“It looks like you have an indigo dragon growing out of your neck and shoulder.”
“I know. I feel like a pirate but instead of a parrot, I’ve got Roger.”
Dra’Kaedan pinned Renny with a fierce glare. “Don’t you say one word about butt pirates.”
“No one in my life has normal conversations,” Alaric intoned.
“You’re telling me,” Victor responded. “You sentinels could write the book on topics inappropriate for the dinner table.”
“Maybe we should go have dinner at their house,” Mac suggested to Idris when he returned to his side.
“It sounds like we’re missing a lot of fun.”
“Have you found anything exciting in your box?”
“No. I’ve emptied it, but it was all necromancer stuff.”
“Guess you’re ready to start a new box,” Mac observed as he tugged open the flaps of the one closest to Idris.
“Yeah, I hope I get a more interesting one. I mean…I guess it’s interesting to necros, but I can’t even read half these languages.”
“How many languages can you read?”
“I’ve learned fifteen since I started school.”
Mac’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “You’ve learned fifteen languages in five years?”
“Yeah, it wasn’t as hard as it sounds. Many of them were variants of the same ancient language. Delaney knows tons more,” Idris replied. Then it dawned on him that Mac knew his age. “Did Aleksander tell you how old I was?”
“Don’t worry, he didn’t give me your biography. They needed to tell me about Latarian and her grandfather because of the threat they pose to D’Vaire.”
“Ugh every time I hear her name, I want to slap somebody,” Renny growled out.
“Don’t look at me when you say that,” Victor retorted with a hand on his hip.
Idris ducked his head in shame. “So, Aleksander told you about the crimes I committed before I got to D’Vaire?”
“Aleksander told me an evil woman manipulated you when you were still a teenager,” Mac corrected.
“I thought she liked me. I really thought she was my friend.…But in the end, she hurt the people I now love. The irony is, I wouldn’t have met them if I hadn’t bumped into her.”
“Aleksander told me you saved Dra’Kaedan’s life.”
“No, I didn’t do that,” Idris insisted. “I helped Chand and Dre’Kariston. They saved his life.”
Chander lifted his head from the book he was reading. “That’s a bunch of bullshit. We had seconds to get the dust from the Cwylld rocks out of his chest. You’d already figured out how to use your magic to do so, despite not knowing even the most basic of spells. If it weren’t for you, we might’ve lost him.”
“You saved me too,” Renny said. “You got the dust out of my arm. I would’ve died without you.”
“Sounds to me like you’re a hero, Idris,” Mac remarked.
“That’s exactly what he is,” Dra’Kaedan responded.
“He’s terrible at taking credit for the good stuff he does,” Delaney told Mac.
“Don’t tell my mate I’m terrible at stuff,” Idris said crossly. “I’m trying to get him to like me.”
“All they’ve told me is that at your core, you’re a modest person. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Mac told him.
“Don’t worry Idris, it’s impossible not to like you,” Delaney assured him. “Though I’m your best friend, so I’d probably lie and say you were cool even if you were a shithead since he’s your mate.”
Idris patted Delaney’s back. “You’re a good friend.”
“I think I should take you and your best friends out for burgers and beer,” Mac announced.
Duff’s brows drew together in confusion. “I can’t drink.”
“You get root beer,” Mac responded.
“But I hate root beer. It tastes like ass.”
“So does juice,” Chander threw in.
“What kind of juice?” Idris asked. “I like orange. It’s pretty good.”
“All juice,” Chander retorted.
“Bunch of picky-ass people,” Mac said. “Duff gets a sippy cup of milk since he doesn’t like root beer.”
“If I’m drinking out of a sippy cup, you better make sure I get crayons and shit like they give to little kids.”
“I’ll buy you a damn coloring book,” Mac replied.
“I don’t want a lame one.”
“Get one with unicorns,” Dra’Kaedan suggested. “And dragons.”
“Dragons are a given,” Mac said.
“Should Duff and I really be going on a date with you and Idris?” Delaney asked.
