The Summoner's Path (D'Vaire, Book 10) Read online

  “I wasn’t planning on it, no. I can’t guarantee that he’ll obey orders without question. Latarian and the three former elder necromancers are still out there somewhere. There’s not only the Consilium to worry about but them as well. I won’t have anyone put in danger, so I think it’s best if he stays here. Any other questions for me? Gavrael’s downstairs watching a movie with Gedeon, and I have to let them know Alaric needs them.”

  “Are Hadley and Bridger with them?” Brogan inquired. Hadley and Bridger were two of the newest D’Vaires and were the Coven Lords.

  “Not sure, I think Hadley was going to the club with Duff to make sure he’s safe,” Dre’Kariston said.

  Mac bobbed his head. “I don’t know what time Duff wanted to leave, so Hadley may still be home. Duff’s going to throw a fit if he has to miss out because Alaric needs Hadley.”

  “Mates supersede everything else. He’ll get over it,” Dra’Kaedan retorted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Hadley might not even need to go scout tonight, but he does need to obey the Lich Sentinel.”

  “Dre’Kariston, we’ll get this all worked out,” Aleksander promised. “You can go ahead and track down our sentinels.”

  “Thanks, Aleksander. I appreciate all of this.” Dre’Kariston got a wink from his brother, and Renny decided to join him as he headed out to find Gavrael and his mate. Dre’Kariston was moved by his king’s willingness to face his own father in the hope that Fate was truly leading him to his other half. He also appreciated the enthusiasm of the Lich Sentinel, who was gathering his men to ensure they were all safe while they went on this journey. With a faint smile, he sent out a heartfelt plea to Fate’s choice for him. Dre’Kariston wanted him to appreciate the kindness of the incredible people in his life, and he sincerely hoped that he didn’t tell him to take a hike. The truth was, no one knew how their mate would respond at that first meeting, and Dre’Kariston could only trust Fate was leading him down the right path.

  Chapter 5

  “Somerly, is that you?” King Boian Ethelindraconis called out from his office as Somerly was trying to sneak past. He stopped in his tracks and let out a sigh. His father always knew when he came in at night, no matter how quiet he tried to be when he got home. Of course, that was probably because one of his dukes called him the minute Somerly put his key in the door.

  “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “Well, come in here and tell me about your evening,” his father invited. Because Somerly had no choice, he allowed his sneakered feet to carry him down the hallway and into his father’s stately office. He popped his head in and found Boian sitting behind his desk with a pen in his hand. Though he had a computer, he preferred to do everything on paper.

  Somerly waved, then threw himself into one of the two guest chairs. “It was fun.”

  “Somerly, I’ve asked you not to treat the furniture so disrespectfully. Stand up and sit down like the gentleman I raised you to be.”

  “Yes sir,” Somerly replied. After standing, he carefully lowered himself back down. His father nodded, so he relaxed a little. Somerly didn’t want to spend what was left of the night practicing until he met his father’s exacting standards. King Boian was a stickler for the proper way of doing everything.

  “Did you enjoy your movie?”

  “I did. When it was over, Lex and I tried this new taco place. It was delicious.” Lex was the son of his father’s favored duke, Drogo, and since they were close in age they were best friends.

  “Drogo did give his son the most ridiculous name,” Boian muttered.

  Somerly shrugged. “I think it’s a cool name.”

  “We’ve had this disagreement before, and there’s no reason to have it again. Was anyone informed that the two of you were planning on visiting a restaurant I’m not familiar with?”

  “Dad, don’t worry. Lex’s parents were there last week. It’s right next door to the movie theater.” Or at least, Somerly guessed it was right next door. The truth was, he and Lex didn’t go out to dinner or catch a movie. They’d gone to a party and hadn’t left Court Ethelin, but the guys who hosted it weren’t on Somerly’s approved list of friends. If he spent his whole life obeying his father’s strict rules, he would’ve grown bored decades ago.

