“Dre’Kariston. He lives still?”
“Yes, he disguised himself as a warlock named Ari. He awaits you with your mate,” T’Eirick said before he too leaned down to give Dra’Kaedan a fatherly peck on the forehead.
“We do not have much time. Remember that your father and I love you and your brother very much. We think of you always. Give Dre’Kariston hugs and kisses from both of us,” Saura said. She began to flicker out of his eyesight and Dra’Kaedan supposed that was what she meant by time being short.
“I love you too. Both of you,” Dra’Kaedan spoke the words to his parents as he struggled to sit up. His father and mother were surrounded by many of the coven he had known in life but they were all slowly fading out of his vision. He was so weak that his world nearly went black as he finally got to a sitting position. Dra’Kaedan’s eyesight returned to normal just as his mother blew him a kiss and disappeared from view. The world around him shimmered and Dra’Kaedan had little clue as to what was happening. He rested his palms on the stone slab he had apparently been laying on and pushed too his feet.
Dra’Kaedan felt his body sway as he tried to remain upright. He closed his eyes as the ground beneath him firmed into what felt like wooden slats. Forcing his eyes open he looked down to confirm he was standing on a wooden floor. The world around him was glowing with the magic that was still finding its way from his parents to his very grateful self.
Raising his eyes he saw the back of the house where he had met his mate. Brogan was inside, but he was too damn weak to get to him. Tearing his view away from the house he looked closer and saw a pole just inches from him. He gratefully leaned against it as he realized he was in a gazebo that was definitely new to their backyard.
Tilting his head back he saw metal sign just above him. In bold letters he saw his own name. Oh good, he thought, everyone inside knew who he truly was. No doubt Dre’Kariston was definitely feeling the results of their parents’ efforts to give them both their magic. Hopefully someone would come outside and investigate the shimmering gazebo. Settling himself more comfortably against the gazebo post at his back, Dra’Kaedan let his tired eyes grow closed as he waited for someone to come outside and rescue him.
Chapter 24
There was a stain on the ceiling. It was right above the bathroom door. The rest of the ceiling was pristine, but that one spot was what Brogan kept staring at. His stomach let out a rumbling sound protesting the fact that it had been empty for several days, but he just rolled over onto his hip and ignored it. He reached a hand up to his face and scratched his chin, he hadn’t shaved in days, and the new growth on his face was itchy. Brogan was considering turning on the television when someone knocked at the door of his bedroom. Just as he had done for the past week, he ignored it, but whoever it was kept right on knocking. He was determined to get up at some point; he had made a promise to his mate to keep on living, but right now all he wanted to do was lie here and stare at the ceiling.
“Trying to sleep, can you come back later?” Brogan lied to whoever was bothering him, but apparently they weren’t impressed because the door flung open to reveal Dre’Kariston standing there, and he was glowing. Actually glowing.
“BROGAN! BROGAN! I’m glowing!”
Sitting up in his bed, Brogan tried to reassure his mate’s brother. “Yeah, I can see that. What’s going on?”
“LOOK! My necklace is glowing!” Dre’Kariston came running up to his side swinging the silver chain of his necklace wildly with Derwin right behind him. Derwin was glowing just as brightly white as his warlock. Brogan grabbed Dre’Kariston’s hand to still it and noticed that the blue dragon of the medallion was glowing faintly.
“I don’t understand,” he said slowly. Dra’Kaedan’s essence was supposed to power that necklace so it should have been impossible for it to be glowing.
“I don’t either. My whole damn body hurts. Seriously hurts. I’m casting pain killing spells and I can still feel the pain. I can even feel my power growing!” Dre’Kariston was all but yelling in his face.
“What should we do?”
