Arch Lich Chander had responded almost immediately and had said he would speak with the emperor on her behalf. He had told her that if she was strongly opposed to summoning her sentinel that he respected her decision, but she should know that many of the stories about the perils of sentinels were overdramatized and untrue. Within a few days, she had heard from the emperor himself, and he and the arch lich had decided that they saw no reason for her to not accept the job. She had called Aleksander ecstatically and soon she was an honorary dragon and living in Arizona. It was an opportunity she would have never imagined before meeting the D’Vaires, and now they were her family.
“Cool, we can bring it up at the family meeting tonight.” Every Monday night Aleksander hosted a family meeting, mostly they just made plans for their week, but sometimes they also went over rules or issues anyone might have.
“I suppose it will be too much to ask that Latarian not throw a fit,” Blodwen said with a grimace as Ayden slid open the glass door, and they let themselves into the large house. Each Monday she managed to end the meeting on a sour note because she, in Blodwen’s opinion, acted like a complete ass. Blodwen had found it absolutely impossible to make friends with the witch. Latarian was rude, condescending and had the most overblown ego Blodwen had ever had the misfortune to witness. On more than one occasion, she had wondered how Ayden had stayed sane being locked up with the horrid woman for so many centuries.
“I still haven’t heard a word from anyone about her grandfather so yes, it is definitely too much to ask,” Blodwen said ruefully.
“How was your walk?” Noirin asked as they entered the kitchen. Ayden headed straight for the giant stack of pancakes and began loading a plate with about a dozen of them.
“Good, these are delicious,” Ayden replied, after practically inhaling the first bite of his breakfast. Blodwen smiled and, much more sedately than her best friend, filled her plate with pancakes. Noirin was a goddess in the kitchen, and her food was made all the more delicious by the freshly grown ingredients that her brother Dravyn supplied for her from his garden.
“So what’s the plan today?” Blodwen asked Ayden, as he continued to cram food into his mouth. She had never seen anyone enjoy food more than Ayden
“I don’t know, how about your room? Have you picked anything?” Ayden asked. Blodwen had poured over tons of different fabrics, but she had only found the right combination of colors the night before.
“I have decided that my room should be decorated in a pale gray and pink.”
“Wonderful! That will be very pretty and feminine. Larissa will be thrilled to finally get to help you decorate,” Noirin exclaimed with a clap of her hands. It had taken Blodwen an entire month to settle on the right colors to decorate the room that was now hers.
“I guess that means we will be shopping today,” Ayden replied with a grin. He was very fond of shopping.
“Shopping again? Surely you could pass a great deal less time spending Aleksander’s treasury and focus upon the duties for which you were hired,” Latarian said snottily as she entered the kitchen.
“I have written e-mails to nearly every wizard in the world requesting information about your grandfather. I can’t do anything more until one of them responds. I have done many Internet searches, but everything points to Carvallius being the culprit. It will take new evidence to change the minds of anyone,” Blodwen explained for probably the thousandth time.
“Perhaps I should speak with Aleksander and hold back any further wage until you have accomplished any portion of your task.”
“Latarian, Blodwen is a member of this family now. She has told you that she has done as you asked. She is welcome to spend anything she wishes, and we have encouraged her to decorate her space however she wants,” Noirin interjected as she put her arm around Blodwen.
“Be that as it may, Ayden is still my familiar whether any of you like it or not and he is not to be spending his time shopping.” Blodwen could not help rolling her eyes at the order, Latarian had tried everything she could think of this past month to interfere with Ayden’s life and each time Aleksander had contradicted her orders. She knew this time would be no different as she watched their king head towards them.
“Latarian, would you mind joining me in my office?” Aleksander really hated starting his morning dealing with the witch, but she rarely offered him any choice. He did not even wait for her reply but headed down the hall to his desk and pointed to the overstuffed couch across from it so she would know he wished her to sit. Latarian leisurely acquiesced to the request and lowered herself to the dark sofa.
