Page 83 of Honorable Convictions
“Who would you prefer I represent?” Pierson asked, trying to focus on coherent thought while his heart raced in fear. If he got the Reverent Knights out the door quickly enough, he might avoid being discovered.
“Arledhes Rosecarrow. She’s going to remain as Council leader, and I know you’ve been working for the last couple of weeks at a reconciliation with Brooks, but we’re tasking him with the other side of this.”
“That’s fine, I believe we can handle going against each other. It’s inevitable anyway.”
Drystan pulled out a file, and Pierson memorized everything in it as he wondered how long it was possible to simultaneously freak out and act appropriately. Hopefully it extended further than he thought, because clearly the Reverent Knights weren’t going anywhere.
Chapter 38
The afternoon bled into the evening with Mitchell in a courtroom, thanks to the large number of Diego Mexicanum’s inherited properties and the cutthroat way his deceased uncle had managed them. When the judge was finally ready to make a ruling, Mitchell glanced at his watch and guessed that Pierson was already home. After he was thanked profusely by Diego, who he’d see again, the pair walked out. Diego was friendly, and they made small talk all the way to his car.
Gently extricating himself from the conversation and getting into his vehicle, Mitchell bypassed checking his phone. There’d be messages from the entire world since he’d spent the last three hours unavailable. His focus was getting home where he hoped he hadn’t missed dinner, then enjoying the evening with Pierson. Once he’d gotten a few snuggles, Mitchell could return to being a Juris Knight and deal with whatever problems had cropped up while he was defending Diego.
It was a reasonably short drive home despite the traffic in Vegas, where hordes of people were streaming in to revel in the start of the weekend. Once he was parked, Mitchell snatched his messenger bag and as he strolled to the elevator, he undid the frog hook on the collar of his uniform. Inside the dwelling of his residence, it was finally proper to be outside of regulations, and Mitchell was ready to switch to jeans and a T-shirt.
With his identification card in his hand, Mitchell waved it over the lock of his condo and smiled as it released.
“Hey, Blondie,” he called out, dumping his car keys into the bowl on the side table. Anxious to talk to him, Mitchell let his bag drift to the floor and waltzed down the hall. That was when he realized that as a fallen knight it was rather stupid to walk in without doing a thorough read with his senses to count the number of people inside. His eyes met Pierson’s terror-filled ones, and his mate rose.
Their two guests, the leaders of the Order of the Fallen Knights, wore expressions of surprise as they too stood. It was likely difficult to pinpoint who was more shocked in their little tableau, but Mitchell didn’t have to guess who was the most scared; the fear was rolling off Pierson in waves. Although he wanted to instinctively soothe him, Mitchell had no clue where to start.
Pierson’s mouth opened, and words spilled out. “This is Brooks. Well, I know you know that’s Brooks. Obviously, Mitchell’s here. H-he lives here. We’re a couple. Not like we’re dating or seeing one another in secret. I guess it is in secret. That’s not what I meant. He’s…he’s my mate, and we’re both living together. This is his condo. He picked out all the furniture. I moved in and it was all here. Not that I’m complaining. I love it. I really do. It’s just he should get the credit for it. He told me I could change anything…except for one thing but that’s okay.”
Terrified Pierson was going to start discussing their silk sheets with the Reverent Knights, who were still speechless, Mitchell wrapped an arm around Pierson, who pulled his lips inward and thankfully went silent. Although he gave him a reassuring smile, he almost felt guilty for the amount of joy and relief coursing through him. Tired of hiding his affection for Pierson and what they were together, he was grateful to be caught. His gaze went to Drystan, whose face was stoic, giving nothing away. Conley, however, was watching them with consideration in his brilliant gold eyes. Their lack of reaction gave him pause, and he wondered for a moment if there’d be a payment for their silence and lies until sanity reasserted itself. Mates were first in their world.
“The RKs are here about a case,” Pierson rushed out. “They wanted us to represent a couple. It’s for a separation agreement. I wish it wasn’t, though, because Mitch hates them.”
“Excuse me?” Drystan asked.
Pierson’s green orbs rocketed from Drystan to Mitchell and back again. “He once hoped I’d opt out so he could because he doesn’t like handling them. I don’t mind. I mean, they aren’t my favorite. I doubt they’re anyone’s favorite. Although Cavendish is bitter about romance, so maybe he’s okay with it.”
“Mitchell, we’ve always encouraged Juris Knights to opt out of any type of case that they prefer not to handle. And why would it be necessary for Pierson to do so for you to consider it?” Drystan asked.
The truth serum that had somehow seeped into Pierson’s blood was cute until it landed Mitchell in a pot of hot water. “The most despicable thing I did from the moment I was resurrected was compete with the one person on the planet I should’ve cherished. Everything Pierce did was fodder for my love of competition. I refused to consider opting out of anything unless the best Juris Knight did the same.”
“We don’t compete like that anymore. Not for months,” Pierson chimed in.
“Fine, Mitchell, then you can explain why we don’t have a completed form to officially opt you out of separation cases. Are there any other aspects of your job you find difficult? We’re here to oversee you but also to protect you. If something is causing you undue stress, you need to make the decision to cut it from your casework,” Drystan retorted.
“Why haven’t you done that since we worked things out?” Pierson asked, making Mitchell want to choke him.
“I can handle it.”
“You won’t be handling this case with Pierson,” Conley said. “And we expect you to complete the form by the end of the weekend.”
“Yes, Reverent Knight.”
“Pierson, you have the case, and we’d like you to get started on it this weekend,” Drystan ordered.
“Yes, Reverent Knight.”
Drystan held out a hand to Conley who took it. “We’ll leave you to enjoy your night. Report to our office first thing on Monday morning.”
They walked the pair out, and Mitchell glared at Pierson as he stalked to the living room. Frowning at the absent items in the space, his mate had also disappeared. “Blondie, why the hell are half our picture frames missing?”
Pierson shuffled back in with his arms full of the missing objects. “I put them in the office so they wouldn’t find out about us, but I guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“Nope, you told them everything.”
