D'Vaire #22.5
The D’Vaires are perfectly content living far from the spotlight. Although they are powerful and politically connected, the D’Vaires stick to their mansion in Arizona. For one of their High Kings, his desire to stay home is visceral. High King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis is a dragon shifter who suffers from agoraphobia.
His mate is a recent addition to the household, and when High King Rafe D’Vairedraconis receives an invitation to the annual dragon fair, he is encouraged to do more than throw it in the trash. He would never do anything to hurt his other half, but Rafe can see the possibilities for fun and adventure.
After some consideration—and tantalizing daydreams about the D’Vaires crafting their masquerade costumes—Rafe finds the perfect solution and charges forward with his plans while simultaneously protecting Aleksander. Soon, the D’Vaires are whisked away to an event where they can pretend everyone is a dragon, and when it’s over the entire family vows they will never miss it again.
Chapter 1
After lunch on an ordinary afternoon, High King Rafe D’Vairedraconis kissed his mate, Aleksander, and left his side to go to the mailroom near the front door of their mansion. An improvement made after Rafe moved in, it was proving to be a big hit, and he was expecting the usual assortment of correspondence and junk mail when the shifter opened the box he shared with Aleksander. As the lone court deemed important enough to be an extension of the royal Emperors’ family, there might’ve been a plethora of fancy invitations.
Instead, Aleksander had arranged with Their Majesties to have all of those sent directly to the emperors. Grand Duke Brogan D’Vairedraconis had sorted the mail for years so Aleksander never saw them, but Rafe enjoyed checking it. There was no need to read the invitations and decide which events to attend. Aleksander was agoraphobic and stuck to events that involved family. Although Rafe didn’t live with the same issues as his other half, he fully supported his decision to stay far from the limelight. Peace was something Rafe had sought, and he’d gained it under the D’Vaire roof. There was also no way he’d put his mate—the man Rafe loved more than life itself—in an uncomfortable position.
The wolf sentinels tied to the souls of the High Kings, Nox and Mortis, trotted alongside Rafe as he strolled to the large office he and Aleksander shared with several D’Vaires. He flipped through the envelopes and was surprised by a white one with a sparkling dragon outlined in gold on the back. It was the personal stationery of the extraordinary man who was the first—and, so far, only—hybrid to survive the shift from elf to dragon, and it was addressed to Rafe alone. As the archivist for the Office of the Emperor, Rafe received routine correspondence from Their Majesties, but it was normally in the form of a text or email.
“What’s wrong?” Duke Argent Worthington D’Vairedraconis demanded, the second Rafe’s feet crossed the threshold into the workspace.
Rafe scowled. “Nothing.”
“You’re making a face,” retorted Worth, Aleksander’s middle brother.
“I’m looking through the mail. It’s tedious,” Rafe argued.
“Lie.” Mortis’s voice filtered through his head via their mindlink, and Rafe’s eyebrows drew further together.
“No, it’s not,” Rafe murmured to his wolf sentinel, whose highlight during the day was using his resurrected ability to point out anything he regarded as not one hundred percent factual.
“Babe, what’s in the mail?” Aleksander asked.
Rafe glanced at the man who was his mate and best friend, and unconsciously mirrored his smile.
“Don’t know yet, I’m still looking through it.”
Mortis loped over to Aleksander’s outstretched hand and lavished in pets while his mate, Nox, stood gallant and gentlemanly at his side. Not only tied to Aleksander, Nox shared many of his paragon-like tendencies. Rafe didn’t know what it said about his own personality that Mortis had his tongue hanging out of his mouth and was rubbing against Aleksander like they hadn’t seen each other in months. Hopefully, Rafe was a little more circumspect in his abject adoration of the man. Rafe was not ashamed about being with Aleksander, but it wasn’t the world’s business that the simple sight of him made Rafe weak in the knees.
“I say something has you concerned,” Worth stated.
“Hand it over, I’ll flip through it,” Brogan ordered. In charge of security, Brogan did his job with the utmost regard. Brogan was, in fact, renowned for his overprotectiveness of every D’Vaire and his quick temper.
“I promise it’s nothing,” Rafe responded, handing Aleksander a couple of envelopes on his way to his desk. He was contemplating whether he could read the note from Emperor Ellery Draconis now or if he’d have to squirrel it away for later.
