“I am.”
Somerly wasn’t quite sure how to address the Grand Summoner part of it, but he waded in because he wanted to know everything about Dre’Kariston. “You’ve got like a title and stuff?”
“I’m the Grand Summoner. It sounds important, but there are only seven of us. Four warlocks and three familiars. My brother’s the guy in charge. I just assist how I can. Traditionally, the Grand Summoner oversees the familiars while the Grand Warlock takes charge of the warlocks but with such a small number, our duties aren’t really divided.”
“I’m sorry about your people. I guess there was a big war?”
“One most people have heard of. How old are you, Somerly?”
“One hundred and four.” There was silence on the phone for several seconds, and Somerly wondered what Dre’Kariston could possibly be thinking. He knew he was young; he’d only had his first shift a couple of years before. “Is my age an issue for you?”
“Not at all. I’m simply surprised your education didn’t include my parents’ war.”
“Yeah, well that’s Council stuff. It’s not relevant to Consilium life.”
There were several more long, drawn-out moments of quiet; then the warlock spoke again. “I suppose that’s true. I’d be happy to learn more about the Consilium.”
“I can teach you what I know, but it’s not much.” Somerly only learned what he needed to know to please his tutors when he was young. With his education completed, Somerly tried to keep out of the fray of politics and the Consilium world around him. It was his father’s desire to be involved and Somerly wanted no part in it, especially not the wedding he was going to attend in a few short months. Not wanting to go anywhere near that thorny issue, Somerly decided a subject change was in order. “So, your name is unusual, right? Lex said you’re the only one named that. Is that true?”
“As far as I know, yes. My brother and I are twins. We were the first warlocks ever born with magical dragon forms. They are tiny beasts and were evident only minutes after birth. To honor that, my parents chose to give us names to reflect it. The beginnings of our names come from the word ‘draca,’ which means dragon. Kaedan and Kariston are more traditional warlock names tacked on.”
“That’s pretty cool that you have a dragon form. Can you fly and everything?”
“I can, but my dragon is very small, so long distances are impossible. I get too damn tired. But the best part about my beast is that it’s what helped lead me to you.”
Somerly had no clue what Dre’Kariston was talking about. “Huh?”
“My brother’s mated. His dragon form is a perfect replica of his mate’s dragon. So, after I was reunited with him I realized my other half would be a shifter as well. I’ve been scrying for the past few years to find you. Fate finally told me I would find you at Court Ethelindraconis.”
Rolling up into a sitting position, Somerly clutched the phone a bit tighter in his hand. He really didn’t want to believe in Fate, though he could not deny the pull of his mate. His father thought it was a bunch of nonsense, and he always tried to be respectful of King Boian’s feelings, but Dre’Kariston was claiming that Fate had led him straight to Somerly. And that he had a dragon form that matched Somerly’s own. It was a bit too much to process. “You were here today to find me?”
“Yes. We spoke with your king, but he was unable to help us locate any navy dragons within his court. So, I was thrilled to run into you.”
It was no surprise that King Boian was unwilling to help Dre’Kariston, but at least now Somerly knew who the surprise visitors were to his home. He did wonder why looking for a navy dragon would’ve put him in such a bad mood. Then again, Dre’Kariston had brought along the D’Vaire king and King Boian hated him. “I’m glad we met too.”
“And we got a bonus because we found Wullem.”
“Wullem, he arrived here at Court Ethelin a few days ago.”
“He’s a warlock, Somerly. He now calls Court D’Vaire home.”
“He wouldn’t have had a bad life here. Sorcerers are powerful within the Consilium.”
“I understand, but with so few warlocks in existence, my brother and I wish for them to stay united. We invited Wullem to return with us, and he willingly accepted the offer.”
“To live in another dragon court.”
“D’Vaire’s a sanctuary and the home of the Coven of Warlocks, Somerly. I promise you he’ll have a great life. Hopefully things will work out between us, and you’ll get to see for yourself how he fares here.”
“You’re assuming I’d come to D’Vaire. I can’t do that. I have responsibilities here and a family.”
