Irresistible Indigo (D'Vaire, Book 9)

by Jessamyn Kingley

  “You trying to get rid of me? I think it’s a bit premature to start packing. If I get the job, then I’ll have a formal date to arrive. If I don’t, then it’ll depend on how quickly my relationship blossoms with Idris. I’m already committed to doing whatever it takes to make it work, but Idris’s timetable might not be the same as my own. I need to respect his wishes for how he wants things to progress between us. In that case, I’ll move to Court D’Vaire when he feels we’re ready for that stage of our matebond.”

  “Do you know how old he is, dear?” Bretta asked.

  “I have no clue. As experienced as a sorcerer as he is, I can’t imagine he’s too young. My guess is, he has to be older than me.”

  “Then he’s old enough to have made the decision to join the Council of Sorcery and Shifters. I’d be interested in knowing why a wizard of his caliber didn’t stay with the rest of his powerful brethren and help form the Consilium Veneficus,” his grandfather observed.

  “Those people are just evil. I can think of a million reasons why Macardle’s Idris didn’t join the Consilium.”

  “Bretta, I’m just curious as to what made the decision for Idris. I won’t argue—those people are malicious and wrong-headed in their thinking. You remember that documentary we saw? Can you imagine teaching youngsters that Fate doesn’t give everyone a mate? And their parents taking advantage of their children’s ignorance to force them into marriages for political or monetary gain? That should be a crime. Sickens me to think there are dragons who joined the Consilium. Of course, that King Ethelindraconis was championing people to stay, and I’ve never heard a positive word about that one.”

  Mac wasn’t familiar with King Ethelindraconis. He was born only a few years before the Council moved to North America and the wizards formed the Consilium. Since then, the two governments had nothing to do with each other, but the Consilium made it known they hated everything about the Council. “I’m glad I missed that show. There’s nothing more disgusting than coming between mates.”

  “It’s the most important part of your life, Macardle. I hope you’ll remember that each and every time you speak with your Idris,” his grandfather stated.

  “No worries, Grandpa. I can’t wait to be with Idris.”

  “You should also remember that having a mate is no excuse to spurn the children that may have come before Fate pairs two people. That feeling you have after meeting your Idris is no excuse for Moina to allow Alfred to treat you the way he does,” his grandmother added.

  “Queen Helen Beradraconis said almost the same thing to me earlier. Her son had a child before he met his mate, and apparently he wasn’t spurned.”

  “Good, you’re going to be surrounded by people with sense,” his grandfather commented.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to come with me to Court D’Vaire?”

  “Two old people taking up two spots in a sanctuary? The boy really has lost his mind,” his grandfather remarked. “We don’t have much time left, but we’ll spend it here in Court Stenet. Being a Stenet is all we’ve known, Macardle, and we’re too damn ancient for change. You’ll spend all your time fussing over us and leave nothing to give your Idris. At least now, we can cross the veil knowing you’re in the right place. We’ll always be at your side because we’re in your heart. Don’t you ever forget that.”

  “Stop talking about dying. You know it drives me crazy. Of course, I won’t forget. If you won’t come to Court D’Vaire, you’ve got to let me get someone in here to help with stuff around the house and fixing meals. Otherwise I won’t be able to be happy knowing you’re not being taken care of. It works both ways, Grandpa.”

  Lloyd stared at him for a long time, then glanced over at Bretta. When his steely gaze returned to Macardle he said, “Your grandmother could use a hand in the kitchen.”

  “I’ll call a couple of agencies that handle this stuff, and you guys can help me interview people.” Mac was so glad his grandfather agreed to his request. He hated the idea of leaving the two people who helped raise him and turned him into the man he was, but they would never allow him to stay, knowing he’d met his mate. Though he’d known they wouldn’t leave their home, he couldn’t help but suggest they make the move to Arizona whenever he did.

  Mac stood to make his calls and start figuring out what he was going to cook for dinner when his grandfather got his attention. “When are you going to tell your mother you met your mate?”

  The thought of telling her hadn’t entered his mind, which he supposed said a lot for the state of their relationship. “I don’t know. Not yet. If Alfred finds out, he’ll pack my bags for me. I won’t be dumped on Idris’s doorstep before he’s ready.”

