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I t took some juggling, but Victor arranged his schedule to give himself an opportunity to visit his parents’ house on a weekday afternoon. He hated allowing anything to affect his work. Although Victor was a Daray, he was also employed to complete a variety of tasks for the entire family. The last thing Victor would do was accept a paycheck if he failed to give his job his best effort.

However, it was imperative that he visit the Antonovs when Phillip and Keegan were at the Sentinel Brotherhood. It was sneaky, but Victor preferred to tell them about the visit afterward rather than reject their offers to tag along. Keegan and Phillip were his heart, and the last thing he’d tolerate was anyone speaking unkindly about the two of them.

Victor had spent many years journeying to his parents’ house and listening to their criticisms. For so long, he’d stuck fast to the belief that he owed them because they’d given him life. But they’d never approved of him. So, he had to be careful about the future. If they were unwilling to accept that Phillip and Keegan were an integral part of his life, then Victor was prepared to change to either low or no contact with the Antonovs.

To keep any hurt far from Keegan and Phillip, Victor was confronting the Antonovs with the news of his matebond on his own. Victor swallowed heavily as he took the final turn toward the neighborhood the Antonovs had called home since before he’d ever met the Daemon Lords, Arch Lich, and Lich Sentinel, and they’d invited him to be their housekeeper.

Victor mused that his eighteen-year-old self had had no clue how his life would change after responding to that little ad for the job he took such great pride in. He supposed that if someone had told him he’d be accepted, loved, and embraced as part of a wonderful family, he wouldn’t have believed it. The best part of it for Victor was that now Keegan and Phillip were part of the Darays. It meant everything to Victor to know that his mates were in a nurturing, wonderful environment that would support them no matter what choices they made.

Victor put his car in park and turned off the engine. Gathering his courage, he exited the vehicle. There was no sense in delaying his visit for even a second longer.

Victor went into the small house and heard his mother call out his name. He found her in the kitchen with his father and elder sister, Loria. They were baking something, which didn’t surprise him. Food was always being prepared in the house. It was how Victor had arrived at the Daray condo with the ability to prepare meals. His parents had insisted every child learn the basic tools necessary for their own survival.

“I can’t remember the last time you were here on a weekday,” Loria said, her green gaze shrewd as it locked on Victor’s face. “Aren’t you working today?”

“Yes, but they’re understanding if I need to take care of the occasional personal thing during work hours,” Victor said, taking a seat on a stool. It was silly, but his knees were shaky.

“You work for Council leaders,” his father stated. “The last thing you should do is ask for preferential treatment. They pay for you a job, Victor; you need to give them your best effort no matter what is going on in your personal life.”

“Yeah, why couldn’t you come over this weekend if you wanted to talk?” Loria asked. “You know everyone is here on Sundays, not that you bother to squeeze us onto your calendar that often anymore.”

“What I can’t understand is how you can get any work done with so much paint on your face,” his mother remarked. Since Victor hadn’t wanted to explain where he was going, he’d worn an average amount of make-up, which was far more than he usually applied when he was visiting the Antonovs. “Or why you need to wear it at all.”

“I like it,” Victor replied softly. That was all he planned to say on the topic. There was no use fighting with the Antonovs about his desire to wear make-up. It was a pointless battle. “I thought it’d be easier to talk to you without the entire family around. There is something I need to tell you.”

“Are you in trouble?” Loria asked.

Victor shook his head. “No. I’ve never been in trouble. Why would you assume that?”

“Because you insist on drawing as much attention to yourself as possible,” his sister retorted, her mouth pinched. “Otherwise you wouldn’t wear make-up like a woman or wear clothes that aren’t intended for men.”

Although it was on the tip of Victor’s tongue to argue that his fashion choices and his love for make-up had nothing to do with anything but pleasing himself, he refused to get distracted. He didn’t have all afternoon. The Darays needed dinner, and Victor’s chicken was already marinating.

“I met my mates,” Victor stated firmly.

His father’s eyebrows rose. “Did you say mates ?”

“Yes, I have two.”

