“Delaney, have you seen Roger?” Idris asked as he poked his head into the open door of the office Aleksander insisted the wizards needed. It was in a separate building from the house, which included tons of space for all kinds of ventures, including the Coven of Warlocks and the newly established company Elven D’Vaire. He found Delaney hanging out on the dragonskin sofa with Duff, but his eye was immediately drawn to Greggory. The little black dragon was normally in the company of Roger, but his own familiar was absent.
“Not since breakfast,” Delaney replied.
“I guess we need to launch an expedition to find him,” Duff declared.
“Let’s go,” Idris agreed. Greggory flew up to Delaney’s shoulder, and the four of them set out to find the elusive Roger.
“We should start in the kitchen. Noir always knows where everyone is,” Delaney suggested. Noirin D’Vairedraconis was not only their chef; she oversaw just about everything in the massive house they called home.
“Good idea,” Idris said. They strode out of the building, and as they stepped outside, Idris took a deep breath to enjoy the rich smell of the fragrant flowers Duke Dravyn D’Vairedraconis spent his days cultivating.
“I don’t see Dravyn,” Duff remarked.
“The interviews are today. He’s in Aleksander’s office with the others,” Delaney replied. Aleksander’s preferred working space was inside the house, and he had an open-door policy Idris appreciated. The D’Vaire king was always willing to help solve a problem or just listen, if that was what someone needed. Idris couldn’t imagine a better dragon to rule D’Vaire.
“I wonder how many good candidates we’ll get,” Idris said.
“I know Brogan’s hoping there’s at least a couple we can choose from,” Delaney answered. The three men plus one familiar crossed over the expansive wooden deck littered with comfortable furniture; then Idris opened the glass door which led into their home.
They were immediately greeted by Noirin. “Hey, guys. What’s up?”
As soon as they stepped into the air-conditioned kitchen, Idris got straight to the point. “I can’t find Roger. Have you seen him?”
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t seen him since breakfast.”
“That was the last time I saw him too,” Delaney told her.
“Honey, if you’re worried about him, you can always summon him,” Noirin said.
Idris blew out a breath. “I hate summoning him. If I were a familiar, I wouldn’t want some wizard pulling me out of whatever activity I happen to be doing just because he wanted to know where I was. It’s so unfair.”
“I understand. I guess you’ve got a whole house to search. I’ll keep an eye out for him, and I’ll text you if anyone else knows where he is.”
“Thanks, Noir.”
“Be mindful of the candidates here for their interviews,” she warned. “Brogan will lose his shit if you guys are hanging around strangers. You know how overprotective he is.”
“Are King and Queen Bera here too?” Delaney asked.
“Yes, and Alaric’s going to send over the candidates from the Sentinel Brotherhood as well. It’s going to be a very busy day for them. Aleksander asked me to put together some trays, so they can make sandwiches for lunch. Brogan doesn’t want them dining with us,” Noirin confided.
“Do you need help? I can cut stuff or whatever else you need,” Delaney offered.
“I wouldn’t refuse it. Evlithar’s going to help me, but it’ll go faster with more people. If you want to pitch in, be back here in about thirty minutes,” Noirin replied.
“I’ll help too, right after I find Roger,” Idris said.
“You can count me in as well,” Duff added.
“Thanks, guys. I appreciate it. Now go find my other little dragon friend,” she instructed as she walked over and gave Greggory a cookie. He was enamored of sweets and wolfed it down in two swallows.
“It’s a good thing you can’t get fat,” Delaney told Greggory.
Duff rocked on his heels. “Come on, let’s go find Roger.”
“I guess we should start on one side of the house and work our way through it,” Idris suggested.
“This floor is the one most used. Let’s start with Madeline’s studio, then head into Larissa’s workshop,” Delaney said.
“Good idea. Let’s move out,” Duff replied. Idris chuckled at Duff’s military salute as he marched through the kitchen. He was grateful his friends were willing to help him, and he hoped they could find Roger in short order; he didn’t want to disappoint Noirin by showing up late to help.