  “You only need tell her when you feel it’s right,” his grandmother assured him.

  “Thanks. I’m sorry to ask you to keep information from your own daughter.”

  “She hasn’t visited us for a month, Macardle,” Lloyd confessed.

  It made Mac’s blood boil to think of the way his mother not only disregarded him but her parents as well. “She lives less than two miles from you,” Mac bit out.

  “It doesn’t matter. She gave us the best gift two parents could ever ask for,” his grandmother said. “Moina gave us you.”

  “I love you both,” he replied as he hugged them each in turn.

  “Congratulations, Macardle. Your grandmother and I can’t wait to hear more about your Idris.”

  “Pictures,” Bretta added. “I want to see pictures.” Mac promised them he would fulfill their wishes and headed out of the living room. He was glad he had things to do, but he wondered how in the world he was going to keep busy until he heard from King Aleksander again.

  Chapter 8

  Idris took a seat on the floor of the living room. He was so excited that it was finally time for their weekly meeting. Since the day he met Duke Macardle Stenetdraconis, he’d waited for Aleksander to ask them to vote on potential candidates. Crossing his fingers for good luck, he buried his hand under his thigh, so no one could see it.

  “Relax,” Delaney whispered. “Everything’s going to be fine. Your Mac’s going to get the job. I just know it.”

  “I hope so,” Idris whispered back. Duff’s smile was encouraging, and he bumped their shoulders together. This is the best thing about having friends who love you, Idris thought. He didn’t know what he would’ve done without their support. He was driving himself insane over what to do about Mac. While he wanted to speak to him, he hadn’t wanted to bother him. When Mac asked him to call, Idris declined to do so, but he’d texted to ensure that it would be okay to tell his family about them. The deceit of keeping his matebond to himself over the past several days troubled him, and as soon as he knew whether Mac was going to be a D’Vaire duke, he was prepared to reveal his secret.

  Idris blew out a breath as Aleksander finally walked into the living room. He sat in his favorite cushy chair and smiled at everyone. “Thanks for being here tonight, everybody. Dra’Kaedan, would you like to start with any news about the sanctuary?”

  “Sure,” the warlock replied. “We had no viable candidates this week.”

  “But the asshat who bombarded us with phony applications was caught and forced to pay a fine to both the Order of the Fallen Knights as well as Dra’Kaedan’s Coven,” Renny confided. “I decided to donate our portion back to the fallen knights.”

  “Good idea. They’re always short of funds, and they work very hard to serve the Council,” Aleksander responded.

  “My thoughts exactly,” Renny replied.

  “Okay, so let’s move on to the applicants we had for both the position of Coven Lord and Duke,” Aleksander said. “We’re going to begin with the sentinels. Alaric pre-interviewed the men who volunteered to come here to D’Vaire. He narrowed the group down to two candidates to lessen the burden on us. The first man for your consideration is Shadow Lord Hadley Sicarius. He’s a young sentinel. Before Chand freed the sentinels, he’d only served his necromancer for about fif
ty years. He may have been assigned to previous sorcerers, but he won’t ever regain that portion of his memory. Sentinels were essentially rebirthed each time they were reassigned.

  “Shadow Lord Sicarius only met his necromancer once at the traditional bonding between sentinel and sorcerer. Until the compound was destroyed, he lived there exclusively. Now, he makes his home with most of his brethren at the Daray Sentinel Complex. He’s been trained through the Ascension Center and serves as a Shadow Lord. As I’m sure you guys all know, that means he’s responsible for determining guilt and punishment when crimes are committed which fall under the jurisdiction of the Sentinel Brotherhood. He reports directly to Gavrael and Gedeon, so he has plenty of familiarity with them. Did either of you wish to enlighten us further on his personality?”

  “Sure,” Gedeon said. “I’d describe Hadley as quiet, helpful, and kind. He’s easygoing, and I’ve gotten along well with him from the first time I met him at the compound. Gav and I both believe he’d be a good asset to D’Vaire.”

