Idris left the Duke’s Den in shock; he couldn’t believe he’d just met his mate. Unfortunately, he couldn’t focus on what just happened, because Roger was thrashing in his arms like a wild animal. Roger was also alternating between growls and whines while Idris tried to keep his hold as he headed toward the kitchen with Delaney and Duff.
“Shit, Idris, you just met your mate,” Delaney exclaimed in a whisper.
“That was certainly unexpected,” Duff added.
“Roger, settle down,” Idris begged of the familiar as they finally got to the end of the hall.
“My goodness, what’s wrong with Roger?” Noirin asked when they arrived at the kitchen.
“I’m not sure,” Idris lied. “I think I might have to take him to my room for a while until he chills out.”
“I’ll go with you,” Delaney announced and put a hand on Idris’s back to turn him around.
“Me too,” Duff said as he helped corral Idris toward the hall.
“What am I going to do with Roger?” Idris asked as they quickly strode in the direction of his bedroom. Roger grew even more agitated when they walked past Aleksander’s office. Mac was inside, and Roger apparently did not want to leave the dragon shifter’s side. Idris could relate; he hadn’t wanted to leave the man’s company either.
“Put him in your room like you said,” Delaney replied. Not another word was exchanged until they arrived at their destination, and Delaney shut the door, closing them inside. Then the dark wizard did a crazy little dance while grinning.
Idris let go of Roger, who flew to the bed and dropped down onto it like a corpse, then lay there, stone-still. “Roger, stop playing dead. You’ll see Mac again, I promise.” The familiar let out a growl but didn’t move. With a shrug, Idris decided Roger would act like himself again when lunchtime rolled around. Like Greggory, he never missed a meal.
“Who knew wizard familiars could hunt down mates?” Duff asked. “Maybe you should send Greggory out into the world and see if he spots yours, Delaney.”
Delaney smirked. “I’m totally thinking about it.”
“I can’t believe I met my mate,” Idris exclaimed.
“He’s so freaking hot,” Delaney replied. “You guys look so good together.”
“I liked the way he had his hair,” Duff said. “I might grow mine out, so it hangs down to my collar like his does.”
“Mine would look even more like I dumped a bucket of water over my head if I did that,” Delaney remarked. “But it looks cool on him, especially since he’s got it shorter in the front. There were a bunch of layers and shit. As gorgeous as he is, the best part about him is that we get to keep Idris here.”
“Mac and I will have to decide where we live together if we get along,” Idris corrected.
“You’ll get along. You get along with everyone. You’re a really nice person and very cool to hang around with. Mac’s going to be crazy about you,” Delaney said. “Mac came here for an interview, so you already know he’s willing to move to D’Vaire.”
“I guess that’s true about Mac interviewing here, but I’m not going to expect that we’ll live at D’Vaire without speaking to him about it. And of course you think Mac’s going to be crazy about me. You guys are my best friends.”
“I don’t have to argue with you about this. Time will prove my point. I’m just so excited for you. Congratulations, Idris. I’m so happy for you. This is awesome,” Delaney enthused.
“Me too. Congrats, Idris,” Duff chimed in. Idris thought it was awesome as well. Fate answered his wish; he had a tall dragon shifter who was gorgeous. He hoped the rest of his list would come to fruition, and he’d turn out to be nice. His smile was unquestionably kind, and Idris could’ve spent the entire day staring into his dark, scaly dragon eyes.
“Thanks, guys. I can’t believe Fate listened to me.”
“He’s even not too stupid,” Delaney teased.
“Do you think his interview will go well?” Duff asked.
“I don’t know. I hope so. I want him to get into D’Vaire because Aleksander and everyone else likes him,” Idris replied.
“He’ll do great. Fate sent him here. Speaking of the guys here to interview, we’d better get back to the kitchen. I guess Roger’s going to just lie there like he’s dead now that he knows he can’t get to Mac,” Delaney remarked. Idris glanced at the familiar, who hadn’t moved a scale since he swooped down to the bedspread.