  Instead of tacos, he’d shoved cheap pizza and potato chips into his face and washed them down with a couple of beers. Boian didn’t approve of Somerly imbibing alcohol, so he was always careful not to get drunk—and he kept a toothbrush and toothpaste in Lex’s glove compartment to avoid getting caught. They’d played video games, which his father hated. Boian didn’t think Somerly should waste brain cells by mashing buttons on a controller but he enjoyed it, so he didn’t want to give it up.

  “I suppose it’s all right, then.”

  “Did you do anything fun?”

  “You might find it hard to believe, but I do enjoy paperwork.”

  Somerly grinned. “I’ve known you for over a century. I know you like paperwork. I think I’m the only thing you love more.”

  “You’re my only surviving child, Somerly. Of course I love you more.” A few years before Somerly was born, his father endured the passing of his oldest son. Only a century old, he’d died during his first shift from man to dragon. For dragon shifters, nothing was more dangerous than the first time they accepted their beast and death found even royalty sometimes. It was a loss Boian rarely spoke about. Some of the other people in Court Ethelin told Somerly over the years about what a kind and wonderful person his brother had been, but Boian always became too agitated to convey much when Somerly questioned him.

  It was the same reaction he got when he asked his father about his deceased mother. The losses were just too much for Boian to endure, and that was why his dad was so overprotective. It tore Somerly apart to think of him so consumed with grief, and it hurt to know there was nothing he could do to make him feel better. Each night he asked Fate to watch over his lost relatives, though he couldn’t even mention them by name. Whatever they had been called in life, Somerly wanted them to be happy on the other side of the veil and figured it was about the only thing he could do to help.

  “I love you too, Dad.”

  “We need to go over our schedule for tomorrow. I’m meeting with King Variusdraconis in the morning. The two of us are going to move forward with our plans. I’ll need you to be here in the afternoon, so I can tell you about our decisions and what your list of duties will be.”

  “Sure, I can be here. Is that it? I’m tired and I’d like to go to bed.”

  “Get some rest, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Dad.” Somerly strolled out of his father’s office and down the long hallway. He traipsed up the stairs and didn’t stop until he was enclosed in his bedroom. After pulling off his sneakers, he flopped down onto his bed and hit the remote to turn on the television. It was not quite ten, and although his father expected him to climb under the covers at the same time every night the truth was, he’d decided years ago he was too old to go to sleep that early.

  While he might not be willing to disobey his father outright, he’d go insane if he followed all his absurd rules. There were reasons for many of them. His list of acceptable friends, for example, existed because he was a prince, and plenty of people would jump at the chance to take advantage of him. It was nice to know his parent always had his best interests at heart, and that was one of the reasons Somerly loved him so much. He was his closest confidante, other than his friend Lex, which was ironic since he had no choice but to lie to Boian constantly.

  His father shielded him to the point of ridiculousness. Somerly didn’t want to piss him off, so he figured a little dishonesty made them both happy. Boian could rest easy believing he was following his dictates, and Somerly was able to have a little freedom. The truth was, he gave his father permission to plan his future, so it was imperative he did what he wanted when he could. None of Boian’s decisions for what Somerly did with his life would’ve been approved by him.

>   Somerly was used to nodding his head and agreeing because of the respect he had for Boian, but he kept a lot of things hidden from him. Some of them were small—like his bedtime; others were bigger—like the sex of his lovers. He’d come out to his father as gay, but it pissed Boian off, so Somerly had agreed to only date women. And he did date women; he just didn’t sleep with them.

  Which was why he’d escaped from Boian’s office as soon as the name Variusdraconis had come up. Court Varius was of nearly equal power to Court Ethelin, and Boian craved having more control in the Consilium Veneficus, so he’d arranged for Somerly to be married to King Variusdraconis’s daughter, Lucretia. The alliance was exactly what both leaders wanted, but Somerly could barely stomach the idea. Not only did Boian want them together, he wanted grandchildren to carry on the Ethelin name.