Victor’s mother rinsed her hands off in the sink and studied him as she dried them on a dishtowel. “You are not smiling. Fate’s gifts are not a choice, Victor. You have always fought hard against the idea of having children, but that is your purpose in life. We were blessed with the ability to shift. We owe Fate to honor that by bringing more shifters into the world.”

“Both of my mates are men,” Victor said. “Fate gave me Cinder Lord Phillip Osdraconis and Cinder Lord Keegan Hayes as the other parts of my soul.”

“What is a Cinder Lord?” Loria asked.

“A title unique to them,” Victor explained. “It was given to them by the Lich Sentinel.”

“We will meet them,” his father insisted.

Victor blinked. “What?”

“Bring them here,” his father ordered. “You will introduce them to me and your mother.”

Shocked, Victor frowned as he wondered how to respond. He’d expected an immediate repudiation of his announcement, despite their insistence that no one should ignore Fate’s gifts. That only applied to the Antonovs’ thinking if it fit in with their other beliefs. And they did not think Fate paired men together.

“You want me to bring them here?” Victor asked stupidly.

“That is what I said,” his father replied. “You are a dutiful son and will do as you are told.”

“Um, I’ll talk to them and find out if they want to come over,” Victor managed.

“We are family, why would they not wish to visit?” his mother asked.

“I need to get back to the condo,” Victor responded, nearly tripping as he stood. “I have chicken marinating.”

“Go do the job they are paying you to do,” his father said. “We will see you soon.”

Idly wondering if he’d stepped into an alternate universe, Victor waved goodbye and rushed out to his car. The last thing he’d expected was for his parents to react calmly and extend an invitation to their home. But Victor wasn’t convinced the proposed visit was a good idea. The obedient part of him was already demanding he do as his parents had requested.

Perhaps it was foolish, but there was also a sliver of him encouraged by their response. He was their son. Was it possible that they’d honor his matebond? Victor wasn’t sure, and he’d ultimately leave it up to his mates to decide if they wanted to meet the Antonovs.

However, if he brought Phillip and Keegan to the small house he’d just left and anyone insulted them, it’d be the last damn time Victor ever made the trip.

∞∞∞

Still unsettled by his strange afternoon, Victor changed into a pink sleepshirt decorated in kitties wearing tiaras and glanced in the mirror he used to apply his make-up to ensure his hair wasn’t a mess. He smoothed down a stray chunk and walked out of the closet.

“Phillip, there aren’t any wrong answers,” Keegan said.

Apparently sensing Victor’s presence, Keegan turned and smiled at him. The fallen knight was relaxing on the sofa, while Phillip sat in a chair with a tablet in his hands. Since Phillip’s dark gaze was trained on the screen, Victor chose not to distract him from whatever task he was focusing so intently on and headed for Keegan.

Keegan lifted his arm, and Victor snuggled close to his side.

“I want to answer each question to the fullest of my ability. Otherwise, the entire point of this is lost,” Phillip remarked. Lifting his head, Phillip’s eyes swept Victor from head to naked toes. It was so intense, it was nearly a caress. Being close to Keegan and sharing such a potent moment with Phillip sent both man and beast into ecstasy. So much so that Victor’s cat purred loudly in his head. “But Victor is not helping. Actually, neither of you are. I need to consider my responses thoughtfully. Please try to look less enticing for the next few minutes.”

Victor chuckled. “What is our Spicy doing?”

“I created a survey for the sentinels so I can figure out what parts of their map software to optimize for them first,” Keegan replied. “Over the past few days, I feel like I’m getting questions on so many aspects that I’m kinda overwhelmed.”

“Did anyone warn you that I almost broke the law and stole Alaric’s tranquilizer gun to shoot myself when I showed him how to set up things to auto-ship?” Victor asked.

“No, and as my mate, it was your responsibility,” Keegan said.

Laying his head on Keegan’s chest, Victor settled his palm on Keegan’s firm tummy. “To be fair, you didn’t ask.”

