Page 6 of Distinctly Daray (D’Vaire, #43)

K eegan had thanked Fate profusely for bringing him a mate—especially so soon after his resurrection. But being enormously grateful did nothing to calm his nerves when he was with Phillip. He wasn’t scared of his beast, thanks to Phillip’s honesty. The moment things started to spiral out of control, he’d get the Arch Lich and go into stasis.

There would be no random shifts because Phillip and the team around him would not allow it. What made Keegan uncomfortable was a mystery. Phillip was kind, thoughtful, and willing to learn the games Keegan now brought with him on his visits to his dorm. They did their best to keep the conversation going.

But it was as if something was missing. Keegan winced. Thinking that way was awful, but Keegan couldn’t help it. Perhaps it was Keegan’s guilt about their different paths. Keegan was dominating the fallen knights in his classes, and he strived to work harder each day. But poor Phillip was left to entertain himself with textbooks.

As a sentinel, Phillip trained with his people, but he had to take a potion to keep his beast from roaring to life in the middle of an expert whip of his dagger. Keegan hated that his life was barreling toward a successful future while Phillip remained sleeping longer than he was awake.

What did it mean for the future? Would Keegan graduate and continue to visit his mate for an hour or two a day with a sorcerer outside the room to put Phillip in stasis? Keegan knew the sorcerers were working hard to create stronger potions for Phillip, but things had grown progressively more difficult.

Phillip had admitted that his beast was protective of Keegan, and it was making it harder to control him. Keegan didn’t want to be any part of the reason Phillip was struggling. But he’d learned not to voice his guilt or apologize any longer. It agitated Phillip, and Keegan didn’t want to upset his mate.

With a heavy sigh and his heart aching for Phillip’s difficulties, Keegan checked his watch and confirmed that his allotted time to be with his other half was nearing. Keegan closed the textbook he’d long ago memorized and thrust a hand through his thick waves to ensure no stray hairs were sticking up.

Keegan made the short walk toward Phillip’s dorm and greeted the Arch Lich and Lich Sentinel. They were getting comfortable in a pair of seats outside Phillip’s room. Keegan’s presence made Phillip’s dragon so mercurial it wasn’t safe for anyone to put any further distance between Phillip and a sorcerer capable of putting him in deep stasis.

Phillip pulled open the door, and Keegan smiled. One of the coolest things about Phillip’s dragon was his ability to know that Keegan was in the hall without him even having to knock to alert the sentinel to his presence.

“Please come in,” Phillip invited, stepping aside to allow Keegan to enter.

Keegan planted himself in the chair at the small round table someone had added to Phillip’s space so they could play games. “How was your day?”

With alacrity, Phillip sat across from Keegan. “I trained, so it was enjoyable.”

“I meant to ask, why is the poison on your daggers different from the other sentinels’?”

Phillip’s charcoal gaze was carefully blank. “Chand has tested it and found it to be more intense than the green. Death would be instant.”

Surprise had Keegan’s eyes bugging. “Okay, then what does the black poison do? I assume it’s stronger than yours since your leaders have it.”

“Their daggers differ because they are the rulers of the Sentinel Brotherhood,” Phillip stated carefully. “While we are on the subject of the Darays, Sam extended an invitation today. He was wondering if we wanted to have dinner at their condo. Everyone is so kind, they want to give me whatever changes of scenery they can.”

“Wow. An invitation to dine with the Darays? I’m overwhelmed.”

“You do not wish to go?”

“Oh no, I didn’t say that,” Keegan rushed out. His face flushed and his armpits grew damp with nervous sweat as they usually did around Phillip. This time Keegan could excuse it somewhat. He’d stuck his foot in his mouth, and the last thing he wanted was to miss out on an opportunity to accept such an invitation, but he had to be honest too. Phillip was the guest of honor, not him. “It’s an incredible privilege to be asked. They don’t have to invite me though—I’m not a sentinel. I don’t want to impose on their family.”

“Their family has fallen knights in it, Keegan. I do not believe they would have invited us if they did not wish us to accept.”

“So, you want to go?” Keegan asked, dearly hoping Phillip was on board. Not in his wildest dreams had Keegan thought he’d have an opportunity to go to the home of the man who’d resurrected him. Not to mention everyone else in the esteemed Daray family.

“Yes, but I understand if you would prefer to skip it.”

“No way, I’d love to go with you.” Keegan grinned. “Do you think we can talk them into playing a board game with us? We’re getting good at them.”

Phillip smiled, and Keegan loved the way it lit up his dark eyes. “We have only been playing for a few days. I would hardly consider us experts.”

“Says the man who consistently beats me.”

“I think sometimes you make choices in our game that allow me to get an advantage.”

“I wish I was that smart.”

“Keegan, you remain in the lead for test scores. No one in this building questions your intelligence.”

Keegan shrugged as he glowed internally with pride at impressing his superiors and, more importantly, Phillip. “I enjoy pushing myself. But seriously, you’re smarter than me. That’s why you keep winning.”

“I believe we are of equal intelligence.”

“Well, you’re wrong,” Keegan replied.

Phillip’s sexy grin flashed. “Sentinels are rarely wrong.”

“You sound like the Lich Sentinel. He says that whenever we’re training with him.”

“I can hardly refute my leader.”

“Or you’re as arrogant as he is.”

“That could be the case, but I do not mind if I am.”

Keegan chuckled. “At least you’re honest. Should we pick a game and see if I can squeak by with a win tonight?”

“Can I ask you something first?”

“I know our matebond is unconventional, but I don’t want barriers between us. Ask me whatever you want.”

