“Hey,” Alaric said. “You all right?”
“I’m fine,” Chander replied before straightening his spine. “I’m moving out.”
“Where are we moving to?”
“No, you aren’t coming with us,” Chander stated. “In fact, you aren’t welcome there.”
Alaric was perplexed and frankly nervous. What in the world was going on? “Excuse me?”
“The innocent act doesn’t suit you, so knock it off. I know everything. You can’t possibly be surprised I would be okay continuing this charade,” Chander retorted.
With no idea what Chander was talking about, Alaric waded in warily. “Chand, I know you’ve had a momentous afternoon. I think you might need to take a step back and relax.”
“You’re damn right I’ve had a momentous afternoon, and I’m not going to stand here and play games with you. I don’t care if you stay here or go back to your fucking compound but you and me? We’re over.”
That pissed Alaric off. “Look, I’m not going to allow you to throw away our relationship because you are…well, I don’t really know what you are but we’re building something incredible between us.”
“We were—or so I thought—but I’m not the one throwing us away. You did that,” Chander accused. “All on your own. You tossed aside your matebond. You have to live with that and unfortunately so do I. Only thing is, I plan to do it on my own terms.”
“Chander, you can damn well explain what the fuck you are talking about. I’m not going to stand here and discuss dissolving our relationship without knowing why the hell you are blaming this on me.”
Chander laughed. The sound was sinister and far from amused. “I don’t owe you a fucking thing.”
“The fuck you don’t. This relationship is two people, and I’m not going to allow you to take it away without a fight.”
“You have no right to make demands of me. I fucking loved you. I thought you were everything I wanted,” Chander bit out. “I went against my better judgment and gave you a shot and you let me build a castle out of nothing but air. Fuck you Alaric. Fuck you.”
It was the first time Chander had talked of love and he spoke of it in the past tense. Alaric couldn’t begin to imagine what had happened in the hour or so he’d been gone. But he was getting frustrated with Chander’s non-answers and bitterness. “I’ve done nothing but care and love you. We are mates. Chosen by Fate. You’re my other half. The best part of my soul. Perhaps that’s the problem. You can’t handle that. Things have been too good, haven’t they? That doesn’t fit into Chander’s world. There’s no way to punish yourself with a life like that.”
“This isn’t about me,” Chander roared out. “This is about you. You’re a liar. You are the one who destroyed us. Not me.”
“I don’t believe you,” Alaric replied. His fury was rising; he’d done nothing wrong and he didn’t deserve Chander’s vitriol. “I think this is about you. You’re just scared. A fucking chicken who doesn’t want to let love grow because then you have to be happy. You prefer to wallow in your self-misery.”
“Fuck you, I don’t wallow. I made mistakes. My guilt is not misplaced,” Chander yelled. “But this isn’t about me. I’m not going to stand here and listen to you tear me apart. You did this. You. I can’t even stand to look at you.”
“We can’t discuss this when you are this angry. You need to calm down and explain why you got upset in the first place.”
“I’m not a child. I don’t need to be told to calm down,” Chander said. “And as for future discussions? There will be none. I have no intention of wasting any more time with you.”
“Wasting your time?” Alaric asked carefully.
“Yes, wasting my fucking time. That’s all you’ve been, right from the start,” Chander threw out. “You should have stayed in that fucking prison where you belong. Trapped in that spell so you couldn’t destroy everything around you.”
The words ripped through Alaric, and he was done. He didn’t know why Chander hated him but it was obvious he did. Alaric could think of nothing he’d done to hurt him, and he knew he’d get no answers. Frankly, he doubted they mattered. It was over. The man he loved wanted nothing to do with him. “Is that what you want? For me to be imprisoned and tortured with a spell that gives me no free will?”
“I couldn’t really care less what you do or where you go. I’m leaving,” Chander said. “I don’t ever want to see you again. I’ll have a Juris Knight contact you to sign our separation papers. You can live your life exactly how you please.”
