Page 32 of Distinctly Daray
“And I thought fallen knights were the only bane of my existence,” Alaric muttered.
“Surprise,” Vellerynd responded, then burst into laughter.
Keegan wasn’t sure if it was kind or not, but he chuckled right along with everyone else. Being around the Darays grew easier with every passing minute.
Chapter 12
Once their eventful meal was complete, Phillip followed Keegan and Victor into the cat shifter’s beautiful suite. From the moment Keegan had knocked on his door that evening, Phillip’s dragon had started to relax. It took both of his mates to fully calm the dragon, but what sent him into near ecstasy was being alone with the pair in the harmonious, gorgeous room Victor called home.
Keegan draped himself on a comfortable couch in a deep blue velvet, and Phillip ignored the way his fingers itched to touch him. It was a growing issue each time he was around either of his mates, but it wasn’t a problem that bothered Phillip. Desire was nice, and Phillip looked forward to the day when they would be ready to explore their sexualities. It also helped that he was no longer in a constant state of fear that his erection would show to the wrong person. Thanks to his potions, he was awake longer and could shoo others out of his dorm to study, relax, and even masturbate.
After Victor seated himself on the same sofa as Keegan, Phillip dropped easily into a pink chair nearby.
“How were your classes today, Sunshine?” Phillip asked.
Keegan flashed a grin Phillip longed to taste. “Wonderful. I love learning, but honestly, sometimes I wish it was a bitmore of a challenge. We’re over halfway through training now, and I’ve finished all my textbooks. My memory isn’t perfect, so I reread the assigned parts, but yeah, I’m eager to push myself further.”
“No one tells me anything about training. How well are you doing on your tests?” Victor asked, slipping off a pair of loafers and tucking his feet beneath him.
“I don’t want to brag or anything, but my scores right now have me kind of between Juris and Venerable. I’m not going to catch up to Venerable, so I guess I’m going to be a JK? The strange thing is everyone knows JKs struggle with the physical tests, but I don’t. I can’t take down any VKs or the RKs, but I’ve bested all the other recruits.”
“You are essentially a Shadow Lord,” Phillip said. Unlike fallen knights, none of the sentinels were bad at the physical side of training. However, the Sentinel Brotherhood had a branch of men whose job it was to decide guilt, assign punishments, and be experts in the law. But unlike Juris Knights, Shadow Lords continued their physical training after graduation and were just as likely as anyone else to be found in a gym practicing with the daggers they were never without. Juris Knights didn’t even carry weapons.
Keegan’s beautiful smile flashed, and his big brown eyes twinkled with happiness. “Yeah, maybe I should’ve been resurrected as a sentinel, then I’d get that kick-ass title.”
“While I love being a sentinel, I quite like you the way you are,” Phillip responded.
“Same,” Victor added.
“Anyway,” Keegan remarked with bright color high on his cheeks. “Dinner was interesting.”
“That’s one word for it,” Victor muttered. “I love my family, but they’re irritating when they get an idea stuck in their thick skulls.”
“I was stunned to hear Chand had fired you,” Phillip commented.
Victor nodded. “Yeah, it was a long time ago. Ancient history. But it was traumatic. I was eighteen, and I had nowhere to go after he kicked me out. Thankfully, I have Evergreen and Dudley, who swooped in and let me sleep at their apartment. Alaric rehired me during his break from Chand. The picture pushed Chand into ending things. Eventually, they reconciled and Chand apologized. There was no question in my mind that I’d forgive him. Not that I want to make a bunch of excuses for him, but he was really fucked up. He’d been very sick, had no faith in himself, and had spent centuries in a guilt spiral.”
“I’m glad you guys worked things out,” Keegan said. “Both back then and tonight.”
“Yeah, me too. You guys have things to do Monday through Friday; it doesn’t make any sense for me to have an extra day off. I enjoy keeping busy, and I have the Darays to take care of, which is something I take great pride in.”
Phillip held in his sigh and reminded himself not to allow any resentment to grow against the dragon who’d trapped his life in limbo for weeks. “I have nothing to do Monday through Friday.”
“Sorry, but that’s not true,” Keegan responded immediately. “You’re doing your dragon training with Jeremiah, reading your textbooks, and practicing with your daggers. It’s not your fault you aren’t in classes; you have to build a relationship with your beast. You take potions and must be put in stasis daily because it’s a difficult thing you’re working through.”
“No apologies, Sunshine. While you are correct, I also grow bored and feel listless,” Phillip confided.
Keegan offered him a sheepish smile.
“Those are new, though, right?” Victor asked. “From what I understand, you weren’t even awake all day until you met Keegan. That wasn’t so long ago. I know your brain is constantly pushing you. I have yet to meet a sentinel or fallen knight who doesn’t want to work hard to succeed. It’s essentially written into who you are. Don’t fight it, but remember, there have only been two people on this entire planet resurrected with a beast. Just like you, Sam struggled. But look where he is today. He has a healthy relationship with his dragon, and he’s a Venerable Knight. Sam doesn’t need potions. He doesn’t require stasis. You’ll get there. I know you will.”
“I appreciate your kindness, and I agree with you,” Phillip told Victor as he enjoyed a punch of lust thanks to the fire dancing in the cat shifter’s green eyes. “Intellectually, I understand already how far I have come, but like you mentioned, I have a drive to accomplish far beyond what I have. Things are so much better now that I’ve met you both.”
“But you still need potions,” Keegan reminded him gently. “Your dragon is working on his ability to share your soul.”
“Maybe you should talk to Alaric,” Victor suggested. “You go a long time without being around either me or Keegan. Sam can’t handle more than a couple of hours away from Brynn. While Sam was at the Ascension Center doing his training, Brynn would come over to eat lunch to keep Sam’s dragon in check.”
Phillip smiled. “I would not mind seeing you both during the day, but I cannot impede your schedules.”