“Why do you think we are still awkward around each other?”

Pressing his lips together, Keegan shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“At first, I believed it was me because I am struggling with my dragon, but we are not like other mates. I do not know what to say to you most nights, even while we are playing games.”

“To be fair, we haven’t known each other long. But I know what you mean.”

“Do you feel this way around others? Is it nervousness because our acquaintance is short?”

Keegan sighed. “I want to be honest with you. No. I’m only nervous around you. But it’s not because of your dragon. I trust that you know when you need to be put in stasis. I was actually thinking about it before I came over tonight. I don’t know what’s wrong. And personally, I don’t like it. You’re my gift from Fate.”

“I have thought about it too. As you know, I have a great deal of time on my hands without classes to distract me. I hate to admit this, but it…it is almost as if a piece is missing somehow. Today I wondered if it could be something neither of us has discussed yet.”

Relieved that Keegan wasn’t alone in his feelings about the weirdness between them, he smiled. “You have an idea about what is causing me to still be sitting here shuffling my feet and wishing I wasn’t sweating? Start talking, Phillip. I want to figure this out. I thank Fate for this matebond, and I want us to move past this awkward stage as soon as we can.”

“I do not know if my conclusion will aid us in dealing with our anxiety, but I cannot help but think of the only other shifter raised from the dead. Sam’s dragon grew more unruly because he was obsessed with Brynn. The beast was also missing his own mate. Brynn’s wyvern had been left behind beyond the veil. What if you were also a shifter and my beast is yearning for his other half?”

Dumbstruck, Keegan leaned back in his chair and tried to remain calm enough to examine Phillip’s theory intelligently. A voice immediately filled his head with excitement about becoming a shifter himself someday. That was what had happened with Skeleton Lord Brynnius. The Arch Lich had shadow walked, and with the aid of the spirit of Brynnius’s brother, the sentinel was reunited with his wyvern.

Keegan had been fascinated by both shifters and sorcerers immediately upon his resurrection, but his interest had grown for dragons the moment he met Phillip. Although it wasn’t safe yet for Phillip to fly, Keegan wondered what it’d be like to soar through the sky. As his mate, Keegan hoped someday he’d get to plant himself on Phillip’s boney spine and feel the wind rush through his hair.

Now, Phillip was calmly suggesting that Keegan may have once transformed into a beast all on his own.

“Has my theory offended you?” Phillip asked softly.

“Absolutely not,” Keegan answered immediately. “Sorry, I’m trying to think about it, but I’m freaking out. I don’t mean that in a bad way. I love shifters. What if I was one? I don’t know how to wrap my head around that. I love the idea too much. Have you asked the Arch Lich about the possibility?”

“No, I did not want to sound foolish.”

“Why would that be foolish? That’s exactly what happened last time.”

“Which is why my spell was different,” Phillip said. “With the aid of the other members of Sorcery D’Vaire, Chand rewrote the spell he used for Sam.”

Sorcery D’Vaire was a renowned think-tank of the most accomplished sorcerers and shifters in the Council. Together, the group had changed history, and although they were a humble lot that didn’t advertise their ongoing projects, Keegan kept abreast of the news and already understood how fascinated the world was by Sorcery D’Vaire.

“Unlike last time,” Phillip continued, “the version used for me was supposed to wipe the memory of my beast so that if my mate had been a shifter before, neither man nor dragon would know the difference.”

Deflated, Keegan sighed. So much for being a shifter. “Oh.”

“But I cannot communicate with my beast directly, and his unruliness has increased since we met. What if they were unsuccessful? What if he is yearning for his other half? But how do I approach a sorcerer like Chand and ask him if his spell did not function as he intended?”

“Good point, that would be even more awkward than us,” Keegan teased.

“Yes, but if that is indeed the issue, I cannot remain silent. I owe it to my beast to discover if there is a way to resolve the problem.”

“That’s true. So, when are you going to talk to Chand?”

“I am not sure.”

“We are awkward together, so I’m not sure if I can help you relax, but I’ll be at your side for that conversation if you want me to be.”

Phillip smiled. “I would appreciate a friend at my side.” His gray gaze hit the table. “I hope I did not offend you by calling you that. We are mates, I know, but I would like to be your friend too.”

“We’re definitely friends. Someday we’ll be best friends. I think that’s important for mates.”

“Thank you.”

Keegan’s brow creased. “What are you thanking me for?”

“For offering to aid me with your presence.”

“Sorry it’s not a calming one.”

“Stop apologizing.”

Keegan laughed. “It’s so hard not to respond immediately with an apology.” He breathed in deeply and shoved aside his automatic desire to say he was sorry again. “Okay, when are we going to talk to the Arch Lich?”

“Perhaps we should accept the invitation to dine with him before I insult him.”

“Just throwing this out there, but do you think we can arrange to have this conversation without your leader around? I know undead guys are supposed to be incorruptible, but I don’t want to find out if sentinels can actually murder fallen knights.”

“I already thought it would be good to speak to Chand alone.”

“See, I told you that you were brilliant.”

“As are you.”

“Okay, let’s play a game or I might find a reason to apologize for something.”

“Like what?” Phillip asked, his expression confused.

Keegan laughed. “With me, you never know.”

Content that their evening had been the best so far, Keegan grabbed a box and, with the aid of Phillip, started setting up a game. He had to believe that somehow, someway, they would build a strong friendship and move past their awkwardness to honor the matebond Fate had promised them.

In the meantime, Keegan would do his best not to fantasize about turning into a shifter. Being raised from the dead was enough of a cool factor for him, and luckily, his other half could fly, so Keegan too would soar one day.