“Follow the dragon. We have to follow the direction of the dragon and see what happens!” Dre’Kariston went running from the room, and Brogan threw the covers off to follow him. Days had passed since Brogan had bothered to bathe and as he crossed the threshold of the bedroom, he was reminded of the last time he had given up personal hygiene in pursuit of his mate. That uncomfortable camping trip in the hallway had been nothing compared to his current misery. He wasn’t sure why the essence of Dra’Kaedan would suddenly glow, perhaps Dra’Kaedan had somehow learned to send them a message from the other side. Maybe he would even get the opportunity to see the spirit of his Dra’Kaedan. Whatever the reason for the glowing necklace, he was not going to pass up any opportunity to possibly communicate with his mate. Brogan ran down the hall with Dre’Kariston at his side. They sprinted into the living room, and Dre’Kariston almost smacked straight into Aleksander. The D’Vaires seemed to be all gathered in the room.
“What the hell?” Aleksander said as he steadied Dre’Kariston to keep them both from toppling over.
“I’m glowing. My necklace is glowing. Let’s go!” Dre’Kariston weaved around their king and Brogan quickly followed. Apparently curious as to what was going on, Brogan saw the rest of his family trailing after them as they ran through the kitchen and Dre’Kariston whipped open the back door and went running outside. Brogan smacked right into his back as Dre’Kariston suddenly stopped and then just stood there with his mouth hanging open.
Concerned by Dre’Kariston’s reaction, Brogan looked out in the yard and then his jaw nearly hit the floor as he saw the most incredible vision in front of him. Dravyn’s beautiful gazebo was glowing, light flowed out from the center of it and lit up the entire garden, but that was not what shocked Brogan.
What stunned Brogan was that below the sign Madeline had crafted was the most dazzling man he had ever seen. The man appeared to be just a couple of inches above five feet. He had golden blond curls that fell over his forehead and was dressed in a navy blue shirt and pants under a navy blue cloak that was intricately decorated with gold embroidery. Strangely enough, his feet were bare, but the most striking thing about him was his face.
The strong, chiseled jaw, high cheekbones and the straight nose, slightly upturned at the tip, were new, but those full lips and upturned eyes were all Ayden. They were the color Brogan had only seen before when his mate was either turned on or furious, and at the moment his dark blue eyes appeared slightly amused as he stood there. He somehow managed to look regal, even leaning against one of the poles that held up the roof of the gazebo. Brogan’s legs were like jelly, and he slid down to his knees as he realized that he was somehow staring at a very much alive Grand Warlock Dra’Kaedan.
“Brogan,” the vision said and Brogan just kept right on gawking at him. This had to be a dream; there was no way he could actually be staring at Dra’Kaedan. His mate had died; his body not even left behind when his magic had obliterated his very existence. Kneeling on the ground with his head spinning, Dre’Kariston slapped his hand down on Brogan’s shoulder as the apparition repeated his name.
“Damn it Brogan, get the hell over here and grab me before I fall down!” Dra’Kaedan demanded and, after scrambling to his feet, Brogan rushed over to his mate and snatched him up into his arms. Oblivious to anything and anyone else Brogan crushed Dra’Kaedan to his chest and felt his mate’s arms wrap around his neck tightly. Swinging his mate’s legs up into his arms Brogan marched into the house and took Dra’Kaedan down the hall to their bedroom.
Slamming the door behind them with his foot Brogan walked over to their bed and laid his mate down on the rumpled sheets. Looking down at him he realized that Dra’Kaedan hadn’t been joking, he looked completely and utterly exhausted. He wasn’t sure if this was real or if he was hallucinating and at the moment he didn’t care because somehow his mate was here.
“How are you here?” Br
ogan blurted out, still standing.
“I’ll explain it tomorrow. I promise. I don’t have the energy now, but know I would have done anything to return. I love you,” his beautiful mate explained as they smiled at each other.
“I love you too.”
“Good, now come here,” Dra’Kaedan demanded, “Since when do you wear pajamas?” Brogan sat down on the bed next to where his mate was lying.
“This is going to sound cheesy, but they reminded me of you. I felt closer to you wearing them,” Brogan explained quietly. Without a word Dra’Kaedan waved a hand over himself and used his magic to clothe himself in a set of pajamas identical to the ones Brogan had on. Letting out a laugh, Brogan hauled his mate into his arms and pressed his lips to first Dra’Kaedan’s nose and then to his mouth. Their tongues danced lightly before Brogan pulled away.