“How many times must we go over this? Ayden is your familiar, but he is also a member of this family and as such has free will to do as he wishes. Blodwen is also a member of our family, and she has offered to help you in your task, but you need to quit hounding her. She will tell you when new information surfaces.” He really ought to tape this little speech and play it back for her each day. Of course, as often as he had said it he was surprised that she did not already have it memorized.
“I do try to keep these things in mind Aleksander, but I find myself growing increasingly frustrated over the lack of word from the wizards. I cannot help but think that Blodwen and Ayden could be doing more to aid me in my cause.” Latarian folded her hands in her lap as she spoke. He supposed she was trying to look demure. It didn’t matter to Aleksander, he knew her well enough to know that she only did things to please herself. She seemed not to care at all about Ayden’s feelings, and she had spent close to seven hundred years with him. You would think there would be some love in her heart for him, but it had been Aleksander’s observation that she loved only herself and her grandfather.
“They have done all that they can to assist you. It would not hurt you to spend more time trying to adapt to our time. Ayden has adjusted well, and you would hardly know how much of history he missed. He even figured out how to cast a spell to help him adjust to our colloquial English. You have barely changed your wardrobe or tried to modify your manner of speaking.” Ayden wore blue jeans, loved television, and his laptop, and the only thing from his past he continued to do was to visit his lost mate each morning. It had not escaped Aleksander’s attention that Latarian did not construct a similar memorial to her own dead mate and did not seem to take any time to mourn Eoghan as Ayden did his nameless familiar.
“I wish to stick with tradition. I prefer my gowns, and I favor my own speech.” The woman was as bull-headed as she was rude. If he were not so attached to Ayden, he would probably be spending his days finding a way to rid himself of Latarian.
“I will respect your wish to continue your traditions, but please try and treat everyone in the house with courtesy and respect.”
“As you wish, Aleksander.”
Later that night Aleksander was lounging on his bed scribbling notes. Their family meeting had been very exhilarating, Blodwen and Ayden had suggested they attempt to turn their court into a sanctuary. Everyone, with the exception of Latarian, had been ecstatic about the idea. Latarian had lacked any enthusiasm for the project, but she had cast an affirmative vote, so she was not opposed to it. Aleksander could not express how happy he had been since his family had grown, they had breathed life into a home that become a mausoleum haunted by dragons. It would be so exciting to get to know different races and offer a place to people who did not fit in with the rest of the council world. Being a misfit himself Aleksander was glad to have a large home and plenty of funds so they could properly support this sanctuary idea. Aleksander was trying to remember just how many bedrooms their oversized home had when his cell phone rang. Looking at the screen a smile lit up his face.
“Brogan! How are you?” Brogan was Aleksander’s closest friend and Brogan’s travels had left Aleksander feeling lonely and adrift. He understood Brogan’s need to experience the world and knew that Brogan held out the hope he would meet his mate, but Aleksander wanted more than anything for him to return home.
“Pr
etty good. So what’s up? You sound energized,” Brogan’s tone was relaxed, and Aleksander wondered just where in the hell on the planet his best friend actually was.
“I am. Blodwen and Ayden came up with a fantastic idea of turning our court into a sanctuary for outcasts. We have no clue if it is something the council will even go for, but I really like the thought of being a refuge for people like me.”
“Yeah, uh, well, that sounds interesting anyway.” Brogan didn’t exactly sound excited about the idea.
“Apparently there is quite a bit of paperwork that goes into getting permission for something like this; Ayden and Blodwen have volunteered to do all the dirty work.”
“You know I think maybe I should come home for a while. I haven’t even met any of our new residents.”
“Yeah? That’d be great, we haven’t seen you in forever.”
“I was thinking of heading that way soon; I’ll just speed up my plans and head home. I gotta admit it is kind of cool that we have a witch at home. I can’t wait to meet her.” Aleksander hoped Brogan wouldn’t be too let down when he learned what a pain in the ass their witch was, gratefully Ayden had been part of the bargain and he was a lot of fun to be around.