“I’d like to learn more about your family.”
Somerly had walked himself right into a corner, and now he was going to have to come up with some creative lies. He didn’t want Dre’Kariston to find out he was a prince, and he certainly didn’t want him to know he was celebrating his engagement in a couple of weeks. But he was going to stick to some truth, he figured it’d be easier to keep his story straight. “Uh…well, I was raised by a single dad. My mom died soon after I was born—I don’t know much about her. My dad doesn’t like to discuss it. I had a brother who died a few years before I was born. All I know about him is that he didn’t survive his first shift. People who remember him say he was really nice.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother and brother. It’d be an honor to meet your dad.”
“Oh, well. He’s very old and needs a lot of care. That’s what I do all day, I take care of him. And I’m sorry to say he doesn’t like sorcerers. I’m not sure it’s a good idea to meet him.”
“I guess we’ll tackle that problem a little later after we get to know each other better. No sense disrupting his life if we decide things aren’t going to work out between us.”
“Yeah, I’d prefer to wait.” Perhaps forever, Somerly thought.
“So, you don’t want me to visit you there. I could teleport us both to D’Vaire, so we could spend some time together.”
Somerly’s head spun a little at the idea of traveling to the court his father detested most, but he did want to get to spend time with Dre’Kariston, and there was no way they could do that at Court Ethelin. “Okay.”
“What are you doing now?”
“Uh…sitting on my bed?”
“Why don’t you find a spot where I can meet you to teleport us here? All you need to do is send me a photo of a place unique enough that I can transport there.”
It wouldn’t be the first time Somerly snuck out, and he knew just the spot to meet up with Dre’Kariston. His father built Somerly a bright orange treehouse when he was young, and it was practically in the middle of the woods. Somerly met up with Lex there whenever he wanted to go do something his father wouldn’t find out about. “Okay, it’ll take me a couple of minutes, but I’ll do it.”
“Great, see you soon.”
“Yeah, see you.” Somerly hung up the phone and hopped off the bed. He yanked a pair of sneakers out of his closet and stuffed his feet into them. After sliding open the window, he carefully climbed out of it. It took him no time at all to use the giant trellises against the house to reach the ground. He dashed across the lawn and into the woods. Once he arrived at the right spot, he snapped a picture and sent it to Dre’Kariston. Seconds later, the warlock materialized in front of him. He was dressed casually, in jeans and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Like Somerly, he was wearing tennis shoes.
“Hey,” he offered to the sexy man in front of him that was somehow interested in spending more time with Somerly.
“I’m going to guess you haven’t teleported before?”
“No, the Consilium outlawed it.”
Dre’Kariston lifted a dark brow but made no comment about Somerly’s statement. “Just close your eyes so you don’t get dizzy, and you should be fine. Ready?”
Somerly did as he was told and squeezed them as tight as he could.
Dre’Kariston chuckled. �
��They aren’t going to roll out of your head or anything.”
“I know, I just don’t want to throw up or shit my pants.”
“Let’s go.”
Magic danced over Somerly’s skin and a weightlessness registered; then the ground was firmly under his feet again.
“You can open your eyes now,” Dre’Kariston invited softly.
Lifting his lashes, Somerly found himself in a giant living room with ceilings a full two stories high. There was furniture everywhere, and all of it looked comfortable and welcoming. It was a far cry from the staid decor of his own house. “This is nice.”
Before Dre’Kariston could respond, two blond men ran into the room. The slightly taller one thrust out his hand. “I’m Dra’Kaedan.”
Somerly shook it dutifully. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’m his familiar, Renny,” the smaller one said in greeting.
“I don’t really understand what a familiar is, but it’s nice to meet you too.”
“Easiest way to explain it is that I’m just like a warlock, but I was born of Dra’Kaedan’s magic and I rely on him to supply mine.”
“So, you’re like his kid?”
Renny laughed. “He and Brogan certainly act like it sometimes but technically, no. I’m his familiar.”
That cleared it up not at all Somerly decided. He turned to Dre’Kariston. “Do you have a familiar?”
