Page 40 of D’Vaire or Nothing (D’Vaire #44)

H ours after his matebond ceremony, Ashby was still adjusting to the slightly annoying chain around his neck.

But that was his lone complaint. Seltivare had remained at his side as they ate, laughed at the sulking Grand Warlock as Ashby devoured a cupcake, and discussed a variety of topics with the elf’s family.

To the delight of every D’Vaire present, Zolilara and Vateltir had expressed a great interest in the sanctuary.

Once they’d learned there was a second sanctuary created specifically for elves, their excitement had grown.

Ashby had immediately suggested a trip over to the large house guarded by a magical dome similar to the one currently above his head.

In the morning, Seltivare’s entire family would be joining Ashby and several D’Vaires to tour the sanctuary.

Ashby was excited about the trip. But it paled in comparison to his enthusiasm for his current plans.

“Are you ready to go outside?” Ashby asked Seltivare.

Following the ceremony, Ashby had switched to jeans and Seltivare had been forced to go to his brother’s room to change into a less formal elven tunic and pants.

Mavizare hadn’t known where to take his twin’s luggage, but Ashby had remedied that issue.

Seltivare’s suitcase was now in the suite they shared.

“Yes, but I don’t know where our room is so I can put on my shoes,” Seltivare replied.

Swallowing thickly as he tried to clear his mind of exploring every inch of the beautiful elf with the slight frown on his elegant face, Ashby smiled and hoped it wasn’t too lecherous.

“I’m barefoot. We’ll be fine. I can use some magic to get rid of any dirt if you’re worried about tracking it into the house. ”

Seltivare grabbed the back door and swung it open. “Good, I’m not a fan of shoes.”

With a chuckle, Ashby followed his mate outside.

The sorcerers had slightly illuminated the garden at his request, and Ashby was grateful.

He’d diligently stretched his magic as much as possible through the years, but his well remained small.

The garden was the opposite, and Ashby would’ve exhausted himself trying to keep it bright enough that Seltivare could explore to his heart’s content.

“Can we start with Dravyn and Killian’s garden?” Seltivare asked. “I want to save the best for last.”

The elf was so sweet that Ashby’s heart sighed with joy. It suited a man who smelled like sweet peas. “We call it Dravyn’s garden. Killian insists. I suppose it’s fair since Dravyn started it before they met.”

“Thanks for telling me; I don’t want to offend anyone by calling it the wrong thing.”

Wanting to share a bit of the magic of their matebond ceremony, Ashby held out his hand, and happiness bubbled through him when Seltivare immediately took it.

“Okay, the start of the garden is veggies,” Ashby explained as he led Seltivare to the plants that supplied food for the D’Vaires—especially those like Seltivare who required a diet of mostly fruits and vegetables.

“You’re my mate, so I want to be honest with you,” Seltivare said as they approached a grove of trees which produced delicious pears.

“As an elf, it’d be easy, I guess, to grow things to provide meals for me and my family.

But I love flowers. There are so many beautiful varieties, and I’d hoped someday to have a place where I could expand past drought-tolerant plants.

A dream for tomorrow. Oh, and also on my list is to perhaps someday cultivate a new plant of my own. A hybrid.”

Ashby winked. “Like me. Okay, let’s skip all the fruits and veggies and get to the flowers Dravyn and Killian have created.”

“The lilies in our wreaths were extraordinary. They must have used magic to make the edge of the petals and stamens metallic?”

“Yes, that was Killian’s flare.” Ashby walked with Seltivare to the start of the flowering plants and concentrated on pushing his magic outward. The surrounding air grew charged, and the glorious harmony of Dravyn’s garden was loud enough to be heard by those not born as druids.

Seltivare grasped Ashby’s palm between both of his hands and squeezed enthusiastically. “I’ve read of this. The music of a garden crafted by devoted druids or exceptional gardeners like Dravyn. It’s so beautiful. Thank you for allowing me to hear it.”

“I wish I could let it play for you all night, but my magic will run out soon,” Ashby murmured.

“We can record it on my phone so I can listen whenever I want. Don’t exhaust yourself; I want to hear your garden most.”

Ending the spell, Ashby stared into a beautiful set of deep blue eyes.