“You’re tired, we should stop before we get carried away,” Brogan informed his mate tenderly. Honestly, he was just content to hold him; he was afraid to let go or even blink because his mate might disappear again. He resisted an urge to pinch himself to make sure this wasn’t some cruel dream, and he would wake up in the morning just as alone and miserable as he had been since he had watched Ayden die.
“Trust me, we won’t get carried away,” Dra’Kaedan told him with a yawn.
“You might be exhausted, but I could still get carried away,” he said with a grin; his mate was delectable as a blonde.
“You aren’t touching me until you take a shower or at least put on some deodorant. You reek. And when did you stop shaving?” his little mate demanded and Brogan chuckled as he rolled onto his back and pulled Dra’Kaedan over his chest. He dropped a light kiss on the top of Dra’Kaeden’s head and, ignoring the happy tears sliding down his face, he closed his eyes. Dra’Kaedan’s breathing had smoothed out, and he appeared to have fallen asleep instantly. Even though Brogan feared what he would find or not find when he awoke, he had not slept much in the last few weeks, and he fell fast asleep.
Drool. Brogan woke up the next morning to find his T-shirt wet with drool. It might have been strange to feel ecstatic about waking up with someone else’s saliva pooling on their pajamas, but in this case it was a sign that the night before had been real. Knowing that and feeling that dampness gave Brogan the strength to open his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the blond ringlets that sprouted from Dra’Kaedan’s head. Seeing them made his eyes sting, but he didn’t give into his tears. The pain and grief he had felt over losing Dra’Kaedan had caused so many of them to fall. He wanted to celebrate the return of his mate with smiles and laughter instead.
As much as he wanted to wrap his arms tightly around Dra’Kaedan, he knew that his mate was exhausted. The night before it had been impossible to miss, so he had put his own needs aside to allow Dra’Kaedan to sleep as long as he desired. When Dra’Kaedan woke up, they could hold each other and Brogan could find out just exactly how his mate had found the ability to rise from the dead.
Dra’Kaedan made a snuffling sound in his sleep and moved his head slightly. Almost immediately, a new wet spot was growing on his chest. Brogan gave into his instinct to kiss Dra’Kaedan’s blond head when his sensitive dragon nose caught a scent that nearly set his eyes watering again.
It was rather humiliating to realize that the foul stench was emanating from him. Brogan could not remember when he had last showered, and his mate had not seemed pleased by the accumulation of hair on his face either. Dra’Kaedan deserved to wake up to a mate who didn’t smell like a landfill, so moving as slowly as possible he slid out from under Dra’Kaedan to grab a shower. Before heading to the bathroom, Brogan decided to grab some clean clothes.
As much as he needed to hold Dra’Kaedan, if he did so without the protection of jeans and a T-shirt Brogan was likely to want more than just a hug. He knew they would get back to their physical relationship, and Brogan’s dragon was desperate to sink his teeth into their mate to reassure them both that Dra’Kaedan was well and truly home. But before that could happen Brogan wanted to know that Dra’Kaedan was healthy. That he wouldn’t be leaving again. Brogan needed to know, with as much guarantee as possible, that Fate was not going to rip his soul out and snatch his mate away from him again.
His grim thoughts caused him to frown as he turned on the shower, and the bathroom began to fill with steam. It was quite possible that he was going to have to take the world’s longest shower to wash away his stink. Brogan decided he could cut his shower time in half if he doubled up on soap and began scrubbing. He didn’t want to waste any more time being away from Dra’Kaedan.
Dra’Kaedan opened his eyes and, after a jaw popping yawn, he realized he was very much alone in his big bed. That wasn’t going to work at all; he had barely even had a moment to talk to his mate before he had fallen asleep. The exhaustion had receded a bit after the long night of sleep he’d had the night before, but Dra’Kaedan still felt tired. Luckily this time around he knew the feeling would improve and soon he’d be rested and more powerful than ever.