“I might not have known you for centuries, but I’ve learned enough about you to recognize when something is bothering you,” Brogan argued.
After picking up a piece of correspondence destined for the shredder, Rafe waved it in the air. “Oh, it’s just this little note saying that a group of demon-like creatures are planning an invasion through the bubble your mate created. Apparently, they want to snatch Sander and take turns mounting the big, bad dragon.”
Brogan’s answering expression was dark, but everyone else in the room laughed, including Rafe.
“Someone get the Grand Warlock to protect us.” Dark Indigo Duke Macardle D’Vairedraconis guffawed.
“If it were a bunch of demons, Dra’Kaedan would need help,” Brogan muttered. “And since you’re being a jerk, High Arcanist-mate, I’d protect Idris, but not you.”
Mac rolled his eyes. “Idris can take care of himself.”
Both men were mated to powerful sorcerers, and Rafe knew that if someone did attack D’Vaire, it’d be their magical counterparts who would neutralize the threat long before they organized a planned dragon strike.
With the pair of dukes now arguing over the imaginary invaders and how to thwart them, Rafe got a wink from Aleksander. Blowing an air kiss at him, Rafe waited for Aleksander to lose himself in the numbers on his computer screen that he so loved. Once he was sure Aleksander was occupied, Rafe ignored the idiots still debating and pulled open the envelope from Ellery.
Rafe,Planning has started for the annual dragon fair. It has been Aleksander’s custom to refuse to discuss attending, but since it would be your first as a D’Vaire, I thought I might be able to persuade you to change his mind. I have included a brochure to give you an idea of what kind of events we have during the weeklong retreat. Given your connection to us, the D’Vaires would be immensely popular, and I would love to highlight the diversity of your family. This year we will be in Colorado, and I believe it is going to be a wonderful event.I do not want to stress Aleksander or you, so I would not expect either of you to partake in all the festivities. This year’s theme is masquerade, and at the end of the week, there is a formal ball for both titled and untitled dragons. That is the only thing I suggest the two of you appear at. Please let me know your thoughts; I have made a few notes on the schedule included to offer you some ideas about how we can incorporate many of the incredible D’Vaires.With love,Elf
The Draconis elf wanted Rafe to persuade his mate, somehow, to agree to seven days away from home, and the High King in question had no idea where to begin or if it was something he was interested in attempting. As he flipped through the brochure, Rafe could easily see the D’Vaires getting excited about the workshops, seminars, and exhibitions the Court of Draconis had put together. Rafe had to think of them, but of Aleksander too. It was the other dragon kings who had contributed to his anxiety.
When Aleksander had shifted into the first bi-color beast, his horrible father had used the opportunity to banish his son from his court. He’d then spent centuries telling all and sundry about how those beautiful scales were a curse. Instead of scoffing and helping a young king with a tiny court, the other dragon royalty had spat on Aleksander. They’d hurled insults and made it known that King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis was not welcome.
It was only after Brogan’s mate, Grand Warlock Dra’Kaedan D’Vaire, had shown up on Aleksander’s doorstep that anything had changed. The leader of the warlocks wasn’t the lone Council leader who called D’Vaire home, and nothing about their court was the same. Elevated to High King, Aleksander believed it was due to the prestige of his family members, who were celebrated, and that the other dragons who’d called him cursed still held those sentiments in their hearts.
Rafe had no idea how to separate fact from fiction—he’d come from an isolated court that’d languished in Europe after the dragons left the continent behind. Once he’d finally arrived in North America, Rafe had met Aleksander, and his life had altered drastically. Beaten and tortured near to death after his family learned he was gay, Rafe was healed thanks to Dra’Kaedan’s parents and the other members of Sorcery D’Vaire—a powerful group of sorcerers and shifters that somehow called him and Aleksander president.
Since recovering, Rafe had happily dedicated himself to what was important to him. That was first and foremost Aleksander. A close second was the family he’d grown to love, and he had no complaints about anything Rafe may have been missing far from their land in Arizona. It was easy to accept that Aleksander’s agoraphobia was a part of his overall makeup, and Rafe had a very short list of things he’d change about his mate, given the chance. In fact, his biggest gripe was the weird way Aleksander complained about Rafe’s folding skills on the days they did laundry.