  “Are there any questions regarding Shadow Lord Sicarius?” Aleksander asked. No one said a word, so Aleksander called for a vote. Seconds later, Hadley became the first ever Coven Lord. His job would not only include the duties he performed daily for the Sentinel Brotherhood, but he’d protect the Coven of Warlocks as well as the rest of the D’Vaire family.

  “Okay, let’s move on to our second sentinel. Also a Shadow Lord, Bridger Graves is an ancient sentinel. He served only a single necromancer, the now incarcerated and former member of the necro elder council, Hubert. Shadow Lord Graves was resurrected at the dawn of his race, so he doesn’t have his memory fully restored yet. What he does remember is that he was asked to commit acts which no one should be expected to do without any choice. I’m going to allow Dra’Kaedan to fill you in on that portion of the interview,” Aleksander said.

  “Shadow Lord Graves was involved in my abduction by Carvallius and Latarian over six centuries ago. He’s apparently the one who knocked me out and carried me to Castle Mallent where the dark magic was engraved into my back. While he admitted he carries guilt over his actions, he assured us that wasn’t his main desire in volunteering for D’Vaire. I just want to make it clear to all of you—I hold nothing against him for the things he did. Hubert ordered him to commit crimes, and Shadow Lord Graves is as much a victim as I am. I think he sincerely wants to be a part of this family, and I think it’d be a good place for him to heal from his past,” Dra’Kaedan stated.

  “I’d describe Bridger as quiet like Hadley but not as free-spirited. Like many of the ancient sentinels, I believe he’s struggling to reconcile his past. Unlike Gav and myself, he was ordered to do heinous things. D’Vaire’s a wondrous place for damaged souls, and I agree with Dra’Kaedan. Our family could go a long way toward giving him the support he requires to live with the things he was forced to do,” Gedeon added.

  “Any questions regarding Shadow Lord Graves?” Aleksander inquired. Once again, the room was quiet. Seconds later, a vote was called for, and Bridger became the second Coven Lord.

  Idris was unsurprised that adding the sentinels was so straightforward. All the elite assassins would be an asset anywhere, and the Lich Sentinel wouldn’t have sent over anyone not suited for D’Vaire. Alaric spent plenty of time at their home and was well-acquainted with the people and how things worked.

  “Thanks, everyone. I think both men will make excellent Coven Lords. Gavrael, did you want to let them know they’re more than welcome to arrive at D’Vaire at their earliest convenience?” Aleksander asked.

  “It would be my pleasure.”

  “Our Coven Lords are set, so let’s move on to the dragons we interviewed. As you know, we invited the men to come here in conjunction with Court Bera. We received plenty of interest for both courts, but we didn’t get a great deal of quality applicants. Aeron and Helen decided none of the men would be a good fit for them. It’s my understanding that they’ve already notified the men in question, and Aeron still hopes to find the right man to oversee his young dukes. As for D’Vaire, our group agreed there was only one person who was qualified enough to be brought forth for your consideration,” Aleksander stated. Idris closed his eyes and hoped it was his duke who Aleksander was about to discuss. “His name is Duke Macardle Stenetdraconis, and his court is in Western Maryland.”

  Delaney grinned wildly at Idris, and Duff bumped his shoulder again. Idris curled his lips upward in a broad smile; he was so relieved Aleksander liked his mate.

  “As you guys know, all the dukes were required to fill out our sanctuary application in addition to questions regularly asked of someone looking for a new job. Duke Macardle serves a king who’s mated to his mother. Only, King Alfred was not thrilled to find out his mate had a child. He’s never embraced Duke Macardle as family. In fact, Duke Macardle revealed he isn’t even allowed to function in the normal capacity of a duke. He’s two hundred and seven years old and does have eighty years of experience as a duke that he acquired before King Alfred’s reign began. I think it makes him uniquely qualified for our home. He knows his role, but he also knows what it feels like to be an outcast,” Aleksander said. Idris was glad to learn more about the man intended to be his other half. He hoped Aleksander and the others who took part in his interview could divulge more about him.