He wasn’t sure who moved first. But they shifted toward each other, and Ashby’s mouth landed on a set of soft lips.

The romantic aroma of sweet peas filled Ashby’s senses.

Ashby warned himself not to get carried away, but it was Seltivare who grasped Ashby’s hip.

The elf’s fingers dug into his jeans, and Ashby let go of his hand to gently tug Seltivare into his arms. Seltivare molded his frame to Ashby’s, and the hybrid’s dick perked up immediately. They were equal in height, and Seltivare’s lanky form was exquisite.

To Ashby’s surprise, Seltivare’s tongue snuck out. That delicate second of exploration relaxed Ashby. They weren’t moving too quickly for the elf. Desperate to taste him, Ashby licked his way into Seltivare’s mouth.

Someone moaned, and Ashby’s instincts demanded he find somewhere private to strip Seltivare. But it was far too soon for the virginal elf. With no small amount of regret, Ashby gentled his hold and ended the kiss.

Seltivare’s eyes were dilated, and in the low light, Ashby could barely make out the flush in his cheeks.

It gave him the look of an elf well loved, even though Ashby was standing in a garden with his cock pressing into the zipper of his jeans.

Ashby told himself to ignore the hardness pressing against him.

Up until they met less than a week ago, Seltivare had lacked sexuality, and the last thing Ashby wanted to do was overwhelm him.

“Maybe we should go to our room and honor every elven tradition and get our second hoop tonight,” Seltivare whispered huskily.

Ashby’s dick jerked as he imagined clutching Seltivare’s hips and sinking deep inside him. The lone way to get a second earring was through intercourse, but it wasn’t happening no matter how much Ashby desired it. They had a relationship to build, and Ashby didn’t want to get distracted by sex.

Stepping away from Seltivare to keep himself from forgetting to be a gentleman, Ashby smiled ruefully. “You’re a dangerous man, sweet Selti.”

“Can you make lube magically?”

Ashby sputtered and quickly marched away from the elf, who was speaking directly to his baser instincts. “I’m not answering that.”

“It must be nice. I’ve been jerking off in the shower since I don’t have lube. Of course, I’ve also been in a room with Mavi, and I’m not playing with my dick with my twin around.”

“Flowers?” Ashby asked stupidly as he continued to stalk through the garden.

“You’re rushing past them.”

“Because you keep talking about your dick.”

Seltivare ran up and passed Ashby. Then he walked backward so he could grin impishly. “I mentioned my dick once. Are you thinking about it? About how it will feel to get the second hoop? We should discuss it, I think. Are you a top or a bottom? Or do you like both?”

Ashby halted and wondered how the hell he’d raced past about two-thirds of the garden, including the vast greenhouse Killian and Dravyn shared.

“This morning I touched my hole,” Seltivare whispered, his voice a mixture of brazen mischief and shyness.

“I liked it so much, I put two fingers inside me. It wasn’t easy at first; I almost fell and slammed my head into the tiles.

But I figured it out. I almost screamed when I came. I think I’m a bottom.”

Sinking his hands into his own hair, Ashby tugged as Seltivare’s words produced images that were likely burned into the hybrid’s gray matter for eternity.

“Let’s go see my tree.”

“I bet it’s nice resting there in your underwear. Or it would be if underwear didn’t suck in general. I wear boxers if I’m in non-elven clothes. They are a nuisance.”

Exasperated and charmed, Ashby reached out and cupped Seltivare’s chin. He planted a fast hard kiss on his playful mouth and grinned at the joy in Seltivare’s blue gaze.

“I was talking about the tree in the garden.”

Seltivare laughed and grabbed Ashby’s hand. “Okay, let’s see your tree.”

“It’s ours now if you want to share it. But mostly it’s an office. I work there during the day.”

Ashby led Seltivare to the tree Killian had grown for him, and they wandered up to the large office space. It was decorated in shades of green, including a small dragonskin couch.

“This is pretty,” Seltivare said as he took in the pencil drawings Ashby had begged of Magister Duke Jeremiah D’Vairedraconis, who was a wonderful artist who normally worked with paint.

But he’d been outside one afternoon doodling as he stared in the garden, and Ashby had somehow talked Jeremiah into allowing him to have those pages.

