Page 20 of Becoming D'Vaire
“I’m trembling in my boots, Mama,” Grigori’s brother responded silkily. Nikolai was suave and debonair. Everything Grigori was not and although he tried to emulate his beloved brother’s charm, it never worked.
“Let’s go inside before I decide to have your father punish you.”
“Things are getting serious. Did you lose yourself in the lab again, Grigori?” Nikolai asked him as they strolled toward the stunning hotel Emperor Chrysander Draconis picked for his event.
“I thought I still had a week until tonight’s thing.”
“Maybe you should leave chemistry behind and start building a time machine.”
“If I thought I could get one to work, I’d already have a prototype. How was your day?”
“Busy as usual. I’ve got some graphics to show you for the new blood flavor additives you came up with.”
“You really don’t need my okay on that stuff. I just want to make things more interesting for us since we all have to drink blood.”
“You created it, you get a say in how we produce it,” Nikolai insisted. His brother was not only magnetic, he had the strong will of their parents.
“All right, let’s eat some food. I’m starving,” Grigori replied as they walked through a tall set of glass doors. They followed a large throng of people headed toward the ballroom.
“Skipped lunch?”
“If it wasn’t for Tigglesworth, I’d probably be wearing jeans.”
The entrance to the event was wide open but before they could enter the gathering, a small dragon, maybe a foot tall from tail to nose, flew in their direction. Grigori automatically ducked out of the way and figured the dragon went past him, so he was stunned when he swooped down to land on his shoulder.
“What the—” Grigori managed as Nikolai reached up and patted the dragon.
“Hello there,” Nikolai offered. The dragon made a growly sound, then butted his head into Grigori’s. He was not gentle.
“Hey, calm down.” Grigori would’ve asked him what he wanted, but they crossed the threshold of the ballroom, and all the blood in Grigori’s body pooled in his dick. A rich smell that was a mix of leather, wood, and dark-roasted coffee flowed across his senses. He was taught since birth exactly why he was suddenly feeling like he could conquer the world. Somewhere in the room was his mate.
“Your face is white, what’s wrong?” Nikolai asked. His brow was creased, and the concern in his voice got their parents’ immediate attention.
“Grigori?” his father inquired.
His palms were sweaty, and the dampness covering his back was causing his shirt to stick to his skin. Mouth full of saliva as fear choked him, Grigori swallowed thickly. “My mate’s here,” he said softly.
“OhGrigori, that’s wonderful,” his mother responded. She gave his clammy hand a squeeze. “I’m guessing our little dragon here might know who he is. Perhaps your vampire has a sorcerer friend.”
Grigori didn’t know what else to say or how to react. Something made him turn his head and when he did, he found himself staring at a gorgeous man wearing a crown, headed in his direction. He wasn’t alone, but Grigori didn’t waste any time on his companions. His future was walking toward him, and not a single complaint flooded into his brain.
Like Grigori, his hair was black—as was every stitch of clothing he had on except for a bluish-black dragonskin sash with silver lettering that was barely visible through his velvet-trimmed cloak. Whoever he was, this man was no vampire. When he got closer, Grigori became lost in a pair of eyes that were deep, dark pools. Grigori was captivated by their allure. He wanted to smile and fall to his knees to offer his undying devotion, but he just stood there stupidly sweating while wishing he wasn’t such a dork.
“Prism Wizard, how delightful to see you,” his mother said.
“Always a pleasure, Vampyress. I see you found our errant dragon familiar,” the leader of the wizards responded.
“It’s more like he found us. Will you introduce us to your companions?”
“Absolutely. Left to right we have Duff Cominsky; High Arcanist Idris the Indigo; his mate, Duke Macardle D’Vairedraconis; and High Arcanist Delaney the Dark. Gentlemen, this is Vampyress Irina Volkov; her mate, Vampyr Consort Alexei; and their sons, Vampyr Lord Nikolai; and the one with our Greggory is Vampyr Lord Grigori.”
No one said a word in response, and Grigori didn’t care one whit. The only name he wanted to know was his mate’s. He kept up with current events; Delaney was the world’s lone dark wizard. It suited a vampire who preferred the red rose on his lapel to be of the black magic variety.
“Take a deep breath and say hi to him,” Nikolai whispered close to his ear.
Grigori managed to lift his arm and thrust his hand out in the wizard’s general direction. “Hello.”
The implication of that act broke the ice that had formed around their group. His mother lifted a shaking hand toward her face. “Oh, my goodness…those black eyes.”
