Page 59 of Distinctly Daray
“Could you?”
“Could I what?”
“Count them, Phillip. You should count them.”
“You are being annoying. It is pointless to count questions. What does it matter how many they are? That does not get me any closer to answers.”
“Why are you so curious?”
“I am a sentinel. Of course I am curious.”
“Well, I am a sentinel too, and I am not asking you questions.”
“If you have any questions for me, I would be happy to assist you.”
“That is untrue.”
Phillip glared. “I cannot lie, Dudley. If I was not interested in aiding you, I would tell you.”
“But I asked you to count your questions, and you refused.”
“Because it is a pointless, tedious task that benefits no one.”
“If I have asked you to do it, it surely benefits me.”
“How?”
Dudley rose and stomped toward the exit of the Sentinel Brotherhood. “I will think about it and let you know,” Dudley retorted and rushed through the tall glass doors.
“This day has only grown weirder,” Phillip muttered as he stood alone in the lobby.
∞∞∞
In an uncharacteristically sad mood, Keegan left his final class at the Ascension Center and went for a walk around the building. He’d travel there one last time the following afternoon for his graduation. With his high scores, Keegan should’ve been on top of the world. Instead, accepting his future was difficult.
Given his test scores, he’d earned the title of Juris Knight. But Keegan couldn’t picture himself picking through files to determine guilt or innocence, then selecting punishments. It wasn’t that he lacked confidence in himself. On the contrary.Keegan’s success in his classes had fueled his belief in his own abilities.
That was why his lack of excitement about obtaining a rare Juris Knight appointment was confusing. Only a tiny percentage of fallen knights were Juris Knights. They were some of the smartest men and women in Keegan’s race. So, why was he disappointed at the thought of joining their ranks?
The problem was Keegan couldn’t answer that question. He wasn’t sure what the hell was wrong with him, which was why he was meandering through a building instead of heading home to his mates. Phillip and Victor knew him too well not to guess he was out of sorts. They’d naturally want to help him sort through his feelings.
But how could Keegan explain anything to them when he wasn’t sure how to even spell it out in his own head? Frustrated with himself, Keegan gave himself five minutes to get his shit together. The likelihood of him figuring anything out was next to nil, and Keegan refused to be late for the dinner Victor had cooked. Nor would he worry Victor or Phillip.
No closer to shaking off his funky mood, Keegan slapped a smile on his face and teleported to the suite he shared with Phillip and Victor. The bright, gorgeous surroundings immediately made him feel better. Since he’d get to enjoy the space later with the two men who’d stolen his heart, Keegan left their bedroom and nearly smacked into the Lich Sentinel.
“Come with me,” Alaric ordered.
As a sentinel, Alaric was adept at showing little emotion, and this evening was no exception. Keegan’s ability to comprehend their expressions was improving, but he’d need plenty more study to unravel their mysteries.
“Okay,” Keegan said as he fell into step behind the Lich Sentinel.
“I hope Brynn doesn’t get nervous and put the dinner rolls in too early,” Victor remarked as Keegan stepped into the large office shared by Alaric and Chander. Along with Victor, Phillip and the Reverent Knights were also in the room.
“Hello, Sunshine,” Phillip said, brushing their lips together.
“You told Brynn to wait on the rolls,” Alaric mentioned to Victor as the cat shifter rushed over to kiss Keegan.
“Did you see the panic on his face?” Victor asked. “He gets nervous because he’s afraid he’ll mess things up.”
