Page 83 of The Missing Sentinel
“Whatever you do not know now, we will ensure you learn. Our family is full of Council leaders. They can aid us. Have no fear. I will not leave you floundering.”
“Will the other leaders on these committees find it odd to have a sentinel without a uniform representing the Sentinel Brotherhood?”
“Drexley, I have no concern for their feelings about fashion. Wear what makes you happy. From what I have seen, you purchased plenty of suits. That is what most other leaders wear, so they can keep their opinions to themselves because I certainly do not want to hear it. We could start this as a trial if you prefer. That way if you dislike it, you can quit without worrying that you are letting anyone down.”
“I like the idea of a trial and welcome the challenge. It would please me to aid the sentinels and earn the money you placed in my account.”
“None of that money needs to be earned. You will have a salary. Earn that. Thank you for agreeing; I appreciate your help. I will talk to Evergreen to add the necessary things to the office you now officially share with your mate. As soon as we have your desk set up, we can begin.”
“Thank you for this opportunity, Alaric.”
“You have my gratitude for attempting this position. I have avoided committees for decades now, to the detriment of the Sentinel Brotherhood. The one thing I ask is that if you dislike it, you alert me immediately. Together, we can hand your duties to someone else…perhaps hire someone outside our race.”
“I vow to inform you I do not want to continue should I reach that conclusion.”
Satisfied with Drexley’s promise, Alaric grinned as Drexley rushed out to discuss his new job with Ducarius. Nothing pleased Alaric more than aiding a sentinel, and thanks to their inability to lie, the Lich Sentinel did not have to worry that Drexley would struggle in a job he hated. Alaric’s afternoon had barely started, and he’d already accomplished much.
Bolstered by success, Alaric picked up his phone and connected with the front desk. Evergreen was a marvel, and they would have Drexley at a desk in a day or two at most. Hopefully, it would add to Drexley’s happiness and increase his comfortability in his new family. Alaric also longed for the close bond he once shared with Drexley to be rekindled and for the roots of their friendship to grow even stronger.
Chapter 34
Gritting his teeth, Drexley wrestled against his constraints. Images were bombarding his brain. They were terrifying. Drexley was trapped in a nightmare. One that refused to allow him to wake. But the most horrifying thing was the realization that none of the pictures were conjured. They were memories. Of another Drexley. A sentinel summoned from a prison the necromancers called a compound. By a sorcerer who had skillfully ordered Drexley into becoming someone else. A person Adney wanted him to be. Without a single care for what Drexley wanted.
“For fuck’s sake, wake up,” Ducarius growled.
Drexley froze immediately as Ducarius’s fear battered his already-beleaguered soul. “Ducarius?”
“Are you okay?” Ducarius asked.
His throat was dry. Drexley swallowed thickly. A thread of calm seeped in. Nothing was binding him. Relief flowed into him next. The only things around him were Ducarius’s arms.
A loud bang made Drexley jump.
“Are you two okay in there?” Alaric shouted.
“Give us a minute,” Ducarius yelled. “Drexley, talk to me.”
Shaking, he bowed his head and grabbed Ducarius’s forearm as he trembled. “They were not dreams,” Drexleywhispered, unable to withhold the truth. Every hour of his life in Adney’s realm was crystal clear. He had even gained scattered recollections of sitting in his lonely cell awaiting visits from his lone friend, Alaric. “The past five hundred years. I can remember them now.”
Alaric pounded on the door again. “I will come in there if you do not assure me you are both well.”
The Lich Sentinel was not exaggerating. Drexley dragged his gaze up to lock with Ducarius’s.
“I need to talk to him,” Drexley murmured.
“Let’s go out into the kitchen; we could use some cookies.”
“Is someone going to answer me?” Alaric demanded.
“We will be out in a minute,” Ducarius roared. “Calm down.”
“He is the one who took so long to answer,” Alaric said, though Drexley was not sure if he was speaking to his other half or the other people now gathered outside the bedroom.
“Ignore him, we can take as long as we need to get up,” Ducarius remarked softly as he pressed a kiss to Drexley’s forehead.
Shifting, Drexley turned to fully face Ducarius and was immediately tucked close to his mate’s chest. “Nothing is what I thought it to be. I am not who I was led to believe.”
“Do you understand why?”
