King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis spent all day wearing a polite smile, and he swore his facial muscles were starting to ache from the strain. “How many more sentinels do we have to interview?” he asked after Shadow Lord Hadley Sicarius exited the room.
“One,” Skeleton Lord Gavrael D’Vaire stated. “Alaric only sent over two candidates for the Coven Lord positions.”
“Excellent. I trust his judgment anyway,” Aleksander replied.
“Thank goodness. That means this is our last interview of the day,” Dra’Kaedan said.
“Gavrael, did you want to go get the last sentinel?” Aleksander asked.
With a nod, Gavrael exited the office. He returned less than two minutes later with a blond man only steps behind him. “King Aleksander, allow me to introduce Shadow Lord Bridger Graves.” Aleksander stood and nodded in greeting. Sentinels didn’t touch anyone besides their mate, so he didn’t offer his hand.
He was pleased Alaric sent over two Shadow Lords. They were the men who scored the highest in their placement testing, and Aleksander appreciated that the Lich Sentinel believed they were important enough to have only the best. It made sense, as it would benefit Gavrael and Gedeon since anyone added would be working directly for them as well as seeing to the security of Court D’Vaire.
After Gavrael got through the litany of names and titles of the people in the room, Aleksander offered Bridger a seat, which he took. Aleksander lowered his long body into his chair and smiled at the elite assassin. “Tell me, Shadow Lord, did the Lich Sentinel ask you to come and interview, or did you volunteer for the position of Coven Lord?”
“Your Highness, I volunteered. May I take the opportunity to address the Grand Warlock?”
“Absolutely, Shadow Lord.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” he replied, then gave his attention to Dra’Kaedan. “Grand Warlock, as you are aware, sentinels are going through the process of having our memories restored. Before the Arch Lich freed us from the necromancers, my sorcerer was the former elder Hubert. I’m afraid in his service, I did many nefarious things. One of those was assisting in the abduction and subsequent servitude forced upon you by Carvallius of Mallent. I’m deeply sorry for my actions, and I must beg your forgiveness, as I was responsible for knocking you unconscious and carrying you to Carvallius’s castle.”
Brogan’s expression darkened in anger, but Dra’Kaedan’s face gave nothing away. The warlock cocked his head to the side. “Tell me, Shadow Lord. Were you acting under Hubert’s direct orders?”
“Yes, Grand Warlock.”
“Then you don’t owe me an apology, Shadow Lord. You were as innocent as I was in the events which took place over six centuries ago. I don’t hold you responsible for something you had no choice in doing.”
“Thank you, Grand Warlock.”
“Was your guilt the reason you volunteered for the position here at D’Vaire, Shadow Lord?” Dre’Kariston asked.
“No, Grand Summoner. I’ve been fascinated by the tales of D’Vaire Gavrael and Gedeon told me. As a sentinel, life was very lonely in the compound we once called home, yet I hated being summoned by my necromancer. Once we were free to live how we chose, the vast majority of our people found their mates. For those of us that haven’t, there’s still a great deal of solitude. I thought perhaps in a family environment such as this, I’d find a better sense of belonging. I also jumped at the chance to work directly for Gavrael and Gedeon.”
“You don’t fear the isolation of D’Vaire will keep you from possibly meeting your mate, Shadow Lord?” Dravyn asked.
“Your Grace, I believe Fate will make sure my mate is at my side when she feels we’re both ready. I don’t think it matters if I’m here or living at the complex I now call home.”
“Are you aware of the dangers surrounding D’Vaire, Shadow Lord?” Brogan asked.
“Your Grace, every sentinel—even those who have yet to go through their training at the Ascension Center—has been apprised of the situation regarding the missing former elders, Carvallius, and Latarian. We continue to sweep the globe in hopes of finding them. It would be my pleasure to be part of the defenses here to ensure they don’t hurt any D’Vaire.”
“Do you have any questions for us, Shadow Lord?” Aleksander asked.
“Your Highness, the Lich Sentinel gave me a great deal of information regarding your sanctuary, but I did want to know if you’re continuing to review potential candidates while the search continues for the people who might wish to do you harm?”
