Page 78 of Mystique of the Fallen
Roman walked over and rested his palm on Arvandus’s shoulder.
“That’s not always true,” he whispered.
Reaching up, Arvandus patted Roman’s hand. “My situation was unique, and I loved Apple. The first time we bound our souls, I paid with my life. And I regret that it cost Apple even more because he had to watch me die. He had to live with those memories. He still does. But I let it go, Roman. I can’t fix what happened, and I can’t wipe away the years we were apart. But look where we are today. He’s everything, and we have forever. Nothing will keep either of us from ensuring that we have our destiny together. You lost Grant once, but now he’s the man he was intended to be…not warped by whatever or whoever he was as a human. You love each other and there are no evil people around waiting to make you pay for that.”
“I’m sorry this conversation brought up those memories for you,” Roman told his best friend as he released his hold on Arvandus and took a few steps so he could see their faces again.
Arvandus smiled genuinely. “That’s okay. Because my mind immediately escapes that past and remembers what came next. Walking into Alaric and Chand’s condo to meet a blackened skeleton with little belief in the future.”
“And tonight, you’re gonna go home to a smoking hot redhead who rocks your fucking world,” Conley added.
“Exactly,” Arvandus replied.
“How pissed was Grant at you?” Samson asked.
“I expected yelling. Or something bigger,” Roman said, his brow furrowing. “But that’s not Grant. Or he’s still too shocked to find that anger, because he was stoic. I think his biggest fear is what else I hadn’t told him or that our past relationship was far more complicated.”
“You barely knew him,” Conley remarked. “Did you even talk a handful of times?”
“Four to be exact, and I admitted to both myself and VK Valerius that I didn’t like that Grant,” Roman commented.
“Weird how life changes us,” Samson said. “How a different set of circumstances alters who we are as people. I was apparently a spoiled prince willing to risk the lives of my mate and myself by walking straight into danger. Sometimes I think about that, and I wonder how it could’ve been me who did that. But then, I’ve exposed B to danger in this life too.”
“The fuck you did,” Roman snapped. “What happened that morning when you wanted to show your family your new VK vehicle is not your fault. Not in any way, shape, or form. I know you, Samson. If you thought for a second there was danger, you and your dragon would’ve sat on Brynn if necessary to keep him from going near that garage. Don’t you dare hold on to any guilt for that. You did nothing wrong.”
“He’s right, Sam,” Arvandus added.
“Okay, okay, intellectually, I know you’re right. But my dragon is very protective and still rocked by that morning. People died. Thankfully, my B is a sentinel and can’t be easily hurt. Let’s not get distracted though. Roman wanted us in here. We know why Grant was upset. It’s probably going to take some time for him to process everything. But that’s understandable. Our mission is to help you figure out the best way to ask him to be your mate, right?”
Roman sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. It was a huge, bold move, but he wanted it. He craved holding Grant close and feeling their souls twist together for eternity.
“Yeah, yeah, I guess I’m doing this.”
“Well, don’t look at me for ideas,” Conley remarked. “I’ve been mated twice. For the first one, teenage Drystan decided he didn’t want to sleep alone, so he grabbed a dagger and basically coerced me into being his mate. Took me less than a day to forgive him, though, because I loved him. And I could’ve shoved him out of my bed. I didn’t because I wanted that matebond too. Deciding on our second one was like a negotiation. We picked a date a month ahead, even though we barely knew one another. Again, we were both fucking ready on the big day.”
“You and Drystan suck at romance,” Samson observed.
“I guess I do too,” Arvandus commented. “Of course, I wanted to plan something, but I knew better. Apple would’ve said no right to my face. He wasn’t ready. Then when he was, he springs it on me at dinner with the family. It was cute.”
“I didn’t realize until this moment that all I really needed to do was talk to Samson,” Roman said. “He’s the only one here who planned something nice.”
Samson smiled dreamily. “It was beautiful. I found a gorgeous hotel with a fancy restaurant. B had to practically be dragged there, though until he finally relaxed and enjoyed himself. I was so happy I got some recipes from the restaurant for him. The room had pink flowers because that’s his favorite color. It was such a romantic night. B was so gorgeous. He always is. I cherish those memories so much, and so does he. I wanted it to be so special for him. You should’ve seen his face. He was so surprised and thrilled. B made every ounce of effort so rewarding.”
“Is Samson’s gushing helping you at all?” Conley asked. “Because I’m getting really jealous and lowkey want to punch him.”
“Agreed, but let’s fish out the important message here,” Arvandus said. “You need to plan something that would mean the most to Grant. If I took Apple to a fancy restaurant and showered him with champagne and roses, he’d be nothing but suspicious. It wouldn’t relax him; it’d put him on edge.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t suck so bad at romance,” Samson retorted.
“Okay, or Apple and I are casual people,” Arvandus argued.
“I’m with Arvandus on this,” Conley said. “Samson, that night worked because it was perfect for you and Brynn. Your mate has a soft, generous heart, and you take pleasure in fulfilling his dreams even if they’re unspoken. Roman, is Grant a romantic like Brynn? Would he like the fancy stuff?”
“He doesn’t own a tie,” Roman said. “His dress-up clothes are all uniforms. I’m not sure he has more than one or two casual button-downs. Grant’s a jeans and T-shirt guy.”
“Okay, good. So, either you wow him with something opposite or play to that,” Arvandus replied. “Which do you think he’d prefer?”
“Keep in mind there’s no wrong answer,” Samson said. “You can always change things on the fly. Like Gavrael told me to take a bath with B. That did not work the first time at the hotel. Dude, we are big guys. We barely fit in the damn thing together.”
