Page 61 of Distinctly Daray
Drystan chuckled. “And that doesn’t matter to Alaric or Phillip. Alaric, no one will ask questions if we wait to do the press release until Monday. Phillip will have no problem passing his test.”
“That is agreeable,” Alaric said. “You may go through training whenever it suits you and your mates best. They can join you for lunch there so you can build relationships with the recruits. We will adjust things if your dragon needs more time with Keegan and Victor. And yes, I will ask Chander to resurrect a larger number next year. I am not upset that we did not add more men this year. It was the honor of the Sentinel Brotherhood to ensure our first dragon sentinel had everything he needed during a difficult time in his life.”
“Thank you. At least now I know why the new furniture was delivered,” Phillip responded. “Did you have the door removed to add our daggers to the door so they match the other offices within our headquarters?”
“Of course,” Alaric replied. “And remind me to assign you to somewhere besides headquarters the next time we wish to surprise you. Evergreen and Dudley disappeared so much this afternoon to avoid your questions that very little was accomplished in our office.”
“Dudley actually advised me to count the number of questions I had to avoid answering them. It was a ridiculous request, and I told him so,” Phillip complained. “Thank you for the chance to earn this opportunity.”
“You have both already earned it. I look forward to you both being Cinder Lords,” Alaric replied. “Victor, you are now a Cinder Lord-mate, and you can have your ring whenever you want it.”
“You can give it to me when Phillip accepts his title. Cinder Lord is a beautiful title and suits a dragon and his mates,” Victor said. “Congratulations, Phillip and Keegan. I’m so excited for you. But seriously, can I go check on dinner before Brynn explodes with nerves?”
“Please go; I don’t want to have to tranquilize him,” Chander teased.
Victor reached up and kissed Keegan’s cheek. Next, he did the same to Phillip. “I’m so proud of you both, and Phillip, you’ll crush your test just like Keegan did with his.”
“I’ll help him study this weekend,” Keegan insisted.
“I was going to ask for your aid once we were alone,” Phillip said as Victor sailed out.
Keegan stepped closer to Phillip and slid his palm into the sentinel’s hand. “You’ve got it. And thanks, everyone, I can’t wait to do this with Phillip. Being with him all day is a dream come true.”
“You’ll always be a fallen knight, and we want you to know we’re here for you if you need us,” Conley assured Keegan. “We’re not abandoning you to all these sentinels.”
Overwhelmed by the opportunity he’d been handed and the incredible future unfolding in his mind, Keegan managed a nod.
“Okay, we are done. You two can go home,” Alaric told the Reverent Knights.
“You already know we can’t cook. Victor is feeding us,” Drystan corrected.
“I didn’t invite you for dinner,” Alaric stated succinctly.
“Then I will,” Chander remarked. “Please join us; Victor makes plenty extra, and I’m sure Keegan and Phillip would love the opportunity to share an evening with you. Plus, they may have questions about this unique title and what it means for them.”
“Ha,” Conley retorted and blew a raspberry at Alaric.
“I hope Fate is done adding fallen knights to my household,” Alaric muttered.
“I am grateful to have a fallen knight as a mate,” Phillip said, caressing Keegan’s hand with his thumb.
“And I love having a sentinel for one of my mine too,” Keegan commented. He turned to kiss Phillip. “Should we go see if we can help Victor?”
“Absolutely.”
Eager to be with both his men, Keegan followed Phillip out and wondered how long it’d take for the opportunity Alaric had just laid out for him to settle into his mind. Like his mates, it was too damn good to be true. All his sadness had already faded, and he planned on attacking his future with gusto on Monday morning.
Chapter 21
Mayhem carefully arranged her skirts on a settee in Death’s castle. To the casual observer, it might look like she was overly concerned about how the layered red dress she’d designed for herself flowed over her seat, but her movements were purposeful. With her new friends, Mayhem was preparing to watch the graduation ceremony for the Order of the Fallen Knights. The large viewing screen on the wall showed the entire Daray family settling into seats.
But what the other goddesses in the room didn’t know was that Mayhem had a small mirror she carried around with her. It showed mostly a static image and one far from the planet where the uniformed men and women were walking onto the stage to celebrate their accomplishments. However, it was magical, and like the large screen, it was for spying.
Since Mayhem didn’t want to explain to any of the goddesses surrounding her that she was eavesdropping on the small house on the main palace grounds she’d constructed as her own home, she kept the mirror hidden. She planned to tell them if she saw anything of note, but Mayhem wanted the opportunity to fully assess the situation first. After all, the person Mayhem hoped to catch unawares was her twin.
“Excellent job convincing Chander not to use the version of the resurrection spell that allows for shifting sentinels or fallen knights again,” Death complimented Justice.
“It was easy; Chander doesn’t enjoy causing anyone pain,” Justice replied. “And although Phillip is well now, his journey was not without peril.”
