Page 36 of D’Vaire or Nothing (D’Vaire #44)

R acing through the resort at a near run for the elevator, Bard Ashby D’Vaire greeted the family members he passed swiftly and breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator doors closed so he could get up to his room.

There was no way he could’ve expected to have a fantastic meal at the swanky King of Clubs restaurant and waltz into a garden afterward to find his mate.

Seltivare was beautiful. His wide upturned eyes were the brilliant azure of Royal Family Blue sweet peas.

That made sense to Ashby since the elf’s multi-faceted aroma of delicate floral notes and romantic honey was also a match to the gorgeous sweet pea flowers.

The short layers of hair that hung slightly in the delicate high-cheekboned face of his mate were black.

It suited Ashby, whose royal family crest included the colors black and blue.

Once alone in his suite, Ashby rested his head in his hands and breathed out slowly.

For years, he’d wanted to find his other half.

But the reality of an immediate matebond ceremony and building a life with someone was daunting.

It wasn’t intimidating enough for Ashby to wish that he hadn’t met Seltivare or to keep the hybrid from tackling his future with every ounce of determination in his soul.

Ashby was surrounded by happy couples, and he damn well wanted to be one of them.

Which meant he had to learn everything he could about Seltivare Tristis.

Ashby grinned as he sat up straight. That wasn’t a hardship.

Curiosity was consuming Ashby as the shock flittered away.

What did Seltivare like? How large was his family?

Swallowing thickly, Ashby groaned aloud.

Would Seltivare be willing to live at D’Vaire, or would Ashby have to pack his bags to leave the first place that had ever felt like home?

Ashby’s earliest memories were absent-minded kisses from his parents as they left him at the home of a stranger.

They loved to travel and refused to allow their only child to impede their desire to meet new people and traverse unknown lands.

In his teens, they had disappeared and never returned.

Sadly, Ashby hadn’t known them well enough to miss them much.

He was left with what could have been instead of what was and thrown into the hands of the former jaguar leader, Alpha Barstow Panthera.

The man was a lout and insisted Ashby work himself to the bone to afford a high-rent apartment.

It wasn’t because he wanted Ashby to have a lovely home. Barstow believed he could appeal to the druids and have them reimburse him for the steep cost. Not that Barstow would’ve given Ashby a cent if his nefarious plot had worked.

In those days, the ruler of the druids was Killian’s sister, Aloisa.

She was no better a leader than Barstow.

The pair had engaged in a long legal battle with Ashby caught in the middle.

Eventually, he was forced to leave the jaguars and join the Circle of Druids.

Aloisa refused Ashby sanctuary and forbade him to join the company Dérive.

Founded by Killian under the guise of a man named Ghost, Dérive hired every druid they could and provided travel services for anyone willing to pay for a teleportation spell.

Ashby wasn’t a powerful druid who could spend hours a day casting group teleportation spells, and he hadn’t completed school thanks to his demanding work schedule.

In a moment of desperation thanks to his lack of options, he’d applied to the lone multi-race sanctuary, Dra’Kaedan’s Coven.

It had changed him in the best ways. Killian had already been living there and hired Ashby to work directly for himself and his vice president, Sorrel.

Ashby had finished school while learning the ropes of the company and made a good friend of Sorrel.

But most importantly, Ashby had gained a loving family that supported him, protected him, and brightened every aspect of his world.

As a D’Vaire, Ashby had gained purpose, deepened his love for growing flowers, and lived out his dreams. Every wish but one. He’d wanted his mate. And now Fate had delivered the ethereal Seltivare. All Ashby had to do was dive in immediately to tie his soul to the elf and hope for the best.

Frightened, Ashby stood and paced across his hotel room.

It was tempting to teleport home to his tree and tend his garden, but it was a rare treat for him to spend a weekend in Vegas.

Plus, Grand Duke Brogan D’Vairedraconis would lose his mind if there was a lone D’Vaire at the estate without proper guards, despite their home being fortified by thick waves of impenetrable magic.

Ashby wasn’t normally a restless soul. But he kept a steady track through his opulent black, red, and white room as the minutes ticked by.

He peeled off his jacket, shucked his tie, and lost his shoes.

Walking in the same circuit around the furniture, Ashby muttered as the idea of leaving D’Vaire festered in his brain.

