Page 60 of The Missing Sentinel
Because the necromancer who had spent five centuries caring for him was dead.
Fresh tears wetted Drexley’s cheeks.
“Drexley?”
Grateful for the reminder that his mate was connected to him wherever they both went, Drexley smiled.
“I can hear you.”
“One more minute. That is all I need. Then I will return, okay?”
“There is no need to rush, I have not moved.”
“You are by yourself in the middle of fucking nowhere, I will not dawdle.”
For some inexplicable reason, the irritation in Ducarius’s words widened his grin. Of course Ducarius would insist on returning swiftly. Drexley’s other half was the definition of caring.
A second later, a cloaked sentinel popped into view. Drexley was hauled into Ducarius’s arms.
“I apologize for the delay,” Ducarius murmured next to Drexley’s ear. “We are going to D’Vaire first. It will be bright; it is afternoon there instead of night.”
“You have the teleportation stone you spoke of?”
“As a student of magic, you will appreciate this,” Ducarius said, shifting so he could hold his hand out and allow Drexley to view a lovely rock. It was shiny blue-black with a dragon’s head engraved on the top. “A spell is trapped inside. It will teleport us directly to a spot outside the gazebo in the D’Vaire garden. Whenever you are ready, rub your thumb across the dragon to take us there.”
Although he was wildly unprepared for whatever awaited him, Drexley had Ducarius. Together, they would find a way to navigate their future. Drexley blew out a breath and gathered his courage. With his arm trembling violently, Drexley reached out and swept his thumb over the smooth stone. A pull of magic touched him.
“Close your eyes,” Ducarius reminded him. It was so rare for Drexley to use a basic skill like teleporting that he nearly forgot, so he was grateful for Ducarius’s warning.
The ground disappeared beneath his feet, and Drexley swallowed thickly. His stomach churned as he vividly recalled being hurled through the air as Adney’s realm ceased to exist. On solid land again, Drexley was tugged into Ducarius’s embrace. There was no need for words. Ducarius could feel Drexley’s pain and recalled horror.
Drexley buried his face in the voluminous folds of Ducarius’s cloak as his rusty sentinel abilities roared to life. They were not alone. Six entities were nearby. Two were almost animals, but not quite—oddly, they were sentinels too. The other four were people. One had magic. A lot of it, and it was not dark. The remaining three were a mixture of man and beast. Shifters.
“Who are they?” Drexley asked his mate.
“Skeleton Lord-mate Drexley Daray, allow me to introduce you to High Kings Aleksander and Rafe D’Vairedraconis,” Ducarius stated. “This is their home. Welcome to the High Draconis Court of D’Vaire.”
“Drexley,” a man exclaimed in surprise.
Turning on instinct at the sound of his voice, Drexley had to look up to meet a pair of scaly blue-black eyes with a ring of silver and gold around the pupils. The man’s raven hair nearly brushed his shoulders, and Drexley was stunned to find navy strands mixed in with the black. Holding his hands was a man with curly locks in the same color palette. On either side of the pair was a wolf.
“Do you know of me, Your Highness?” Drexley asked.
“I guess you didn’t mention to your mate that we don’t use royal titles around here,” drawled the first man, who had to be at least five or six inches taller than Drexley.
“No time,” Ducarius replied. He swept his hand down Drexley’s back. “The D’Vaires are family, and none of us use our titles when we are together. And Alaric has told everyone about you, Drexley; he has been worried about you for centuries. Every sentinel has.”
A man with a head of golden ringlets, who stood a good foot shorter than Drexley, waved. “Hi, I’m Dra’Kaedan since Duc doesn’t want to introduce me.”
“I was getting to it,” Ducarius retorted. He yanked the hood of his cloak off, and Drexley didn’t miss his eyeroll. “Love, this is Grand Warlock Dra’Kaedan D’Vaire. Next to him is Grand Duke Brogan D’Vairedraconis. The handsome sentinel wolves who guard the High Kings are named Nox and Mortis.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Drexley managed, then belatedly stuck his hand out to offer the men a proper greeting.
The Grand Warlock waved it off. “Don’t worry, we know all about sentinels. No need to touch any strangers. Duc insisted we come out and introduce ourselves. Duc, what you asked for is behind the gazebo. When you’re done, I placed another stone inside the gazebo. It’ll take you two directly to your bedroom athome. No one will come out and bother you; meeting the rest of us can wait another day.”
“Thank you, Dra’Kaedan.”
“It was wonderful to meet you, Drexley, and congratulations on your matebond,” High King Aleksander offered.