“He’s so weird,” Idris commented. “But you’re right. We need to get back to Noir.”
“We’ll celebrate later,” Delaney promised.
“How are we going to celebrate?” Duff asked as they filed out of Idris’s indigo and cream bedroom.
“It’s up to Idris,” Delaney said.
“Well, I’m too young to drink, but you guys could get drunk and I could laugh at you,” Duff replied.
“You guys should just come and sleep in my room. We can stay up all night and talk about how sexy Mac is,” Idris suggested. Until he was sixteen years old, he’d had zero friends. Meeting Delaney changed all that, and he still marveled over how well they got along. Duff was a great addition, and it was nice to have two people who understood him.
“Deal,” his two friends agreed. They made it back down the hall and as they passed Aleksander’s office, Idris sent up another wish to Fate. He wanted Mac’s interview to go well and for all the D’Vaires to like the man he would spend eternity with.
“You guys get Roger settled down?” Noirin asked once they made it back to the kitchen.
“He’s being a total freak and is now playing dead,” Delaney replied.
Noirin smiled. “He’s a D’Vaire. Of course he’s a freak.”
“Where did you guys find him anyway?” Evlithar asked. The blue-skinned elf who was mated to the leader of the Cwylld elven was busy chopping vegetables.
“Down the hall,” Duff said quickly.
“Yeah, he wasn’t in the kitchen,” Delaney added.
“You guys are acting as weird as Roger,” Noirin observed.
“What do you need help with?” Idris asked, hoping to forestall a conversation about why he and his friends were acting strangely. He was unaccustomed to being dishonest and although it was for a good reason, he still hated lying. Noirin set each of them up with knives and foodstuffs to be prepared for lunch. Idris sliced tomatoes as he allowed his thoughts to go back to those amazing minutes he’d spent in Mac’s company. As his friends noticed, Mac was a handsome man. His dark hair and equally dark eyes were set off by his warm smile and a strong jaw.
Idris guessed the dragon shifter was a couple of inches over six feet, which was a great compliment to his own five-foot-nine-inch frame. Unlike Idris, Mac had broad shoulders, and he guessed his mate had plenty of muscles everywhere else too. His own physique was lankier, and a wave of heat rushed over him at the thought of being held against Mac’s firm body. Unwilling to grow hard in the kitchen, Idris schooled himself into concentrating on the task at hand instead of what Mac was hiding under his tailored suit.
It didn’t take long for Noirin and her helpers to get the trays of food ready to be taken into the Duke’s Den. Once it was all prepared, she asked, “Okay, who wants to help me carry this stuff in?”
Evlithar folded his arms over his beaded tunic. “Not me. The last time I was around a bunch of strangers was at a party I went to with Cadlyr when we were in Las Vegas living with my cousin. They referred to me as a Smurf.”
Noirin’s black brows drew together. “They called you a Smurf to your face?”
“No, I overheard them.”
“Anyone calls you a Smurf in my presence and I’ll punch them right in the face,” she retorted.
“Evlithar doesn’t have to go in there. I’ll take a tray,” Idris offered.
“Actually, Duff and I could carry the other two; then you wouldn’t have to go either, Noir,” Delaney suggested as he snatched up a tray and handed it to Duff.
“Thanks, guys. I need to finish making food for the rest of us,” Noirin replied. Idris took a plate of food from Delaney and was grateful the wizard was so damn smart. Now they had a perfect reason to go back to the Duke’s Den, and Idris could exchange numbers with Mac. He hadn’t figured out how or where he’d meet the duke before Delaney made his offer. It made Idris even more grateful for his best friend.
“Thanks, Delaney,” Idris said once they were back in the hall. He idly wondered how many times he was going to traverse this area of the house in a single day.
