“I understand your concern, but I can tell you they’ll be fine. If this thing backfires, they’ll get a good rest and will wake up without dragons. They’re immortal fallen knights. Even if their bodies explode the pieces will knit back together,” Chander told him.
“Thanks for that visual. Okay, so I should relax and hope to see a beautiful golden dragon in a few days?”
“Drystan’s going to develop a complex because everyone’s interested in Conley’s dragon and not his,” Alaric commented.
Aleksander laughed. “I want to see Drystan’s dragon too, but Alaric, Conley was a gold dragon.”
“I understand. The only one in dragonkind,” the Lich Sentinel replied.
“Exactly. I used to think all the talk about his coloring was exaggerated, and now I get to see him in person. I really hope this works. It’s going to be incredible. And there’s always been a divide between shifters and the fallen knights. They see them as magickind trying to police them. It got better when we all discovered Drystan and Conley used to be shifters. If they are shifters, I predict that gap will evaporate. That’ll only strengthen our Council,” Chrysander said. His voice was eager, and Dre’Kariston was thrilled Chander had come up with this plan.
“I imagine you’re right. Especially in the future when Chander begins resurrecting fallen knights with beasts,” Alaric answered. “I was going to ask Chand and Del to craft a version to do the same with sentinels.”
Chander clutched his mate’s arm and beamed. “You want to resurrect sentinels with beasts?”
“I think it would be beneficial. We already know we will need to add men to our ranks. The Reverent Knights were correct—there are not enough of us to go around. As soon as the current sentinels are all trained, we’ll need to begin resurrections. It will only enhance a sentinel’s abilities to add the component of whatever animal they have tied to their soul. I’ve discussed it with Grymmie. He’ll oversee those men, and we will construct special duties for them.”
Lich Reaper Grymington Daray was a race of one who wouldn’t even allow the discussion of resurrecting others like him. As a shifter did, he had another form, so it made perfect sense to Dre’Kariston that he would direct sentinels with beasts.
“It’ll be simple to alter our spell for sentinels,” Delaney promised. “We’re still missing some parts of the original spell for sentinels, but we can work that out when the time comes.”
“Absolutely,” Chander agreed. “But it’s your spell, not ours.”
Delaney gave him a bored look. “It was your idea. I wouldn’t have crafted it without you.”
“Don’t spoil my good week by fighting. From first thing Monday morning I’ve been on a cloud, so don’t shoot me down now, gentlemen,” Chrysander said.
“What happened Monday morning?” Renny wanted to know.
“I’m happy to inform you that my office got a call from a human police officer in Europe. Three dragons arrived on their doorstep and want to join the Council.”
It was as Dre’Kariston expected; just when his mind was on other things he got drawn back to Somerly. All he had to do was hear the word Europe, and his treacherous thoughts went back to the awful dragon who’d broken his heart. He was glad there were at least three shifters out there who realized the Consilium Veneficus wasn’t advantageous for them. Dre’Kariston wished the one Fate matched him with was that smart. The Consilium was awful, and the things they taught their young people were unspeakable. No shifter or magickind should ever expect to hear that their mate was getting married to another.
Dra’Kaedan offered him a sad smile. “That’s great news. Any clue about who the dragons are?”
“No, the humans don’t release details. They put them on a plane with a form that they hand off to a representative when they get here. I won’t know who they are until they arrive. And don’t worry, I know the situation at D’Vaire necessitates closing the doors of Dra’Kaedan’s Coven until we can track down Latarian. None of these dragons will be applying.”
“We appreciate that, Chrys. We hate not being able to help but the health and well-being of our current family must take priority. Besides, we’re going to have our hands full when our company arrives. We’ll be hosting a golden dragon and matte black one from the other side of the veil and the former warlock rulers,” Aleksander responded.
“Yeah, and if you think I’d let some unknown factors walk into a home where my top cops are comatose, you’re out of your damn mind anyway. The only reason I’m not losing my shit is because I know how secure that place is, and the Lich Sentinel and Skeleton Seven will be on hand,” Chrysander commented.
