Becoming D'Vaire (D'Vaire, Book 11)

by Jessamyn Kingley

  Grigori hauled himself up into a sitting position, then stood. He needed nourishment, but there was no way he was ending this phone call. Though he’d procured Delaney’s forgiveness and they had a new date scheduled, he was loving every minute of talking with him. “I can see the future perfectly. A thousand years from now we’ll be sitting in a vampire club, and you’ll be in nothing but the enormous collar I’m going to put around your throat and your dragonskin pants. I’ll lovingly stroke your skin with the petals of a rose, and you’ll turn to me and say, ‘For fuck’s sake, Grigori, how could you have forgotten our first fucking date?’ ”

  “Collar?”

  “Yeah, you guys call them necklaces. Vampires call them collars. Nonvampire mates get really elaborate ones. It’s our way of showing off how proud we are of Fate’s gift. Yours is going to be so black.”

  “Why wouldn’t I be wearing a shirt?”

  “You aren’t going to be wearing underwear either,” Grigori informed him as he flipped on the light in the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he found some leftover pasta and tossed it into the microwave to warm it up.

  “And just what are you going to be wearing?”

  “Whatever you want,” Grigori promised. “And I’ll be leaving off anything you’d prefer I left at home.”

  “You can’t be naked.”

  “I agree, my nuts are for you alone.”

  “Such a sexy image.”

  “You got a problem with my nuts?” Grigori asked as he grabbed a fork from the drawer while he waited for his very late dinner. Glancing at the clock, he realized it was getting closer to an inappropriate super-early breakfast but whatever, he was hungry.

  “I haven’t seen them yet, so I can’t properly answer that question.”

  “I assure you, they’re lovely.”

  “I suspect all of you is gorgeous.”

  “I’ve got knobby knees. You’ll have to learn to live with it,” Grigori informed him as he snagged his meal from the microwave and dug in.

  “If I can deal with you thinking aloud, then I guess I can stomach your protruding kneecaps.”

  “Don’t forget the absentmindedness,” Grigori warned after swallowing down a large bite.

  “How could I?”

  “Tell me one thing you wish you could do.”

  “I want to shadow walk. I can’t right now. I don’t know who my relatives are or if any of them are still alive, and I’m not mated. The Arch Lich won’t let me cross to the other side of the veil without a safety net. He shadow walked with the Grand Summoner to enlist the help of Dre’Kariston’s parents to reunite the Reverent Knights with their dragons, making them the first fallen knight shifters.”

  “That was a big deal in the Council when they did that. You helped with it, didn’t you?”

  “I was responsible for working with Reverent Knight Drystan’s dragon—who fought me terribly—and Dre’Kariston took care of RK Conley’s. If we were mated, I guess I could finally shadow walk.”

  The idea of Delaney crossing the veil that separated life from death gave Grigori a cold shiver, but he ignored it. There was no way he’d deny him anything if he could help it. “You said ‘if’ again.”

  “Keep reminding me. Sometimes I’m a slow learner.”

  “Somehow I doubt that.”

  “It’s a hard concept for me. Mating. It’s…I’m working on it.”

  “Okay. We just met. You’ve got time.”

  “Thanks.”

  “So you missed out on an opportunity to meet the former rulers of the warlocks though, since you couldn’t shadow walk? That sucks.”

  “The Arch Lich has temporarily resurrected them—they’re here for three months. I adore T’Eirick and Saura.”

  “What the fuck?” Grigori managed.

  Delaney laughed. “They’re keeping a low profile because everyone would go crazy if they knew the creators of the Council were alive, and they’re determined to only visit. We’d like them to reconsider and go for a permanent resurrection but so far, they’ll only commit to thinking about it.”

  “I have to meet them.”

  “Show up for our second date, and I might be willing to arrange that.”

  Grigori grinned. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

  “I’d like your permission to kill you if you do. It would free me from having to ask someone with demonic blood to sever our matebond and allow me to find someone else all in one fell swoop.”

  “A dark sorcerer with few people on the planet who can match his power wants me dead. I’m going to sleep really well tonight, Delsaurus.”

