Chapter 35
It took effort, but Ducarius carefully tucked away his emotions to keep Drexley from feeling them. He had no choice. The lights of the gym flooded the room and illuminated the men skillfully wielding their weapons as they honed their abilities. A sense of peace flowed into Ducarius, and he grinned.
Although Ducarius found calm and strength from training, the serenity swamping his senses belonged to Drexley. The other sentinel was not being careful enough, and it would be his downfall. Ducarius slipped into the shadows to make himself invisible.
Dodging left to avoid being trampled by another Skeleton Lord, Ducarius teleported to stand behind Drexley. Ducarius had to move fast. Thankfully, his resurrection had come with many perks, including unparalleled alacrity.
In a flash, Ducarius rushed forward. But he was not quick enough. Not for another sentinel. His blades crashed into Drexley’s, and the lovely sound of Drexley’s laughter spilled out.
A few hundred years deprived of his weapons had done nothing to dull Drexley’s skill.
But Ducarius was tired of fighting him. He released his hold on the hilts of his daggers and whispered a word to have them float at his sides.
Opening his heart, Ducarius allowed his love for Drexley to warm them both.
Drexley was still grinning as Ducarius grabbed a fistful of his mate’s T-shirt and dragged him close for a kiss. Their mouths met, and Ducarius eagerly slipped his tongue through Drexley’s lips.
Unfortunately, the moment was far from romantic.
“Move the fuck out of the way,” someone shouted.
“This is a gym, not a fucking bedroom,” another disgruntled combatant yelled.
More curses and complaints were lobbed at them, but Ducarius didn’t care. He tugged Drexley into his arms and ignored all of them.
“I love you,” Ducarius told Drexley through their mindlink.
“I love you too, but we should probably move before someone stabs us.”
“Fine.”
Unhappy at any distance between himself and Drexley, Ducarius bussed his cheek and took his hand.
“Chand, tell them to move,” Baxter demanded.
“Stop bothering Chand; he’s trying to read,” Ducarius said. “And we’re already moving.”
“If I made out with Ben in the middle of a gym, you’d stab me,” Baxter argued. “Don’t even try to lie and say you wouldn’t.”
“I cannot lie, and I have had the unfortunate view of your tongue in Ben’s mouth for many years. Yet you never felt the cold bite of my blade.”
“Bax, if you keep it up, Duc probably is going to stab you,” Benton remarked.
“Chand, tell Duc to stop making out in the gym,” Baxter demanded.
“Stop acting like children and work out your own fucking problems,” Chander said and promptly returned his attention to the thick book he’d brought with him.
Content to have a brief break from training and ignoring Baxter flipping him off, Ducarius sat on the floor and waited for Drexley to join him.
The other sentinel grabbed the bag he’d brought with them and plucked two cookies from a plastic container.
Ducarius accepted a treat from his mate and took an appreciative bite.
While Drexley was often found in a gym, he usually retreated into his latest read before Ducarius was ready to call it quits.
Drexley was content to stay and squeeze in a few chapters until they returned to the Daray condo.
It was a brilliant arrangement and did not interfere with either of their jobs.
In the few weeks since Drexley had taken up his position as liaison for the Sentinel Brotherhood, he had flourished.
Drexley enjoyed politics, learning about the varied races of the Council, and working to improve the lives of everyone.
With some guidance from Chander, the sentinels now belonged to many of the same prestigious committees as the Order of Necromancia.
It was important for the future of the sentinels, and the arrangement was forging a stronger bond between Drexley and Chander. So was their love of reading. Once Drexley had feared a future without a necromancer. But he had gained two already bonding swiftly to him.
Chander was family and an important friend Drexley could confide in or discuss similar interests with.
And there was a second necromantic hybrid—this one with a druidic parent—who shared Drexley’s growing fascination with fashion.
Evergreen, Victor, and Drexley loved clothes and had already taken several shopping trips together.
Ducarius no longer worried about Drexley going out by himself. The other sentinel kept his blades with him wherever he went. Thanks to his renewed interest in training, Drexley walked with new confidence.
Nothing pleased Ducarius more than watching Drexley stalk through the halls of Council Headquarters in his sharp suits with his daggers glowing at his sides. Drexley stood out, and it was beautiful. The past had not broken him.
Nor did Drexley dwell on it. He gathered up the scattered pieces of his memories and had resolved to remember Adney as a friend. One who had given him a love of reading. As for the rest of it, Drexley accepted that Adney had acted selfishly and cruelly. As had many other necromancers.
Ducarius understood Drexley’s desire to set it aside and move on.
Sentinels had little choice. Otherwise, their futures would be marred by the mistakes of the past. And like Drexley, Ducarius refused to brood on years better forgotten.
It was a relief to Ducarius that Drexley had not been stripped of his humanity.
Adney had never ordered Drexley to hurt the innocent or take a single life.
It made Adney less evil than many other necromancers. But he was still an asshole.