* * *
“This house is something. It’s bigger than I expected,” the man sitting next to Mac said. They were inside a large room dubbed the “Duke’s Den” inside the D’Vaire mansion. The space was filled with inviting dark dragonskin furniture in navy blue and forest green.
“It’s pretty spectacular,” Mac agreed.
“I’m surprised it’s as nice as this. I mean, have you heard about the people here?” the dragon shifter asked.
“Heard what?”
“They’re all a bunch of misfits. I don’t know why King Bera chose to have us interview here. It’s strange.”
Mac didn’t particularly like the man’s attitude. “It’s my understanding the Beras aren’t only neighbors but good friends with the D’Vaires.”
“I guess they have to be nice to them. The Grand Warlock gave the Beras land and he lives here. I can’t imagine they’d choose to be allied with a bunch of dragons who no one liked for centuries.”
The door swung open before Mac could offer any response, which was probably a good thing because he didn’t think it was suitable to start a fight with another candidate. A dragon shifter walked in, and Mac assumed he was one more duke hoping for a job. Behind him, a small indigo-colored dragon flew in. He zoomed into the room and headed straight for the couch where Mac was seated. Then to Mac’s surprise, the dragon landed softly on one of his thighs.
“Hello there,” he offered his new friend.
The dragon made a little growly sound in his throat and took a few steps, so he was in Mac’s lap.
“I’ve never seen a little dragon like that,” the man next to Mac said.
“Me neither, but you’re awfully cute,” Mac told the dragon. He didn’t know what kind of magickind could produce such a perfect replica of a dragon shifter in miniature form. Mac was pretty sure he shouldn’t have him in his lap, but he had no idea how to convince the dragon to go find his sorcerer. The little guy curled up and was making more little rumbles which sounded happy to Mac’s untutored ears. He petted one scaly wing and wondered what the hell he was supposed to do. Duke Brogan D’Vairedraconis immediately came across as a man not to be trifled with, and he made it clear security was his priority.
He’d warned them not to wander through the house and interact with the household. The small dragon obviously lived here, and he didn’t want anyone to walk in here to witness him using Mac as a cushion, but he couldn’t resist smoothing his fingers over his head. It was so strange to be stroking the rough surface of the beast Mac shifted into every few days. Mac was in a muddle of confused and panicky thoughts when the door opened again. The fragrant smell of the best baked cinnamon rolls reached his nose as the blood in his veins drifted south. He pulled the dragon into his arms, so he wouldn’t be poked with his rising cock.
Mac whipped his head to the side and noticed three men standing near the entrance of the room. They were all around the same height, and two of them had hair as black as Mac’s, but it was the one with dark brown curls who got his attention. His eyes were the same indigo as the pretty dragon in his arms. They were startled, as he must’ve just realized Mac was his mate.
“That guy has Roger,” one of the raven-haired men said loudly, and he also had a small dragon perched on his shoulder, though his was black.
Mac’s mate smiled. “Yeah.”
The brilliance of that smile reached into Mac’s chest and wrapped around his heart. In an instant, he was hooked. He stood up with the dragon still in his arms. Mac took several steps and met the trio of men near a large round table. It gave him the ability to speak without everyone in the room hearing their conversation. “Hi,” he offered as soon as he came to a stop.
“I’m Idris,” his mate said.
“Hi, Idris. I’m Mac,” he replied. He wished he’d managed to answer Idris in a more charismatic way, but he was still reeling from the magnitude of finding him. “I guess this is your dragon?”
“Yeah, that’s Roger. I was looking for him. I guess he found you before I did.”
The two men were staring hard at Mac, but all his focus was on the sorcerer he vowed to spend his life with. His senses were being bombarded by his scent and the beauty of his face. He couldn’t decide if he preferred the enchanting grin or the striking indigo eyes more, and he was glad he didn’t have to choose. Mac could simply enjoy both and marvel that there was no man on the planet who was Idris’s match. “He’s amazing. I’m a little overwhelmed. What kind of sorcerer are you?”
