Page 24

K eegan was becoming a regular visitor to D’Vaire. While he couldn’t say he knew the D’Vaires well, he was a growing expert on their expansive backyard. It was the one spot on the planet where Phillip preferred to shift. And since Keegan wanted to go wherever Phillip and Victor were, he happily accompanied the sentinel shifter to D’Vaire to allow the skeletal dragon to spread his wings.

Usually, Keegan was calm on their jaunts to D’Vaire, but this evening Phillip was ready to fly. Keegan knew he shouldn’t be nervous. Phillip couldn’t die like a regular shifter. However, that didn’t mean Keegan was excited about the idea of his mate being ripped apart should something go wrong in midair. Unlike Keegan, both Victor and Phillip were serene.

Victor was smiling as Jeremiah had a last-minute conference with Phillip on the deck behind the D’Vaire mansion. The other Darays had accompanied them for moral support and to watch the flight, but they were inside with the D’Vaires.

“He’s going to be okay,” Victor said, grabbing Keegan’s hand and giving his palm an affectionate squeeze.

Keegan looked down and offered Victor an apologetic glance. “That obvious, huh?”

“Only to me, Sunshine,” Victor replied. “And to Phillip.”

“It’s not that I doubt his abilities; I’m nervous about all the things that could go wrong.”

“Those things happen if the person isn’t bonded well or has too much fear in them to concentrate on what they need to do,” Victor assured him. “Phillip isn’t afraid, and he and his dragon are close now.”

“You’re right. I’m being silly.”

“No, you’re worried about someone you care about. That’s understandable.”

“I’d be annoying you by being the same way if I was resurrected before your first shift,” Keegan said.

“That is a relief to hear,” Phillip remarked as he walked toward them. “I feared you doubted me.”

“Never,” Keegan replied instantly.

“I have an idea that may help,” Jeremiah offered. “Why don’t you go with Phillip on his first flight? You and Victor can hop on his back and soar through the sky with him.”

Keegan’s eyes widened. “Spicy, what do you think? Could we go with you?”

“I would love that,” Phillip said with a big smile, reinforcing his words.

“How would you feel about holding a kitty while Phillip flies?” Victor asked Keegan.

“Sparkles, that’s an awesome idea. That way, you and Phillip can shift together. I won’t drop you, I promise. I’ll hold you tight the entire time we’re up in the air if you want.”

“I trust you.”

“Should I shift first?” Phillip asked.

“Sure, go ahead,” Victor said, grabbing Phillip’s face and planting a fast-but-hard kiss on his mouth. Phillip pressed his lips to Keegan’s with an equal amount of fervor, then stalked off to the changing room to shift into his dragon form.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for Phillip,” Keegan told Jeremiah. “He’s been so calm about this entire process, and I know that’s because of his trust in you.”

“He’s the one who did all the work. All I did was remind him to breathe and stay as connected as possible to his dragon. I have the easy part, but he’s already dealt with the tough stuff. Now he’s enjoying being a shifter and appreciating the gift Fate and Chand gave him. Oh, and being grateful that he has you two.”

“We’re the ones who are grateful to Fate and to you for your help,” Victor said.

“Hey, I love helping shifters. And Phillip has been probably the easiest person I’ve had the pleasure of working with. He’s never been angry that his journey wasn’t easy. From the start, he’s taken things in stride and worked hard. Everything I would expect from a sentinel.”

“Sentinels are incredible,” Victor agreed.

Keegan rolled his eyes. “Unless you put technology in their path.”

“They’re lucky to have a fallen knight devoted to their map project and willing to work so hard to figure out the best method for moving forward without losing his sanity,” Victor replied with a chuckle.

A gorgeous dragon made up of entirely dark gray bones emerged from behind the large office building that sat at the back of the mansion. His tail swung slightly as he moved forward on curved talons toward the deck. The dragon was a stunning mixture of danger and elegance.

“My turn,” Victor enthused as he kissed Keegan’s cheek, then dashed off to shift.