  “I met him,” Renny commented. “He seemed cool. While we all know there’s often a divide in the Council world between shifters and magickind, Mac—he told us only his grandparents call him Macardle—used Dérive to travel here instead of flying, so he’s obviously comfortable with sorcerers. As a shifter, he says he gets into dragon form every couple of days just like our guys here. His favorite parts about being a dragon are breathing fire and flying.”

  “When Renny asked him what his favorite part of D’Vaire was, he said ‘The people,’ which impressed me,” Brogan chimed in. “Our value’s in every one of you. Idris, Delaney, and Duff. I know you three met him, did you have anything to add regarding Duke Macardle?”

  “Yeah, we went in there because someone let Roger in the Duke’s Den,” Delaney commented. “He managed to get a hold of Roger and return him to Idris. We made a little small talk and learned that it was his grandfather who talked him into applying. I took that to mean family was important to him and since that’s such an integral part of D’Vaire, I think that’s a definite positive.” Idris was thrilled his friend spoke up, because he’d frozen at Brogan’s words, so scared he would let his relationship with Mac slip.

  “Roger’s been acting strange for days,” Noirin observed.

  “Yeah, I don’t know what’s gotten into him,” Idris replied quickly.

  “Probably just weirded out because we had strangers in the house,” Delaney added.

  “Duke Macardle revealed the same information in his interview about his grandfather, and he did say his own attraction to D’Vaire was a desire to help as well as the family aspect,” Dre’Kariston said. “Even though his king leaves a great deal to be desired, he didn’t speak poorly of him in our presence, so we can add loyalty to his attributes.”

  “He told us there were two experienced dukes who taught him all he needed to know about how to do his job and that he still holds them in high regard, although he’s not allowed to interact with them the way he did in the past,” Dravyn remarked.

  “One final note, Duke Macardle’s a black dragon, which is the most prized of colors. Often, because of that, men with beasts of that color are arrogant, but he didn’t seem that way to me at all,” Aleksander shared with them. “Any questions about Duke Macardle?”

  “Were there any red flags about him to anyone who participated in his interview?” Noirin asked.

  “No, we were unanimous in our decision to bring him forth for a vote,” Aleksander replied. “Ready to vote?” When the room became a chorus of affirmative answers, Aleksander nodded. “Okay, all those in favor of adding Duke Macardle?” Idris raised his hand as high as it would go. He scanned the
room and arms were going up all around the room. When the D’Vaires were united in their decision to add Mac to their home, Idris finally uncrossed his fingers and sent a quick thank-you to Fate.

  “Fantastic, I’ll call Duke Macardle in the morning and let him know he’s now Duke D’Vairedraconis,” Aleksander said with a smile.

  Idris got to his feet. “Is it okay if I tell everyone something now?”

  “Of course, Idris. Go ahead.”

  “I just wanted to thank everyone for voting to add Duke Macardle to D’Vaire. As Brogan mentioned, I got the chance to meet him when he was here, and I found out something incredible when I did.” Idris sucked in a breath and grinned. “Mac’s my mate.”

  Aleksander’s eyebrows rose; then he jumped to his feet and strode across the room to grab Idris into a crushing hug. “Congratulations, I’m thrilled for you,” Aleksander exclaimed as Noirin pushed her cousin out of the way to embrace Idris. For several minutes, Idris was squeezed by every single person who called D’Vaire home.

  When Idris could finally breathe again, Brogan asked, “Why didn’t you tell us before?”

  “Mac requested that I keep it to myself until after the interview process. He wanted to be sure he was hired based on his own merit rather than his connection to me.”

  “A man of integrity. I knew he was right for D’Vaire,” Dra’Kaedan crowed. “And you should’ve heard Brogan being all overprotective. At first he didn’t want us to hire your Mac because he saw him smiling at you.”

  “I appreciate you wanting to take care of me, Brogan, but I’m not a kid anymore.”

  Brogan hugged him a second time. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a million years old. It’s in my nature to be overprotective, but that doesn’t mean I think you’re not capable of making intelligent decisions on your own.”

  “I’m guessing from your smile you liked Mac?” Dre’Kariston asked.

  “I’m very excited to get to know him better. I hope he wants to come to D’Vaire soon.”