  All Grigori got in response was the husky laugh he was growing addicted to. He rinsed out his bowl and put it in the dishwasher. Before leaving the kitchen, he made sure he didn’t leave a mess for Tigglesworth, then headed toward his bedroom. He was fully prepared to spend the wee hours of the morning talking to Delaney. Once he was settled against his pillow and stretched out over the mattress he said, “Okay, one by one, give me a rundown of your entire family.”

  Chapter 11

  Delaney yawned, then gulped down more coffee. He would forever associate the brew with his first date with Grigori. The vampire must have missed it, because he tried to concoct blood with the same taste, and his inspiration was Delaney.

  “You’re so quiet today, and you’ve got circles under your eyes. I hope you weren’t up all night upset over your date,” Idris said. They were hanging out in Aleksander’s office. Delaney should be in the Dark Indigo office hard at work, but he doubted he could focus on anything. He was just too damn tired.

  Pulling the mug away from his face, Delaney turned his head to meet a pair of remarkable bluish-purple eyes filled with concern. “I’m not upset. Grigori called me last night.” Delaney went on to explain why he was stood up and everything else he learned about Grigori.

  “Well, now we know why Vadimas acted so weird when we asked him about meeting the scientists who created the almost-synthetic blood. Grigori sounds wonderful,” Idris enthused.

  “We had a fun time on the phone. He’s not stuck up at all, and I love his sense of humor.”

  “Let’s talk a little more about these racy vampire clubs. Does your family get to go?” Mac asked.

  “I hope so, I simply must experience this,” Dra’Kaedan added.

  “You do look damn fine in dragonskin pants,” Brogan told the warlock.

  “I’m so glad you had a nice chat with Grigori. It sounds like you really like him,” Saura said.

  “I do. I’m looking forward to dinner tonight. We’re doing a much more casual thing that apparently suits us both better. Although I’m not opposed to doing the fancy stuff—Grigori looks sexy in a tux.”

  “He’s very handsome,” Idris agreed.

  Before anyone could say anything else, Aleksander’s cell phone rang. He spoke briefly to whoever was on the other line, then hung up. “That was Drystan. He and Conley are heading over here with Alaric and Chander.”

  “The Reverent Knights, Lich Sentinel, and Arch Lich are coming here in the middle of Council session? Something big must be going on,” Dre’Kariston observed.

  “He didn’t give me any details. I told him they should all teleport into their bedrooms since my office has become some sort of a hang-out area,” Aleksander said,

  “I know you’re aren’t about to complain about the company. You love us all,” Worth stated.

  “I love everyone but you,” Aleksander teased. “You’re annoying.”

  “Lies,” Worth retorted just as the four men they were expecting appeared in the doorway.

  “Grab a seat if you can find one,” Aleksander invited.

  “Who’s attending Council session for you guys?” Dra’Kaedan asked.

  “Arvandus is sitting in for the fallen knights, and Albie’s there for the sentinels,” Alaric replied. Venerable Knight Arvandus Ruarc-Daray was one of two men second in command for the Order of the Fallen Knights. His mate, Skeleton Lord Albrecht, wa
s one of the seven men who assisted the Lich Sentinel.

  “Chand, what about the necros?” Dre’Kariston asked.

  “With no elder council, the Order of Necromancia doesn’t have anyone designated to sit in for me. Something I need to fix as soon as I can find someone I trust enough to be an advisor. I have several people on my staff who are exemplary, but none of them want the position, so I’m stuck right now,” Chander revealed. “There aren’t any votes today that directly impact my people, so I feel comfortable enough leaving Council session. What we have to discuss is important, and I have my Daemon Lords taking notes.”

  “All of you have incredibly serious expressions on your faces. Well, everyone but Alaric,” Worth said. “You sentinels can write the book on giving nothing away.”

  “We’re here to talk to you guys about Carvallius,” Conley stated.

  Dra’Kaedan shook his head. “There’s no way you’re going to tell us he’s gotten loose or anything. I simply won’t believe it. You’re fallen knights, you don’t fuck up like that.”