“Shadow Lord, the sanctuary’s technically open—meaning we’re still reviewing some applications, but at this time it would take an extraordinary person to be considered for approval. We don’t wish to be infiltrated by anyone who might have a connection to any of the missing people,” Brogan replied.
“Most wise, Your Grace. Those are all the questions I have. I hope the actions I performed in the past won’t affect your ability to see me as a potential candidate. I’d very much like to become a part of D’Vaire.”
Dra’Kaedan’s brows drew together in annoyance. “Your actions will have absolutely no bearing on our decision, Shadow Lord, as they were out of your control and aren’t related in any way to who you are or how well you would fit in here at D’Vaire.”
“Thank you, Grand Warlock.”
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Shadow Lord. Our family will vote to decide who gets added to D’Vaire. We’ll let you know as soon as a decision has been made,” Aleksander offered as he stood.
“Thank you, Your Highness. I appreciate the opportunity in getting the chance to meet all of you today and whether I am hired or not, I wish you all much success in the future.”
They said their good-byes to the Shadow Lord and he exited. Brogan left the room to make sure the Duke’s Den was finally empty. Aleksander loosened his tie and discarded his jacket. When Brogan returned, he flopped down on the couch and dropped a kiss on Dra’Kaedan’s head.
“All right gentlemen and lady, it’s time to review all these candidates and decide who might be going up for a vote on Monday night,” Aleksander declared. “We should start with those that interviewed for both Bera and D’Vaire, so Aeron and Helen can head home.”
“I’ll make it very easy,” Aeron said. “I didn’t meet one duke today who interviewed for Bera that I’d like to add to my Court.”
“I agree, and I didn’t appreciate that one nasty young man who gave Aleksander that disgusted look when he walked in here,” Helen added.
“I’m used to dragons giving me disgusted looks. I barely take offense at it any longer,” Aleksander replied. It was a lie; he hated being singled out because his appearance was different from his brethren. With so many strangers being invited into his home, he’d opened himself up to people who might not respond well to meeting him. It was a price he had to pay to make sure Brogan had the help he needed to keep the D’Vaires safe. The grim reminder of why he preferred to be around outcasts like himself was why he rarely left his big house.
“Well, that hardly matters to me. I don’t appreciate horrid people like that, and I’m certainly not inviting anyone into Bera who would think so poorly of anyone here. We consider each D’Vaire extended family,” Helen said with a huff.
“You’re definitely that,” Aleksander assured her. The Bera’s grandson and his mate called D’Vaire home, but Aeron and Helen treated each of them like they were related. Aleksander thought they were amazing people and was glad they shared a border.
“Would you mind teleporting us home?” Aeron asked.
Dre’Kariston immediately jumped to his feet. “Happy to.”
Aleksander stood, hugged King and Queen Bera, then returned to his chair. Dre’Kariston teleported out with them and returned less than a minute later.
“I suggest we start with the sentinels. They’re going to be the easiest to review,” Dravyn said.
“Dra’Kaedan, I did not know Bridger had anything to do with your abduction,” Gavrael stated.
Dra’Kaedan’s mouth flattened into a thin line of irritation. “You sentinels never forgive yourselves for your actions. It’s obvious Bridger isn’t going to let it go, but what he did has no relevance to me. He wouldn’t have done it given the choice. The unfair part about the whole thing is that he was ordered to and as far as I’m concerned, that means he was as victimized as I was.”
“Please tell me we’re going to take them both,” Gedeon begged. “Gav and I could really use them here to help us, and I think they’d both be great assets.”
Aleksander smirked. “Show me a sentinel who wouldn’t be a great asset to everyone. My vote is to add Hadley and Bridger as Coven Lords. Anyone disagree?” The room was silent. “Fantastic, we’ll formalize it with a vote on Monday. Let’s get to the dragons. Did you decide on a number of dukes you want to hire?”
“I’m not set on a specific number, but I don’t want to add more dukes than we add sentinels if that makes sense,” Brogan replied. “The only problem is, I’m not convinced we had enough quality candidates to reach one let alone two.”
“You didn’t like any of them?” Aleksander asked.
“Nope,” Brogan confirmed.
“I disagree. I liked Duke Macardle,” Dra’Kaedan said. “But you acted weird when he was here. What gives?”