“Excuse me, but I’ve learned a lot of stuff about sentinels since I was resurrected,” Keegan retorted. “In fact, I’ve gotten to know one sentinel in particular intimately. We’ve learned a lot of things together, and Phillip has picked them up very fast.”

“Hmm, that’s true,” Victor said, admiring the strong planes of Phillip’s handsome profile. He thought about the hands Phillip was using to hold the tablet and the agility of the fingers dancing across the screen, and how they moved on his body and Keegan’s beautifully freckled one. A rush of warmth had him snuggling closer to his fallen knight. “Phillip is incredible, and like you, he’s mastered everything we’ve done together in bed.”

“So, excuse me if I considered all the amazing things he’s done to me and you when I thought about how quick he’d pick up anything else,” Keegan remarked.

“If you promise to stop talking about anything related to sex until I’m finished with this survey, I will explain to you in explicit detail what I thought about this afternoon to calm myself after I tried to add the latest notes handed to us for the map project,” Phillip promised, his voice slightly huskier than normal.

“Must’ve been a doozy of an idea because he was so pissed I thought he was going to murder his computer,” Keegan muttered.

Victor took pity on Phillip, and although he wanted to spend the rest of the evening flirting with his men, he needed to inform them about his afternoon. “I have a topic to discuss that has nothing to do with the sex we’re definitely having later. But I’ll wait to tell you both until you’ve finished, Phillip.”

“As long as we are not making my dick any harder, we can discuss anything while I take this test,” Phillip promised, aiming a quick smile at Victor and Keegan.

“It’s a survey, not a test, Spicy,” Keegan corrected. He dropped a kiss on Victor’s head. “Tell us what’s on your mind, Sparkles.”

“Okay.” Victor sighed heavily. “I went over to my parents’ house this afternoon to tell them that I met you both. They didn’t say much, but they want to meet you.”

“We would be honored to meet your parents,” Phillip assured him.

“Yeah, we’ll go meet them, Victor. I’m curious to know more about them.”

“Well, don’t get your hopes up that it’s going to be a great experience. I’m worried. They don’t approve of same-sex relationships. I’m afraid they’ll say something ugly in front of you. We’re going to leave if they do. I’m not listening to anyone disparage you guys. I won’t tolerate it.”

“Perhaps they’ll surprise you,” Keegan said. “You’re their son. Maybe their beliefs aren’t the same if it’s their own child.”

“One of the things I adore most about you is your optimism,” Victor replied. “But I’m not fully convinced this is a great idea.”

“It will not hurt us to go and meet your parents,” Phillip commented. “If you prefer we do not, we will honor that, but I hope you will allow us to at least be introduced.”

“Maybe it’s because I want to show you both off a little, but I’m willing to take you over there. It’ll have to wait though. We’re working on getting your office put together this weekend, and next weekend is a D’Vaire one. We can meet the Antonovs in a couple of weeks.”

“It’s so cool that Jeremiah is going to put a mural in our office,” Keegan enthused. “I can’t wait to have Phillip’s dragon and your cat on the wall.”

“Are you kidding? Jeremiah was so excited when I called him,” Victor said. “I had to practically threaten him to get him to stay home and wait until this weekend to get started on the damn thing.”

“I am most looking forward to having an office that offers me the same level of peace and comfort as this room,” Phillip stated.

Delighted with both the men he adored, Victor smiled at Keegan. “How long is that survey you gave him? I want to know what his inventive mind conjured up today.”

“Longer than I should’ve made it because I’m curious too,” Keegan replied.

Victor brushed their lips together. “I forgive you for distracting him.”

“If you start making out or talking about sex, I will never forgive either of you. Let me finish these fucking questions.”

Chuckling at Phillip, Victor pushed his fingers into Keegan’s deep red waves and licked his way into the fallen knight’s mouth as he closed his eyes to fully enjoy the scent of sunflowers. Perhaps what Phillip needed most was incentive to finish the survey. Or the damn survey could wait because what Victor dearly wanted was to peel both his men out of their uniforms and practice everything they’d learned together since their first kiss.