“You don’t need to worry about having one of your precious fallen knights contact me,” Alaric retorted. “I’ll go back to my compound and keep well away from you. This Council hasn’t done shit for my people, and all your necromancers have done is punish mine.”
“Take it up with the elders,” Chander snapped. “Have a nice fucking life, Alaric.”
Alaric didn’t know how he would have responded, but he wasn’t offered an opportunity. Chander shimmered out of the room. With tormented looks, his silent sentinels did the same. Inside of Alaric, a toxic hollowness was growing. All the joy and love he’d woken up with was ripped asunder. Torn apart with angry words and accusations lacking substance, his matebond was over. It hit him like a blow and he was wrecked. His soul ruined and his heart vacant. A tear slid down his cheek and Alaric hoped he didn’t have to see Chander again. He pulled his hood up and teleported out of the blackened apartment. The life he’d just begun building, the man he adored—it was all gone. So it seemed was his heart. In his office, he yanked his cloak off and swiped away the dampness on his cheeks. Looking at the banner behind his desk, he saw the title he’d been chosen for in faded letters.
As Lich Sentinel, he’d haunted this compound for two thousand years. That was what Fate had chosen him for. The other choice she’d made had the power to destroy him, and he would not allow it. Chander may hate him and they might be done, but there were men here who needed him. It was time he set aside what the necromancers had done to them. The Council could go fuck themselves; he had the power to improve their existence without it. He damn well didn’t need the Arch Lich either.
* * *
“I can’t believe I was right,” Dre’Kariston said.
“Stop gloating,” Dra’Kaedan told his brother before turning back to Chander. “I can tell you that you can go ahead and stop taking all the medication. You’re as healthy now as anyone else in this room.”
Not quite, Chander thought. His body was intact but inside he was hardly more than ashes. “Thanks, the question is—what the hell am I?”
“Your wings are similar to mine,” Chieftain Lorcan of the Acwellan responded. “But mine are red, not black. Acwellan eyes turn crimson, but none of us have fangs.”
“I still suspect he is some type of demonic hybrid,” Vadimas insisted. “We will know for sure after I take these samples you’ve both provided back and have them tested.”
“I get that the Acwellan are demonic elves and I’m a necromancer, but how are you so confident? I think there are too many differences between us to conclude we’re the same type of hybrid,” Chander replied.
“The Acwellan have demonic blood from ancient ancestors or so the stories go,” Lorcan said. “I agree with Vadimas. In fact, I can sense your magic on both sides. Your demonic side is strong. I would say it is on par with your necromancer side.”
“For fuck’s sake, his necromancer side is nearly as powerful as me. If he’s double that—wow. Just wow. All kinds of awesome,” Dra’Kaedan enthused. “You rock, dude.”
Chander wished he could smile at the exuberant warlock but he wasn’t sure if that was a facial expression he’d ever use again. In fact, he’d come here to D’Vaire just to keep busy. If he kept moving, then the void inside him couldn’t absorb all he was like some black hole. “Can you feel my demonic side?”
“I can sense something different now but that’s about it. I can’t tell you how strong it is or what it is,�
� Dra’Kaedan revealed. “It’s so different not even our sentinels have figured out how to track demons.”
“Yeah, we can only feel your necromancer side,” Baxter added. He didn’t look too pleased about it. Sentinels were used to being able to hunt down anyone—it was probably annoying to find out this was one class of people they could not.
“I think you’re much closer to your demonic relative,” Lorcan said. “Perhaps even one of your parents. That could account for the differences. But I also think Vadimas is going to discover there are classifications of demons because of the wing colors.”
“Are you born with your demonic side? The wings, all of it?” Chander asked.
“We welcome our other half around the age of thirteen or fourteen.”
“It would appear you got stuck there, and your demon has been awaiting release since then. I imagine he wanted to get close to your mate and that’s why he began tearing through you.”
