Page 45 of Distinctly Daray
“No, VK,” Merrick responded.
“Then I’m sure he would appreciate you keeping that statistic to yourself,” Roman said. “No one should base their life or whether they choose to honor a gift from Fate on a statistic.”
“I’m sorry, Keegan,” Merrick offered. “I’ve seen you in the cafeteria now for a few days with your mates. You guys look like you’re getting along well. It was wrong of me to say anything negative to you about triple matebonds.”
“And the office managers from the Sentinel Brotherhood keep giving Merrick and Leander dirty looks,” Sibyl commented through her chuckles.
“Leander, do you owe Keegan an apology too?” Roman asked.
“Yes, VK,” Leander responded, running a hand through his blond hair as he ducked his head to hide his pink cheeks. “Sorry, Keegan. Your matebond is none of my business.”
“Evergreen is scary, isn’t he?” Roman asked. “But I hope you’re both being sincere. We’re fallen knights and should help each other, not create unnecessary rifts. Take a page from the book of the Sentinel Brotherhood and strive to always support your brethren.”
“Yes, VK,” Keegan responded along with his classmates.
“Okay, get out of here and enjoy your weekend,” Roman said.
“What about your question?” Keegan asked as he stood.
Roman laughed. “You don’t even know what the question was.”
“I don’t think VK remembers what it is,” Tania whispered loudly.
“Does anyone in here remember?” Roman asked.
“Not a clue, VK,” Sibyl answered. “Have a great weekend. Say hi to VK Valerius for us.” She raced out with a jaunty wave before Roman could respond.
“I don’t know why she’s rushing out,” Tania said. “Keegan’s the only one of us who has anything cool to do this weekend.”
“Study and practice in the gym,” Roman advised as he headed out behind Sibyl.
“I really am sorry, Keegan,” Merrick offered.
“Apology accepted,” Keegan replied. “Yours too, Leander. I know you find it hard to believe, but a triple matebond isn’t difficult if all three people are equally committed to each other.”
“Seriously, we’ve watched you for the past few days. You guys seem to be getting along great,” Leander remarked. “I believe you. Keep at it. I’d love to be able to tell everyone I meet in the future that those terrible statistics don’t mean shit because I know someone making it work.”
“Thanks, guys,” Keegan said.
Once Merrick and Leander left, Tania smiled. “If it helps, I think they were upset most by the idea of you having a broken heart because they believed Fate made a mistake by giving you two mates. They wanted you to be successful and were afraid it’d be nearly impossible for that to happen. They’re boneheads who will think next time before they open their big mouths, but they wanted the best for you.”
“That does help, thanks.”
“Plus, they’re terrified of Evergreen,” Tania said, laughing. “Not only does he have a great glare and tons of sass, but he’s also literally friends with every sentinel. They finally realized that although you were too nice to have all the sentinels turn against him, Evergreen isn’t so agreeable.”
“If they say any other shit around you, assure them that they should be more worried about Phillip,” Keegan advised with a grin. “He’s overprotective of his mates.”
Tania shrugged. “Might be worth finding out if fallen knights are susceptible to undead dragon fire. You know, for science and shit.”
With a laugh, Keegan fell into step alongside Tania so he could drop his books off in his dorm and head straight for Phillip’s so they could get to the Daray condo to share the weekend with Victor.
“How’s your Phillip doing?” Tania asked. “I feel bad that we’re a couple of weeks away from graduating and he’s still waiting to start.”
“Thanks for asking, he’s doing great. The sentinels are ensuring he’ll learn everything he needs to know, and this weekend will be his first shift. That’s a huge milestone and a testament to how well everyone has managed his care. When VK Samson was going through this, he had wild shifts beyond his control. Phillip hasn’t had one,” Keegan explained. He went on to reveal how well Phillip was doing with his potions and his lack of stasis the previous night.
“Glad to hear it,” Tania replied. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