“No worries, Del. Idris and I will go out alone as well, but it’s important we all get to know one another since I’m the one in charge of protecting your ass,” Mac replied.
“I think your mate likes me. He called me Del, and he’s talking about my ass,” Delaney teased Idris.
“I want him to like you guys,” Idris assured his friend.
“Del does have a nice ass,” Dra’Kaedan remarked.
“If I said that, I’d be set on fire,” Brogan grumbled as he took an empty box from Dra’Kaedan.
“All right, sweetheart. Give me some books, so Victor will stop glaring at me like I’m not doing anything,” Mac told Idris.
Idris handed him a stack from the box he’d opened. “These are more necro ones.” He grew a little warm at the term of endearment and Mac’s handsome smile.
“Hey, Chand. This scroll mentions demons,” Dre’Kariston called out. Chander dropped the book in his hand and raced over to the warlock’s side. There was little information in their world to be found on the demonic blood in Chander’s veins, so he had to be excited about the prospect of learning something new.
“I can only read portions of this,” Chander said.
“A language you don’t know? It must be something very obscure,” Vadimas observed as he joined the men reading the scroll.
“Do you think it could be a demonic language?” Chander asked.
“I suppose it’s a possibility, but I don’t know for sure,” Vadimas remarked.
“I don’t suppose you can read demonic,” Mac teased Idris.
“No, Del’s the world’s only dark wizard,” Idris responded and hoped his friend didn’t mind the nickname Mac coined for him.
One black brow rose in amazement. “The only dark wizard. Are you serious?”
“Yes,” Vadimas answered from across the room. “We’re quite proud to have the first wizard interested in a new vein of magic. He’s had to blaze his own path and invent an entirely unique way of using his power. Between him and the extraordinary speed Idris has reached Arcanist, the Spectra Wizardry has a great deal to be proud of.”
“It’s because the leader of the wizards is amazing,” Delaney said to Mac.
“That’s an opinion, not a fact,” Vadimas retorted. “Most importantly, I will soon have two remarkably accomplished wizards helping me lead our people.”
“Honestly, I’m still astonished one of those incredible men is my mate,” Mac replied. Idris grinned at him. He wanted a reason to be close to him, so he walked over and petted Roger, who didn’t budge from Mac’s shoulder. He wished he could be as close to Mac as his familiar.
Chapter 12
“You’re still upset, aren’t you?” Mac asked Idris as the frowning wizard got settled into the booth next to him.
“I can’t believe Roger cowered when I tried to take him off your shoulder,” Idris grumbled. Removing Roger from the perch he’d established on Mac had turned out to be a rather harrowing experience. In the end, Aleksander had to grab the little guy and hug him close while the foursome escaped the house to grab burgers.
“I’m assuming the reason we had to leave him at home is because of the way he eats?” Mac asked.
“If he and Greggory could eat without getting food smeared on themselves from head to toe, they could dine in public, but it�
�s really hard to hose them down in a bathroom sink,” Delaney explained.
“We’ve tried getting them to eat without being pigs but it’s impossible,” Idris added. He was still frowning, which Mac found he didn’t like one bit.
Reaching out, he cupped Idris’s cheek in his hand and caressed his skin. “I didn’t mean to steal your familiar.”
Idris blushed a little as Mac dropped his arm and snatched up the menu. “It’s okay. I wanted him to like you. I just didn’t expect him to react so violently to being separated from your shoulder. I don’t want him to be mad at me. I was thinking I could bring him home dessert or something.”
“That’s a good idea,” Delaney remarked. “I think I’ll get one for Greggory as well.”
“You better. I’ve seen those two steal food from each other, especially when it comes to sweets,” Duff commented.
The waiter came by and introduced himself, then took their drink orders. Mac grinned at Duff. “Sorry they didn’t have your crayons here.”
“I’m devastated, but you’re still buying me a coloring book,” Duff teased.
“I wouldn’t dream of disappointing you,” Mac responded. “Now men, figure out what you want to eat. I’m starving.”
