Page 42 of The Missing Sentinel
“Bax?”
“Daemon Lord Baxter Daray. One of the mated pair tasked with protecting Chand. He tells the worst jokes and spends far too much time discussing dicks. His own or anyone else’s. It is annoying. Yet, I nearly made a comment that could have easily been one of his terrible comments. Despite my best efforts, he has corrupted me.”
“You sound most distressed,” Drexley remarked, but he was smiling.
“Do not laugh. You have not heard his commentary yet. If it were not for Chand or Victor, I would have thrown my fork at Bax countless times.”
“Who is Victor?”
Ducarius bussed the corner of Drexley’s mouth. “He rather recently gained a title and is now known as Cinder Lord-mate Victor Antonov-Daray. At eighteen, he was hired by Bax and Ben to clean our home. This was before I was found in the compound. There was a short period when he was fired, but that is a long story for another day. Victor is a cat shifter and is the unequivocal boss of our home. Recently, he met his mates, and they joined the household. One is Phillip. I mentioned him to you already. He is the lone dragon-shifting sentinel. Their other mate is a fallen knight called Keegan. They are quite happy.”
“I did not realize it was possible to have more than one mate,” Drexley responded.
“It is rare and unfortunately does not always work out. But Victor, Keegan, and Phillip never allowed that to bother them. I am so grateful they are together.”
“How would you feel if we were to have a third mate?”
“Tell me your thoughts on the matter first.”
Drexley frowned but ruffled his fingers gently through Ducarius’s messy hair. “The thought of someone else kissing you bothers me.”
“I understand it is different if Fate intends for you to be with multiple mates, so I doubt either of us has anything to worry about. The thought of anyone discovering how wonderful you taste enrages me.”
“Despite my reluctance to share you, it is lovely to know Fate creates matebonds in many forms.”
“Yes, I love that Victor is happy with his mates. He deserves happiness. It has been a pleasure to add Keegan and Phillip to the household; they are fantastic men.”
“How did Phillip gain the ability to shift into a dragon?”
Ducarius could not resist stealing a kiss from Drexley before answering. “There is a group called Sorcery D’Vaire. It consists of nearly fifty people devoted to expanding the limits of magic and spells. Among their many accomplishments is a new resurrection spell for the undead races that allowed shifters to cross the veil. Unfortunately, there were aspects they did not understand. Phillip and another Daray, Venerable Knight Samson Osdraconis-Daray, were resurrected with dragons, and both men struggled to find accord with their beasts. Chand refuses to have anyone else suffer, so the spell has been permanently shelved.”
“I am sorry to hear that the spell did not turn out how they expected. Are both men well now?”
“Yes, Sam and Phillip both have strong bonds with their dragons now, but it was not an easy road. I am glad they had the support of our family and their rulers to aid them.”
“There are many books on these shelves of spells that were unsuccessful in some way. Magic can be a precarious thing.”
“Like this fucking realm crumbling into dust,” Ducarius growled.
“Stop troubling yourself. Adney will not leave, and I vowed not to force him.”
“Damn you for being a sentinel who cannot lie.”
“According to you, none of us can.”
“Well, I wish you were different.”
Drexley chuckled. “They carry weapons, wear uniforms like yours, and train often. I could not be more different if I tried.”
“If you cannot fit in, stand out with pride, Drexley.”
“Sound advice. You may think yourself clever for distracting me, but I still want an answer to my question. What were you thinking about as we kissed?”
“Besides your agile tongue and how wonderful it makes me feel?”
“That was not why you tensed.”
Ducarius sighed heavily. “I was thinking about this damn realm. There is almost nothing left of the top floor of this castle. Your bedroom is just below it. What will you do if some giant hunk of rock pins you to your mattress while you sleep?”