“Give me a call when you have your plans firmed up and I’ll notify the troops.”
“Will do.” They chatted for a bit and got caught up on everything that had happened since their last talk, before saying their goodbyes and hanging up. Aleksander could not have been more pleased with his day. They had opened a door to changing their lives by helping others, and he was getting Brogan back home. His life was nearly perfect. The only thing that could add to his happiness would be finding a muzzle for the world’s one and only witch.
“What is that smell? I want some,” Ayden announced as he entered the kitchen, and Noirin let out a laugh.
“It’s a cake, and you can’t have any,” she told him. Ayden let his bottom lip slide out in a pout. It was an expression that had brought him many sweets over the last couple of weeks since he had arrived in Arizona.
“Why not? I love cake.” Actually there were very few foods that Noirin cooked up that he didn’t love; the woman was an artist.
“You love everything. You make cooking fun, but this cake is for Brogan. He is coming home tomorrow,” Noirin informed him. Brogan was Aleksander’s best friend, and they all knew Aleksander was over the moon that he was finally coming home.
“So if he isn’t coming until tomorrow you have time to make another cake. I’m hungry.” Yeah, he was definitely a brat, but this was a cake. Cake was his absolute favorite food. Or maybe frosting was. Lucky for him frosting usually accompanied cake so he never had to make a choice between the two.
“Fat chance, Ayden. You can have cake tomorrow.” Noirin, like the rest of his family, was now well used to his newfound bratty ways, and they always encouraged him to be himself.
“Fine. I’ll just make do with stale bread and water until then,” Ayden said with a great sigh.
“Drama queen. Go set the table for dinner.” Ayden rolled his eyes but did as he had been told.
For dinner, Noirin had served them all spaghetti and garlic bread. Ayden had helped himself to three brimming plates of the stuff. He was pretty much a bottomless pit and if it wasn’t for his magic keeping him fit and trim he would probably weigh a couple thousand pounds by now. Tonight Ayden had made it a point to sit next to Dravyn. The dark green dragon shifter was terribly shy and spent almost all his time in his garden. The gardens seem to extend forever, and Dravyn would be the envy of any druid with the way his flowers seemed to follow him as he tended to them all.
Inside the house, Dravyn often kept his eyes on the floor, and his black hair hung in his eyes as if he wished to hide behind it. The first few weeks Ayden had waited for Dravyn to talk to him, thinking he would loosen up over time. Because of this cautious approach, Ayden had had something like three whole conversations with him since arriving in Arizona, and Ayden had done most of the talking. It made getting to know the quietest member of his family a challenge, but Ayden was determined to know all of the D’Vaires. The only person he actively avoided was the woman he had spent locked up with for nearly seven centuries. Latarian refused to adapt to modern times and continued to act as if they were still stuck in the dark ages. It was a complete mystery to Ayden why she chose to scoff at everything modern, but he was not going to let her pessimistic attitude affect his life.
After their delicious meal, their family all split up and headed their separate ways. Ayden decided to head up to his bedroom. He loved it. Aleksander’s home was huge, and Ayden’s bedroom and adjoining bathroom were larger than the entire cottage he and Latarian had once shared. Inspired by his tiny dragon counterpart Ayden had decorated his space in navy blue. Because he considered himself a man of contrast, he had added bold accents of burnt orange and white. He was absolutely thrilled with the results of his efforts and his room had become his oasis. Not that he actually had much need for solitude these days; most of his time he was more than happy to be in the common spaces with his family. He no longer had to deal with Latarian’s overbearing rules, and whenever she overstepped her bounds Aleksander stepped in and reminded her that he was the one in charge. Aleksander had given Ayden the freedom to let his personality truly out. There was no need to wonder if what he said was appropriate or if he would be punished for saying or asking the wrong thing. In this house, there were no limits, and nothing anyone said was considered forbidden. It was no wonder that these dragons had come to mean so much to him. They fed him, clothed him, and saw to his every need. If it had only been his physical needs, he would have been simply grateful, but they also gave him friendship and care. Ayden adored all of them, including the newest member of the D’Vaires, who was like him an honorary dragon. Blodwen was loads of fun, and she was not afraid to tell Latarian to mind her manners when she predictably said something rude or demeaning.