“I was happy I could add a second desk in here for you.”

Seltivare shrugged. “It is kind of you, but my job at Deck of Cards doesn’t require a desk.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were keeping your job there.”

A little furrow formed between Seltivare’s brows. “You weren’t?”

“No, you’ve talked mostly about your garden. I guess I figured you’d want to concentrate on that now that you don’t have to worry about the imminent sale of your parents’ house and losing your beloved plants.”

“No one is going to pay me to garden, Ashby.”

“You’re a D’Vaire now and extremely wealthy; you can do whatever you want. A job isn’t a necessity. This is a home where we encourage everyone to explore what fills their heart. You’ll live for eternity, Selti, and I want you to be happy.”

“My parents owned a cleaning company. I’ve worked for them since I was eighteen.

They sold it as soon as Mavi and I were hired by the dragons.

It was their way of removing it as an option.

Our parents wanted us to get out into the world and find our mates.

But they also instilled in us the satisfaction of a job well done and how good it feels to provide for oneself.

I’m not sure how I’d handle spending every day gardening while someone else ensures I have a roof above my head. ”

“I can understand that. Growing up, I had to quit school to keep up with the high rent of the apartment the former jaguar leader forced me to keep. Once I got here, I was offered the world. I chose to finish high school and get my degree, and although I started working part time, I quickly added more hours to make it a forty-hour week. Are you opposed to doing something different from cleaning? I only ask because I’d sort of built this dream of having you in here with me during the day.

Dérive can always use devoted employees.

In fact, remind me I need to offer the same thing to Mavi if he wants to continue to work too. ”

“Dérive would have me?”

“Absolutely. Sorrel and I have way too much to do. We could train you to work alongside us.”

“I’ll warn you, if Mavi learns of this, he’ll want to join me in whatever I do. We’ve done everything together our entire lives. But yes. I accept. I would love to work with you and for druids. Can you imagine me…little Selti with his tiny garden working alongside druids?”

“I like sweet Selti better than little Selti.”

“I wonder if my dick is small compared to yours.”

Ashby laughed. “You have a filthy mind. Come back outside and play with my flowers.”

“I was looking forward to that all day, then you kissed me. Now, all I can think of is how good you taste and how nice it feels to have your tongue in my mouth. Will we have more kisses later?”

It was a dangerous idea, but Ashby loved it. So, he pulled Seltivare close. “Yes, many more kisses. But outside. Afterward we go upstairs and I sleep on the couch so I avoid finding out what size your dick is before morning.”

“You can share the bed with me, Ashby. It’s fun to tease you, but I promise not to fondle you while you sleep.”

Ashby gave him a feather-light kiss and led him out of the tree. “I thought you’d be a trembling and scared virgin. But no matter what, I’m still sleeping on the sofa. You’re too tempting to do anything else. And it pulls out to a bed, so I’ll be comfortable.”

“Don’t bring up your past lovers. I’ve spent my life wrestling with my brother and I can throw a decent punch, though I prefer a rapid kick to the shin. I’m not so good a person that I won’t find those men who’ve seen you naked and pummel them senseless.”

His eyebrows raised, Ashby held out his hand, and a cross Seltivare took it.

“It’s been a long time since I had a lover.

I was young the last time I sought someone out, and they were all forgettable encounters.

What I wanted was a mate to share everything with, and Fate finally brought you into my life. ”

“Can you believe my mother sent me off to a new job and on my first public shift, I meet you? I’m surprised she wanted Mavi to live here with me. I thought she’d be completely emboldened by her success and would drag my twin everywhere on the planet until he, too, discovered his other half.”

“Your mother is fantastic, and I’m grateful she pushed her little elves out of the nest.”

Seltivare glared at Ashby. “I’m thirty, and I would’ve met you eventually.”

“Yes, I know how old you are, but I was tired of waiting. If you’d listened to your mother more often, maybe we would’ve met years ago.”

“If you were Mavi, I’d be kicking you right now. Show me your flowers, Ashby.”

Delighted by the disgruntled elf, Ashby brushed their lips together and led Seltivare to the Royal Family Blue sweet peas. They were the first thing he’d planted at D’Vaire, and it fit that Seltivare smelled just like them.