Outside his room was a large common space for himself and the other members of his family sharing the enormous suite, and he heard people coming and going.

He hoped everyone was having a wonderful evening at the resort.

They deserved it. Would Ashby be forced to catch up with the current events in their lives on occasional visits and with random calls or texts?

His phone rang, and Ashby nearly ignored it, but it would be an escape from the horrifying scenarios plaguing his mind.

“Hello.”

“Hello, is this Bard Ashby D’Vaire?”

“Yes, who is this?” Ashby asked curtly, wondering why some stranger was calling him late on a Friday night.

“My name is Seltivare Tristis, we met earlier.”

Although Ashby was unnerved by the prospect of his newly uncertain future, a spurt of joy burst through his terror. He’d been foolish to forget for even a second that Seltivare was supposed to phone him. His smile formed.

“Hi, Selti. Call me Ashby, remember?”

“Yes, but it’s the first time I’ve called, so I was worried I might have the wrong number.” There was some noise in the background, and Ashby heard someone speaking but couldn’t make out the words.

“It’s the right number, and I’m glad to hear from you.”

“Would you shut up?” Seltivare hissed.

Taken aback, Ashby blinked heavily at Seltivare’s sudden outburst. “I’m sorry?”

“Shit, not you. Sorry, I have a twin brother, and for some stupid reason I told him we met, and now he won’t leave me alone. I’ll ask him what I want, Mavi!”

Pleased to know he hadn’t inadvertently done anything to anger Seltivare, Ashby chuckled. “Do you have any other siblings?”

“If Mavizare doesn’t stop bothering me, I’m going to be an only child in a second.”

“I’ll take that as a no.”

“Do you have brothers or sisters?”

“No.”

“Lucky you, having a twin brother is annoying. Thank Fate he sat on his bed and shut his mouth. I was about ready to forget I was thirty and kick his shin.”

It was nice to know their ages weren’t too far off. Ashby had joined D’Vaire at age twenty-two and spent the last two and a half decades as part of the best family on the planet.

“Do you two live alone?”

“No, we live with our parents. But they’re selling our house. We’ve been here our whole lives. They haven’t even found a new place yet. I guess we should start discussing the stuff for our matebond ceremony or Mavi is going to start blabbing again.”

Ashby knew immediately where he aspired to tie his soul to Seltivare’s, and he wanted everyone they both loved in attendance. Which was why Ashby winced.

“It just hit me that my entire family is on vacation until Monday. My thought was to have it at my home in Arizona with my family and yours, but I guess we’ll have to do something smaller so we can have it this weekend.”

“Is that what you want? To have it at your house?”

“It’s okay, I respect your traditions.”

“Okay, Ashby, listen. I know your impression of Mavi so far is of an annoying, immature brat, and he mostly is. I probably am too, but he’s also my twin.

My best friend. He’ll keep a secret for me.

I haven’t told my parents yet that we met.

They’re already in bed. If I wait a couple of days, we can still have our ceremony how you dreamed.

Traditions will be followed, and we’ll both get what we want.

Matebonds are supposed to be about compromise, right?

That’s what my mom says anyway when she tries to talk my dad into doing something. ”

It sounded like a glorious solution to Ashby, but it was also a lie.

“I don’t know how I feel about starting our relationship by being dishonest to your parents. Elven traditions are sacred, right? If they discovered the truth, wouldn’t they be angry?”

“What do you want , Mavi?”

A scuffle or something ensued, and Ashby wasn’t sure what was happening, but he was amused by the brothers fighting in a strange mix of Modern Elvish with English curse words thrown in.

“Hi, Ashby.”

“Hi, Selti.”

“No, it’s Mavi. Voices are the same. We’re identical twins.

Listen, because Selti is trying to grab the phone.

I think my brother is wrong. We should tell my mom.

All she wants is for us to be happy. They’re selling their business to force us to go out into the world.

Selti and I…well, we have each other and don’t really need other friends.

But my mom mostly wants us to find our mates.

She’ll be so excited; she won’t care if things are delayed by a day or two. Ow .”

“Hello?” asked a breathless voice Ashby assumed was Seltivare’s.

“What do you think of Mavi’s idea of telling your parents?”

“Mavi! Mavi, get back here. Mavi, they’re sleeping!” Seltivare sighed heavily into the phone. “Doesn’t matter what I think because my brother is a jerk and is waking them up.”