Page 5 of D’Vaire or Nothing (D’Vaire #44)

V enerable Knight Arvandus Ruarc-Daray grinned between bites of the delicious pasta dish he’d ordered.

Across the table, the stunning man Fate had given him twice sat with irritation stewing in crisp green eyes.

There were a few empty booths, but Arvandus had insisted on being seated at a table close to the entrance so they could watch their beloved family stroll through the resort.

It was a good thing Arvandus had something to do because Albrecht hadn’t been inclined to offer much in the way of conversation.

Arvandus wasn’t bothered. Albrecht was on the quiet side, and that was especially true when something was bothering him.

Thankfully, Arvandus wasn’t the source of Albrecht’s irritation.

“How is your dinner, Apple?” Arvandus asked.

Albrecht’s fork froze halfway between his plate and his mouth. A sliced carrot fell from the tines, and Albrecht’s shoulders sank.

“It is delicious. Are you enjoying your pasta?”

“Yep, it’s yummy.”

“I apologize; I am not being a good mate.”

“As your other half, I must disagree,” Arvandus said, wishing Albrecht would glance up so his long lashes weren’t covering his pretty irises.

Albrecht was an ancient sentinel who’d been horribly mistreated by his now-deceased necromancer, and his emotions were often clouded in his flat gaze.

But Arvandus knew him far too well to miss anything in those beautiful orbs—which was why Albrecht had bowed his head.

Albrecht’s chest expanded with his large inhale, and he set his fork onto his plate. “You are kind to me. Gentle. Forgiving. Even when I do not deserve it.”

Scooting his chair in as far as he could, Arvandus reached across the table and lifted Albrecht’s chin with his finger. He smiled at the Skeleton Lord.

“What you deserve is to be loved and understood,” Arvandus assured him. They were close enough together that Arvandus caught the faintest scent of a fall apple orchard. It was his favorite smell and wrapped around Albrecht like a warm hug.

“So do you, and I should not be allowing my irritation to ruin our date.”

Arvandus grinned with relief at the mixture of self-directed annoyance and joy on Albrecht’s face.

The self-recrimination he’d expected, as Albrecht was forever hard on himself.

But it wasn’t dominating his mood, and that was the best Arvandus could hope for whenever Albrecht internalized his emotions.

“Want to talk about it?” Arvandus asked.

“No, it can wait until later. It is foolish. I am being silly. We both know it, and you are far too kind not to chastise me for it, Van.”

“Don’t call me that sexy name in this fine establishment. I can’t eat pasta if I’m hard.”

Albrecht’s smile caused his dimples to sink deep into his cheeks, and it somehow made his face even more attractive.

“I like it when you are hard.”

“No dirty talking until you’re done being annoyed. Let’s talk about it, okay?”

“Why am I allowing myself to be so mad about it?”

“Because it’s been part of your life for a long time.”

Albrecht narrowed his eyes and stroked the hilt of one of the glowing daggers that floated near his sides. A sentinel’s weapons were essentially an extension of their limbs, and unless Albrecht was naked or asleep, they were nearby.

“All those years I faithfully worked. Now, in less than ten days, it will be over. Do you know I cannot count how many hours I have wasted on the damn thing?”

Although Arvandus would never admit aloud, he dearly wanted to laugh at how pissed off Albrecht was.

He was mad that the developers of a beloved farming app were ending the game.

Albrecht has been playing it since before he and Arvandus had rediscovered each other.

Like his brethren, Albrecht held grudges and didn’t like to be crossed.

The developers didn’t know it, but Albrecht had taken the dissolution of his farm personally.

“We’ll find you a new game, Apple. Maybe it’ll be better than the old one.”

Albrecht’s top lip lifted in a snarl. “And they too will one day wake up to decide they no longer want to allow me to play their game.”

“They say that all good things must come to an end.”

“Who are these people, and why would they say something so stupid?” Albrecht demanded.

“Matebonds are good things. They should not end. I hated the moment mine did. If it should happen again, I will not be as merciful as I was the first time around. I should have killed Domitia and Faustus the second they lifted the blade from your neck.”

“Calm down, Skeleton Lord,” Arvandus teased, trying desperately not to recall the tragic pain in Albrecht’s eyes as the last bits of consciousness left Arvandus’s body the day his life as a sentinel had ended. “We protect and defend the Council; we can’t run around committing crimes ourselves.”

“Damn it. You are right. I forgot for a moment. As a sentinel, I cannot break the law. If someone kills you, I will not be able to avenge your life myself. Maybe I should speak to Alaric. If he has not already thought of this himself, he should understand that if anyone murders Chand, he is stuck arresting them and allowing someone else to decide their fate.”

Needing a moment to steady himself and brush off ancient memories, Arvandus took a bite of his cooling pasta and focused on the absurdity of Albrecht’s suggestion.

“I’m not sure I like the way you’re insinuating that Chand and I will wind up getting ourselves killed,” Arvandus teased.

“You are nearly impossible to murder. That I can appreciate. But Chand…he is a sorcerer. I know he has worked hard to build a magical shield around himself, but he can still ingest poison. Then what? The Sentinel Brotherhood is supposed to watch a new Arch Lich be selected and offer Alaric our condolences? Why can’t everyone be a sentinel?

I would not have to worry about such scenarios if we were all the same. ”

“Easy, the world can’t handle that many badass assassins. Also, what’s the point of being elite warriors if you don’t need those skills? What would drive you to pick up your daggers every morning?”