  Lucretia seemed like a nice enough dragon, although Somerly couldn’t say he knew her very well, but the last thing he wanted to do was have a couple of kids. However, he wasn’t willing to rebel against his father. He was the son of a king and since he was a child, he’d understood that being royalty meant sacrificing. Others had the freedom to make their own choices, but princes had to do what was best for their court, and what was best for Ethelin’s was to unite with Court Varius. It might give the dragons enough leverage to have some say in how the wizards ran the Consilium; otherwise they’d continue to be at the mercy of sorcerers who didn’t understand the needs of shifters.

  Somerly didn’t care for magickind. There was one young man in their court who’d recently arrived that was some kind of spellcaster. Somerly didn’t know what kind, and he had no desire to find out. They were all power-hungry and selfish. He’d do whatever it took to give the dragons an advantage in the Consilium. Somewhere out in the world, Fate supposedly had a mate for him, but there was no guarantee he’d ever meet that person.

  Since he was gay, a man in his life would destroy his father, and Somerly wasn’t about to do that to his only parent. Boian made it clear that he didn’t have to be faithful to Lucretia. This was a political arrangement, not a love match, so Somerly wasn’t going to feel guilty about having male liaisons after his marriage. He wasn’t a jerk, so he had no issue with Lucretia seeking sex outside their relationship either.

  A part of him kind of hoped she did and didn’t bother with wanting it from Somerly. He wasn’t completely sure he was going to be able to perform with a woman—he’d never done it before—but he’d do his duty and try to bring offspring into the world. Though he hoped they’d take after their mother, because it was strange being tiny in a world full of giants. Somerly had no idea why the hell he was so undersized, but dragons all towered over six feet. He was five inches over five feet, and that was when he was wearing shoes. It was sad really, because he had a large, powerful beast who was a rich navy. His father assured him that if he wasn’t born a prince, he might’ve been a duke—but according to King Boian he couldn’t hold two titles, so Somerly remained a short king’s son.

  He’d asked if his mother had been small of stature but as usual, Boian shut down when questions about her came up. Not even his best friend’s dad, who’d been with Boian for his entire reign, would tell him more about his height or his mother. Of course he also refused to discuss Somerly’s dead brother, but he was close to Boian, so he guessed it was his way of protecting him. Somerly believed his dad brought out that sort of emotion in many of the people around him.

  Boian could be harsh at times, and Somerly would’ve preferred more say in his life, but at his heart he was a fine leader. He was also a great father, and he wanted only the best for him. Still, Somerly would’ve liked to do normal things, like have a job or drive a car, but princes didn’t do either. They had drivers and others worked for them, according to Boian. Perhaps after he was married, Somerly would be able to assist his dad in running Court Ethelin. He certainly hoped so; he was a hundred and four years old. It was time for him to find some sort of purpose, something that propelled him out of bed in the morning.

  Shaking off his maudlin thoughts, Somerly realized he’d been flipping through the channels for at least fifteen minutes and had yet to land on something interesting. It was probably because he spent so much time watching television that he’d seen literally every show ever created, Somerly mused with some humor. He dragged his body off the duvet he secretly found rather old-fashioned and prissy and began sorting through his enormous collection of DVDs.

  Once he located a comedy he’d viewed at least a hundred times, Somerly stuck the disc into his player and resumed his position, propped up by his pillows. Reaching over to turn off the light so his father wouldn’t see it under the door when he came upstairs, Somerly wiggled his shoulders to get comfortable and turned his attention to the television. Hopefully, things would go well the following day, and Somerly wouldn’t throw up as his dad filled him in on what his future held.

  Chapter 6

  “I wish I could go with you guys,” Brexton said as he twirled one of his blades.

  “You do realize that with all of us going, you’ll be one of the few people here who can protect our family, right?” Renny asked. “That dagger you’re playing with may come in handy.”