Brogan frowned. “Before his interview, I caught him in the Duke’s Den with Idris, Delaney, and Duff. He was grinning at Idris like an idiot.”
“Are you serious right now?” Dra’Kaedan asked. “He can smile at anyone he wants, and Idris is a grown man. If he wants to flirt with a hot dragon he can.”
“He was hot,” Dre’Kariston agreed.
“Aleksander, we can’t have some duke come in here and mess with Idris or anyone else,” Brogan stated.
“As your mate said, Idris is an adult. He’s free to do what he wants, but it’s cute the way you’re trying to be his dad,” Aleksander replied. “I’m certainly not going to let a viable candidate slide through our fingers simply because he possibly finds Idris attractive. We don’t even know the situation. He might’ve been smiling because someone said something funny. You’re jumping to conclusions.”
“Something he does all the time,” Dra’Kaedan muttered.
“Idris is young, and you know he’s inexperienced with men,” Brogan argued.
“That doesn’t make him any less capable of making his own decisions. He may be young but he’s intelligent, and he wouldn’t appreciate you trying to control any aspect of his life. Brogan, Idris is months away from becoming part of the leadership of the wizards.” Aleksander countered. “Do you have any rational objections to Duke Macardle?”
“I know Idris is smart and that he’s no ordinary twenty-one-year-old.”
Dra’Kaedan patted Brogan’s thigh to soothe him. “You’re just being overprotective. Let it go and focus on Duke Macardle’s qualifications.”
“Fine,” Brogan said. “He’s a black dragon, so he’s powerful. While he might only be a little over two hundred years old, he’s had about a century of experience in his role.”
“Closer to eighty years. That dickhead he works for now doesn’t appear to let him do much of anything,” Dravyn replied.
“He is an outcast. Duke Macardle could easily be a sanctuary applicant,” Gavrael stated.
“Good point. It means he’s probably capable of understanding the types of people who live here,” Aleksander said.
“Seems pretty cruel to treat your mate’s kid that way,” Dre’Kariston observed.
“I agree,” Gedeon responded. “Trystan was never treated that way by Conley.” The Reverent Knight had accepted his mate’s son from the moment he learned of his existence.
“Are you willing to give up the only candidate all of us liked because he smiled at Idris?” Aleksander asked Brogan. “I’m not going to put this up for a vote if you’re a no.”
Brogan blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m not a no. I thought he was nice, and he’s qualified. I think he’d do well at D’Vaire, and I like the idea of giving a man the ability to function in a role Fate all but hand-selected for him. He’s wasted at Court Stenet.”
“It’d be nice to have a black dragon,” Dravyn threw in. “We aren’t traditional duke colors.”
“How many navy blue and forest green dragons have you seen anyway?” Aleksander returned. “Most blues and greens aren’t as dark as the two of you. I don’t give a shit if you’re black or not, you were meant to be dukes.”
“His Highness has spoken,” Dra’Kaedan intoned.
“Damn right I have. So, we’ll vote on Duke Macardle on Monday. Does anyone have another candidate they’d like to go over in detail to decide if they deserve a vote as well?” When no one offered any suggestions, Aleksander said, “Good. I’m going to go get changed. These damn shoes are pinching my toes.”
“I swear it’s like everyone forgets warlocks live here,” Dra’Kaedan grumbled as he got to his feet. “Hello, I could’ve cast a spell—not only to take away the pinching but to stretch the dragonskin of your stupid shoes.”
“Hey, if His Highness wants to spend his entire day with pinched toes, who are we to argue with him?” Dre’Kariston retorted.
“You refer to me as His Highness one more time, Grand Summoner, and I’m going to ask Renny to turn you into a hippo,” Aleksander threatened.
“Points for originality,” Dra’Kaedan commented.
“But points lost for being gross. Hippos not only mark their territory with giant wads of spit, they fling feces and urine at each other,” Dravyn remarked.
“That’s disgusting, and I’m not going to ask how you know that,” Gedeon said.
Dravyn shrugged. “I read a lot of books.”
“I thought they were all romance novels, though,” Brogan replied. Aleksander decided not to stick around for the rest of their conversation. If the gang felt they wanted to spend the rest of their day in tight shoes and ties, that was up to them. All he aimed for was to get into some comfortable clothing and have a beer.