  “Of course we don’t,” Drystan agreed. “He’s still lying just where we left him with the Cwylld stone on his chest. That’s not the problem.”

  “The problem is, he appears to be regaining his corporeal form,” Alaric confided. “Unlike the five members of the Skeleton Seven who were once nothing more than bone, he doesn’t have a body in one fell swoop.”

  “It’s not even consistent. We observed hours of recorded footage this morning from the last couple of days. I don’t want you to think we’ve been keeping you out of the loop—we were just informed of the situation when we arrived at work today. The men and women tasked with guarding his section of the prison didn’t understand what was happening,” Drystan added.

  “He’s gaining flesh, then it will disappear again.…But each time it returns, it covers more of him. Strangely, it moves from one section of his body to another in no discernable pattern. It’s impossible to guess when the process will be complete but at some point, he’s going to be fully corporeal again,” Conley added.

  “Well, that’s good news,” Delaney said.

  Worth lifted a dark brow. “You think the warlocks’ most hated enemy getting his body back is good news?”

  “Absolutely,” Delaney replied. “We’ve been wracking our brains trying to figure out how to execute a skeleton, then permanently tie him to the other side of the veil so he isn’t resurrected again. We haven’t come up with a single viable way to move forward. If he’s corporeal, one half of our equation is already taken care of. All we need to do now is construct a method to make sure the world is rid of Carvallius for good.”

  “That’s an excellent point, Del. Fate appears to be helping us along,” T’Eirick said.

  Alaric nodded. “My theory about Fate being responsible for a skeleton returning to a real body may be correct. I suspect that my five men who were skeletons for so long stayed that way because of the magic of our former home.”

  “We need to have a sorcerers’ meeting and start moving forward to get rid of Carvallius,” Chander remarked. “Right now we have to decide if we keep this quiet or go public.”

  “Why would we go public?” Dra’Kaedan asked.

  “It did occur to me that if Latarian found out Carvallius was regaining his body, it might draw her out of whatever hole she’s hiding in. She’s just dumb enough to think of it as an opportunity to somehow reunite herself with her grandfather,” Chander replied.

  “Good idea, Chand. I do believe we should alert the press,” Saura commented.

  “Consider it done,” Drystan stated.

  “Let’s meet on Saturday. We’ll get started on theories to tie Carvallius, and eventually Latarian, to the correct side of the veil,” Dre’Kariston said. “I was also considering shadow walking again and wanted to discuss that with you, Chand.”

  “I’d be happy to help you cross the veil anytime you want,” Chander responded.

  “Mom and Dad are here. Who do you want to speak to on the other side?” Dra’Kaedan asked.

  Dre’Kariston glanced at his mate sadly, then turned back to the assembled group. “I’m still in the ‘I don’t know if this is a good idea’ stage, but I think I’d like to talk to Derwin. There are so many questions in my mind around his death, and it would be nice to get his take on things. Maybe we can come to terms somehow with our lives and how it all played out. I hope he’s found the Coven of Familiars. I don’t even know if he’d want to talk to me but like I said, this doesn’t have to happen right away. I know Del has wanted to shadow walk for a while. He’s met his other half, so it’s going to be in the realm of possibilities at some point.”

  “I don’t think you should wait for me,” Delaney commented. “I do want to shadow walk, but I just met Grigori. I don’t know if…I mean when we’ll be mated.” Delaney heard Grigori’s voice in his head correcting him, and he was doing his best to change his mindset.

  “There’s no pressure here and no timetable, Del. I’m not convinced yet it’s the right thing to do or if Derwin would just tell me to get lost, but I wanted to float the idea in case I decide to go ahead.”

  “I don’t want to influence your decision, but there’s a chance the Coven of Familiars might be able to come up with ideas to help with the Carvallius problem as well,” T’Eirick pointed out.

  “It certainly couldn’t hurt to speak with them or the Coven of Warlocks. There are plenty of brilliant sorcerers willing to try new methods, and they certainly all want Carvallius to pay for what he did to them,” Saura added.

