Page 7

I t was rare for the Darays to have new guests at the condo, which was why Victor was in a flurry as he cooked. Invitations were doled out to people in their extended D’Vaire family regularly, but with so many protective sentinels, fallen knights, and reapers living there, Victor couldn’t recall the last time someone unrelated to their tight clan had arrived at their home.

Victor was happy Alaric and Chander had asked the pair of recruits to dine with them. Every Daray was concerned about the new shifting sentinel and wanted to support Phillip and his newly found mate, Keegan. So, it was vital to Victor that he provide a tasty meal for the men.

Thankfully, there were culinary experts aplenty among the D’Vaires, including a famous chef/author, and Victor had all of Henry Gennevios’s cookbooks. He’d spent an hour poring through recipes and putting together his menu. It’d taken far longer than usual, but he hadn’t left the grocery store until he had every ingredient. Too often he forgot something and had to make a return trip.

Like Victor, Brynn wanted to ensure Phillip and Keegan ate well, so he’d baked up some special cupcakes for everyone. With Brynn’s undisputed gift in the kitchen, Victor was already looking forward to dessert. However, before anyone could devour Brynn’s treats, Victor had to fill their bellies.

His choice had ultimately been beef bourguignon. It was a favorite of Henry’s brother, and Victor had experience with the recipe, so that gave him confidence. Beef bourguignon was also hearty and could be easily packed up to be reheated if Phillip’s dragon forced them to cut the night short.

In fact, Victor hoped to send whatever was left of the meal with both Phillip and Keegan. Although Victor couldn’t cast a spell or produce a potion to aid Phillip, he could provide a fellow shifter with some delicious food. It might not be much, but Victor wanted to help however he could.

He’d opted to pair his beef bourguignon with dinner rolls, a fresh salad, and green beans in a balsamic sauce. To ensure the two Darays who had to eat a traditional elven meatless diet had plenty to devour, Victor had added a plate of fruits and cheeses. Thankfully, Victor’s family was aiding him in beautifully setting their round dining table.

Victor handed the salad to Baxter to carry and chuckled at the predictable scowl from the Arch Lich at the sight of vegetables. Alaric would insist Chander take some salad, but it’d be a miracle if the imp-necromancer put any of it in his mouth.

“Dra’Kaedan is ready to teleport Phillip and Keegan,” Alaric told his mate. “He and Brogan will be here momentarily.”

“I’m ready when they are,” Chander replied.

The doorbell reverberated through their large living area decorated in a stunning mixture of chocolate brown and teal, and Alaric let in Grand Warlock Dra’Kaedan D’Vaire and his other half, Grand Duke Brogan D’Vairedraconis. The short blond sorcerer was dressed casually in jeans and a shirt advertising the sanctuary bearing his name, while his dragon-shifting mate had chosen a plain tee to pair with his denim.

Dra’Kaedan had been recruited to help get Phillip and Keegan to dinner swiftly since warlocks could cast group teleportation spells. Although Keegan and Phillip could teleport themselves, Alaric and Chander had decided it was polite to take them to an unknown destination together. Faster too, since they’d arrive directly inside. The less time wasted, the better. They couldn’t have a prolonged evening given how precarious Phillip’s relationship with his dragon was, so Victor wanted to be ready to serve soon after the arrival of Phillip and Keegan.

Victor took a moment to greet Dra’Kaedan and Brogan with hugs, then rushed to pop his rolls into the oven to ensure they would be warm for their meal.

“Sam, are you coming with us?” Alaric asked.

Samson shook his head and wrapped his arms around Brynnius. The sentinel immediately leaned into Samson, and Victor’s romantic heart sighed in pleasure at the magnificent love the men shared. “No, I don’t think we need to take a big party to pick them up.”

Alaric nodded. “We will return shortly with our dinner guests.”

Seconds later, Dra’Kaedan cast a teleportation spell, and he, Alaric, Chander, and Brogan disappeared.

“Victor, need any help?” Samson asked.

“Can someone hold the serving dishes so I can pour the beef bourguignon into them?”