“I’m a wizard,” Idris revealed. “So’s my friend Delaney.” He gestured to the man on his left. Mac noted the other wizard had eyes as black as his own. As a sorcerer, Delaney’s lacked scales, making it nearly impossible to tell where his pupils ended and his irises began. Idris pointed to his right. “And this is Duff.” Duff was a shifter, but Mac had no clue what kind.
“Nice to meet you both.”
“Uh…Idris. Are we supposed to be making friends with the candidates?” Delaney asked.
“Brogan’s going to kill us all,” Duff predicted.
“It’s going to be fine,” Idris assured them. Then he lowered his voice to just above a whisper. “Mac’s my mate.”
His friends appeared stunned, then the wizard smiled widely. “Awesome,” Delaney exclaimed.
“I’m sorry. I guess I should’ve asked you before I told anyone,” Idris said.
“I’m ready to shout it from the rooftops,” Mac told him. “But I’d like to ask you for a favor. Could you promise not to tell your king until after the hiring decisions are made? I’d like to be selected based on my own merit rather than my connection to you. Is that okay?”
The still grinning Idris nodded. “I understand. Can I have your phone number, though?”
“Idris, I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“Quick question for you Mac,” Delaney said. “How smart are you?”
Duff burst out laughing. “Yeah, are you too stupid?”
Pink bloomed in Idris’s cheeks, and Mac couldn’t discern why Duff was asking him the question or why it embarrassed his mate.
“I don’t believe I’m too stupid. Dare I ask why?” Mac asked.
Idris leaned in and again spoke quietly. “I asked Fate to bring me a mate that wasn’t too stupid. I didn’t want to sound greedy or anything.”
Mac couldn’t have contained his hilarity if he tried. Idris was irresistible. “I promise I’m not too stupid.”
“How do we know?” Delaney asked through narrowed eyes full of mirth.
“Well, I was smart enough to take my grandfather’s advice and apply to D’Vaire, wasn’t I?” Mac retorted.
“Good point,” Delaney conceded.
“I guess I should give Roger back to you,” Mac told Idris but found it was not nearly as easy as he thought. The dragon whined and kept trying to fly out of Idris’s hold.
“Wow, Roger really likes you,” Idris said as he wrestled the little guy into his embrace.
“The feeling is mutual,” Mac revealed. He buttoned his suit jacket to cover his body’s response to Idris and for the third time, the door swung open. This time, it was Duke Brogan framed in the entry and when he spotted the three men with Mac, his expression darkened into a ferocious frown.
“Hey, Brogan…we had to come in here and rescue Roger. He managed to fly in somehow. Noir’s expecting us in the kitchen to help. We should head that way,” Delaney rushed out.
“Did something happen to him? Why is he whining like that?” Brogan demanded.
“He’s fine,” Idris replied. “I think he’s hungry. We should definitely go to the kitchen.”
“Good idea,” Brogan stated. “Duke Macardle Stenetdraconis, we’re ready for you.”
“Thank you, Your Grace,” Mac said. Brogan didn’t respond; he chose to march out, barely refraining from slamming the door. He turned to Idris. “I’ve got to go. Come and find me afterward so we can exchange numbers.”
“Okay, don’t worry. Brogan’s really nice. He’s just protective of us.”
“Then he’s doing his job.” Mac wanted to stay around Idris, but he needed to get his butt into King Aleksander’s office. He followed the trio out the door and paused for a moment in the hallway.
“Good luck,” Idris offered; then he and his friends escaped. Mac sucked in a deep breath to clear his head of the enchanting smell of cinnamon and focus on the task that brought him to D’Vaire. But he promised himself he would spend the rest of the day marveling at the spectacular gift Fate gave him.