Drexley laid his head on Ducarius’s shoulder, and the Skeleton Lord took his mate’s hand again. The last thing Ducarius would do was ruin his day any further by thinking of Adney. What mattered was that Fate had eventually led Ducarius to Drexley’s side.
Now, they had each other along with a love that somehow grew each day.
For Ducarius, the lone thing missing in their lives was what Fate had not done yet.
Each of the Skeleton Lords was now mated, but there were other single Darays.
In Ducarius’s extended family, there were even more people sleeping alone.
Annoyed, Ducarius wondered what the goddess could be doing that took precedence over uniting the people he loved with their other halves.
∞∞∞
Laughter filled the room, and Fate clenched her fists.
“It is not amusing,” Fate stated through gritted teeth.
Death composed herself, but unholy delight lurked in her dark eyes. “Come now, it was your idea to dip into Ducarius’s thoughts. You thought we would be impressed by how high of an opinion he has of you now that Drexley is at his side.”
“Instead, Ducarius is wondering what is keeping you from doing your job,” Eternity added, then fell into Death as the goddess who watched out for every immortal being erupted into giggles.
“I hate all of you,” Fate said, flicking her hair off her shoulder and glaring at her horrid sisters.
“Your energy is probably better spent uniting two souls than growing angry with us,” Justice remarked. As usual, there was a sword within arm’s reach of Justice, but at least she had the damn thing sheathed.
“The problem no one understands is that there are many more couples matched that have not found each other yet,” Fate explained. “That is not my fault. I find two souls and bind them. It is not my job to create little moments for them to bump into each other on the street.”
Life’s gaze widened. “But you could do that.”
“Theoretically, but it would use up valuable time and energy,” Fate argued.
“Although if I am honest, I have done it. How do you think a sentinel suddenly grew clumsy and dropped his phone to fall into a realm? I grew tired of waiting for Adney to drop dead so Ducarius and Drexley could be together. As for the rest. Most of them are not my creations. I cannot tire myself worrying about everyone. My power must stay rooted in my main purpose. My influence is limited beyond the duties assigned to me by Mother, so it drains me.”
Courage crossed her ankles, and the chain mail she insisted on wearing creaked.
Or jangled. Fate wasn’t sure what the correct word was, but it was annoying either way.
“Interesting point. But each of us has races or ones we have crafted in collaboration with others. If we knew who their mates were, we could influence them to meet.”
Justice shook her head. “Only if both mates were influenceable by us. If a sentinel was mated to one of Mayhem’s vampyrs, for instance, Death could sway the sentinel to go out to find their mate.
But she would need Mayhem to plant an idea in the vampyr’s head.
Mayhem is a lesser goddess and lacks Death’s vast resources.
It would tire her to do the same for every vampyr. ”
“Which is why most goddesses are content not to intervene,” Death commented. “It is why Mother handed out free will. Otherwise, your creations would stand around staring at the wall most of the time given the short attention spans of our many sisters.”
“So, shut up about how I am not doing enough to unite couples,” Fate groused. “And you already know I am not revealing matebonds. Never again. Not after Rafe and Aleksander. Their story would still be waiting for a happy ending if not for goddess intervention.”
“Ducarius is the one with the complaint,” Eternity snickered. “Perhaps you should pop down to Earth and explain things to him.”
“Keep it up, and I will travel there. I helped him. He will understand. Instead of discussing my faults, I am sure he will be eager to listen to me explain how evil all of you are,” Fate retorted.
Death cocked her head to the side. “Except for a few extraordinary cases, you are the lone goddess any of them know. You would appear stark raving mad if you showed up to rant about a family they have never met.”
Fate flopped onto the closest chair and sprawled across the cushions. “I hate you most, Death.”
“Your enemy is logic,” Justice countered. “Stop pouting and focus on the happiness you can offer people.”
Lifting her arms above her head, Fate smiled. Nothing pleased her more than a joyous matebond.
“It would lift my mood to match a new couple.”
“Then allow us to watch the beautiful Daray men spar, and focus on your duties,” Death suggested.
“Pick someone in their extended family if you want a suggestion for how to get started,” Eternity added.
Delighted at the prospect of a complete matebond ceremony at the D’Vaire mansion instead of the abbreviated celebration favoring Ducarius and Drexley, Fate set her sights on the prestigious families connected to the mansion.
If she was lucky, the people she connected would discover each other immediately.
Of course, Fate would be equally satisfied if one of the other people already matched within the clan sought the other half of their soul.
Perhaps that would keep Ducarius from complaining loudly enough that the goddesses themselves heard the words and mocked her. Although the Skeleton Lord boosted Fate’s spirits thanks to the exquisite way he loved Drexley, it would take several days for her to forgive Ducarius for his cheek.
With a heavy sigh, Fate swept her thoughts clear and focused on the fragile souls waiting for their other half. She wondered who out in the world, or perhaps in another realm, would best suit any of the people in the beloved D’Vaire family. Her lips curved as her senses drew her to a target.
Ah, yes, he will do nicely.