“I’m gonna go inside and invite everyone to come out to watch you guys as soon as you’re up in the air,” Jeremiah said. “Enjoy your flight.”

“Thanks, Jeremiah.”

Once the dragon shifter went into the house, Keegan went to his mate and laid his palm on Phillip’s snout. The smooth bone was warm to the touch.

“You’re so beautiful,” Keegan enthused. He got a dragony grunt in response. Earlier that week, Keegan and Phillip had been informed that the sentinel would be the last person resurrected by Chander with the ability to shift. While a small part of Keegan mourned that no other beasts as glorious as Phillip would be added to the world, he was grateful that no one else would face the struggle his mate had. Thankfully, Phillip had worked through everything with the aid of the Sentinel Brotherhood, and his days of stasis and potions were behind him.

Before Keegan could spend too much time reflecting on the rocky start of Phillip’s life, a small gray cat ran over on four petite legs. With a grin, Keegan picked up the Russian Blue. He chuckled as a rough tongue licked his cheek.

“Okay, now I have to figure out how to get us up on Phillip,” Keegan said, holding Victor close to his body with one arm.

Phillip immediately lowered himself to the ground and laid his wings flat. Keegan stepped around one of the appendages and used a front dragon leg as a staircase of sorts to climb up onto the bones of Phillip’s spine. The dragon was so large that Keegan figured he could balance himself on a vertebra or two between a row of ribs.

To keep Phillip abreast of his plan, Keegan explained everything. Victor hopped out of his hold and sashayed to the spot Keegan had pointed to as his aim. Following Victor, Keegan carefully shuffled forward on his hands and knees up the dragon’s back. For some reason, it was awful to consider leaving boot prints on Phillip’s bones.

Once he was in place, Victor pounced onto his thigh and Keegan tucked him into his arms again.

“Okay, Phillip, I think we’re ready to go,” Keegan announced as he held a purring Victor close. Keegan kept his frame loose as Phillip switched positions to prevent himself from sliding off their mate.

A second later, Keegan’s teeth rattled together. Sand flew into the air thanks to Phillip’s talons as he raced across the ground. It was jarring but also necessary to allow Phillip to gain enough speed to get airborne. Keegan had watched enough of the other D’Vaire dragons flying around on their visits to understand why he was being jostled. He shifted Victor to the crook of his left elbow and braced himself as Phillip flapped his large wings.

His hair lifted off his forehead as the air whooshed past him and they rose above the desert landscape. Although Keegan was no longer being roughly bounced, it was still turbulent thanks to the heavy rising and falling of Phillip’s wide wingspan. But within a minute or two, Phillip steadied and soared gently below the clouds.

It went from near violent to calm so fast Keegan swore his head spun. He grinned as he lifted his chin to best enjoy the sun on his face. From below, he heard cheers and applause thanks to the Darays and D’Vaires spilling out of the house to watch Phillip’s first flight.

Loosening his hold on Victor, Keegan was unprepared for the cat shifter to hop off his lap and saunter along Phillip’s vertebrae. After a little butt wiggle, Victor pounced onto the top of Phillip’s head and settled between two wide horns to enjoy their ride.

Deciding that Victor had a great idea, Keegan stood and tiptoed forward, hoping his boots wouldn’t leave any marks on the gorgeous bones. He flung his arms out to help him balance as he moved close enough to rest his palms on Phillip’s skull. It was far more fun and exciting to fly standing up, Keegan decided. They glided through the air, but Phillip refrained from flapping again.

Instead, they zoomed around in the sunshine as they slowly circled above the mansion and the massive garden Killian the Dwyer and his other half, Drindyr Duke Dravyn D’Vairedraconis, tended to daily. Keegan wished he could name all the flowers and plants below him, but he was no horticulturist. That didn’t stop him from enjoying their beauty as he shared the lovely ride with his mates.

Slowly and gracefully, they descended closer to the spot where their flight had begun. D’Vaires and Darays trudged into the house to give them some privacy. With barely a jolt, Phillip’s talons landed close to the deck, and Keegan patted his head.

“Thank you,” Keegan enthused. “I hope you’ll let me fly with you again.”

