Page 78 of D'Vaire or Nothing
“Can we start planning our matebond ceremony once I get home from work?”
Heathcliff bobbed his head. “Think about what kind of cake you want. That’ll be the Grand Warlock’s first question. Especially since the last ceremony didn’t have one, and he’s going to pout about that for months.”
“Okay, but at the top of my list is what position I’m going to be in when you sink your fangs into my neck. I need your purple dick deep inside me so I can get my second hoop.”
Brinley was kissed savagely, and he would’ve grinned if his mouth weren’t already busy. Instead, he touched his tongue to Heathcliff’s and reveled in the passion so easily stoked between them. It was incredible and frightening to think of the vast changes in his life and the ones yet to come, but Brinley was ready. And although he could stand on his own two feet to face anything, he was thrilled to know he’d tackle his challenges with Heathcliff at his side.
Chapter 8
“Thanks for doing this with me,” Heathcliff said to Brinley. They were standing out in the Arizona sunshine, and although the entire family was noisily finding their seats for their matebond ceremony, there was an elven custom Heathcliff wanted to honor. Although it was important to him, he was feeling a little foolish. Maybe it was the cloak. It was the first time Heathcliff had worn one.
Larissa and the talented members of the company Elven D’Vaire who lived under their roof had designed outrageously gorgeous cloaks for Heathcliff and Brinley’s big day. They were purple dragonskin with silver embroidery, replica phoenix feathers, and a magical fiery glow at the hem. Heathcliff had never had anything so fine, but it was also long, and he feared stepping on it. Because that would inevitably lead to him tripping and landing on his face.
“Anything you want,” Brinley vowed, his blue gaze sincere. “Anytime you want.”
They’d ducked behind the gazebo—which had been built for the Grand Warlock—to find some privacy. Heathcliff figured they should’ve dragged themselves outside earlier, but he hadn’t been able to resist taking Brinley out on a phoenix ride. Thenthey’d been swept up into lunch with their family. Hours had flown by, and they’d had to hurry to their room to get changed.
But Heathcliff refused to rush now. He’d made a mourning necklace from the finest Valzadari beads in the many colors of fire, and he tugged it from his pocket and carefully placed it over Brinley’s head. The mage smiled and kissed him softly. Brinley produced a creation of his own, crafted in the vibrant blue of Heathcliff’s beast. Heathcliff bent his knees to allow Brinley to put it on.
“Traditionally, elves think about the ancestors lost to them. They remember them with joy and use the beads to reflect upon their memories,” Heathcliff explained. Raised a phoenix, Heathcliff hadn’t learned anything about elves until he arrived at D’Vaire. It was a shame; their culture was beautiful. But Heathcliff wasn’t comfortable adopting all of the traditions of the ancestors the Tarinthfenixes had abandoned. “For us, I think we should recall the people and places we chose to leave behind. Our beads will symbolize our strength in embracing what was best for us, and that was leaving people unwilling to love us.”
Brinley smiled and took Heathcliff’s hand. “That’s perfect. Let’s take our moment to say goodbye to the past.”
“And hope everyone is done finding their fucking seats so I can bind my life to yours. We’ve waited long enough.”
True to his word, Brinley had quit his job and had already taken his placement tests for school. His first class started in a couple of weeks, and the fire mage was excited about learning everything he could. They’d been spending every available minute together at D’Vaire, which was wonderful. But Heathcliff and his phoenix were ready to sleep at Brinley’s side instead of being woken up in the wee hours of the morning by a tired mage worn out by the extremely popular Hearts bar.
“Okay, shutting up to be serene,” Brinley said.
Heathcliff stood under a cloudless sky and closed his eyes. His senses sharpened, and he squeezed Brinley’s hand. With the mage at his side, Heathcliff was invincible. It was a far cry from the terrifying months he’d spent rebuilding his life after drinking poisonous tea. Heathcliff wanted to say goodbye to that past and the old him who’d been too frightened to find a fresh start.
It wasn’t until Kieran’s memories were nearly torn apart that Heathcliff had found the power to give himself permission to walk away. Heathcliff hated that his brother had lost his best friend thanks to the awful practices of the Tarinthfenixes, but they were close now. Everything had come full circle, and Fate had granted Heathcliff a bright future with his mate. Pleased the Tarinthfenixes could no longer cause him pain, Heathcliff touched his beads as if he could place the past inside them.
“You’re smiling, good,” Brinley commented.
Heathcliff hadn’t realized he was grinning, but he wasn’t surprised. He’d been happy since he arrived at D’Vaire. However, nothing had ever changed him like the past three weeks with Brinley.
“Are you ready to stand awkwardly in front of a bunch of people while armed family members cut us?” Heathcliff asked.
“Nice way of taking a beautiful ceremony and making it sound awful,” Brinley accused with a chuckle. “Let’s go do this.”
They made their way around the gazebo, and Heathcliff was thrilled to find the chairs occupied. Heathcliff led Brinley around the enormous fountain, and they stood in front of the High Kings.
“I don’t even have to ask my usual start question,” Aleksander said. “I can tell by your smiles that you’re ready to go.”
“They’re probably excited about that phoenix cake inside,” Dra’Kaedan remarked. “They let us do coconut for Rafe. It’s going to be so yummy.”
“Can it, Squirt,” Aleksander retorted.
“No cake if we don’t finish this ceremony,” Heathcliff drawled.
Dra’Kaedan slapped a magical cake sticker over his mouth, hiding it from view, and bowed gracefully.
Humor danced in Aleksander’s dark gaze, but he lifted his chin, and the sunlight gleamed off his silver-and-gold crown with his and Rafe’s dragons in flight around it.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the unrivaled D’Vaire family, today Rafe and I have the absolute pleasure of aiding Brynewielm Duke Heathcliff D’Vairefenix and Brynewielm Duke-mate Brinley D’Vaire in binding their souls. It takes a stalwart soul to call a dark warlock to inform them that their mate has had poison forced down his throat, and Heath’s courage is immense. He rode to the rescue of his brother and was desperate not to return to his former tribe. If we reflect on history correctly, we must admit that as D’Vaires we decided we were keeping Heath and refused to help him find another sanctuary. But who could blame us? Heath is straightforward, kind, honest, and we firmly believe he was born to be part of our family. It was our honor to add him to our unparalleled group of Dukes and Duchess, and he adds esteem to D’Vaire daily.”
Rafe smiled. “It doesn’t feel like we met Brinley a couple of weeks ago. He fits in so seamlessly with our family that we can no longer imagine the D’Vaires without him. Like his other half, Brinley is truthful, forthright, and caring. He is a self-taught student of magic, and we stand ready to assist him however we can as he begins a journey through the Spectra Wizardry to strengthen his knowledge of sorcery. Fire is an element that requires a true master to have patience, control, and a lackof fear. Brinley has already conquered the art of wielding his power, and I eagerly await the day he adds his elemental to our family. To no surprise to me, given his love for Heath, Brinley intends to create a blue phoenix who will go by the name Spark.”
