Page 61 of D'Vaire or Nothing
“I nearly missed you,” Heathcliff confided, then gave Brinley his number.
“Yeah, my brother is desperate to read a new book and wanted to ditch us,” Kieran said.
“I can handle this on my own, thank you,” Heathcliff told Kieran.
His younger brother grinned. “You almost forgot to give him your number.”
“Do you have any siblings, Brinley?” Heathcliff asked.
“Technically, yes,” Brinley remarked. “But we haven’t talked in years.”
“Is it possible you’re in the market for a new brother?” Heathcliff asked. “I have one I’m trying to get off my hands. Goes by the name Kieran. Tall, annoying. But he can shift into a fiery phoenix, and he does come with a warlock and his familiar.”
Excitement raced across Brinley’s arresting features. “Heath, you’re a phoenix shifter? That’s incredible.”
“I think you’re missing the point here, Brinley. Am I being adopted by you or not?” Kieran asked.
“Sorry, my apartment is way too small for three more people. I’m just going to hang out with Heath if that’s okay with you.”
Delighted with Brinley’s teasing, Heath pocketed his phone and smiled. “Call me after your shift?”
“Absolutely.”
“Brinley, is there a problem with our guests?” a woman asked as she bustled over to Brinley’s side.
“No, we were being rude and monopolizing his time to ask him a bunch of questions about the resort,” Kieran said. “But thankfully, His Grace told us to stop bothering Brinley so he could get back to work. Can we seat ourselves at a table?”
The woman’s gaze landed on the shiny gold-and-silver ring of rank stamped with the D’Vaire crest on Heathcliff’s hand, and she smiled.
“Welcome to Hearts, Your Grace,” she said. “You and your companions are welcome to have a seat wherever you want. If I could make a suggestion, I’d grab that one along the wall. It’s in Brinley’s section, and I’m sure he’s happy to continue to answer whatever questions you have about our incredible new resort.”
“Thank you, I believe we’ll do that,” Heathcliff replied. They darted to the table and sat. “Get a drink, then we’re getting out of here. Brinley doesn’t need us hanging out and making him nervous on the first damn night this resort is open.”
“Tell your phoenix to settle down,” Kieran suggested. “One beer. We’ll drink it fast. None of us want to make Brinley uncomfortable. Plus, we have to go over your plans for later. What are you going to say? What will you ask him?”
Heathcliff offered his brother a sly grin as he thought of the mistakes Kieran had made at the start of his relationship with Scheredin. It was impossible to resist the temptation of teasing his brother. “I was thinking of wearing something like a long elvish tunic and pants, giving him the name I use when I play video games, and insisting we bind our souls in the next few days despite being a phoenix who grew up without a single elven custom.”
Scheredin laughed so hard he snorted. “Kier, he’s right. You’re the worst person to give advice on how to start a relationship. I wanted to kick your ass.”
“But you’re a forgiving warlock who gave me a second chance. I did everything right after that,” Kieran insisted.
“Except you lied about returning for a ceremony that nearly robbed you of your memory, and the only reason you were cured was because as soon as you were unconscious, I called Scher,” Heathcliff said.
“Suddenly, I feel sorry for Brinley,” Kieran groused as he slumped in his seat.
“The lesson to be learned here is that mistakes will be made, but in the end, Fate almost always gets it right,” Brexton insisted. “Kieran and Scher are happy. So are the other couples in our family.”
“I haven’t thought much about finding my other half,” Heathcliff confided. “No real reason for that. I was waiting for Fate. Strange as it may sound, I feel ready. I just met him. But I’m eager to make this work.” A phoenix trilled happily in his head. Man and beast were united in their new goal of building a relationship with Brinley.
“Good,” Kieran replied. “You deserve to be with someone who loves you unconditionally. I already know you’ll give that back. You’re honorable, kind, and caring. In all seriousness, I’m here for you. Whatever you need, ask us. We want you and Brinley to succeed.”
“Great, now shut up because he’s on his way toward us to take our orders.”
“Hey,” Brinley said when he reached their table.
“We want beers. Centaurian Brew. I’ll drag these fools out of here the second they’ve guzzled them down so we can get out of your hair,” Heathcliff stated firmly.
Brinley laughed. “Okay, I’ll bring those right over. Go upstairs, read a few chapters of your book, and I’ll call you in a few hours.”
