Page 16

A s Keegan sat in class and half listened to the lecture VK Calixtus was giving, he held in his smile. He was in a terrific mood. It wasn’t hard to determine why. There was a great deal in Keegan’s life to be excited about, but the most important reasons were the two incredible men Fate had given him.

Victor and Phillip made Keegan want to dance through the halls of the Ascension Center. In the past few days, they’d shared lunch together—along with Evergreen and Dudley—and escaped to Victor’s suite after dinner with the Darays. Their time alone was precious. And exciting.

Keegan liked sex. Of course, that was because Phillip and Victor were incomparably beautiful. Oh, and they were far too damn good with their hands and mouths. Keegan mourned that they had yet to share a night together sleeping, but that would be remedied on Monday when their new bed was finally delivered.

All Keegan had to do was endure a weekend sleeping alone in his dorm. He hoped that it’d be his last three nights on his own beneath the covers. Cuddling with Victor and Phillip would be amazing, and Keegan was eager for every extra minute with his lovers.

All their togetherness was improving Phillip’s life too. The lone potion Phillip took was in the morning. The previous night, Phillip hadn’t needed stasis. It was one stride closer to normalcy, and what Keegan wanted most was for Phillip to have a normal relationship with his dragon.

Phillip was planning to take another step toward that this weekend by shifting. Keegan was pleased to be going to the Draconis High Court of D’Vaire with Phillip and Victor so the sentinel could meet with his trainer, Jeremiah. Everyone was already convinced Phillip was a bony dragon like Samson, but Keegan believed his mate’s bones would be the same dark charcoal gray as his eyes. It made sense. Samson’s skeletal body was the bisque of his own gaze.

It was perfect too. After all, what sentinel wouldn’t want a beast in the same color as his uniform? As far as Keegan was concerned, Fate had done an excellent job of creating the serious sentinel he was growing to adore. Keegan wasn’t ashamed of how quickly he was losing his heart to Phillip.

And Phillip wasn’t the only one Keegan cared deeply for. Victor held just as large a chunk of his soul as Phillip did. There was no fight in him between the two men. He cherished them equally, and Keegan was grateful to have them. He could already imagine the three of them sharing a wonderful life.

“Keegan,” VK Calixtus called out sharply.

Immediately concerned by the urgency in his voice, Keegan snapped to attention. “Yes, VK?”

Roman cracked a smile. “Do you think you could stop daydreaming over there long enough to answer a question?”

Shrinking into his chair as heat rushed to his cheeks, Keegan winced. “Um, sorry, could you repeat the question? I must’ve missed it.”

“At least tell me the reason you’re not paying attention in class is because you’re daydreaming about your mates,” Roman drawled. “I have my other half and know how easy it is to drift off thinking about how damn good I have it. That I can understand. But if you’re not paying attention because of any other reason, I can’t let you off the hook.”

Keegan grinned. “Oh, it’s definitely because of my mates.”

“Then forget I asked. You know all this anyway; it’s your classmates who need to be brushing up for the quiz on Monday.”

“I’m sure they know everything for the quiz too,” Keegan said.

“Oh please,” Tania scoffed. “You’re the only one who will get a perfect score or damn close to it. The rest of us are lucky to get a passing grade.”

“That’s not true; you’re all intelligent,” Keegan replied.

“VK Calixtus, has anyone ever been too nice to be good at their job?” Tania asked. “I’m worried about Keegan. He might put up with too much shit.”

Roman shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Nope, he’s still a fallen knight, and he has beaten all your asses.”

“Plus, one of his mates is a sentinel and a dragon,” Sibyl remarked, her blue gaze wide. “Can you imagine him swooping out of nowhere to murder anyone who fucks with Keegan?”

“Sentinels don’t randomly murder people,” Merrick argued.

“Since when do you stick up for Keegan’s mate?” Tania demanded.

With a lift of one dark brow, Roman crossed his arms and leaned against his desk. “Do you have an issue with Keegan’s mate, Merrick? The Order of the Fallen Knights does not comment on Fate’s choices, nor do we disparage any sentinel. We work alongside them, and they deserve our respect.”

“No, VK, I don’t have any issue with Keegan’s mate,” Merrick insisted.