Delaney made a big show of staring at his menu. “There’s so many choices, Mac. It might take me awhile to choose. I think I’m going to need at least thirty minutes or so.”
“You’re hilarious. You get five minutes.”
“I’m going to get a burger,” Idris said. “What’re you getting, Mac?”
Mac laid his arm along the back of the bench he was sharing with Idris. “The same.” He’d figured that Idris, with his sheltered life, was probably not used to being around men and was likely a virgin. His goal was to make him comfortable with him. It was quite an exciting prospect for Mac to think about being Idris’s first lover, and he was already enamored of the young wizard. “So guys, tell me how you got to be such close friends.”
“Oh, easy,” Duff replied. “We have a lot in common. Though they’re both older than me, we clicked right from the start. We’re all orphans but I had parents who passed away, while these guys didn’t. All three of us are also goal-oriented, gay, and have chosen to wait for our mates.”
Mac’s instinct proved to be correct; Idris was innocent. He told his dick to calm the hell down at the news. “I’m sorry for the loss of your parents. It must’ve been rather recent—I know you arrived at D’Vaire only a few months ago.”
Duff’s expression grew pensive. “Thank you, I miss them. I think they’d be happy to know I’m at a place like D’Vaire.”
“D’Vaire’s the kind of place that saves people,” Delaney told him.
“The first time anyone told me they loved me was at D’Vaire,” Idris commented. “I know my grandfather must have. I mean I think he did, but he never said it.”
“He raised you, right?” Mac asked.
“Yeah, but he was really old, and he wasn’t well. He spent his days in bed. There was a lot to do to take care of him.”
“You didn’t have help?”
“It was just the two of us. He didn’t like other people around him, and we didn’t have money to hire anyone,” Idris revealed. Once again, Mac ached for Idris and the way he’d grown up. He’d spent his days taking care of an old man instead of getting the chance to be unencumbered by life. It probably explained why he was so driven to succeed—he’d probably worked every day and had no clue how to be idle. Their discussion was beginning to weigh down their night out and Mac decided it was time for a subject change.
“You guys have two other things in common,” Mac said. “You’re also intelligent and good-looking, though I hope you’ll forgive me for thinking Idris is the most gorgeous man I’ve ever met.”
Idris’s spectacular eyes were shocked. “You think I’m gorgeous? Between the two of us, I think you’re the sexy one.”
“You’re both good-looking. You make a smoking hot couple,” Delaney told them.
“Thanks, Del,” Mac replied. Their waiter returned and they all rattled off their orders; then the man disappeared again. “Now tell me how you knew you were gay.”
“Me?” Delaney asked. Mac nodded. “I guess we aren’t wasting any time getting personal. Well, there wasn’t like a lightning-strike moment. I always found myself checking out boys instead of girls. I was about ninety-nine percent sure I was gay, but what tipped it full over the edge was seeing Aleksander the first time. I’ve figured out I’ve got a real thing for tall, dark-haired guys.”
“Me too,” Idris added while staring at Mac.
He winked at the wizard. “I’m glad to hear it. I am pretty sure Aleksander could turn guys gay. He’s extraordinary-looking.”
“I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work that way,” Idris commented. “It’s a shame Aleksander isn’t gay.”
“He’s not?”
“Nope, which is sad,” Duff said.
“Your turn, Duff. How’d you figure out you were gay?” Mac asked.
“I don’t know. I guess I always kind of knew, but I was afraid to tell my folks because I wasn’t sure how they’d react,” Duff explained.
“The shifter communities haven’t been as open and accepting when compared to magickind,” Idris replied. “Sorcerers don’t care either way.”
“It’s true. There are a lot of shifters who still see it as something unnatural. King Stenetdraconis wasn’t thrilled about it either. He warned me not to bring men home—he didn’t want my impressionable half siblings to be exposed to it. I didn’t bring men home even before he gave me his warning,” Mac confided.
“You’ve been with guys though, right?” Idris asked.