Eager to go into detail about the wonderful experience, Keegan hopped off Phillip’s back. Victor jumped down too and meowed at Phillip. In response, Phillip laid his colossal head on the dirt. With an annoyed growl, Victor stalked off toward the changing room.

“You’re going to hear about that, Spicy,” Keegan told the sentinel shifter with a chuckle as he patted a bony wing. “I’m pretty sure he wanted you to shift first.”

A few short minutes later, Victor reappeared in bright blue shorts. “Next time, we’ll have to agree beforehand about who shifts first.”

“Told you,” Keegan said. Phillip trotted off on his sturdy legs as Victor rose up to kiss Keegan. “How cool was that?”

“I loved it. We’re definitely doing that again.”

“Yep. I had so much fun.”

“I wonder why everyone went inside though; they could’ve stayed out here. There’s a changing room to give us privacy.”

Keegan shrugged as Victor laced their fingers together. “I don’t know, but it gives me the opportunity to shower Phillip with praise for a minute before we have to share him with everyone.”

“I bet Teverild has some awesome pictures of us.”

“We’ll have to add at least one to our bedroom…oh, and our offices.”

The sound of Phillip’s boots crunching across the dirt had Keegan turning toward their mate with a smile, but it died at the stony expression on the sentinel’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Victor asked.

“We should have discussed safety,” Phillip stated. The muscle of his jaw flexed as he narrowed his eyes at Keegan. “Why would you stand up? Have you lost your mind? What if you had fallen?”

“Victor stood and ran off, so—”

“Victor is a cat,” Phillip gritted out. “Physics apply much differently to him when he is in cat form, unlike your human frame.”

“Phillip, I’m a fallen knight. I can’t die from a fall. Nothing can kill me.”

“Will you next try to argue that you cannot be hurt?” Phillip demanded, his gray gaze furious. “Because you are deluding yourself if you think that having your every bone broken and your organs liquefied won’t be painful.”

“I was leaning on your head; I wasn’t even balanced on my own two feet. I’m okay, Phillip.”

“Go give him a hug and assure him you’re fine,” Victor instructed softly.

Keegan wasn’t sure if Victor was encouraging him or Phillip to offer the hug, but he ran forward and was crushed in the sentinel’s strong embrace. A pair of slender arms cocooned him closer to Phillip, and Keegan closed his eyes to better enjoy the feel of both his mates.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you,” Keegan murmured.

“I did not mean to yell at you. My dragon panicked. He insisted we get to the ground slow and as steady as possible so you would not be hurt.”

“Is that why you didn’t flap your wings again after we were airborne?” Keegan asked, soothing Phillip by massaging his back.

“He was paralyzed with fear.”

“Next time, I’ll stay seated. I mean, I hope you’ll still let me fly with you because it was one of the best experiences of my life.”

“I loved it. My dragon loved having you both there. Right up until you followed Victor up my spine.”

Keegan kissed Phillip’s cheek and shifted so he could better hug both his men. “Sorry.”

“Normally, I would admonish you for apologizing, but I think my dragon needed to hear that. I wish I had not reacted with such anger, but my dragon—”

“Is a very strong dragon that we all love, so don’t worry about it, Spicy. We’re good.”

“Hold on to me for a minute longer. Then I really need a beer.”

With a chuckle, Keegan smiled. “And we really need to get a peek at whatever pictures Teverild took.”

“I think I will pass for tonight,” Phillip said. “My dragon may erupt into fear again if you are standing in any of them.”

Feeling terrible for the anxiety he’d caused Phillip’s dragon, Keegan brushed their lips together. “You relax with your beer, and we’ll make sure you only see pictures where I’m sitting and holding Victor.”

“I am glad you both flew with me,” Phillip said. “I want you to know that. It was a lovely experience, and I am happy you wished to share it with me.”

“Anytime, Spicy. Anytime.”

But on the next occasion, Keegan would keep his ass firmly on Phillip’s spine and refuse any temptation to stand up. The last thing Keegan wanted to do was upset Phillip or his dragon.