Keegan exchanged a look with Tania. “No, VK, I don’t think he has an issue with Phillip personally.”

“But?” Roman asked.

“But I may have mentioned how statistically difficult it is for triple matebonds, VK,” Merrick remarked sheepishly.

“Did Keegan ask for that specific statistic?” Roman asked calmly.

“No, VK,” Merrick responded.

“Then I’m sure he would appreciate you keeping that statistic to yourself,” Roman said. “No one should base their life or whether they choose to honor a gift from Fate on a statistic.”

“I’m sorry, Keegan,” Merrick offered. “I’ve seen you in the cafeteria now for a few days with your mates. You guys look like you’re getting along well. It was wrong of me to say anything negative to you about triple matebonds.”

“And the office managers from the Sentinel Brotherhood keep giving Merrick and Leander dirty looks,” Sibyl commented through her chuckles.

“Leander, do you owe Keegan an apology too?” Roman asked.

“Yes, VK,” Leander responded, running a hand through his blond hair as he ducked his head to hide his pink cheeks. “Sorry, Keegan. Your matebond is none of my business.”

“Evergreen is scary, isn’t he?” Roman asked. “But I hope you’re both being sincere. We’re fallen knights and should help each other, not create unnecessary rifts. Take a page from the book of the Sentinel Brotherhood and strive to always support your brethren.”

“Yes, VK,” Keegan responded along with his classmates.

“Okay, get out of here and enjoy your weekend,” Roman said.

“What about your question?” Keegan asked as he stood.

Roman laughed. “You don’t even know what the question was.”

“I don’t think VK remembers what it is,” Tania whispered loudly.

“Does anyone in here remember?” Roman asked.

“Not a clue, VK,” Sibyl answered. “Have a great weekend. Say hi to VK Valerius for us.” She raced out with a jaunty wave before Roman could respond.

“I don’t know why she’s rushing out,” Tania said. “Keegan’s the only one of us who has anything cool to do this weekend.”

“Study and practice in the gym,” Roman advised as he headed out behind Sibyl.

“I really am sorry, Keegan,” Merrick offered.

“Apology accepted,” Keegan replied. “Yours too, Leander. I know you find it hard to believe, but a triple matebond isn’t difficult if all three people are equally committed to each other.”

“Seriously, we’ve watched you for the past few days. You guys seem to be getting along great,” Leander remarked. “I believe you. Keep at it. I’d love to be able to tell everyone I meet in the future that those terrible statistics don’t mean shit because I know someone making it work.”

“Thanks, guys,” Keegan said.

Once Merrick and Leander left, Tania smiled. “If it helps, I think they were upset most by the idea of you having a broken heart because they believed Fate made a mistake by giving you two mates. They wanted you to be successful and were afraid it’d be nearly impossible for that to happen. They’re boneheads who will think next time before they open their big mouths, but they wanted the best for you.”

“That does help, thanks.”

“Plus, they’re terrified of Evergreen,” Tania said, laughing. “Not only does he have a great glare and tons of sass, but he’s also literally friends with every sentinel. They finally realized that although you were too nice to have all the sentinels turn against him, Evergreen isn’t so agreeable.”

“If they say any other shit around you, assure them that they should be more worried about Phillip,” Keegan advised with a grin. “He’s overprotective of his mates.”

Tania shrugged. “Might be worth finding out if fallen knights are susceptible to undead dragon fire. You know, for science and shit.”

With a laugh, Keegan fell into step alongside Tania so he could drop his books off in his dorm and head straight for Phillip’s so they could get to the Daray condo to share the weekend with Victor.

“How’s your Phillip doing?” Tania asked. “I feel bad that we’re a couple of weeks away from graduating and he’s still waiting to start.”

“Thanks for asking, he’s doing great. The sentinels are ensuring he’ll learn everything he needs to know, and this weekend will be his first shift. That’s a huge milestone and a testament to how well everyone has managed his care. When VK Samson was going through this, he had wild shifts beyond his control. Phillip hasn’t had one,” Keegan explained. He went on to reveal how well Phillip was doing with his potions and his lack of stasis the previous night.

“Glad to hear it,” Tania replied. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Is it completely intimidating to be around the Darays?”

