Several days after Idris met his grandparents via the computer, Mac was in the wizard’s bedroom putting away fresh laundry. Since the first night they’d slept together, Idris extended an invitation each day for Mac to share his bed. They didn’t forgo intimacy before they nodded off, and Mac’s sex life was incredible, though they hadn’t gone so far as actual intercourse. Idris’s sweet mouth and clever hands drove him to heights Mac wouldn’t have believed were possible a few months ago.
As for Idris’s familiar, Roger was proving to be adept at knowing when his presence wouldn’t be welcome. Within a few minutes of kissing the increasingly affectionate Idris, Roger would fly to his personal space and use his little teeth to pull the curtain tight. Seconds afterward, the muted sounds of either his tablet or television as the dragon entertained himself filtered out until he could sneak back over to curl up on top of the covers. Mac was grateful the little guy didn’t crawl under the sheets with them. It was just too weird to have Roger that close when he was sans clothes.
As he opened the dresser drawer Idris emptied for him, Mac stuffed socks and underwear in while he tried to keep his hormones under control. Every time he thought about Idris and the pleasure they shared together, his dick rose to attention. Which was all fine and good when Idris was around, but he was ensconced in his office working on his projects. Despite the enormity of all Idris was trying to achieve, he made time each day to greet his grandparents. Mac could tell all three of the most important people in his life were growing to care for one another.
In a perfect world, Mac would’ve already taken Idris to meet them in person, but since he was no longer a member of Court Stenet, he would need Alfred’s permission. Somehow, Mac doubted he’d get it if he asked. While it was no surprise he hadn’t heard a peep from King Stenetdraconis, it grew more disappointing each day that his mother maintained her silence. Mac decided if she didn’t want anything to do with him, then he had no obligation to tell her about Idris.
When his mating ceremony rolled around—because there was zero doubt in his mind, he would never live without Idris—he’d be damned if he issued anyone besides his grandparents an invitation. His only hope was that they would be well enough to make the trip. He wanted them to meet Idris in person, and he wished they could see D’Vaire. Mac could already imagine the pair sitting outside enjoying Dravyn’s gardens while watching the sky for dragons.
“Ready to go to our meeting?” Mac asked the adorable dragon on his shoulder. He got a grunt, which he took for agreement, and left Idris’s bedroom behind him. It was not a long walk to Aleksander’s office, and Mac’s stride was brisk. As usual, Aleksander’s door was wide open, and inside was the man himself as well as Brogan.
“Where’s Dravyn?” Mac asked as he sat on one of the dragonskin couches.
“Right here,” the dark green duke said from the doorway. He closed the door as he walked in. As usual, Dravyn carried with him the earthy scent of his garden, and it filled Mac’s senses as Dravyn dropped down onto the cushion next to him.
“First things first, I have your coronet and ring of rank,” Aleksander told him as he stood and handed Mac two wooden boxes. “Take a look. Madeline really outdid herself, though she did apologize for how long it took her to perfect her design.”
Mac opened the smaller box first, and inside was a thick ring in several shades of metal. On its face, instead of the letter normally used to represent the last name of a court, was a design used exclusively by D’Vaire. It was Aleksander’s blue-black dragon head in a circle with twists of gold and silver, which represented the Coven of Warlocks. The background was the black of Mac’s own beast, and down the shank on each side of the ring was an indigo streak of lightning—the traditional symbol of wizards.
Pulling it out of the box, Mac slid it onto the ring finger of his right hand. “Wow, I have no words. This ring is awesome.”
“Thanks to you, Madeline’s going to redo all the rings of rank in this room. She feels like she’s finally perfected the D’Vaire design, and I want our rings to be cohesive,” Aleksander said.
“If I weren’t afraid of what her mate and mine would say, I’d kiss her right on the mouth. This is really amazing.”
“I haven’t seen your coronet yet, so open the damn box already,” Brogan demanded.
