Page 35 of Distinctly Daray
“You are family,” Brynn replied. “Plus, fallen knights and sentinels work together.”
Thankfully, Keegan was saved from having to argue with the sentinel about what he’d been taught was proper protocol as his classmates arrived in a flurry of chatter and excitement. They quieted once they spotted Brynnius, which Keegan easily understood. It was hard not to be intimidated by an ancient sentinel. Keegan knew he would soon amaze them with his incomparable talent with the blades that were essentially extensions of his own limbs. And Keegan had dined at the man’s house, which reminded him that Brynnius was far more than a title. He was a person, and Keegan was eager to grow closer to him and every Daray.
A phone rang, and Keegan watched with shock as Brynnius dug his cell out of his pocket in less than a heartbeat.
“Sammy?” Brynnius asked, his voice full of alarm. It was a far cry from the stoicism usually displayed by every sentinel savePhillip, who’d deliciously let his guard down the night before as he’d kissed Keegan and Victor with enthusiasm and desire.
Keegan didn’t want to have his dick getting hard again, so he forced himself to stay focused on the present by keeping his gaze trained on Brynnius’s face. Whatever Samson said to the Skeleton Lord had Brynnius lifting his chin and staring at Keegan’s poor self. Had he done something wrong?
“Good, see you soon,” Brynnius remarked. “Love you too, Sammy.”
“Is everything okay, SkeL Brynn?” Keegan asked, concerned.
“It’s Brynn, and yes, everything is fine.”
“I guess because Keegan has a sentinel mate, he gets to drop titles,” teased Tania, a black-haired fallen knight with a dark gaze.
“Bit of a gamble since we don’t know if Keegan is going to keep having a sentinel mate,” muttered Merrick, the recruit who had been so eager to share statistics with Keegan.
“What?” Brynnius and Tania asked together.
Merrick shrank into himself at the abrupt question. “It’s just triple matebonds only have a fifty percent success rate.”
“I know Keegan would be successful no matter what, but he also has a sentinel mate,” Brynnius stated firmly. “Sentinels do not fail.”
“That’s not true,” said a voice from the doorway. Keegan quickly realized it belonged to Samson. “SkeL Eduard still sucks at the saxophone.”
Keegan never heard Brynnius’s reply because he caught sight of a second man, and he immediately ran toward the sentinel. “Phillip!”
To Keegan’s delight, Phillip stalked close and planted a soft kiss on his lips. “Hello, Keegan.”
“I’m so glad you’re here; are you going to spar with us?”
“Sam thought it was a good idea,” Phillip said. He leaned closer. “He also suggested we have lunch together and invite Victor. It was fun to tell Sam he was slow and we’d already thought of that.”
Grinning, Keegan gave in to the temptation to brush their mouths together a second time. “We’re doing incredible at this matebond thing. Have you had a good morning with your dragon?”
“So far, so good. Hopefully, I can get through the day without the extra potions I required yesterday. Will you introduce me to your fellow fallen knights?” Phillip asked.
Tania crossed her arms as Keegan turned to his classmates. “You should start by introducing Phillip to Merrick. For some stupid reason, he seems to think statistics have any damn thing to do with your matebond.”
“Ah yes, Keegan mentioned him. I believe his friend agrees. I do not know his name, but I assume he is the fellow standing at his side.”
Absurdly pleased by Phillip’s directness, Keegan opened his mouth to start the introductions but was once again stopped by the sound of Samson’s voice.
“Since when is Keegan’s matebond anyone’s business but his, Phillip’s, and Victor’s?” Samson demanded. “The Order of the Fallen Knights is an honorable race that does not question Fate’s choices. I trust I’ve made myself clear?”
“Yes, Venerable Knight,” responded each fallen knight, including Keegan.
“Good,” Samson replied, still wearing a scowl. As quickly as he could, Samson rattled off the names of the fallen knights in the room. “Now, B will try to make you look less like fools with daggers in your hands. Get your blades out of your holsters and pair up. Keegan, you’ll square off with Phillip.”
“It is my class, Sammy,” Brynnius warned his other half, who finally cracked a smile as he nodded and stepped back to allow the Skeleton Lord to resume control of his students. “Begin sparring and I will work with each pair to improve your attacks.”
Phillip removed the poisons from his blades before grabbing them, which Keegan had seen other sentinels do. Keegan tugged out his daggers and grinned a little at his mate.
“Don’t take it easy on me, but maybe don’t flatten me on my ass in two seconds,” Keegan teased.
“If you are unprepared for my attack, I cannot help it if your lovely ass hits the floor.”