“How about you hold the dishes and I’ll pour?” Brynnius insisted, bustling over to assist Victor.

“Whatever you think is best,” Victor relented, knowing everyone in his household did everything possible to make his life easier.

Victor grabbed the first of the two serving bowls he’d opted to split the beef bourguignon into to get everyone fed as rapidly as possible and held it steady as Brynnius poured in the piping-hot stew. It was barely full when Brynnius halted, and Samson plucked the dish from Victor’s grasp.

It was tempting to roll his eyes at the overzealous Venerable Knight, but Victor grabbed the other serving dish and allowed Brynnius to empty the last of his pot into it.

“Start pouring drinks for everyone,” Victor ordered the men in his family. No one argued, and soon Benton had popped open a bottle of red wine. Baxter whipped open a cabinet and grabbed goblets that he handed to Arvandus.

Preoccupied with ensuring drinks were being dispensed and that he’d forgotten nothing, Victor barely noted the shift in the air as a teleportation circle brought six men into the condo. That was until his dick grew hard and the scents of sunflowers and spicy cinnamon overwhelmed his senses. His head whipped to the side. A black-haired sentinel with wide, dark gray eyes stared at him. At his side was a redhead with pretty waves and a stunning brown gaze. The fallen knight’s mouth hung open, but it made him no less handsome.

“Victor!” Samson shouted, grabbing the dish from his hands.

Victor wanted to apologize for nearly dropping the big bowl of stew onto the floor, but he was far too overwhelmed for words. His heart pounded erratically, and he heard nothing but the rush of his own blood as he and his cat tried to process the past few seconds.

Mates.

Somehow, Fate had brought Victor the other half—strike that, the other pieces—of his soul. Victor had two mates. He trembled, and sweat dripped down his back. Thankfully, due to their large audience, his erection was wilting, but the scents of his mates had barely receded. Their expressions hadn’t changed either. They continued to gawk at him.

To call the moment awkward was an understatement of titanic proportions.

“Victor,” Chander said, moving close to him and laying a hand on his shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Blinking heavily and nearly smiling at the way his cat purred and pranced through his mind, Victor managed a shake of his head.

“What is going on?” Alaric asked.

The sentinel with the messy dark hair briefly flicked his gaze from Victor to Alaric. “I believe Keegan and I have found a missing piece of ourselves.”

Keegan’s mouth snapped shut, and he glanced at Phillip. “You’re right. This must be at least one of the reasons we’re so weird around each other. We needed a cat shifter.”

Neither Victor nor his Russian Blue liked hearing about any struggle his mates were enduring, and he was sadly reminded that the only reason he was meeting Phillip and Keegan was because the Darays wanted to ease the troubles Phillip had faced since his resurrection.

“Cat shifter?” Baxter asked. “What does that mean?”

Victor raised his hand slightly. “Me. I’m the cat shifter they’re talking about.”

“What do you guys want with Victor?” Baxter demanded.

Knowing that the overprotective men in his family would soon swarm the newcomers with questioning and accusatory stares, Victor pulled himself together and approached the pair he hoped would be part of his future. His concern first went to Phillip.

Victor ignored everyone but his mates.

“Hi, I’m Victor,” he told Phillip and Keegan with a small smile. At five-foot-five, Victor had to glance up. Keegan was probably a handful of inches taller than Victor, and Phillip had a few inches on the fallen knight. “How’s your dragon doing, Phillip?”

“My dragon is handling everything well thus far. I believe he is like me and relieved to know Keegan and I have found you. At my resurrection, the first smell I registered was of coffee. It soothed me. That is what you smell like to me.”

“Same,” Keegan said, a grin lighting up his big brown eyes. “It’s a comforting scent to me too, and I basically can’t live without at least a few cups of it a day. What do we smell like, Victor? Wait, did I say how wonderful it is to meet you?”

“Neither of us did, I am afraid,” Phillip lamented. “This is such a momentous day; words are failing me.”

“That’s okay, my mind is reeling too,” Victor assured them both. With closer proximity and his senses returning somewhat to normal, Victor was finally able to differentiate between the scents of the two men. Phillip smelled like cinnamon, while the floral scent of sunflowers clung to Keegan, which he explained.