“We know what a busy schedule you have. Is there anything else we can do for you before we let you go?” Aleksander asked.
“I’d appreciate a call after the spell is done to get an update. Other than that, I’m floating on a cloud here in Vegas.”
Aleksander promised to contact Chrysander, and they all said their good-byes to the Emperor.
“The spell’s set. Come on, little brother. Time for bed,” Dra’Kaedan invited.
“I’m dark now—your spell’s going to hurt.”
“I have a sleeping potion. I’ve never used it before, but it wouldn’t hurt,” Delaney suggested.
Dra’Kaedan gave Delaney a friendly pat on the back. “We’re all still getting used to Dre’Kariston here as a dark sorcerer. Your potion would be much better for him.”
“I guess I’m not even adjusted yet to our dark wizard, let alone our dark warlock,” Chander replied. “Let’s get the Grand Summoner to bed.”
“Wow, go to bed with the Grand Summoner once, and now you can’t wait to do it again,” Alaric teased.
Dre’Kariston grinned. “Sorry, Arch Lich, but your mate here is an elite assassin, and I don’t want to die. You’re going to have to stick with Del getting me into bed tonight.”
“Oh, how exciting. My first time in bed with a man,” Delaney snarked.
“I’m curious as to how we went from Dre’Kariston getting some sleep to Del losing his virginity,” Renny stated in an overly serious manner.
“It’s the dark hair. I like that in a man,” Del teased.
“Give me your potion. I need a rest from all of you.”
“Guess you’re keeping your virginity for another night,” Idris told his best friend.
“Again. It’s your fault. My mate’s still nowhere to be seen.”
“I’m working on it,” Idris promised. Dre’Kariston accepted a dark, smoky bottle from Delaney and sent up a wish that when Fate gave the wizard his mate, she do it with a great deal more care than she had for him. What was the use of having your other half if all he did was tear you apart?
Chapter 27
“Good afternoon, gentlemen, and welcome to the Council of Sorcery and Shifters.” A pretty redhead greeted Somerly and his two companions as soon as they disembarked from the airplane. The ride was an experience Somerly never wanted to repeat; if he was going to fly anywhere, it was going to be with his own two wings.
“Thanks, we’re glad to be here,” Worth responded as he shook her hand enthusiastically. His brother was turning out to be a wise-cracking guy whose company Somerly enjoyed. He just wished he hadn’t been forced to spend almost an entire week holed up in a hotel room with him and Lex. All they did was watch television, eat, and play cards while Somerly tormented himself with images of Dre’Kariston telling him to fuck off. It was horrible knowing someone you loved was so upset with you they refused to even speak with you over the phone. Somerly knew; he’d tried about a million times over the last six days.
“I’m Tillie Butlerdraconis, let’s go downstairs and get your luggage, so we can get you off to your hotel. I’m sure you’re tired after your travels. I’ll need the paperwork you filled out with the human police as soon as you can get to it in your bags.”
“We didn’t have any luggage to bring with us,” Lex explained. He slung his backpack off his shoulder and managed to ge
t it unzipped. Pulling out the forms he’d insisted on holding on to, he handed them over to Tillie.
“Well, we’ll have to replace your belongings then, won’t we?” Tillie responded as she glanced down at the papers. “Prince Somerly, Prince Worth, and Lord Lex. It’s a pleasure to meet you all. Ready to go to the hotel?”
“I want to get in touch with my mate as soon as possible. He belongs to the Council—can you take me straight to him?” Somerly asked.
She offered him a small smile. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. I can explain how everything works, but I do feel it would be better to do so with a little privacy.”
“It’ll be okay, Somerly. We’ll do whatever it takes to get you to your mate,” Lex assured him. He’d been Somerly’s cheerleader while they languished in their hotel room. Somerly didn’t know how he hadn’t managed to make both Lex and Worth hate him. He hadn’t slept in days and had taken to walking around the room to try and settle himself down. They forced him to choke down food and tried to entertain him. He wasn’t going to make a scene now in a crowded airport, even though he wanted to demand to know how the hell he could get to Dre’Kariston.
