Page 10 of Distinctly Daray (D’Vaire, #43)

“Y ou will have to tell me if you change your mind about allowing Chander any peeks into the former lives of Keegan, Phillip, and Victor,” Life said.

Death turned to her sister with a puzzled expression. “Why would I change my mind? It serves no one to gain a memory of Phillip and Victor’s pain. They loved Keegan unconditionally and he them. His death was unnecessary, but it happened. It cannot be undone, and he was not a shifter. There is no beast pining for Phillip’s dragon or Victor’s cat.”

“I know,” Life replied. “Which is why I have manipulated Keegan’s thoughts to steer him far from another shadow walk.”

With a smile, Death shifted her feet on the dark chaise in her castle. “A splendid idea. The last thing any of them need to do is to keep venturing to the ebirlloba , searching for answers they will never find.”

“Speaking of answers, we have learned precious little of Folly and her nefarious plans,” Mayhem remarked.

Since Death and the team of sleuths trying to unravel Folly’s plans and who might be aiding the goddess had added another to their team, Mayhem had barely left the castle. Rather than feeling irritated, Death found that it was lovely to have the company of Mayhem and the others. Not that Death would admit that aloud without prompting—or perhaps ever, even if someone asked.

“It stands to reason that the plan was a long time in the making,” Justice commented sagely. “I expect Folly has made every effort possible to cover her tracks, which is why we have had no success learning anything.”

“Rather irritating to discover Folly is both evil and intelligent,” Death drawled.

“I have searched everywhere I can think of to find Chaos,” Mayhem remarked. “There is nothing of her things in any of her old haunts. Her essence is blocked. We must assume she is hiding because she’s part of Folly’s team.”

“We do not know that for certain,” Courage said.

“Still, we must tread carefully should we encounter her,” Eternity added. “Her very nature is to cause strife. She may not have intended to be outright evil, but she can be persuaded to make certain decisions without considering the consequences of her actions.”

“Folly may not have explained her desire to break so many rules or her end goals,” Mayhem insisted. “My twin would be ready and willing to jump in to cast spells. She has acted impulsively since the moment Mother created us. I was the one given enough patience to weigh my actions. Chaos never had that. She cannot understand my restraint. Yes, I like mayhem, but it does not belong in every situation. My magic is meant to liven things up, not destroy. No offense, Death.”

Death lifted a red brow. “I do not destroy. My purpose is to care for the dead.”

“But you have also killed. It is part of who you are,” Mayhem argued.

“Yes, but I take no pleasure in it,” Death confided. “Unless, of course, the person deserves it. An evil soul I am happy to take. And torture. I do so willingly.”

“And gleefully,” Eternity added with a chuckle.

Life grinned. “An ability I envy. There are so many beings I wish I could torture for their actions.”

“Dear sister, you are supposed to revel in granting life, not causing pain to undead souls,” Death drawled.

“Think about it like this,” Life said. “I take my magic and use it to grant a life. One I infuse with purpose, thoughts, and feelings. Sometimes those beings are granted a special gift, like the ability to shift or conjure things, and Fate gives them a mate. That, too, takes sorcery. Together, Fate and I—and perhaps a few others in a collaboration—have invested so much into someone. Then they reward us by acting heinously. They murder someone or commit some other horrible act. Yet we can do nothing but hope death finds them.”

“Oh, I have zero patience for someone who is evil to their mate,” Fate added. “Especially if they are bound and it cannot be undone. The other soul is stuck. In those cases, I should be able to drag them into your ebirlloba and torture them.”

“But if I reach out to pluck a particular soul from a realm, I’m immediately accused of being power hungry and only wanting them here to increase my sorcery,” Death muttered.

“Keep a list of those goddesses, Death,” Mayhem insisted. “Those are the ones we must investigate. They are unlike us, who envy your abilities but have no desire to murder your undead like Folly tried to when you caught her.”

Death’s fingers turned to bone, and she curled them into fists as she recalled the day Folly had tried to ruin a parade by ending the lives of sentinels, fallen knights, and perhaps even the few reapers on Earth. “Although I understand the ramifications of Folly’s death gave her an unnatural level of power, I dearly wish I could have dragged her to my castle and shown her my favorite methods of torture.”

“Do you think in the end she will summon Mother?” Justice asked. “And that Mother will balance things so Folly can be brought here to the ebirlloba ?”