Ayden threw off his low cut jeans and bright green T-shirt and donned one of the many pairs of pajama bottoms Larissa had made him. Almost two months in Arizona and Larissa had managed to fill an entire dresser with all her crazy and boldly printed bedclothes. The dresser was not the only thing overflowing in his room; the closet was practically stuffed to the ceiling with all manner of clothing and shoes. After sifting through a few pairs of cotton pants, Ayden decided on the pink striped ones with the cute little giraffes. He topped it with a turquoise T-shirt and was quite happy with his bedtime ensemble.
Curling up in one of the comfy chairs he had placed in front of the window, Ayden thought once more about how much he had enjoyed all the recent changes in his life. He pulled his legs to his chest and propped his chin on his knees. His life needed some sort of direction and what he really needed was something to focus his energy on. He was not really interested in assisting Latarian in clearing her grandfather’s name. After he had been given his laptop he had done plenty of Internet searches on Carvallius and he knew there was little doubt in anyone’s mind that he had betrayed the warlocks and brought about the downfall of their race. Not surprisingly, Latarian trusted nothing that he had read, and he doubted she would ever face the truth. For Ayden, he was embarrassed and ashamed that he came from the very family that had destroyed so many people. Now it was not only his mate he mourned each day, but all the innocent lives brought down by one man’s greed. Perhaps with this sanctuary he could give back not only to his family of dragons, but to all of magickind for the disgraces brought on by Latarian’s grandfather.
Working hard on the proposal that would turn their home into a sanctuary was just the kind of challenge he was craving. That would become his new mission. He decided that he was going to do whatever he could to protect every shifter or magical being that was on the fringe of their society. He desperately wanted to save lives and make a difference by helping others. Ayden hoped it would help soothe the ragged edges of his soul and give something back to these dragons he now called family.
&
nbsp; Breathing out a heartfelt sigh Ayden lifted himself out of his chair and headed for bed. Switching off the lamp on his bedside table, Ayden pulled the covers up to his chin, snuggling in for the night. His last thoughts, before he drifted off to sleep, were of the cake he would finally get to eat tomorrow when this Brogan returned. Ayden doubted he would bother getting to know the shifter, since he was probably not going to be around very long.
Chapter 4
Sitting on an airplane was considered a nuisance to some, but Duke Brogan D’Vairedraconis loved to travel. He could shift into his dragon form and take to the skies and head anywhere he wished to see, although he found that much of the time he actually preferred to travel as humans did. Traveling by plane, train, bus or whatever method of travel his destination often required was more adventurous than the destination itself. It exposed him to many different people, and Brogan quite enjoyed meeting new people.
Every person was so unique, and each one had a story to tell. Brogan had learned much over the years in his travels. For the last few decades, he had traveled much of the year. He dearly loved his family, but the loneliness and isolation had begun to eat away at him, and there had been a part of him that hoped that by seeing the world he would find his mate. So far he’d had no such luck, so he kept roaming from city to city in order to keep from moping around his family’s great big house in Arizona. It kept their home from becoming a prison of cursed dragons that had been shunned by the mainstream of dragon society.
Traveling gave him the escape he needed. Humans couldn’t care less if a bunch of dragon shifters believed his court was cursed. In fact, unless they noticed Brogan’s strange eyes they were oblivious to the fact that he was a shifter at all. He had even met a few dragons on his journeys that had not cared one whit that he was considered to be dangerous. A few of those dragons had even found that exciting and were attracted to his cursed status. More than willing to play a dangerous, cursed dragon, Brogan had hammed it up to heighten the attraction and taken those dragons to bed. The male ones anyway. Females had never interested him.
Grand Redemption (D'Vaire Book 1) Page 5