Tearing his gaze away from his new piece of jewelry and trying not to imagine how cool it was going to be when it was paired with a mating band on his other hand, Mac lifted the large box lid. Inside was a masterpiece that put the one he’d worn for a century at Court Stenet to shame. At its base was a wide thickness of the blue-black of D’Vaire, but rising from it was Mac’s own dragon. It twisted around the entire circle, and nestled under one wing was a perfect indigo replica of the familiar currently curled up on Mac’s shoulder.
“Idris is going to be so jealous,” he said as he handed the box to Brogan.
Aleksander smirked. “That’s not what I hear. Madeline’s working her ass off to design crowns for Idris and Delaney. They’ll be higher rank than you—that means they get nicer things.”
“Yeah, we’re going to have to start calling you High Arcanist-mate,” Brogan crowed.
“Last time I checked, Dra’Kaedan outranks you too, Grand Warlock-mate.”
“The Coven of Warlocks bylaws stipulate that his title isn’t shared, so I get to keep mine.”
“Obviously you need to read the bylaws of the Spectra Wizardry, because none of their titles are shared either—so I get to keep mine too.”
“You guys are dorks,” Dravyn observed.
“Since this is supposed to be a meeting, maybe we could actually talk about important stuff?” Aleksander asked.
“Let’s start by saying how thrilled I am that Idris and Del have decided on their staff and both are D’Vaires,” Brogan said.
Aleksander’s brow furrowed in puzzlement. “Why did you put a weird emphasis on Del?”
“I understand Mac just gave him that nickname without asking. Does Delaney even like it?”
“I can assure you he does, and I think it suits him. I don’t want you to get too excited about the Dark Indigo staff, though. They might need more help and Duff’s role is only temporary at this point. As for me, I’ve got one hell of a learning curve to catch up on.”
“How are your magical studies going?” Aleksander asked.
“I always thought I was pretty hot shit. I’m a dragon and a powerful one, but now I think to myself, ‘Yes, I did have to study to learn to shift for the first time. However, once I became a dragon, I was done.’ I didn’t have to learn a million languages or manage my power or any of the shit they teach children. I’m reading the first books assigned in that school, and I’m already blown away by the expertise. I look at Idris and I think, ‘How the hell does Fate think I’m worthy of this guy?’ ”
“I’m pretty sure no one’s worthy of Idris,” Brogan replied. “Or Del for that matter, now that I think about it.”
Dravyn flipped his cap backward and lifted a sardonic dark brow. “Right, because you’re so worthy of Dra’Kaedan.”
“He’s got a point,” Aleksander told Brogan, then turned back to Mac. “But you’re enjoying learning, right? You can still see yourself helping out Idris and Del?”
“Absolutely. I want to be an asset to them both. I think Duff does too. Their friendship should allow them to work well together. However, despite his maturity, he’s a seventeen-year-old kid who might change his mind. Neither Idris nor Del will keep him in an unfulfilling role, so we’ll see how it goes long-term.”
“I’m glad Vadimas is allowing them to make their own personnel decisions,” Dravyn said.
“Me too, but can we just talk for a second about the little photography shoot the other day?” Mac asked. “You know Dra’Kaedan teleported us all to Council Headquarters where I thought the photos were being taken. Instead, Vadimas loads us all up in his car and drives us over to the photographer’s studio. This place was outside of Vegas in a neighborhood that has seen better days, and the Prism Wizard didn’t bring one damn security person. I was almost in hives by the time we got there. I’ve got some crazy people out on the loose, and I’m by myself protecting three people in my family—including my mate—as well as a Council leader. It was insane. I felt like I was looking over my shoulder all damn afternoon and trying not to let anyone in the room know I was freaked out.”
Aleksander’s mouth thinned in exasperation. “No one seems to be able to convince Vadimas that security is a necessity, not a luxury.”
“Next time call me or Gavrael or Gedeon. We could’ve easily had a sentinel pop over to give you some peace of mind.”