Keegan chuckled. “It’s easier than I thought it’d be. I know they’re normal people and they’re definitely devoted to each other. But unlike Phillip, the titles intimidate me. Or they did. Mostly, I pay attention to their family dynamic and that they’re people too. At the start, all I could think was that I was having dinner with the Arch Lich, VK Samson, the Imperator, and an Archduke. I like them. They’re wonderful. But I’m about to be terrified at a whole new level this weekend. Phillip is shifting at High Court D’Vaire. D’Vaire, Tania. Do you know how many titles there are at that house?”

“Many of those titles are encoded in our resurrection spell. Yeah, I know how many of them there are. How are you going to keep from pissing yourself?”

“I’ll be clutching the hands of my mates really tight and stopping liquids, I guess.”

Tania chuckled. “Just be yourself. We wear dark uniform pants, so hopefully no one will be able to tell if you can’t keep your bladder under control.”

“You’re getting to be as annoying as Merrick and Leander,” Keegan complained.

“Oh please, I’ll never be as annoying as those guys, and you know it.”

“That’s true. Hey, when we graduate in a few weeks, you better stay friends with me.”

“An FK who gets Vegas right out of graduation like yourself thanks to your stupid high tests scores and your handsome mates? Of course we’ll be friends. How else will I impress my new coworkers in my assigned city by bragging about my cool friend if we’re not?”

“Glad I can be of some use,” Keegan replied with a grin.

“You’re a helpful guy, Keegan. I’ve always liked that about you.”

Keegan stopped at the end of the hall. “Hey, if you need a study buddy for Monday’s quiz, text or call me.”

“I’m not bothering you while you’re with your mates,” Tania said. “Sibyl and I are going to make flash cards tonight to test each other. No worries, okay?”

“Then you’ll both do great.”

“That’s the plan. Have fun this weekend. Say hi to your mates for me.”

“Will do, thanks Tania.”

She waved him off, and Keegan nearly broke into a run to get to Phillip’s door. He’d barely rapped his knuckles on the smooth surface before it opened to reveal an unbelievably handsome man with messy raven hair and dark eyes. Phillip’s lips curved, and Keegan’s dick rose to attention.

“Hi, Sunshine,” Phillip said, brushing their lips together. “Are you ready to go see Victor?”

“Yep. I can’t wait to share the evening with my two favorite people.”

“I know exactly how you feel. Meet you outside the condo.”

Keegan nodded and waited for Phillip to close the door behind him. In a flurry of fabric, Phillip donned his cloak and teleported away. Keegan followed a heartbeat later. He knocked on the door as Phillip pulled off his cloak.

Alaric opened the door. “Good evening. Victor is in the kitchen arguing with Chand.”

“Another meal with the veggies mixed in?” Keegan asked as he grabbed Phillip’s hand and trailed after Alaric into the busy Daray condo. The Arch Lich’s aversion to specific foods was on the growing list of things Keegan liked about the quirky, wonderful Darays.

“Of course,” Alaric replied.

“Chand, you’ve had this salsa before,” Keegan heard Victor say. His attention whipped to his mate, and he grinned at the vivid yellow shorts showing off Victor’s shapely legs. “You liked it.”

“I’ve never seen this in my life, and it looks gross,” Chander argued.

“Chand, allow Victor to greet his mates,” Alaric suggested.

“How am I stopping him?” the Arch Lich demanded.

With a roll of his eyes, Victor handed the big bowl of salsa to Baxter and rushed over to them. Since he had a pair of platform sandals on, Victor didn’t have to rise up as far as usual to grab Phillip’s face and kiss him thoroughly. Keegan adored watching them love on each other, and he swore the tension crept from Phillip’s body as the three of them were reunited.

When Victor cupped Keegan’s nape, his lips curved and their mouths met in a shared smile. Victor tasted him thoroughly, and his knees went weak. Phillip tugged him close a second later and dipped his tongue in to explore. It was something Phillip now did with regularity. He was happy to kiss Keegan when they were alone, but he preferred to deepen the caresses only when Victor was present. To Keegan, it showed the strengthening of their bond.

And he was damn sure going to stay focused on the beauty of that instead of the way he was growing hard right in the Daray kitchen. After all, getting naked wasn’t a possibility until everyone was fed and someone convinced the Arch Lich to dine on vegetables—which was no small feat.