The illusion turned to smoke when Duff sauntered through the door. Delaney grabbed his coffee and wished he could make the shifter disappear.
“Hey Scary, what’s up?” Duff asked with a smirk as he plopped down onto one of the sofas in the large space.
“I’ve asked you not to call me that. Idris isn’t here, so tell me what you want or beat it.”
“Carter’s not around either. I can’t believe you hired him for my job.”
“It’s not your job. You quit and if you wanted to keep it long-term, you should’ve shown up on time and showed a little motivation during the day.”
“Whatever, I needed the money and the shit you do is boring.”
Delaney’s brows rose in surprise. “Needed the money? Aleksander gave you plenty when you arrived. I know, he gave me the same amount. How in the world did you go through seven figures in less than a year?”
“If you had a life, you’d understand.”
“I have a life, Duff.”
“Yeah, I heard your mate finally dragged himself to a date with you.”
“I’m not going to discuss Grigori with you.”
“He’s too good for you, Scary.”
“It’s none of your damn business.” Delaney wasn’t going to keep telling Duff not to use the name he was given as a child, but he hated to hear it. Duff was just saying it to get under his skin, and Delaney needed to be an adult and let it go.
“Do you know what’s funny?”
“No, and I don’t care.”
“It’s funny that you tried to get me kicked out of D’Vaire, and now you’re going to be the one leaving Scary.”
“I can assure you I am certainly not leaving D’Vaire.”
“Then I guess you’re going to reject that sexy vampire Fate gave you because his mother’s the Vampyress. I doubt very seriously she’s going to be okay with her son moving to some isolated place in the middle of nowhere Arizona, even if it is to be associated with a name as powerful as D’Vaire. He has duties, we met him at a party.”
Delaney’s chest tightened at the idea of leaving his first home and the family—minus the increasingly irritating Duff—that he loved. “Don’t worry about my matebond,” he managed.
“You’ll be living in Las Vegas, shunned by everyone around you because you’re some creepy-ass dark wizard that no one likes.”
“What the fuck is your problem? Are you that pissed at me because I wouldn’t have sex with you? Live your life however the fuck you want, and stop commenting on mine. Like I said, it’s none of your damn business. We share a roof—that doesn’t mean we have to be pals. I think you’re a liar, and someday that’s going to come and bite you on the ass. This is my office, and you no longer have any reason to be in here, so get out.”
“You missed out, Scary. I would’ve fucked you until you screamed out my name.”
“You wish.”
“Now you’re going to climb in bed with a vampire, and he’s going to laugh right in your face when you try to please him. He’ll never be satisfied with such a shitty lover. Grigori will wake up every morning cursing Fate that she stuck him with you.”
His words cut like knives and awakened every insecurity Delaney had, but he wasn’t going to give the shifter the satisfaction of knowing it nor was he going to allow his nerves to get the best of him. “I said get out.”
“Say hi to Grigori for me,” Duff taunted as he stood and slowly waltzed out.
After rising to his feet, Delaney gathered a bit of magic and created a black ball. With a loud grunt, he threw it and as it careened across the room, he muttered a word which caused it to explode violently. He cast it all for show, so not a single thing was marred in the space. It did little to calm his emotions except for the anger. That he let go, which allowed his fear of leaving D’Vaire to flourish.
He was still frowning ferociously at nothing when Carter and Idris appeared in the doorway.
“What’s wrong?” Idris asked as he scooted around to his desk.
Delaney relaxed the muscles in his face, so his expression smoothed out, and he made a concerted effort to brush off his altercation with Duff. “Nothing, I’m fine.”
“You suck at lying,” Idris remarked.
“We ran into your best pal Duff in the hall,” Carter added.
“I just don’t like him.”
“There’s fresh magic in the air. Casting a spell perhaps or exploding something because Duff pissed you off?” Idris asked.
“We’ve known each other too long.”
“Just tell us,” Idris pleaded.
“I don’t want to give that asshat any more of my time today,” Delaney retorted.
“I’m sure he had plenty to say about Grigori. He’s jealous and he can’t understand why Grigori didn’t give him a second glance,” Carter revealed.
“Duh, they’re mates and for the record, Duff isn’t as good-looking as Del,” Idris stated with a roll of his eyes.
“Oh, agreed,” Carter threw in.
“Somebody explain to me how we went from being friends to him taking every opportunity to get on my last fucking nerve,” Delaney shot out as he lowered his body back into his chair.
“Ball in your court, Idris. I didn’t get here until after the big divide,” Carter said as he too grabbed a seat.
Idris pursed his lips. “Well, I’m not sure since no one will give me a full explanation of why there’s such a big divide in the first place. All I know is that he accused Del and me of having sex.” He turned from Carter to Delaney. “He teased you about having sex with him. You aren’t petty, so I don’t know how it escalated from there to him going out of his way to be a jerk to you.”
“You’re right, I would’ve let it go. There were just stupid, flippant comments but from there, he’s decided to insult me constantly whenever we’re alone,” Delaney confided. “Idris, he calls me Scary.”
Carter frowned. “I’m not trying to be a jerk myself, but a lot of idiots think you’re scary. You’ve always seemed to shrug that shit off.”