  Brexton rolled his green eyes. “Our house sits inside a magical dome, which makes our land the safest on the planet. We won’t need any defense here. You guys and our king need to be protected. I practice with my weapons several times a day. I’ve perfected my invisibility spell. I keep telling you all I’m a rogue.”

  “Dude, how many times do I have to tell you that you’re a warlock familiar, not a rogue?” Dra’Kaedan demanded. “There are three of you on the planet that we know of. Be proud of who you are. You know how awesome I think it is that you work so hard with the sentinels, but seriously…you drive me crazy.”

  “I don’t understand why everyone thinks we should be proud of being warlock familiars. We’re no more than objects who get told what to do and how to think. Dre’Kariston’s my warlock, and I had to spend over six centuries hiding. Now I’m stuck here out in the middle of nowhere with no choices. Can we stop pretending we’re some big-ass happy family?” Derwin retorted.

  “When I met you the day you showed up with my brother in disguise, you were excited to be here. You were literally bouncing around and happy. What the hell changed? When did you decide your life sucks? That you should make it your mission to be as contrary as possible? Whether you choose to believe it or not, we are a family, but I can’t make anything better for you if you don’t communicate your issues to me in a constructive way,” Dra’Kaedan said. Dre’Kariston was amazed that his brother kept his tone even. Derwin could drive anyone nuts, and Dra’Kaedan was well-known for his short fuse.

  Derwin crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. “It was fake. I wasn’t happy. I don’t know how many times I need to tell you all I hate it here. I want to be free to make my own choices and go where I want. The only time I was glad to be under this roof was when I thought you were dead. I didn’t have to spend any more time listening to Dre’Kariston wondering about where you were and traipsing around looking for you. We were both finally free to start over. We would have put the Coven of Warlocks back in the Council and assumed our true roles as leaders. As royalty, we should be in Vegas, not in some tiny dragon court.”

  “So I guess our friendship’s fake too. You certainly never mentioned before that you wished my warlock was dead. I don’t even know what the fuck to say to that. You’re embarrassing yourself and pissing everyone in this room off,” Renny snapped.

  Derwin shrugged a shoulder. “If you have a problem with me, you should take it up with Dre’Kariston. He summoned me too early, and his magic was a mess. I had to spend years taking care of him like a servant.”

  “Okay, you know what? I asked the Coven of Warlocks to convene here in our office to talk about something exciting. Dre’Kariston’s heading to Court Ethelin within the hour to find his mate. I can’t fix the past. You had to be summoned
early to help him. If you have an issue with that, you’re going to have to get over it. Carvallius attacked him,” Dra’Kaedan replied. He turned to Dre’Kariston with a hardened expression. “He didn’t tell me he how badly he was injured or that it took so long to recover, but if there’s anyone who takes the blame for what happened, it’s Carvallius. He destroyed our people, and Dre’Kariston avenged all those innocent lives. I won’t allow him to apologize to you for being a hero and getting hurt in the process. I wish you two weren’t forced to recover alone. It’s one of the many, many things I wish were different but with all the power Fate gave me, she didn’t imbue me with the ability to turn back time.”

  Scheredin got up in Derwin’s face and pointed a finger at him. “He’s right. You need to shut the fuck up and get over it. Tens of thousands of warlocks were slaughtered, and you want to bitch because you had to help Dre’Kariston? Fuck you, Derwin!”

  Dre’Kariston took two steps and pulled Scheredin away. He hugged his cousin, then gave Derwin his attention. “I’ve apologized for centuries because I summoned you when I did and under the circumstances that I did. At what point do you decide that it’s time to move forward? It’s been over six centuries. We have an amazing family who cares for you, even if you don’t return those feelings. Aleksander keeps a roof over our heads and has given us everything we need to not only survive but flourish. I know you don’t want to stay here, but I won’t leave. I hope that gets through to you. I will not leave D’Vaire.”

  “What if your mate you’re running off to meet doesn’t want to live here?” Derwin taunted. “You don’t know if you can remain here at D’Vaire. There’s a very real possibility we’ll be living at Court Ethelin.”