“We will deal with it if Mother is brought back before she is ready to return,” Death remarked. “But I will argue vigorously to keep Folly out of my ebirlloba . As much as I wish to hurt her, I do not want her here. She does not deserve to be among the spirits. It is an insult to me and the spirits that are here because of her actions—either directly or indirectly. The last thing I wish to do is have to look at her for eternity.”

“I shall champion your cause,” Eternity promised. “You are right. She does not deserve the beauty of your home.”

“Most assuredly not,” Mayhem said. “This is quite the loveliest of settings. Folly deserves a home which resembles a hot, fiery pit.”

“I say we suspend her in midair in some frozen realm for eternity,” Fate decreed.

“We could use a dummy to practice our weapon skills on,” Courage said. “Why not have Mother make Folly into one?”

“But keep her sentient so she is aware of being a punching bag,” Justice commented.

“Make her feel pain too,” Life said, rubbing her hands with what Death could only describe as glee. “Each blow stinging stronger than the last.”

“How diabolical,” Death drawled. “I love it.”

“Can we do that if we find her before Mother returns?” Mayhem asked thoughtfully.

“I believe by combining our magics, we could accomplish it,” Eternity replied.

“I love it when a plan comes together,” Death remarked.

“But first…we have to find the bitch,” Mayhem reminded them.

Death sighed. That was far easier said than done.

∞∞∞

The door closed behind the Lich Sentinel, and Keegan relaxed slightly. They’d already explained to Alaric and Victor their lack of success on the other side of the veil. Thankfully, no one appeared upset, which helped soothe Keegan. He was still unwilling to make a return trip, but at least he could release some of his guilt about failing to lead them to answers.

“How’s your dragon doing?” Victor asked Phillip.

“He finds being in the presence of you both soothing. It is the only time he has been completely silent in my head.” Phillip smiled. “It is why I would be willing to be around you both, even if I had no interest in being your mate.”

“You hear that, Victor? It sounds like Phillip is using us to quiet his dragon.”

“That’s definitely what I heard too.”

“It is far too early in our relationship for me to go into grand detail about every reason I wish to be around you,” Phillip stated. If Keegan wasn’t mistaken, there was a hint of color on his cheeks.

Keegan grinned. “Which means Phillip has dirty thoughts about us.”

“I will not deny it, but unlike our mate, I have no practical experience, so do not build up unreasonable expectations of how my kisses and touches will feel at the start,” Phillip argued.

Victor bent his head and shuffled his feet. “I chose at a young age to save myself for my mate. Like you, I haven’t had any kisses or anything else.”

“That’s such a relief,” Keegan said. His eyes widened. “Not that I would’ve thought less of you if you’d done anything. It’s a little easier knowing none of us have any experience.”

Victor lifted his chin, and his arresting gaze landed on Keegan. “Are you sure you haven’t done anything? I’ve heard young fallen knights can be energetic about learning new things, including all their working parts.”

“This is going to sound nerdy, I guess, but I’ve been studying or pushing myself in the gym since my resurrection. I want to do well, and that seemed more important to me than getting someone else to touch me.”

“Does that mean you have touched yourself?” Phillip asked.

The interest in his dark eyes made Keegan grow warm. “I have. Have you jerked off since we met?”

“Yes, finally. I was surrounded by people at the start and had a persistent fear of my erection showing. All I had was my imagination. I will feel bad for eternity that my initial fantasies did not include you, Victor.”

Victor’s musical laughter filled the guest room. “No guilt is necessary. You didn’t know I existed.”

“If you are willing to forgive me, then I can excuse my behavior,” Phillip conceded.

With a roll of his eyes, Victor shook his head. “Not that you need my permission to forgive yourself, but you have it anyway. Will you guys shadow walk again? I don’t think we discussed that before Alaric and Chand left us alone.”

“Keegan, do you think it would help?” Phillip asked.

“I don’t know,” Keegan replied with a shrug he hoped was convincingly nonchalant. The last thing he wanted to do was return to the other side of the veil. “I think if there was a relative or beast waiting around for me, we would’ve found them.”

“I agree. You concentrated and would have led us to the right place.”

Happy that Phillip believed him, but still desperate to change the subject, Keegan wracked his brain for something to discuss. A lightbulb went on inside his head. “Victor, since we’re here at your home again, maybe you could show us your space? We could snoop through your stuff and learn more about you.”

Phillip was aghast. “We cannot snoop through Victor’s things.”

Victor chuckled. “I have no secrets. Come on downstairs, I’ll show you my room.”