“He is a floral scent to me too, but I could not place the flower,” Phillip remarked.

“Will someone please explain to me what is going on right now?” Baxter exclaimed.

“Dude, seriously,” Dra’Kaedan drawled. “They’re mates. How did you not figure that out?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t randomly have conversations about scents,” Baxter retorted. “It didn’t click in mind…wait! Mates. A triple matebond? Another sentinel with two mates? This is incredible.”

Brogan chuckled. “I guess Alaric is adding another fallen knight to the condo, whether he likes it or not.”

“At least Fate listened and gave Victor a sentinel mate,” Baxter said.

“And a fallen knight,” Samson commented with a frown for the Daemon Lord. “I doubt either Phillip or Victor appreciate you pretending like Keegan isn’t standing right there.”

“This is, of course, wonderful news,” Alaric stated.

Wondering at the flatness of Alaric’s voice, Victor glanced at him, but his face was an expressionless mask. At his side, Chander’s pewter gaze was filled with wonder. Even the tiny goblins Chander had summoned for Alaric—Rogue and Pizza—were oddly solemn.

Victor bowed his head briefly as he immediately understood the lack of joy. Not only was Phillip currently locked in a struggle with an unruly dragon, but statistically triple matebonds had a less than fifty percent chance of succeeding. That should have frightened Victor or given him pause, but confidence radiated through him. His cat believed in their success.

Victor’s beast was drawn toward Keegan and Phillip equally. It was up to Victor to do his part to honor the bonds Fate had granted him. He wasn’t sure why, but Victor refused to accept a smidgen of doubt. They would succeed. He was sure of it.

Shifting his attention back to the two gorgeous men towering above him, Victor grinned at the pair. Keegan immediately flashed him a smile that was like sunshine breaking through the clouds on a rainy day. Next to him, Phillip’s mouth lifted in a much more measured curl of lips, but it was no less enchanting.

Victor clapped his hands together. “Okay, everyone, grab a seat at the table and let’s get dinner going. Phillip’s time is limited, and we don’t want to upset his dragon.”

“Dra’Kaedan and Brogan need to go home first because it would be rude to eat in front of them,” Albrecht insisted.

The Grand Warlock rushed over and hugged Victor tight.

“Congratulations,” Dra’Kaedan enthused. “Congratulations to all three of you. And don’t worry, I’ll keep this quiet until you’re ready to announce your news.”

“I do not wish to keep it a secret, Grand Warlock,” Phillip replied. “Unless, of course, Keegan and Victor disagree.”

“I’m good with telling anyone,” Keegan commented quickly.

Both cat and man were excited at the enthusiasm of their mates, so Victor was nearly weeping happy tears.

“You can announce it to the whole family if you like,” Victor assured Dra’Kaedan as Brogan pushed his way past his mate to offer Victor a hearty embrace.

“Congratulations,” Brogan echoed. “I know some men in a couple of triple matebonds that would love to offer their support, so I’m glad we can share your news.”

“We all know them,” Dra’Kaedan drawled. “They’re family. Victor can call them up whenever he wants.”

Brogan rolled his eyes. “Let’s go home.”

They shimmered from view seconds later.

“Phillip. Keegan. Grab whatever seat you want,” Victor ordered, idly wondering if his dinner rolls were burned as he bustled into the kitchen.

“Can we leave a seat between us for you, Victor?” Keegan asked.

Victor flashed a smile at the fallen knight. “If it’s okay with you, I’d prefer Phillip in the middle.”

“Perfect idea,” Keegan responded.

The Darays finally cranked into motion, and Victor tried in vain not to notice the way no one had congratulated them but the visiting D’Vaires. Perhaps the shock needed to fade a bit before everyone would be able to remember that the last sentinel to find himself in a triple matebond had succeeded in binding himself lovingly to his elf and enchanter. While he was no sentinel himself, Victor was a determined man, and he would honor Fate—no matter how long it took or what obstacles were thrown in his way.