“It’s one thing to say Del’s scary, it’s another to refer to him as ‘Scary.’ That’s the name he had when Vadimas met him at the orphanage. No one gave him a real name, so some asshat registered that for his identification card. That’s something Del doesn’t tell people, but since we were such good friends with Duff, he trusted him with that secret,” Idris confessed.
“I hated that. I knew when I was little what it meant and that no one cared enough to think up a real name for me. I was the scary little kid, and no one wanted anything to do with me. Not until Vadimas met me and saw my potential.”
“You confided in Duff, and him using that information to cut into you—that is a real shit move,” Carter retorted.
“I don’t know what I did to him. I wish I knew. I hate having a family member I can’t stand to be around. All I can think of is what happened with Derwin and how it still tears Dre’Kariston up knowing they couldn’t ever find common ground. Now Derwin’s dead, and Dre’Kariston struggles with forgiving himself, although he couldn’t have known his former familiar’s stupid plan to run off and find Latarian. Duff can’t use Cwylld stones to hurt himself, and I doubt he’d ever run off, but I hate this. We’re all D’Vaires, and we should stick together. Or at least I’m a D’Vaire for now.”
“Duff gave you shit about possibly leaving, didn’t he?” Carter asked.
“He may be right. Grigori might want to stay with his family.”
“You should talk to him about it. I mean I want you here, but maybe if he wants to stay in Vegas, you two could come up with a plan like Cadlyr and Evlithar had where they split their time. It didn’t work out for them because Evlithar was being used by that awful Tamlisyr, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an option in a normal arrangement. Don’t get all worried over it. Discuss it with Grigori,” Idris urged.
“It’s a little early to discuss living arrangements. We just met.”
“Yeah, but you’ll be upset
if you don’t know,” Idris insisted. His best friend understood him too well to get that kind of assumption incorrect.
“It’s had to cross his mind as well. I’m sure it won’t be totally out of the dark for him. You guys have been talking constantly since he missed your first date, I know you feel comfortable around him,” Carter said.
“Yeah, he’s great to talk to.”
“Then ask him about it,” Idris encouraged.
“Maybe.”
Idris narrowed his eyes in annoyance. “Which means you won’t.”
“It’s too early. Don’t yell at me, Idris the Indigo. We should be discussing how to fix our Carvallius problem, not worrying over where Grigori and I will live if—when we have our matebond ceremony.”
“I don’t like it when you deflect your concerns away and pretend like you aren’t anxious over something,” Idris complained.
“It’s foolish to be agonizing over something that far in the future.”
“You don’t know if it’s that far in the future,” Idris retorted.
“Mac doesn’t ever win an argument, does he?”
“I’m very easy to get along with. I’m nice and I smile a lot.”
“I love you so hard.”
“Since we know Del’s stubborn as fuck, I suggest we move on to getting some actual work done,” Carter suggested. “Let the record show that Idris and I both agree you should discuss your concerns with your sexy vampire mate.”
“You should’ve seen the picture he sent me last night. Fate help me, nothing but a towel and a grin.”
“Forget work, show me,” Carter demanded. Delaney laughed and steered the conversation back to Council duties and magical studies. He didn’t mind bragging a bit about Grigori, but he wasn’t going to share his mostly naked self with anyone. Another thing he was not going to do was discuss the future with Grigori. They were in the infant stages of their relationship despite his growing feelings for the vampire.
He enjoyed their time together, and in a rapid manner for someone who was nowhere close to an open book found himself confessing nearly everything—but living together was a major milestone. It was not the right time to begin what could be a tense negotiation. Delaney would not be selfish enough to insist Grigori come to D’Vaire no matter what, but a part of his soul screamed in agony over the idea of leaving.
Becoming a D’Vaire altered everything about Delaney—there was no love before he walked through Aleksander’s door. There was Vadimas’s friendship and the goal of reaching High Arcanist, but the rest of him was empty—yearning for something he was not even sure existed. Being accepted into Dra’Kaedan’s Coven opened his heart, and he’d grown into a man under King D’Vaire’s roof. Of all the things he’d accomplished in life, being the first candidate into the sanctuary was his proudest feat.
Being part of the tremendous family at D’Vaire changed him more than his titles, his degrees, or his magic. To give it up would be surrendering a chunk of himself, and he wasn’t sure he could recover from that loss. Fate, what have you done to me? he asked with sadness that permeated from the center of him. He liked Grigori and was growing increasingly grateful for Fate’s gift, but at what cost would it come to be mated? Delaney wasn’t sure he could pay it and he didn’t want to resent Grigori for something far beyond his control. It left him with little idea of what to do.
Chapter 14
“Well, hello there, Greggory,” he greeted the little dragon who launched himself toward Grigori as soon as he arrived in Delaney’s bedroom. He petted the slick scales; then Greggory flew up and landed on his shoulder. Not content to stop there, he started butting his head into Grigori’s. “Calm down, I’m not going anywhere.” His words seemed to have soothed him, because he let out a little growl and made himself comfortable by lying down. It gave Grigori the opportunity to finally give his attention to the wizard he’d waited all day to be with but when their eyes met, Grigori didn’t like what he found in his dark depths.