“Yes.”
“And here he comes now,” Dra’Kaedan said.
A man who resembled Dre’Kariston walked into the living area. He was wearing a frown and didn’t offer his hand to shake when he got close to their group.
“This is the mate?”
“Grand Summoner Familiar Derwin D’Vaire, this is Somerly Ethelindraconis,” Dre’Kariston replied. “And yes, he’s my mate.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Somerly repeated for the third time. He suspected he was going to be saying it a lot as he was introduced to all the warlocks and familiars.
“Are you prepared to move into D’Vaire?” Derwin asked.
“Derwin, I just met Somerly today. It’s rather early to begin discussing living arrangements.”
“I’m sure he already knows if he wants to join the Council,” Derwin retorted.
Deciding he didn’t care for Derwin’s hostile attitude, Somerly spoke. “It’s as Dre’Kariston said. It’s too early to discuss any of that. We’ll have to see how things work out, but I appreciate your concern regarding our matebond.”
“You should know Dre’Kariston has zero interest in being flexible about the subject. His intention is to stay here in this big mausoleum until the end of time,” Derwin stated. His eyes had none of the warmth of Dre’Kariston’s and appeared empty to Somerly.
“This house seems nice,” Somerly replied.
“That’s because you don’t live here. We don’t even have the privacy of our own homes. Aleksander makes us all live underfoot.”
“That’s enough, Derwin. You have plenty of privacy in your own space.”
“Whatever,” the familiar responded as he stomped out of the room.
“Don’t mind him. I’m convinced he has a stick shoved permanently up his asshole,” Renny said.
“Be nice,” Dra’Kaedan chided.
“I was. Then he told us he wished you were dead. I’ve had enough,” Renny argued.
“Okay, I get it but it’s Somerly’s first time here, and let’s give him some time to adjust to all the craziness, so he can draw his own conclusions,” Dra’Kaedan replied.
Before anyone could offer any further insight on a conversation Somerly was barely able to understand, two tall dragons walked into the room. One was undeniably the ruler of Court D’Vaire, and next to him was a mated navy dragon Somerly assumed was Dra’Kaedan’s other half. His hunch was proved correct when the man in question ran a hand over Dra’Kaedan’s plethora of golden curls and leaned down to kiss the warlock.
“King Aleksander and Duke Brogan, allow me to introduce Somerly,” Dre’Kariston said.
Somerly found himself shaking the hand of his father’s most hated enemy as well as his duke. “Thanks for allowing me to travel to your home, Your Highness.”
The D’Vaire king smiled. “We don’t use titles around here—call me Aleksander. And we’re happy to have you here. As Dre’Kariston’s mate, you’re always welcome.”
Dra’Kaedan rolled his eyes. “Council rules, Aleksander. As long as your mate lives somewhere, you can’t be denied entry. Everyone knows that, skyscraper.”
“Squirt, you’re forgetting he lives in the Consilium. They may not have the same law.”
“We don’t have that rule. Not everyone meets their mate, so there’s no need to protect something Fate only doles out to certain individuals,” Somerly offered. The room went quiet, and Somerly didn’t fully comprehend the tension.
“I guess you’re lucky to be one of the chosen few,” Brogan finally said.
“I’m feeling pretty lucky,” Somerly agreed. He was also overwhelmed and not sure he had any clue what he was doing standing in King D’Vaire’s living room. Guilt washed over him as he thought about what his father would think of his decision to sneak out to travel to this place. As enticing a thought as a relationship with Dre’Kariston was, Somerly wondered if it was nothing more than pure selfishness to follow this path.
If Fate was listening, he hoped she’d somehow guide him into making the correct decisions. So many people could be hurt if he made the wrong ones, and Somerly’s heart sank at the idea. But as the conversation flowed around him, he straightened his shoulders and reminded himself that Dre’Kariston wasn’t brought into his life for no reason at all. He just had to discover exactly what that purpose was and how to handle it. Somerly promised himself he’d be up to the task.
Chapter 10
“For a man who just met his mate, you’re doing an awful lot of frowning,” Dra’Kaedan observed.