  “Great, so you guys get in touch with Vadimas, and we’ll have the whole gang together on Saturday,” Chander said to all of them. Then he turned his attention to Saura and T’Eirick. “Before we head out, I’d like to extend my offer once again of keeping you both on this side of the veil. I think we’re all in agreement that your family could use you, as could the entire Council.”

  “We do appreciate that, Chand. Maybe it’s something we can discuss on Saturday. I assume we’re invited to your sorcerers’ club,” Saura responded.

  “Of course you’re invited, Mom,” Dre’Kariston replied. “Chand’s right, we all need you here.”

  “Your group really needs a name,” T’Eirick observed, which Delaney recognized as his desire to change the subject from their temporary resurrection that everyone wanted to become permanent.

  Chander chuckled. “As long as we don’t call it an elder council, I’m fine. We need to get back to Council session. Congratulations, Del, on meeting your mate. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Vampyress and her family.”

  The Reverent Knights and Lich Sentinel offered similar sentiments, which made Delaney smile. “Thank you, all. I’m feeling pretty pleased about it right now myself.”

  “They have a big date tonight,” Saura confided. They said their farewells, and the four men teleported back to their work.

  “Do you really think this news about Carvallius will get Latarian to show her face?” Dre’Kariston asked.

  “I don’t know. She’s come up with some amazingly stupid plans in the past but somehow still manages to wreak havoc,” Dra’Kaedan answered.

  “She’s also lazy,” Idris added.

  “This is true,” Dra’Kaedan responded. “And crazy devoted to Carvallius. It might drive her to do something ridiculous and try to spring him from a fallen knight prison, but that would take so much planning and ingenuity that I don’t see it happening.”

  “We’ll dangle the carrot. If she wants to grab it, she’ll make it easy for us to nab her,” Aleksander said. “I don’t really care what works—I want this finished. She needs to pay for her crimes, and we D’Vaires need to be able to live our lives without looking over our shoulders. Speaking of which—Del, who are you bringing tonight to guard you on your date?”

  “Shit, I’m so tired I didn’t even think of it.”

  “We’ll take care of it. Are you still against Mac guarding you?” Brogan asked. />
  “I wasn’t against Mac guarding me,” Delaney argued.

  Brogan rolled his eyes. “You know what I meant. He’d bring Idris, then you’d both be nervous as fuck. Are you still feeling that way? Dra’Kaedan and I could go instead.”

  “Really? Yeah, if you guys wanted to grab dinner at a table close by. It’s casual. They make great tacos, according to Grigori. I’ll let Mac do his job after this date.”

  “Tacos. Yum. We’re there,” Dra’Kaedan responded.

  “I don’t get to do my job, and I’m missing out on tacos,” Mac complained.

  “I’ll make it up to you, Mac, I promise. I—”

  Mac held up a hand to stop the flow of words. “No, I’m teasing you. I want things to go smoothly with Grigori. Have a wonderful time, and we’ll expect a full report when you get home.”

  “This time, things are going to be perfect. I just know it,” Idris promised.

  “I was so nervous yesterday going into the date. Today I feel different. Maybe it’s because I’m super tired, but I’m genuinely looking forward to it instead of talking myself into being optimistic.”

  “As long as you are yourself, things are going to go very smoothly for you and Grigori. You’re an amazing person, and he’s lucky Fate picked him for you,” Aleksander said.

  “Thanks, it was so easy talking to him last night. I didn’t even realize how many hours passed.”

  “Find out more about these vampire clubs. I’ve a wish to see some gorgeous, fanged men going at it in front of me,” Worth teased.

  “I’ll make that my number one priority.”

  “You’ve got your head on right, Del,” Worth responded. Delaney laughed and poured more coffee into his stomach. He hoped the day went in fast-forward, so he could talk to Grigori again. He wanted to learn everything he could about him. An absentminded but brilliant scientist was just the kind of person he would like to spend time with. There was no way yet to tell if Fate got things right, but it was sure starting to look that way to Delaney.