Page 49 of Distinctly Daray
“Thank you,” Phillip replied, careful not to annoy anyone by using another title in the D’Vaire household.
“Come on, Phillip,” Samson encouraged. “Except for Victor, Keegan, and B, the rest of you stay in here so Phillip doesn’t have to deal with a massive audience. You can come out once he’s in dragon form.”
Phillip followed Samson through a large kitchen complete with round tables, where he assumed the D’Vaire family ate their meals.
“We’re going to watch everything through the windows,” Baxter complained. “I don’t know what difference it makes to keep us inside.”
“Shut up and let Phillip do this shit without your nonsense,” Chander retorted.
Outside, a dragon shifter with blond hair highlighted with pink streaks, and eyes nearly as sparkly as Victor’s crown, awaited them with a smile. Phillip returned his grin. It was nice to have a familiar face waiting for him.
“Phillip, are you ready to make history as the first dragon sentinel to shift?” Jeremiah asked.
“The only person readier than I am is my dragon,” Phillip replied.
“Of course he is; we’ve made him wait forever,” Jeremiah said. “Do we need to rush this? How are you doing without any potions today?”
“You didn’t tell me you haven’t had any potions today,” Keegan exclaimed.
“Do not worry,” Phillip assured both his mates, who were staring at him with a mixture of concern and shock in their pretty eyes. “Jeremiah and I decided it would make it easier forme to shift, and my dragon has calmed considerably in the past few days now that I spend more time with you two.”
“Now I understand why you wanted to do this in the morning,” Victor remarked. “It’s been many hours since we were together.”
“Yes, and I was anxious until Keegan arrived at my dorm, and I calmed completely the moment I teleported to your home,” Phillip said.
“That’s such good news,” Keegan enthused. He smiled, and Phillip enjoyed the way it lit up his brown gaze.
Phillip had no choice but to kiss him softly. He added to his pleasure by brushing his lips with Victor’s.
“I am ready to shift,” Phillip announced.
“Okay, come with me,” Jeremiah encouraged.
Phillip reluctantly released his hold on his mates, then followed the dragon toward a door on the back of the grand mansion.
“This is the changing room. Once you’re ready, come on out and take your time connecting with your dragon. Take a few deep breaths, center yourself, and let your beast take control. He knows what to do. Any questions or issues before I give you some privacy?”
“No, I appreciate your help.”
“My pleasure, holler if you need me.”
With a nod, Phillip closed himself in the changing room and pulled his daggers from where they floated at his hips. He placed the weapons on an empty shelf, methodically undressed, and piled his folded clothes on top of his blades. Naked, Phillip opened the door and tried not to notice how odd it was to be nude outside.
His dragon roared with impatience, and Phillip closed his eyes. There was no point in delaying what both sentinel and beast wanted. A strange but not unpleasant sensation coursedthrough him as his bones, muscles, and tendons stretched. It wasn’t painful. Far from it. Phillip felt free as he allowed his dragon to assume control.
For weeks, he’d struggled to contain this part of himself, but now he understood why the fight was so intense. His dragon wanted freedom. Like Phillip, he adored the two men Fate had granted them. But they’d shared little else in common besides frustration. That had to change. Phillip had to fully honor his dragon if he wanted any peace in his life, and he desperately did.
Fully committed to being more considerate of his dragon, Phillip realized his shift was complete. His irises had lacked scales, so Phillip had known he would too. To his delight, his bones were the same charcoal as his uniform. His dragon belched out fire, and it was the same mixture of gray and green as the poisons on his daggers.
Desperate to show Keegan and Phillip the beauty of his skeletal dragon, Phillip gave himself permission to deny his beast one last time. His dragon wanted to fly. They couldn’t do that yet, and Phillip refused to scare Jeremiah, Samson, Brynnius, or anyone else who’d helped him by giving in to the temptation.
His dragon roared in disgust but allowed Phillip to keep control. Phillip vowed to reward them both by taking flight as soon as Jeremiah deemed it safe. Content, his dragon rushed on heavy feet to where they’d left their mates.
“Look how beautiful you are,” Victor yelled as Phillip raced toward him and Keegan.
“I knew your bones would be sentinel gray; you’re so fucking awesome, Spicy,” Keegan added.
They petted him, and Phillip swore his dragon purred just like Victor in response. It was another wonderful milestone as they all shared a profound moment together. Phillip thanked Fate for the enormous bounty in his life and vowed to honorevery gift she’d given him fully and without reservation. His dragon roared with triumph, and Phillip planned to avoid the potions that dimmed their connection.