Dre’Kariston nodded. “I suppose it would’ve been asking too much of Fate to offer me a relationship that wasn’t full of complications.”
“The more challenges you overcome, the stronger a bond you’ll build with him. Relax and take the time to get to know him. You can figure out the obstacles together.”
“Yeah, in my heart I know you’re right but shit, Dra’Kaedan, how the hell are we even going to live together someday? I won’t leave the Council, and I’m sure as fuck not going to take him away from his elderly father.”
“Why do you have to? He was here for hours yesterday. His dad must not need care at night. I don’t see any reason why he can’t be there during the day to help and be here with you afterward. Or maybe in time we can convince his dad to move here to D’Vaire, and we can all pitch in to assist him. Dre’Kariston, you’ve always overthought everything. You just met. Leave it alone for now.”
“It’s not like my brain has an off switch, but I’ll do my best.”
“He seems like a nice guy, definitely has a youthful air about him. That’s good for you—you act like you’re eight thousand years old.”
Dre’Kariston rolled his eyes. “It only seems that way to you because you’re hopelessly immature. He acts young because he is. Somerly’s only one hundred and four. Dragons mature slowly, and he’s only a couple of years past his first shift. His whole life has been in the Consilium. I’m still taken aback that he’s never heard of the Coven of Warlocks and our war with the Cwylld elves.”
“Yeah, what the hell do they teach over there? The Consilium has only existed for two hundred years. Is everything that happened before that just a big black hole? I almost shit my pants when he said they don’t even protect matebonds.”
“Makes me wonder how committed he feels to his new matebond.”
“My brother the worrywart.”
Before he could offer any retort to his annoying sibling, Dre’Kariston’s cousin Scheredin bounded into the Coven of Warlocks’ office, which was kept in a building just outside their large home. “Hey
guys,” Scheredin said.
“What’s up?” Dra’Kaedan asked.
Scheredin shrugged. “Nothing, I just wanted to see how bad Dre’Kariston is freaking over meeting Somerly.”
“I don’t freak out.”
“You do a very good job of keeping a placid exterior while your brain tortures you,” Scheredin countered.
“Remember when we were kids? He was much more fun,” Dra’Kaedan commented.
“I think all those centuries of dealing with Derwin’s shit have turned him into a somber old man,” Scheredin replied.
“Did it occur to either one of you that it’s rude to dissect someone’s personality right in front of them?” Dre’Kariston asked.
“I was pleasantly surprised that Derwin was only mildly impolite to Somerly when he met him yesterday,” Dra’Kaedan told Scheredin as if Dre’Kariston hadn’t said a word.
Dre’Kariston retaliated by giving his brother a playful shove in the shoulder with one hand. “Hey asshat, I’m still in the room.”
“Scher, would you look at that? Dre’Kariston’s here. He’s so dark and brooding, I didn’t even see him skulking over there in the corner,” Dra’Kaedan teased.
“Someone remind me why I talk to either one of you,” Dre’Kariston retorted.
“Because we’re all warlocks and therefore we’re the best,” Scheredin said.
“Somerly’s dad isn’t fond of sorcerers. I hope Somerly doesn’t have any reservations about the fact that I’m a warlock. I can’t change it and even if I could, I wouldn’t. I don’t know how to even begin discussing with him the decimation of our people. He seemed a little annoyed that we brought Wullem back with us,” Dre’Kariston confided.
“There’s got to be a great divide between the dragons and the wizards. As far as we know, in the Consilium it’s the sorcerers calling all the shots. I can see how that would irritate a shifter. I think exposure to magickind is probably all he needs to realize we aren’t all power-hungry jerks. This place is perfect because it’s such a mix of people, and I’m not going to apologize for bringing Wullem here. All that guy has done is smile and thank me profusely since he arrived. I don’t need his gratitude, but I’ll take those beaming grins any day of the week. He’s already brimming with happiness, and that’s something I intend to make sure continues for him,” Dra’Kaedan replied.
The Summoner's Path (D'Vaire, Book 10) Page 7