Chander ignored the part about Alaric. “You mean I’ve essentially been stuck in some kind of puberty since then?”
Vadimas gave a small nod. “It makes sense. You looked like a teenager and now you appear more mature.”
“I’m a demonic necromancer,” Chander announced as it began to settle in.
“It would seem so,” Vadimas replied. “But let’s run these tests before we announce it to the world.”
“Of course. How quickly can you get the results?”
“I suspect it will take no more than a couple of days,” Vadimas responded. “If that.”
“Wait until Alaric finds out you’re cured,” Dra’Kaedan said. “He’s going to be so excited.”
“He knows,” Chander informed them flatly. “And it no longer matters. We’re no longer together.”
The room got deathly quiet, but Chander held his chin high as the assembled group stared at him. He wouldn’t explain how he’d been cuckolded. It was more than he could bear to discuss, and he didn’t want anyone to know how stupid he was not to realize what he’d been up to. Or to look upon him with pity because he couldn’t keep Alaric happy enough not to stray.
“I’m sorry,” Dra’Kaedan finally replied. The others echoed similar sentiments and Chander knew he had to get out of there.
“Thank you and thanks for everything today. I have to go.”
“We’ll talk soon, take care,” Dra’Kaedan said and before Chander could flee wrapped him in his arms. He squeezed tightly and Chander’s eyes began to well with tears. He gently extricated himself from his friend and without a word teleported straight to his new bedroom. It had little more than a bed and a lamp. Chander ignored both. Everything that happened today was coming at him and he could not stop the barrage of pain. He backed up against the wall and slid down it.
He lowered his head to his knees and his shoulders shook as he cried. Nothing would fix the damage inside him. The man he loved was a snake. He’d slithered in and wore down Chander’s defenses. Now he was gone and it was all over. Why had he ever thought things could work out? He was a damn fool for even trying. Chander braced his head in his hands as he wept. All this time he’d thought all he had to do was figure out how to save his life. He had no idea it was already destroyed.
Chapter 43
Benton fisted Baxter’s T-shirt in both hands as he held him as tight as he could.
“What the fuck happened today?” Baxter burst out next to his ear.
“I have no idea.”
Baxter pulled back and his sandy brown eyes were turbulent. “Is it just me or did Chand lose his fucking mind?”
“No, it’s not just you.” Benton released his man so he could pace. He was restless and overwrought after watching everything that had transpired over the last few hours. “He destroyed the condo, kicked out Victor, and for some fucking reason decided to tear Alaric a new one.”
“For fuck’s sake, he was brutal to Alaric. Why would he do that? They seemed happy.”
“I wish I knew, Bax. This is fucking crazy.”
“Victor’s going to be okay at Evergreen’s?”
“Oh yeah, he said he can stay as long as he needs to. Victor was pretty pissed.”
Baxter grimaced. “Well, I can fucking understand why.”
“Chand must have had some kind of psychotic split when his demon side emerged.”
“He can damn well get over it. This is insane. You don’t talk to your mate that way. Not without a good-ass reason.”
“I know. I want to talk to Alaric.”
“Good, go to the compound,” Baxter suggested. “I’ll see if I can talk some sense into a certain demonic necromancer.”
Benton cupped the back of Baxter’s neck with his hand and kissed him deeply. “Love you,” he said when they came up for air.
“Love you too.”
Cloaked, Benton teleported to the compound. He looked for Alaric in his office but he wasn’t there. “Great,” he muttered. “Good thing I’m a fucking sentinel. Who apparently talks to himself.”
Reaching out with his senses, he began tracking his leader. He went down a maze of hallways and saw him speaking with Gerard. Alaric turned. His face was blank but there was sorrow in those glowing eyes.
“Can we talk?” he asked after Alaric offered a farewell to the other sentinel.
Alaric nodded and led them back to his office. He lowered himself into his chair and Benton sat in the one that appeared behind him.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Alaric said.
“Why?”