“I have, but I’ve never been in a relationship. That’s something between mates only,” Mac replied. “Your turn, Idris.”
“I guess I was kind of slow about it. I hit puberty and I didn’t really know one way or another. I wasn’t around anyone, let alone people my age. Then a guy who owned a farm not far from my grandfather’s house started coming over occasionally to sell fresh produce. The first time I saw him…”
“You got hard?” Mac asked with a grin.
“I did. It was embarrassing. I’m sure my face was as red as the tomatoes he gave me, but I couldn’t wait until he came by again.”
“My turn,” Mac said. “When I was about twelve I had a friend who was several years older than me. We met up one day, and he told me this story about a female drakeling who’d performed various acts on his person. He kept going on and on about her breasts and what it felt like to touch them. I remember sitting there wondering why he was so happy to have a girl do that stuff to him. There was a place where all the dragons would gather before stripping down to shift. I decided to go and see if I could see some breasts myself. I hid behind a tree, but I don’t really remember the women—I couldn’t keep my eyes off the guys. So, the next time I ran into my friend, I grabbed his face and laid a kiss right on him. He was pissed. Punched me right in the eye which of course, turned black as night. I went to my grandfather bawling, and that’s when he set me straight on the different types of sexuality. He told me that just because I like men doesn’t mean they are all going to like me back, so I shouldn’t go kissing anyone before I ask.”
“I give you permission to kiss me,” Idris blurted out.
Mac bussed his cheek. “And I give you permission to kiss me.”
“Mac, was that kid your friend after that?” Delaney asked.
“No, he turned out to be a jerk. Told everyone I liked guys, and there were some that were fine with it but not everyone was. He left Court Stenet at some point, so I didn’t have to deal with him for too long.”
Their food arrived, and the foursome dug in. Mac’s burger was delicious, and he hoped the other three were enjoying their meal as well. “How’s the food?” he asked. All he got was a bunch of grunts and nods, so he supposed they were finding their dinners tasty.
“We’ll have to come back
here again,” Idris said between bites.
“We can plan to return for our first date,” Mac suggested.
“I’d like that.”
“Good. How’s Saturday?” he asked. After Idris agreed, he turned to the other two young men. “We should also plan on the four of us hitting a club one night.”
Delaney swiped his face with his napkin, then gave him a bland stare. “Who told you to take us to a club?”
“What makes you think someone told me to take you?”
“Everyone thinks we need lives, but I’m not wasting my time going out to get laid,” Delaney groused.
“Oh, please. We could use lives,” Duff argued.
“No one said anything about you hooking up. If you aren’t into that, it’s fine. What’s wrong with dancing and having a drink or two?” Mac asked, then turned to Idris. “I wouldn’t mind dancing with you.”
“I hope you have some rhythm,” Idris teased.
“I guess there’s nothing wrong with going out to dance, but I’m really focused on ascending to High Arcanist,” Delaney replied. “You guys could go without me.”
“Idris is busy with the same thing, and I know how important it is to the both of you. What if we went after you guys completed everything?” Mac asked.
“I think that’d be a fun way to celebrate, but we should invite the whole family. None of them get out that much either,” Duff remarked.
“Great idea. We could go to Vegas—that way there are plenty of fallen knights in the area, so everyone feels safe,” Mac suggested.
“It’s too bad we can’t go to a vampire club. Del read that they are pretty racy, but you have to be a human willing to offer a vein or a vampire to get in,” Idris commented.
Mac’s brow raised in interest. “Racy, huh?”
“I’m just curious,” Idris said with a little pink in his cheeks.
“Me too,” Delaney added. “We need to remember to ask Vadimas to set up a meeting between us and the vampire scientists.”
“Why do you guys want to meet the vampire scientists?”
“Both of us are always looking for ways to expand our horizons. Those guys must be insanely creative as well as genius. They managed to produce a synthetic blood for their people which has reduced the number of vampire deaths to almost none,” Delaney said. “I think we could learn a lot from them.”
Irresistible Indigo (D'Vaire, Book 9) Page 9