Albrecht scowled. “Honor. Nothing can rob me of that.”

“I can’t argue with that, Apple.”

“Are you sure no laws are being broken by these farm game developers?” Albrecht asked.

“You know just as much about the laws of the Council as I do, so you don’t need me to answer that question. They can end their game whenever they want.”

“My farm is so nice. I finished redesigning the layout of my buildings and crops this week.”

“Maybe we should get you an actual farm. That way, you don’t have to worry about anyone coming along and taking it away from you.”

Albrecht shook his head. “It is far different to manage a real farm than to play a game on my tablet. I would not know the first thing about tending to real animals or plants. This morning, I baked pies in my game. The closest I have come to baking anything in real life is gathering ingredients at the store.”

“Branch out. Learn some new hobbies.”

“I will think about it.”

“You’ll have extra free time without your game.”

“Not that much,” Albrecht answered honestly. “I have my job, training, and dancing with you. Plus, we have meals with our family. I would not want to miss those. All I have gained is scattered minutes throughout the day, checking my app.”

“Not to mention your favorite hobby once you get me alone.”

The grin Albrecht gave Arvandus made his dick twitch with delight. “I enjoy being naked with you, especially when you are deep inside me.”

Albrecht’s bluntness was one of the many things Arvandus adored about him, and while he’d planned on dragging his pragmatic sentinel mate to the casino after they ate, it would be infinitely more fun to suggest they return to their hotel room first. Arvandus constantly craved the sleekly muscled and wonderfully freckled body beneath Albrecht’s dress shirt, jacket, and slacks.

“What do you think about me sliding my fingers in your hole and stretching you out for my dick as soon as we’re done eating?” Arvandus asked.

“If that was your idea all along, then why did you not suggest I eat faster?”

“Because it wasn’t my plan. We haven’t checked out any of the resort yet besides this restaurant.”

“We will be here all weekend.”

“I guess you like my idea.”

Albrecht wiggled in his chair. “My cock loves the idea. So do I. Do you want some help eating your pasta?”

“No, eat your own dinner.”

The sigh Albrecht let out was long and heartfelt. “Fine, but I hope you understand that almost a full day has passed since you last made love to me.”

“I know, Apple, I was there.”

“This morning I woke up before you, but I decided to let you sleep. We both needed to work for a few hours and pack our things. What I wanted to do was suck your dick. But I didn’t.

I forced myself to close my eyes and cuddle.

That was obviously a mistake. I should have gone with my instincts and stroked myself as I tasted you. ”

Arvandus nearly groaned at the tempting pictures racing through his head thanks to his mate’s words but instead focused on his meal.

While he wouldn’t shove it in his face at light speed, there was no reason to dawdle either.

The restaurant wasn’t going anywhere, and Arvandus would be a fool to keep Albrecht waiting too long.

“You know I never mind being woken up.”

“I figured I had the entire weekend to get you naked.”

“Which you definitely do.”

“Do you know what I am thinking about right now?”

Arvandus shook his head, but if he had to guess, he’d assume Albrecht was about to say something sexy. “Nope.”

“I am envisioning your honey-colored skin against the black sheets of our bed.”

“Well, change your fantasy because the hotel sheets are white.”

“Not a fallen knight or sentinel color.”

“It’s a dragon resort. Plus, most hotels use white; it’s easy to launder because it can be bleached. But here’s a benefit. The stores have candy, and we can have as much of it as we want because Chand never told us eating it anywhere else besides home was in opposition to the rules.”

Thanks to an unfortunate series of events, including a broken television courtesy of Albrecht’s game controller flying through it, Chander had made a strict law for their household years ago, and candy was forbidden.

Albrecht smiled. “Then we should definitely get some.”

“Before or after we go upstairs and strip?”

“That is a dilemma. It would be nice to celebrate great sex with a candy bar, but I have a most urgent need to come. How quickly do you think we can purchase some?”

Arvandus wasn’t sure whether to chuckle or squirm. He did both. “We can stop in that shop near the lobby. It’s on our way to the elevator. We walk in and grab two candy bars. If anyone is in line, we shove them out of the way.”

“We cannot break laws, Arvandus.”

“Pretty sure that’s not a law, it’s just rude.”

“Bad manners are not honorable. I am sure Chand has mentioned that.”

“You should point out that it’s rude not to eat everything on his plate, and that includes the vegetables Alaric insists he take.”

“Is it rude for Alaric to push Chand into taking vegetables he knows his mate does not want to eat?”

Arvandus shrugged. “We can’t ask Chand. He’ll tell us it is because it helps his cause of never eating veggies.”

“Chand can be sneaky when it serves him. We are never sure if he is cheating at any of the games we play.”

“Chand is shit at games. If he’s playing, he’s cheating.”

“But it is illegal to cheat in a casino, so he will not be doing that,” Albrecht pointed out.

“Frankly, I don’t care if he’s breaking laws in the casino. I plan to be upstairs peeling a sexy sentinel out of his suit and fucking him until he comes all over the sheets.”

“Van?”

“Yes, Apple?”

“Finish your damn pasta.”

With a laugh, Arvandus scanned the restaurant and caught the eye of their server. Like Albrecht, he was done with his dinner, and he was ready to be served a delicious apple-scented sentinel spread beneath him for dessert.