Page 53 of Mystique of the Fallen
“Were you completely flabbergasted after their memories returned and everyone learned they were the former dragon Emperors? I’ve read the books their son wrote. I know Drystan was convinced he wasn’t that former dragon. He thought Chander had picked his name to honor that guy but wanted no comparison between himself and Emperor Drystan.”
“I believed what Drystan told me. And good for you for finding those books in the fallen knight library at the Ascension Center. I fought to get them added to the library. Drystan thought we’d be favoring Trystan by including his books in there, but seriously…their son is a famous author because he’s good at what he does. And they’re historically accurate. Great reading for anyone, but especially for a fallen knight about to embark on a lifetime of working for Drystan and Conley. I want everyone to respect their story and their love.”
“You never had any doubts?”
Roman pursed his lips. “Honestly? I did wonder. But more so when Conley was resurrected. What are the fucking odds that Chand’s going to resurrect the man Drystan soon learns is his mate and, oh, his name happens to be Conley? No, the wheels in my head were definitely turning. But what I couldn’t figure out was why they were separated. Chand will never truly forgive himself for his part in the decision to make them spend a century apart to cool any thoughts of vengeance for the people who murdered them.”
“Whether that was the right decision isn’t the sticking point for me. What’s truly shitty is that some wizard decided to punish Chander and Drystan by keeping Conley’s body long after a century had passed.”
“Arch Wizard Egidius was an asshole,” Roman said.
“Drystan and Conley made you want a love story of your own?”
Roman smiled and gave a nod. “They were the first to plant that seed in my head, I guess. Since then, I’ve watched many relationships bloom. Envy is nothing new to me. Neither is fear. I remember how small I felt when Arvandus met Albie. I panicked. What if everyone around me wound up with someone and I was still single? How the fuck would I handle sitting at home alone every night? Turns out I needed to get my shit together and decide what I wanted. And trust that my friends had enough love in their hearts for their other halves and their best friends.”
“I like your honesty,” Grant said, leaning forward and giving Roman a soft, sexy kiss.
A stab of guilt hit Roman hard. He hated deception. But he reminded himself that the truth about him and the human Grant wouldn’t be a secret forever. It was a temporary lie meant to protect his mate.
“I like your forthrightness,” Roman told Grant and shuffled a little closer to him.
“Let me see if I can get you to admit more shitty stuff about yourself,” Grant teased. “How did it make you feel that Samson found his mate before you? Here’s this kid making history by becoming the first person to qualify for Venerable Knight and he’s already got a mate? Oh, and he’s a fucking Skeleton Lord.”
“Fine.” Roman rolled his eyes. “I was happy for Samson. Having another Venerable Knight was also great. We have a tremendous workload, and I was ready to share the burden with him. Did I also wonder if Fate had fucking forgotten about me? Yeah. Yeah, I did. But Samson needs Brynn. So does his dragon. It’s part of who Samson is. They lost each other in a past life neither of them can recall. They’d barely met and were torn apart. Murdered. The spell Chand developed with Sorcery D’Vaire to include shifters as fallen knights didn’t account for the memories of their beasts. It didn’t clear them. Samson can’t remember that previous life with Brynn, but his dragon can. And because of that and the loss they suffered, Samson can’t go longer than a few hours without having a couple of minutes with Brynn to calm his dragon. To remind his dragon that nothing will tear them apart again. It falls again into that hauntingly romantic category.”
“Now I’m feeling deprived of some tragic past life.”
Roman swore his heart stuttered in his chest as he thought about Grant’s murder. Would Grant be so amused by the notion if he knew that he did have his own unfortunate tale? The difference was Grant would never recall those few short months they’d known each other. But Roman couldn’t forget them. Why had they happened?
“Probably easier without one,” Roman murmured.
“No, you’re right, and I’m an ass to poke fun at any of it. I’m glad that Samson, Arvandus, and Drystan are all happy now. It sucks that they each have this foothold in the past they can’t forget.”
“You’re not an ass.”
“While we’re on the subject of asses, yours is fantastic.”
“I admire yours on a daily basis.”
“You’re welcome to mine any way you want it.”
Roman laughed. “Be careful with that kind of invitation. I’ll grab some lube and have you face down before you can even blink.”
“Okay. Go for it.”
“I didn’t mean right now.”
“Stop teasing me, Roman,” Grant complained with a frown.
“How about I give you a couple of kisses, then we try to get some sleep so we can have a fun day with the D’Vaires tomorrow?”
“I suppose that would temporarily mollify me,” Grant said, lifting his chin and closing the distance between them.
Eager to accept the invitation, Roman kept some space between them so he didn’t get carried away with the beautiful man Fate had given him, and he pressed his mouth to Grant’s. He let go of Grant’s hand to tug him into his arms but kept the embrace loose despite the voice in his head demanding he mold himself to the sexy man. The moment Grant’s lips parted, Roman slipped his tongue through them and explored the tart taste of his other half. Grant’s kisses were enthusiastic and lacked sophistication.
They were wonderful.
Chapter 20