“I considered it, but I figured we were safe despite my uneasiness. Next time I may take your advice, though. If anything happened to anyone on my watch I don’t know if I could forgive myself.”
“I guess we can surmise things are going well with you here at D’Vaire?” Dravyn asked.
“I’ll be honest. I fucking love it here. The only thing I’d change if I had a magic wand would be having my grandparents closer.”
“How are they doing?” Aleksander asked.
“Good. My grandma wanted to know if she could meet you. Would you be willing to video chat with them one morning?”
“You kidding? I’d love it. I could tell them what a rotten duke you’re turning out to be. Perhaps they could whip you into shape.”
Mac turned to Dravyn. “Your cousin has a shitty sense of humor.”
“I know. I’ve been stuck with him for centuries.”
“Since we’re asking personal questions, how are things going with you and Idris?” Brogan asked.
Mac leaned forward. “Can you keep a secret? Idris is probably the most irresistible person on the planet, and he’s all mine.”
“He’s very special. I recognized that the minute I met him when he was a gawky sixteen-year-old kid,” Aleksander explained. “He was a D’Vaire as far as I was concerned from that moment forward. As much as we gave him, he never expected anything. He was so grateful that when he’d come home on his weekend visits, he would change his clothes several times a day just so we’d know he appreciated every speck of cloth we handed him.”
“Well, that was probably because his grandfather only bought him one shirt and one pair of pants each year, whether he outgrew it or not,” Brogan complained.
“He doesn’t talk about his youth,” Mac said.
“He rarely does,” Aleksander agreed. “We’ve learned bits and pieces over the years. A great deal of it from comments he’s made in passing. What I do know is, he was expected to do everything—from bathing an old man to finding a way to scrounge up food in a home with no money. He doesn’t even remember how old he was when he went to live there, so he must’ve been pretty young.”
“He told me he has no idea who his parents are or whether they still live,” Mac confided.
“I hope they’re dead, because I hate to think of them dumping this kid at a crumbling, piece-of-shit house with a cantankerous, ill old man,” Brogan retorted.
“I guess my question is, does anyone think Idris will ever open up to me or anyone about his life before D’Vaire and more importantly, how he feels about his childhood?” Mac asked.
“I honestly couldn’t say. As amiable and kind as Idris is, he’ll lock right up when the subject comes up. He’ll only talk about Latarian to a point as well,” Aleksander replied.
“He has a lot of guilt there,” Dravyn stated.
“All of it misplaced. He was a kid and she knew damn well how to manipulate him,” Brogan argued.
“Don’t yell at me—I agree with you,” Dravyn responded.
“I’m never going to advocate for not speaking to someone directly, but it might not hurt to talk to Del and even Duff about how they feel is the best way to get Idris to open up. I’m not even sure if they could offer you any insight, but I know you’ve built up trust with them as well,” Aleksander suggested.
“I enjoy both guys. Whatever Idris’s past might be, he’s surrounded himself with wonderful people who care for him. I don’t think it’d hurt to approach Del and Duff to see if they have any advice. I want Idris to feel he can open up to me about anything. I don’t know if bottling up an entire portion of your life is good for anyone, and I want only the best for my mate.”
Aleksander smiled. “I wish we could tell if Mac liked Idris.”
“I worry about their future,” Dravyn teased.
“And people wonder why I yell all the time,” Brogan complained. “I’m surrounded by crazy people.”
“You like to yell because it gets Dra’Kaedan fired up, and you two have the weirdest-ass foreplay in the world,” Aleksander retorted.
“As usual, our meeting has taken a bizarre turn. Anything else we need to discuss? My plants need me,” Dravyn said. They wrapped up their meeting, and Mac headed straight to Idris’s office to steal a kiss and get one of the wizard’s emphatic hugs. He was enjoying the process of learning how to care for him, and in time, he hoped to know everything about Idris as well as his past.