“You’ve been at Chand’s side for more than six hundred years.”
“I’m still a sentinel, and I care about you,” Benton replied.
“Of course, you will always be a sentinel. I hope you and your mate haven’t been overly traumatized by this afternoon.”
“Bax and I are just fine. I came here to talk to you about Chand. How are you doing?”
“What do you want me to say, Ben? No, I’m not doing okay.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into him.”
“You need only apologize for yourself and you’ve done nothing wrong,” Alaric insisted. “He has his own demons.”
“Literally,” Benton agreed. “That’s what they think his other half is.”
“Good for him. I’m sure he’s relieved to solve that mystery and have his health restored.”
“Maybe that’s why he went so crazy today, sensory overload from releasing his demon.”
“Whatever his reasons were, he had no right to speak of our matebond that way or to speak to me with such hatred,” Alaric said. “I don’t want you or Bax in the middle of this. Our relationship is over. I can’t tell you what will fix that or if even such a thing is possible. I’m angry and hurt. All the necromancers have done is harm our people. I don’t know if I can ever forgive them or Chand. It’s over, Ben—the sooner we all get used to it the better.”
Benton didn’t know what to say. He wanted to wring Chander’s neck for the pain he’d caused and at the same time he ached for him because he knew somewhere deep inside the necromancer was compelled to do it. Chander had never been one to act rashly. Even the decisions he’d made which had come back to haunt him had been made with thought and were for the best of the greater good. “I’m so sorry, Alaric.”
“You’re a good friend. Thank you, I’ll miss my time with you and Bax.”
“We’ll be back.”
“Your life isn’t here, Ben. And as much as I care for you and Bax—”
“You don’t want us here.”
“I’m sorry, no. Your allegiance is to Chand as it should be, and each time I see either of you it’s going to be a reminder of all I’ve lost. I’d appreciate it if you could keep some distance from here for a while.”
Benton swallowed hard. “I understand,” he said as he rose to his feet. “Thank you for all you’ve done for not only me but every man here, Lich Sentinel.”
“It’s been my pleasure.”
Benton could feel the pull of
Chander’s magic and seconds later found himself back in his bedroom, he saw Baxter reclined against the pillows. “Hey.”
Baxter rolled off the bed and took him into his arms. “Hey yourself.”
“Did you talk to Chand?”
“No, you’re lucky I was able to convince him to summon you home,” Baxter griped. “How did things go with Alaric?”
“Not good. He’s fucked up, thanks to Chand. He wants us to stay away from the compound for a while.”
Their eyes met. “Then we’ll respect his wishes.”
“Fuck this whole situation.”
“We’ll figure out a way to fix it,” Baxter said. “However long it takes, we’ll think of something.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t you ever do this to me, Ben.”
“Fuck you, I wouldn’t.”
“Good because I love you, and I can’t lose you.”
“You can’t. You won’t.” Benton kissed him. “I love you too.”
* * *
Gavrael handed Alaric a sheet of parchment. “We have finished mapping out another section of the compound.”
“Great, find anything interesting?”
“Yeah,” Gedeon replied. “We marked it on the map. I think we may have stumbled onto something. There’s a wavy area. I think at the end of the section we did has to be close to at least one of the missing room numbers.”
“Wonderful,” Alaric said. “I will check it out. Go on home and enjoy your dinner.”
“Be sure and eat yours,” Gavrael ordered before the pair were summoned home by their necros. It had been several days since Chander had essentially kicked him out. He’d yet to sleep and only ate when his energy waned. It wasn’t that he wanted to stay up; he tried laying down to rest but his mind wouldn’t give him any peace to allow his body to fall into slumber. All he did was relive that horrible fight with Chander. Alaric hoped that soon his exhaustion would outweigh his turbulent emotions. He didn’t appreciate not being able to care for himself and knew as his fatigue grew, he’d been less sharp.
Rise of the Lich Sentinel Page 30