Page 184 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 69
In many ways, although Drystan had placed his son under Aleksander’s roof, he thought of the High King in almost a fatherly way. It was easy to remember with perfect clarity the first time they met, when Drystan was an emperor who could’ve never guessed the extent of the betrayal about to happen in his castle. Aleksander might’ve been barely more than a drakeling, but the new king had bravery and earnestness in his unique eyes. When he saw him again centuries later, there was confidence added to the mix, though Drystan could hardly understand its root. Once he got to know him, Drystan learned that even shunned and cast aside, Aleksander was pure of heart and had a spine infused with steel.
After all Drystan had witnessed while Rafe was in the hospital, if he’d sat down and known that both men were gay, he might’ve wanted the two together if he were playing Fate. Rafe was strong and courageous but the one thing he lacked was trust, and there was no other place on the planet to heal a soul than D’Vaire. It didn’t hurt that he’d spent a weekend watching the pair cuddle, flirt, and otherwise enjoy a matebond in full flourish. They might not have the history that Drystan had with Conley yet, but he would still list them as a tie with his only biological child as the second-best couple Fate had paired.
The High Kings ruled a family that Drystan was proud to be a part of, and it was in his nature to be protective, so knowing a threat was out there had driven him mad. Between him and Conley, there were no fights about lost sleep. They simply woke up early, stayed out late, or both as they sought out the two men who’d hurt Rafe, along with the still-missing twins. Not only was it a relief that the sentinels were in Europe apprehending them, but King Ethelin getting a ticket to the party was almost a dream come true.
Aleksander was ostracized for one reason, and it was because his father was a first-rate asshole who’d dedicated centuries to maintaining a venomous campaign of hate against his oldest son. Two more children were born of Boian’s blood and now loved Aleksander and carried his name. Boian had hurt them too, and Drystan was glad the man would finally have to answer for that and the other things he’d done throughout the years.
Arvandus ran down the hall to where Drystan and Conley were standing in silence, waiting for the Sentinel Brotherhood. “Hey, we got a tip on the Kestle twins. I’ve got FKs on it. Apparently, someone was watching that crazy-ass press conference. The news people posted pictures of these idiots, and several people saw them and phoned it in.”
“Good, you wanna go hunt?” Conley asked.
“Yep, let’s end this shit.”
“Tell Roman to go too if he can manage it,” Drystan replied, referring to Venerable Knight Roman Calixtus. “I wouldn’t want you to have all the fun.”
Laughing, Arvandus jogged away. “Tell Apple I said hi. And use his nickname.”
“I’m not calling Albrecht that,” Drystan retorted.
“I will,” Conley remarked.
“You want to call a Skeleton Lord the name of a fruit, that’s on you.”
“What’s the matter, Drys, aren’t you feeling fruity today?”
“Is that like a gay thing? I’ve felt gay since I was seventeen.”
“You probably would’ve known before that if you had half a clue and knew two men could have sex.”
Drystan tried his damnedest not to grin as he thought about his naïveté but failed. “Hush.”
The door that separated the Order of the Fallen Knights and the Sentinel Brotherhood swung open, revealing the Lich Sentinel with a bevy of his men and three dragons in shackles. Conley pushed off the wall. “Good thing you were pretty,” he snarked as he walked over and helped Alaric get each shifter into a separate room.
“Who do you want to start with?” Drystan asked Alaric after the glaring dragons were situated.
“The Kestles have already made it perfectly clear they don’t have shit to say to us,” Alaric stated. “I doubt we will get anything out of them, but that’s your case, not mine.”
“We need more evidence if we want to truly nail these guys, but Arvandus and Roman are off following some new tips, so hopefully that pans out. I’m interested to see if Boian will cough up anything,” Drystan said.
“Bridger. Hadley,” Alaric called out. “Would you care to join us in the interrogation room?”
They agreed, and Drystan opened the door, allowing all five of them to join the frowning man who ran Court Ethelin. “Good afternoon, Your Highness.”
“I demand to be released this instant.”
“Have you met everyone?” Conley asked, straddling a chair while the three sentinels lined themselves up along the wall. Drystan stood next to his mate and never took his eyes off Boian.
“Of course I know who you are,” Boian told Conley. “You were once dragons.”
“We’re still dragons,” Drystan corrected. “Thanks to Sorcery D’Vaire.”
Boian’s lip curled, and Drystan was going to take advantage of his dislike of his son to get what he wanted.
“Did you meet the Lich Sentinel?” Conley asked.
“He broke the law by bringing me here.”