The Russian Blue shifter led them out of the guest suite where they’d shadow walked and down an open staircase. There was a plethora of Darays hanging out in the living area. On the couch, a good-natured argument was developing over the video game filling the television screen, and Keegan was impressed by their comradery. Titles were ignored in the condo, and Keegan hoped to achieve that same level of nonchalance someday.

They passed a set of French doors that held a book-filled office, then Victor led them into his suite. Phillip ushered Keegan past him into a gorgeous space. Keegan loved it immediately. Although there was a kaleidoscope of pretty colors, bright pink and aqua dominated. Instead of a solid color on anything, nearly every piece of furniture was a harmonious mixture of fabrics and textures.

The walls overflowed pleasingly with pictures, artwork, and wall hangings. Along with floor-length drapes there were beads, which glimmered thanks to the sunlight streaming in. But the centerpiece of the space was an oversized bed heaped with pillows. Under Keegan’s booted feet was a light wooden floor, but there were also several overlapping area rugs in the same vibrant colors as the rest of the room.

“This is stunning,” Phillip said. It was the first time Keegan could recall him sounding awestruck. “My dragon is soothed too. What a glorious space you have created, Victor.”

“Yeah, I fucking love this,” Keegan remarked. Too curious to be shy about being in Victor’s suite, Keegan ventured toward a crisscrossing set of curtains nowhere near a window. He gasped as he walked through them. On the other side was a massive closet complete with a long desk with a lighted mirror. Cosmetics were artfully organized on the table’s surface, and Keegan could easily picture Victor sitting on the plush stool, lining his spectacular eyes.

“Keegan, where did you—” Phillip followed him in and stopped in the middle of the closet. “ Oh .”

“Can you picture it?” Keegan asked Phillip excitedly as Victor followed them into the space. “This is the spot Victor sits to put on his make-up.”

“I understand now how he has grown into such an expert in enhancing his beauty with such a pretty space to serve as inspiration.”

Keegan didn’t care if he was snooping; he dropped onto the stool and lifted a velvet box’s lid. Inside was a sparkly tiara. “Victor, you didn’t mention you have a title!”

Victor laughed. “I don’t. Chand made me that decades ago. This is somewhat embarrassing, but I clean in it.”

“Damn right you do,” Keegan said, plucking the tiara out so the light from the chandelier above their heads could dazzle him as it hit the stones. “I bet you look fucking fabulous when you do.”

“The sparkles suit him.”

“That’s so going to be his nickname now. What do you think, Sparkles?”

“You can call me that, but I’m going to retaliate by calling you Sunshine,” Victor promised.

Keegan’s brows snapped together in confusion. “Why would you call me that?”

“Because your smile is like the sun breaking through the clouds,” Phillip stated quietly. Keegan immediately went gooey inside, and he barely bit back a sigh of happiness.

“See, Phillip gets it,” Victor said, taking the tiara from Keegan and placing it on top of his red waves. “You look good in a tiara too.”

“Victor will have to someday fulfill my new fantasy of allowing us to make love to him while he’s wearing that tiara,” Phillip said.

“Without a doubt,” Keegan added.

“Thanks for that image; now I’m going to get hard every time I clean something,” Victor muttered. “Just for that, I’m going to call you Spicy, Phillip.”

“That suits his cinnamon scent too,” Keegan commented as he turned his head to watch the light glimmer off the tiara.

“Great, now that we have our nicknames picked out, maybe you two could start thinking about how you’d someday like this room to be changed to suit you,” Victor remarked.

“We do not need to change a damn thing,” Phillip corrected.

“I’m with Spicy.”

Victor sighed. “For starters, there are only two closets, and the bathroom is also set up for two people. I don’t know if the bed is big enough.”

“We wear uniforms; Spicy and I can share a closet,” Keegan said. “As for the rest, use your best judgement.”

“He is not really adding any sunshine to your life right now, is he?” Phillip asked Victor, who was frowning.

“Nope, not at all.”

“How much trouble do you think it would be for Keegan and me to visit you here on the evenings you wish to spend with us?” Phillip asked. “Your space offers my dragon a sense of serenity.”

“I want to see you every evening and weekend. And it’d be easier for you two to come here—you can both teleport and I can’t.”

“Perfect, then expect Spicy and I here constantly.”

“Sunshine over here may have to drop out of his classes anyway so he can devote all his time to admiring himself in your tiara,” Phillip drawled.

“Don’t tempt me,” Keegan warned.

Both men laughed, and joy flowed through Keegan in a lovely wave. It was a good thing he was determined to be a success in his training because it was damn tempting to lock himself in Victor’s gorgeous suite with his mates and never leave.