It was a little overwhelming being returned to his former self; his memory was somewhat sluggish. The one thing he remembered from his days as a warlock with clarity was Dre’Kariston. They had been two peas in a pod growing up, and it must have been a heavy burden for his brother to know he lived, but be unable to find him. Dra’Kaedan needed to apologize to his twin for ignoring him the night before, but he needed his mate first. He knew it had been weeks since he had “died”, but he hadn’t felt the time passage. Now that he was where he belonged he needed to give his mate some TLC, and he could use some himself.
It had been devastating as Ayden to finally find love, only to know it was going to be ripped away and there was little choice but to die slowly. Their relationship had been rocky from the start, and they were finally learning what it meant to love each other when his exhaustion had set in and death had loomed on the horizon. Dra’Kaedan’s very first thought as his parent’s power had surged through his veins had been of Brogan. Seeing his parents had been a gift, and he would miss them terribly, but he had not hesitated to return to his dragon. He did not want to have any sort of existence without Brogan.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door to the bathroom open, and his mate emerged freshly shaven and fully dressed in jeans and a dark T-shirt.
“Good morning,” Dra’Kaedan said from his place on their bed. He could feel his pajamas bottoms twisted around his knees, but he was feeling too lazy to remedy the situation at the moment.
“It certainly is. How are you feeling? You don’t look as wiped as you did last night.” His mate crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed next to him. He was wearing that familiar smile and Dra’Kaedan was so thankful to have this wonderful man in his life.
“Better. I feel better, and you smell a whole lot better.”
Brogan laughed and reached a hand out to run his hand through the blond curls at the top of Dra’Kaedan’s head, “You look good as a blond.”
“You were shocked to see me, but I don’t think you are that freaked out to see me like this.”
“Best shock I’ve ever had and Dre’Kariston realized who you were when his necklace stopped glowing.”
“You okay with me being Dra’Kaedan instead of Latarian’s runty familiar Ayden?”
“Runty? You’re still runty. Your face and hair are different, but you didn’t get any taller, baby.” Brogan’s grin curled his toes and Dra’Kaedan found himself beaming back at him, but before either one of them could say anything else there was a knock on their bedroom door. Brogan rose to answer it, and after it had opened Dra’Kaedan saw their whole family standing in the hallway.
No one asked to be invited in, the whole gang just strode in purposefully and took up positions around the bed. The best part was that his brother and his bestie necro were both armed with trays of delicious smelling food.
“Brogan, take a seat next to your mate so you can both eat,” Noirin ordered and his
mate quickly obeyed. The trays were placed over their laps and, as Dra’Kaedan anticipated, the food tasted even better than it smelled. After shoveling a few giant forkfuls into his face, Dra’Kaedan began to feel a little uncomfortable with all the people watching him. His mate was evidently not of the same mind because he kept right on inhaling his breakfast.
“What?” he demanded of his family.
“Well brother, we are overjoyed to have you back, but would you mind explaining to us exactly how it’s possible that you are sitting there? And how am I more powerful?” Dre’Kariston asked him curiously.
“I only had a few minutes with them to absorb it all, but it was our parents. I was caught somewhere between life and death. Ayden was dead, but my spirit was too spent to even wake up let alone resume my former life as a warlock. Our parents were watching over Brogan and, when they feared he would die, they gave us their power so I could return,” Dra’Kaedan explained to his brother and their family.
“It’s their power that has been added to mine?” His twin sounded surprised.
“Yes, they kept it on their deaths because I was missing, and it is too much power for just one of us. They also send their love. Mother asked me to give you hugs and kisses, but I think the hugs will be enough.” Dra’Kaedan gave his brother a smirk, and his twin returned it and added a wink.
“I haven’t seen my twin in centuries. I not only expect, but I demand many hugs and a kiss or two. But I want you to stick to kissing my cheeks; I know how tempting my lips can be.”
Grand Redemption (D'Vaire Book 1) Page 24
