Page 75 of Distinctly Daray
“It is decided on a case-by-case basis,” Alaric replied.
“Since when do sentinels have flexible rules?” Devlin asked.
“Since today, apparently,” Chander muttered, which earned him a glare from the Lich Sentinel.
“I can explain,” Alaric said. “In some cases, like Devlin’s, the name doesn’t change because I dislike the person. That is obviously not the case for Victor. We met him before we learned it is customary for imps to shorten names, and we’d grown so used to his full name that it’d be confusing to change it. Keegan and Phillip should not have nicknames because their mate does not. That keeps it harmonious.”
Victor wasn’t fooled by Alaric’s words nor his attempt to convince everyone that he disliked Devlin or anyone else in their family. The Lich Sentinel liked to have his little moments of sarcasm, so the cat shifter didn’t call him out. But it was tempting.
“Except we call GrymingtonGrymmie, and he is Devlin’s mate,” Cassius replied.
“Yes, but as I already mentioned, we do not like Devlin,” Alaric retorted.
Devlin laughed. “Bullshit, you love me.”
“Since you are a D’Vaire, could you not take more of your meals at Rafe and Aleksander’s home?” Alaric asked.
“Grym prefers to eat here,” Devlin said. He grinned slyly at Alaric. “For reasons I can’t explain, because the company is better at D’Vaire.”
“Feeling a little shitty because you’re always complaining about fallen knights, and it’s an enchanter pissing you off right now?” Arvandus teased Alaric.
“Actually, I am currently feeling annoyed by both a fallen knight and an enchanter hybrid,” Alaric replied.
Victor polished off the last bite of his roast beef and patted his napkin to his mouth. The recipe for the roast beef was given to him by Sentry Talon Stone—a member of the extended D’Vaire clan and the twin brother of the leader of the Royal Order of the Gargoyle. It was a delicious meal Victor thought he improved on each time he attempted it.
“Should we get ready to go to the complex?” Victor asked.
“Help Victor clear the table,” Chander ordered as he stood with his own plate and silverware in his hands.
The Darays swung into action. Victor mused it was a bit like being swept up into a hurricane. His family worked so hard to help him that he often had little to do after meals. They rinsed dishes, stacked stuff in the dishwasher, and carefully put anyleftovers in the fridge. Victor went to grab the dishwasher soap but was nudged out of the way by Samson, while Albrecht wiped down the dining room table.
“I texted Gavrael,” Eduard said. “He and Gedeon will be joining us. Dra’Kaedan will teleport us.”
Skeleton Lords Gavrael and Gedeon D’Vaire completed the Skeleton Seven and were the only two who lived apart from the Darays. Like Phillip and Keegan, they worked from home at D’Vaire in the mornings and traveled to the Sentinel Brotherhood in the afternoons.
“Okay, give me a minute to get some snacks,” Brynnius responded.
“Want me to go grab your book?” Keegan asked Victor.
“No, Sunshine, I’ll get it. I need to put on shoes anyway,” Victor replied. After giving Keegan and Phillip a quick kiss, Victor dashed into their bedroom to slip into a pair of comfy sandals. He slipped his current romance novel—one he found paled in comparison to his real life—into a bag and rushed into the living room.
“I have a pillow and blanket for you,” Cassius told Victor.
“Give it to me,” Phillip insisted.
“Why?” Cassius asked.
“Because Victor is our mate,” Keegan replied.
“But I’m the one who remembered to grab it for him,” Cassius argued.
Teverild plucked the blanket and pillow from Cassius and handed them to Phillip. “Stop being such a sentinel, Baby. You grabbed it first, but they would’ve done the same. They’re Victor’s mates.”
Since Cassius hated to argue with Teverild, he gave in easily as his other half traced his lips with his fingertips. Victor was glad at least one crisis was averted. Dra’Kaedan arrived and happily teleported everyone to the Daray Sentinel Complex. TheDarays greeted every sentinel they passed as they headed for the closest gym. Even the Daray dogs belonging to the reapers and Brynnius stopped as if they too wanted to visit with the sentinels. Long ago, Victor had learned the names of everyone in the Sentinel Brotherhood, and he loved being a part of such a tightly bound group.
They entered a gym, and Victor was offered no chance to help as his mates built him a little nest with the pillow and blanket. Keegan and Phillip kissed him swiftly, then he was handed a plastic container with cookies in it, and they sauntered off to train. With an ecstatic kitty purring in his head, Victor got comfortable and relaxed as the men in the room found spots to start their sparring.
Predictably, Chander buried his face in a book and forgot the world around him existed. It was an imp trait to lose themselves in a task, and although Chander was a hybrid, that part of his personality was easy to witness. Chander wasn’t ever offered any snacks because he’d ignore those too. As a family, the Darays respected each other’s personalities, so no one commented as Chander withdrew.
