decided to try the bacon Chander seemed to enjoy. When he bit off a piece he no longer cared if he was shaming himself. In fact, he decided he was going to concentrate on getting as much bacon and other foodstuffs in his stomach as he could. The rest of the world could burn as long as he could continue to devour all the delicious things on his plate.
“Guess we don’t have to wonder how he’ll sound in bed,” Evergreen said. He heard Chander choke, but he had two sentinels to see to him if he was in distress. Alaric couldn’t even see him as his eyes were once again closed as he greedily ate his breakfast. Once he got down to the last bite, the Grand Warlock materialized at his side with a new plate just as full as the first one had been. Alaric thanked him before he began working on demolishing it.
“Coffee?” Baxter asked. Alaric didn’t know what that was but he wanted to try everything, so he nodded while he chewed. A mug of dark liquid was set down and Alaric took a big swallow. Then he finished off the rest of the cup.
“I’d like more of that,” Alaric announced.
Baxter gave him a refill and when he chugged that, the sentinel stood there and kept topping him off until the carafe he held was emptied.
“He’s gonna be running in circles if you keep giving him coffee,” the Grand Warlock’s familiar said. “Anyone seen my phone? I wanna record it if he does.”
Alaric grinned around his fork. He was a sentinel; he didn’t run in circles, although he had to admit he was feeling more alert than he had when he’d first arrived in the kitchen.
“Sentinels are too disciplined to run around in circles,” Benton replied as if he was reading Alaric’s mind.
Alaric nodded emphatically while he inhaled sausage patties.
“He literally drank a pot of coffee,” Dra’Kaedan pointed out. “And he’s never had caffeine before.”
“Okay, but if he did feel like running in circles, he’d be smart enough to do it while he’s invisible so you assholes can’t record it,” Baxter countered.
“Or we would remind him so that all sentinels wouldn’t have to ha
ng their heads in shame,” Gedeon added.
“Am I the only one who thinks he looks way sexier with his hair like that?” Evergreen asked.
“Of course he does,” Baxter said. “Sentinels can make anything look erotic, especially our messy hair. Case in point—Ben.”
Alaric rolled his eyes. The reason sentinels generally had messy hair was because none of them could be bothered to do anything different with theirs. And any other style would likely be in disarray after the numerous training sessions they had each day. That spell had trained him to keep his neat as it wasn’t proper for a leader to look unkempt but the truth was, Alaric was more comfortable looking like the rest of his men.
Eating slower as his stomach was finally beginning to feel full, Alaric still relished every taste of his fantastic breakfast.
“Would you like more?” Dra’Kaedan asked when his plate was clear again.
Swallowing his last bite, Alaric said, “No thank you. I have no more space, but thanks for this glorious food.”
Dra’Kaedan took his dish and Alaric finished off the last of his coffee. It had a pleasant bitterness and the smell near curled his toes. He would definitely want more of it. Chander got to his feet and walked his plate over to where Dra’Kaedan had taken his.
“Do you remember how you got that spell?” Baxter asked and Alaric could swear everyone in the room waited for his answer. He wished he had a good one but he did not.
“I have no memory of it,” Alaric revealed. “I didn’t even know it was a spell. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me that I could not relax or do anything but see to the sentinels. I was able to feel my own thoughts and emotions, but I was incapable of expressing them.”
“That’s fucking horrible,” Baxter said.
“You might remember stuff if you stay away from the compound,” Benton suggested.
“I am still the Lich Sentinel,” Alaric responded. “There are thousands of men that need me.”
“Chand needs you too,” Benton insisted.
“I can speak for myself,” Chander retorted.
“Perhaps this is something we should discuss in private.” Alaric pushed his chair back and stood. He was willing to spend time here with Chander but not if the Arch Lich wasn’t interested. It had been his suggestion to create a relationship which was nothing more than a bloodbinding. Alaric knew his inability to communicate anything beyond sentinels and his constant disappearance might have something to do with that, but Chander had never expressed any reasonable interest in being together. He wasn’t going to be somewhere he was not wanted.
“I agree, we can talk in my room,” Chander replied before he left the kitchen. Alaric headed after him and hoped they were both on the same page. He would like to explore a relationship. Perhaps he would be lucky enough to have a mate who wished for the same. Whatever their individual goals were, he had a feeling their conversation was going to be a minefield. After all, it was the first time he was going to have one where he was responsible for the words he said, and he had no experience in honest communication. But he was damn well going to try.
Chapter 20
Chander’s sneaker-clad feet ate up the distance between the kitchen and the guest room he’d been assigned as his thoughts tumbled in several directions. He’d been surprised to see Alaric this morning. Sure, he’d been expecting him to walk in, but it was amazing how a shaggy hairstyle could transform a face. Or maybe it was the fact that he’d lost the zealotry in his eyes. Whatever the case may be, Chander had been viscerally attracted to the leader of the sentinels.
And then there was breakfast. Alaric had clearly enjoyed every bite of food that passed his lips. He’d moaned like a porn star while he’d gorged. Chander’s body had reacted as if he’d been touching him. Yeah, the Lich Sentinel had sexy in spades. And he hadn’t missed that grin either. It lit his face and Chander had wanted to lick it. That had certainly never happened to him before.