“No problem. We gotta get you in there,” Delaney replied. Once they got to the Duke’s Den, Delaney shifted his burden and opened the door. Idris strode in behind the wizard and Kellas cat shifter and searched for Mac. A smile broke over his face when he located the dragon shifter Fate chose for him. Mac grinned in return and walked over to his side. He took the tray from Idris’s grasp and set it down on the same round table they exchanged their first words next to.
“I was worried about whether I was going to see you again,” Mac revealed in a hushed tone. The other men in the room started crowding around the table and making sandwiches for themselves.
“Let’s go over near the door,” Idris suggested. He crossed the room and stole a quick glance back to make sure Mac was following. Not only was he just a step behind Idris, but so were the two D’Vaire men who’d accompanied him.
“Hey, where’s Roger?” Mac asked once they had some semblance of privacy from the other job candidates. Idris was proud of the fact that Mac remembered the name of his familiar.
“I had to put him in my room. He was acting like a wild animal and kept trying to find you. I’ve never seen him act that way. He must really like you.”
“And when he got to Idris’s room, he decided to show his anger at not being able to be with you by playing dead,” Delaney revealed.
“Seriously?” Mac asked.
“Yep, he flopped down onto the bed like the weight of the world was on his scaly shoulders,” Delaney confided.
“I don’t know how long I can stay in here before people start asking me a bunch of questions,” Idris offered apologetically. “I’m okay with waiting to tell them about us but I suck at lying, so I want to avoid any discussions.”
“I understand,” Mac replied. “Let’s exchange numbers. Is it okay if I text or call you?”
“Absolutely. I’d like that very much,” Idris said and gave Mac the information he asked for. Idris carefully logged Mac’s number into his phone, then showed it to him to make sure he hadn’t transposed any digits. He didn’t want to miss the opportunity to talk to him; it was several days until the meeting which would determine if Mac was a serious candidate in Aleksander’s mind.
“How do you think your interview went?” Delaney asked. Idris wanted to hug his friend for asking the question. His own brain cells were so frazzled from the events of the day, he hadn’t thought to inquire.
“I’m not sure. Duke Brogan glared at me, but I think things went well with everyone else in the room. I got to meet Renny, which was a treat,” Mac revealed.
“Renny’s freaking awesome,” Delaney said.
“I agree. I hope I’m one of the people you guys get to vote on at your meeting.”
“It’s not until Monday, but don’t worry—you’ve already got three votes,” Delaney told him.
“Thanks, Delaney,” Mac replied. Idris was once again thrilled that Mac had taken the time to memorize the name of his friend. Fate had indeed granted him the wish of having a mate who was nice.
“I hope you have a safe trip home,” Idris offered. “Where do you live?”
“Thanks, Idris. I live in Western Maryland.”
“I could ask the Grand Warlock to teleport you. I know that’s a long journey,” Idris said.
Mac’s grin was gorgeous. “You’re sweet, but there’s no need. I’ve already arranged to be teleported by Dérive.”
“You use druid magic—I guess you don’t have anything against sorcerers,” Idris replied.
“I like sorcerers more and more each day,” Mac said. “Wizards are my favorite.”
“I love dragons,” Idris responded. “That’s why I summoned Roger as one.”
“No offense Duff, but dragons are the best,” Mac stated with an apologetic glance in Duff’s direction.
Duff chuckled. “It’s okay. I personally think dragons are almost as cool as Kellas cats.”
“You’re a Kellas cat? Wow, I’ve never met a Kellas cat shifter before,” Mac commented.
“I don’t even know another one,” Duff replied.
“I’m going to grab a sandwich and head home. I’ll talk to you soon,” Mac told Idris.
“Will you text me to let me know you made it home safe?” Idris asked.
“Count on it.” Idris smiled once more at his mate, then followed his friends out the door. He couldn’t wait to talk to Mac and hoped the days would fly by, because he was anxious to know if Aleksander was going to hire him.