“I guess he’s missed you since you met,” Delaney said with what Grigori considered a forced smile.
“You okay?” he asked softly.
“Sure, I’m fine.”
Cautiously, he took a step forward. Grigori didn’t want to dislodge the dragon on his shoulder, but he needed to be closer to his wizard. Greggory hadn’t budged, so he guessed the little guy would figure out a way to stay perched. “Your eyes say different.”
“You sure you know me well enough to determine that?”
“I bet even someone who’d just met you could figure out that you’re upset. Those beautiful eyes of yours give all your secrets away.”
One corner of Delaney’s mouth perked up. “I don’t think anyone’s ever called them beautiful before. I know it creeps people out that you can’t really tell where my pupils are. It used to be a little easier but now that I’m High Arcanist, it’s nearly impossible.”
“I know, that’s the coolest part about them. They’re bewitching. I did mention I want to drown in them. I want to surrender to the endless void and let you capture me forever.”
“I thought you said you sucked at poetry.”
“What can I say? You bring out the best in me,” Grigori replied. “More than anything, I’d also like to be your friend. Do you know, I’ve never had someone I could confide everything in? I want to be that way with you.”
“My first best friend was Idris.”
“I know, you met at sixteen. I keep track of everything you tell me.”
“Despite missing our first date, you’re doing pretty good at this relationship thing.”
“No, I’m not. You’re still not confessing what’s bothering you.”
Delaney dragged a hand through his hair. It tumbled back down to lay over his forehead just the way Grigori liked it. “I don’t want this to become a thing, so if you really want to talk about it we can, but I should warn you that it’s probably way too early for this.”
“I don’t know, I’m pretty sure I’ve permanently morphed into a vampire familiar amalgamation.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to get used to it. Roger does the same thing to Mac.”
“I believe I can live with it. He might not like it when I start sweating because I’m nervous or something.”
“Use him to keep you calm.”
“You’re brilliant,” Grigori observed. “Also, you’re distracting me on purpose.”
“I feel stupid talking about this.”
“You probably felt stupid when you dug out those dragonskin pants too, but look how that turned out. My balls have never emptied that fast.”
“We can’t talk about sex. My whole family’s excited about you being here. If you talk about dicks, mine’s going to demand to see you naked.”
“Please assure him that I’ll take care of him soon…but enough diversions. Tell me why you’re sad.”
“It was pointed out to me today that we live in two different states, and we’re both close to our families. I know we aren’t ready to move forward, but I think I need a clearer picture of where you might possibly see us,” Delaney explained.
“When you say ‘we aren’t ready to move forward,’ what do you mean? Like we aren’t ready to pack our bags or that we aren’t committed to being together yet? I’m happy to talk about living arrangements, and I’m anxious to meet everyone at D’Vaire today, because someday I’ll be sharing a home with them.”
“Your family—”
“Lives only a state away and I can teleport there to see them whenever I want. My brother mostly lives at home with my folks, but he bounces around for months at a time. We’re all close but we also have busy, fulfilling lives. The first day I met you, my mother told me I’d be happy at D’Vaire. She knew I’d follow you here—they’re not going to kick up a fuss,” Grigori told him. “Now, can you answer my question, please? I’d like to know if my feelings for you are growing faster than yours for me.”
“The idea of asking you to leave your family guts me,
but I have to tell you I hope you do like it here at D’Vaire. If you decide it’s not for you, we can work out another arrangement. Perhaps going back and forth,” Delaney said. His dark eyes were alight again with equal parts joy and intelligence just as they were the last time Grigori was with him. “As for us, is it supposed to feel like this? We just met but already I consider you a friend. A really good one. I like talking to you and…I don’t know. I’d like things to work out. Ugh, relationship stuff is hard. What kind of timetable are you supposed to have? Are there rules? Why does everyone say ‘Trust Fate,’ then after you meet your other half, they only offer something like, ‘You’ll know what’s right’? How do I know what’s right? I’ve never done this before.”
“We should write a guidebook for the newly mated.”
“Yeah, it’ll start with the first rule, which is ‘Show up for your dates.’ ”
“I missed one, but I’ve made it to two.”
“I’m glad you aren’t nervous tonight,” Delaney confided.
“Me too. I just keep telling myself if I feel the sweat starting, pull out my phone to look at that picture you sent me last night.”
“I told you not to talk about sex,” Delaney complained. “We need to get out of my bedroom.”
“I love it, by the way. Your ass is going to look so good against those black sheets.”
Much to Grigori’s delight, Delaney grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the door. Before he opened it, Grigori stopped him. He slid his palm free and took a step so only inches separated their bodies. Grigori stared into the black eyes that haunted him when they were apart, then leaned down to press their lips together. Delaney sucked in a shocked breath but didn’t move away, so he licked his way into the wizard’s mouth. Without any hesitation, Delaney stroked his tongue against Grigori’s, and his brain slid out of his skull at the ecstasy of that simple caress.
Becoming D'Vaire (D'Vaire, Book 11) Page 11