Now they were heading into his bedroom to have what was almost certainly going to be an awkward conversation. He had no idea what to say. “Gee, I’m glad you can think for yourself again but I’m still shit relationship material, so you should probably be on your way,” was unlikely to go over well. At least Alaric had been willing to discuss it in private. Neither one of them needed to have a bunch of people weighing in. Chander’d had enough of his life controlled by others; he wasn’t going to tolerate it in his private matebond.
Once at their destination, Chander walked in and took a seat in one of two armchairs in front of the window. The tall sentinel leader took the one opposite him.
“Allow me to thank you again for locating the spell and seeing to its removal,” Alaric said.
Their eyes met. “Of course, no problem. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to detect it sooner.”
“No one is infallible. Please do not apologize.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Well, thank you. I must admit it’s the best I have ever felt.”
“That’s good.”
“Yes.”
Chander and Alaric fell into silence. He really didn’t know how to go about discussing their matebond.
“I hope you understand I did not mean to insult your pizza or your home when I visited you,” Alaric said.
“It’s okay, I know the place is a mess. Bax and Ben are going to hire a housekeeper. They’ve wanted one forever, but the idea of having someone in my home kind of makes me freaked out. But I’m trying to get over myself. As for the pizza, now that you can eat you should definitely try it.”
“This is your favorite food?”
“Yes, and I eat it all the time. I’m afraid I’ve made my sentinels hate it.”
“Perhaps they are lacking in some way,” Alaric said with a grin that made Chander’s mouth water.
“Well, I’ve heard you have a flaw.”
“I’ve heard that myself,” Alaric replied. “I never believed it but perhaps I must now explore the possibility.”
“They are also annoying sometimes, but I think that’s a personality defect in just my own sentinels. It could be my fault.”
“I will pay more attention when I return to the compound and see if I can detect a similar issue in the others.”
“I’ll expect a full report whenever you can return.”
“I need only return if you wish it.”
“You’ll have to come back at some point,” Chander replied. “You have that petition to take into account.”
Alaric gave him a considering look, and Chander knew he hadn’t exactly handed him an invitation to visit. “Of course, it will be better for the sentinels to eventually join the Council,” Alaric said after a lengthy pause.
“You’ve got a while until then, I’m afraid, but I know the Emperor is eager for you to get approval.”
“I’m glad to hear we have allies.”
“I wish the Order of Necromancia could do more.”
“Your elders do not like us.”
“No, and I can’t do anything without them,” Chander explained. “When I led the Council, I was able to govern it, but I’ve never had the freedom to handle the needs of my people.”
“An interesting pair, aren’t we?” Alaric asked. “You are unable to help yours and I was unable to stop seeing to mine.”
“Fate has a strange sense of humor.”
Alaric gave him another long look. “So, it would appear.”
“I don’t really know what you expect as far as our matebond is concerned.”
“I sense for you nothing has changed.”
“If you knew me, you’d know I’m not relationship material.”
Slapping his hands on his thighs, Alaric rose. “I should get back to the compound. Will you have one of your sentinels visit to let me know when I need to return to see the petition moved forward?”
“Alaric, I’m sorry,” Chander offered lamely.
“Why would you be sorry?” Alaric asked. “We agreed to a ceremony. It was compl
eted yesterday. Now it’s time for us to get back to our duties. This is the longest I’ve been gone, and I’m sure there is plenty to do.”
Chander was overcome by a sadness he could not explain. He’d been against the idea of being in a relationship well before he’d ever met Alaric. So why was he distraught now that he was getting what he wanted? Alaric wasn’t arguing or trying to dissuade him from his decision. He should be happy and ready to bury his face back into a stack of books. Chander should be waving the Lich Sentinel good-bye and forgetting all about the fact that Fate had picked them to be together. Instead, he had the distinct feeling he was making yet another horrible choice.
“I’ll have Bax and Ben keep you filled in on the sentinels’ progress with Council.”
“Excellent, it was a pleasure to be mated to you, Arch Lich. And thank you again for your assistance with the spell. I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I am to have the opportunity to be myself.”
“Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you out.”
“Good-bye, Chander.”
“Yeah, see you,” Chander replied as Alaric pulled his cloak out from wherever sentinels kept it hidden and teleported home.
Chander looked around the room and tossed what was left of his belongings into his duffel. It was time for him to head home too. He grabbed the bag and headed for the kitchen. He thanked the D’Vaires profusely for their hospitality and avoided speaking with the Reverent Knights.
Finding his sentinels out in the backyard training with Gavrael and Gedeon, he waited for them to notice him standing there. It didn’t take more than a minute or so.
“Hey Chand,” Benton called out as he and Baxter headed over to the deck where Chander was planted.
“Hey, you guys ready to head out?”
“Sure,” Benton said. The two went up to their room to get their things while Chander returned to the house and spent more time saying good-bye to the D’Vaires. Baxter and Benton came back to the living area where Chander was waiting.
“Hey, where’s Alaric?” Baxter asked. “Is he going to head back to the condo with us until he has to go back to the compound?”
Rise of the Lich Sentinel Page 14