Sitting in his chair with Aleksander mere feet away, Rafe was stuck in a quagmire. The D’Vaires might enjoy the dragon gathering, but Rafe didn’t know if it was fair to bring it up to Aleksander. His other half was a naturally accommodating person and wanted everyone around him to be happy. The last thing Rafe wanted to do was put Aleksander in a position where he pushed himself past his comfort level. Aleksander would want to please Rafe and the D’Vaires at the expense of himself. It was a beautiful yet frustrating part of his personality, as Rafe would cut out his own heart before he’d hurt Aleksander.
“He’s scowling again,” Worth drawled.
The Duke Argent was getting on Rafe’s nerves. While he might greatly resemble Aleksander, Worth was less likely to hold his tongue or approach a situation without ruffling feathers. Normally, Worth was fun and refreshingly honest, but when he laser focused his brilliant mind on Rafe’s poor self, the High King wanted to tell him to fuck off.
“I happen to be very fond of that scowl,” Aleksander murmured, his voice distracted as he tapped keys.
“He has more than one of them. This isn’t his normal scowl. He’s using the heavy-thinking one,” Worth remarked.
“Stop analyzing me,” Rafe retorted. “So what if I’m thinking about something?”
Their eyes met, and there was love in Aleksanders’, but his mind was also grinding into gear. Rafe wanted to curse his stupidity at calling attention to himself instead of blowing Worth off. The situation needed consideration prior to his approaching Aleksander, and now Rafe had engaged the one person on the planet who knew him inside and out.
“What’s wrong?” Aleksander asked softly. There was concern on his handsome face, and Rafe struggled with his desire to melt into a pile of goo. Somehow, Fate had given him this incredible man to love and be loved by—it was a gift Rafe refused to take for granted.
“Nothing.”
“Lie.” Mortis sent the word telepathically, and Rafe glared at the wolf, who was definitely grinning.
“I assume you’re lying because it’s something you’d prefer to discuss when we’re alone,” Aleksander responded. As usual, Aleksander was just as perceptive as the wolf whose abilities came from a resurrection spell.
“It’s not a big deal,” Rafe said.
“If it’s not a big deal, then why not discuss it with us?” Worth asked. “We’re your dukes; it’s our job to help.”
“It’s a personal thing,” Rafe murmured.
“Rafe and Sander hump now?”
Rafe never wanted to discuss his sex life with his wolf, and Mortis used the word hump to irritate him. “No, Mortis. We’re in the damn office, and it’s the middle of the fucking afternoon.”
“I suspect a problem in the bedroom,” Brogan remarked.
“The fuck?” Aleksander demanded.
“Just remember that if you’re mature enough to have sex, you need to be adult enough to have open-minded discussions about wants, needs, and dislikes,” Brogan advised with a condescending smile on his face.
“Not that I want to get into a conversation about this at all, but it would be remiss of me not to point out that you and Dra’Kaedan have yet to have an adult conversation,” Aleksander teased.
“We are very proud of our communication skills,” Brogan fired back.
“That’s because you have a disproportionate love of make-up sex,” Mac said. “Maybe you two are the ones who need to have a chat about the romantic side of your relationship.”
“You and Idris probably fuck with Roger on your shoulder,” Brogan taunted.
The dragon familiar in question woke from his nap and growled but didn’t budge an inch from his favorite lounging spot near Mac’s neck.
While the dukes went back to good-naturedly bickering, Aleksander rolled his chair close and tugged on one of Rafe’s curls. “You okay?”
Rafe smiled, then stole a kiss. “Yeah, I’m good. I got a letter I want to talk to you about later.”
“I’m always here for you.”
“I’ve never doubted it,” Rafe told him.
Aleksander offered a gorgeous smile and another brush of soft lips in response. Refusing to allow himself to over-analyze the note from Ellery, Rafe decided he would bring it to Aleksander’s attention and together they’d figure out the best path forward for the D’Vaires.
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Jessamyn Kingley has published over thirty titles and refuses to pick a favorite among them. With an extraordinary passion for her characters, Jessamyn eagerly adds new tales to her D’Vaire series and avidly re-reads them whenever her schedule allows. Jessamyn shares a home in Nevada with her husband and their three spoiled cats. When she is not writing or adding new ideas to her thick stack of beloved notebooks, she is gaming with family and friends.
The Dragon Masquerade #22.5
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