“Fine, let’s go.”
“Wonderful. There’s a car waiting for us downstairs,” Tillie said as she walked.
Tired and in dirty jeans, Somerly shuffled along behind her. They’d been too afraid to venture out of the hotel to shop for new clothes with the prepaid credit cards they were given. Somerly had stuffed an extra shirt and pants into his backpack and the hotel had cleaning services, but he’d wanted to save his clean stuff for when he was reunited with Dre’Kariston.
The foursome walked forever as they wound their way through the airport but finally, after a couple of escalator rides and a tram, they made it outside. As Tillie promised, there was a sleek black limousine waiting. A uniformed man took their backpacks from them and placed them into the trunk; then they piled into the vehicle. Inside, the seats were cushioned, and there were water bottles chilling which Tillie immediately offered to them. Somerly declined as his companions eagerly accepted.
“The hotel’s less than five minutes from here, so you don’t have to worry about a long drive,” Tillie assured them.
Worth offered her a wary glance. “Are you keeping us close to the airport, so you can put us back on a plane if we don’t make it through your entry requirements?”
“Your Highness, you’ve already met the entry requirement. You’re a shifter, and you want to join the Council. Those are the only two things we need from you. We’ll fill out some paperwork and figure out where you’ll call home, but under no circumstances will we be sending you back to the Consilium Veneficus. We chose a close hotel to make it easier on the three of you.”
“Please don’t call me Your Highness. Worth will do just fine.”
“Somerly works for me as well, Ms. Butlerdraconis.”
“I’m willing to do that as long as you call me Tillie.”
Through the tinted glass of the car, a large hotel came into view. The vehicle slowed and then turned into the curved drive in front of the building. Once the limousine came to a stop, Tillie popped open the door and they followed her out. Their driver retrieved their bags from the trunk, and Somerly thanked him as his was handed over. They walked into a lobby with bright modern furniture. Tillie bypassed the registration desk and led them over to a bank of elevators. They took a short ride up to the top floor, and after traipsing down a hallway, she opened a door.
After letting them inside, she handed each of them a card. “These are your keys for the room. Feel free to order food, movies, or whatever else you want while you’re here. We decided to keep you all together in a suite but if that doesn’t suit you, we can make other arrangements.”
“We’ve gotten quite used to being together—haven’t we, boys?” Worth asked.
“Yeah, together is fine,” Lex replied.
Somerly was on board with that; he didn’t want his newly found brother or his best friend anywhere but at his side, so he added a nod.
“Great, did you want to freshen up or anything before we get down to business?”
“Rather embarrassing to tell a beautiful woman I have to use the toilet, but we were on a plane forever,” Worth said.
She grinned. “Thanks, I’d prefer you go to the bathroom. It would be even more embarrassing to watch you pee your pants.”
“Oh, I like you very much, Tillie,” Worth responded, then disappeared into the restroom.
“There are two bathrooms in this suite,” Tillie said.
“Go on, Somerly. I’ll use it after you,” Lex instructed.
Because his stubborn friend would argue if he insisted Lex went first, Somerly bobbed his head again and did as he was told. When he returned to the sitting room, Worth had reappeared and Lex was gone. Somerly took a seat on the sofa while Worth and Tillie chatted when Lex emerged from the restroom.
Lex offered him an encouraging smile and squeezed his shoulder once he was seated next to him. “We’d like to get this going so Somerly can get to his mate.”
“Yes, please. He’s been pacing for near to a week now. I’m likely to kill him if he doesn’t get to his mate’s side soon,” Worth added.
“I’m so sorry you’ve had to be separated from your mate. Nothing in the Council is more important than a matebond, so we definitely need to get you back to your mate’s side. Let’s start with a name.”
“His name is Grand Summoner Dre’Kariston D’Vaire.”
Her red eyebrows rose. “Congratulations. Fate has certainly smiled upon you. He’s one of the few living warlocks, but I’m sure I don’t need to tell you things you already know about your own mate. I can’t release the address or allow you to travel to his home until you fill out a form. It’s an Order of the Fallen Knights requirement and he lives at a sanctuary, so I’m afraid there’s no way to waive it,” she riffled through her bag and pulled out a piece of paper that she placed in front of Somerly. “So, you just fill out your personal information and sign it. Then we’ll send it over to the Grand Summoner and get his signature. Once that’s done, we’ll take you over to the fallen knights and they’ll arrange for you to go to Court D’Vaire.”
“My mate’s upset with me just now. He might not sign it.”
“Don’t you worry about that. The Order of the Fallen Knights will assign you a Juris Knight in that case. They’ll ask for a special judge to look at your case. If the Grand Summoner won’t cooperate, they can request or even demand if necessary that he provide a drop of blood to be mixed with yours. The wizards have crafted a test to prove matebonds. Once that’s done, his information will be given to you. Then, you alert King D’Vairedraconis that you wish to visit his court. It’s illegal for any ruler to bar a mate from seeing another. You can stay under his roof indefinitely as long as the Grand Summoner’s there.”
“How long would all that take?” Lex asked.
“It depends, but it could be up to a couple of weeks. Our justice system normally works quickly, but I can imagine because he’s the Grand Summoner, he’ll be given extra time to comply due to his rank and significance to the Council.”
The weight of his emotions sank down to his feet at the idea of being separated from Dre’Kariston for several more weeks. It was hard to imagine the pissed off warlock signing the form without a fight. Without any choice in the matter, Somerly scrawled his information down and wished for the best. When he was finished he handed the paper to Tillie, who took it and put it in her bag.
“Okay, so Somerly’s set now for the time being. Here’s another form for you to fill out,” she said to him as she pushed the page toward him. “This is to give you a temporary identification card. Because the Grand Summoner hasn’t signed the form and you believe it will take some time, go ahead and use Draconis as your last name. Ethelindraconis is not a Council court, so I’m afraid you can’t use your old one. The same basic information is needed on this as well. We’ll get a picture taken of
you, and then the fallen knights will issue you the card. It’s used for many things—from the lock on your door to paying for your groceries. The fallen knights have a pamphlet explaining how it all works that you’ll receive when you get the card. Now, let’s turn to Worth and Lex. What kind of court are you both looking for?”
“I want them with me,” Somerly stated. “Can’t they come to Court D’Vaire?”
Tillie blew out a breath. “I don’t think it will be much of an issue to get Worth in. He’s your brother, and most kings are more than willing to add a sibling of someone’s mate. Are you related in any way to Lex?”
“No, but he’s my best friend. He’s been at my side since I was a baby. I’d prefer to keep the three of us together.”
“It’s okay, Somerly. I can come and visit. I do want to see Court D’Vaire someday.”
“No. Absolutely not. You’ve wanted to come to the Council forever. You stayed because of me. All my life you’ve been there for me, and you know you want to go to Court D’Vaire. I want you to have everything you want.”
Tillie held up her hands. “I didn’t say it was impossible, but it might be difficult for Lex. Dra’Kaedan’s Coven doesn’t work as other sanctuaries do. The fallen knights can’t place people there—they must be approved by King D’Vairedraconis and the Coven of Warlocks. They have a lengthy application and handle their own review process. Lex, you can fill it out and you may get accepted. Having your friends could help, but I can’t make any promises. You can fill out their application online. I’ll just get it up here on my computer for you.” She pulled the device out of her bag and opened it up. “The Emperor has been informed that you’re all arriving and takes a special interest in all dragons, especially the assimilation of new ones. I’m going to give his office a call and see if he can offer any assistance or helpful information regarding the desire for the three of you to go to D’Vaire. I’ll just pop out into the hallway and call him while you begin the application. In the meantime—Lex and Worth, you’ll also need to fill out forms for temporary cards.”
The Summoner's Path (D'Vaire, Book 10) Page 20
