“The money you can keep,” Aleksander fired back, his exotic eyes narrowed.
“We will take the blood though,” Vadimas commented before anyone else could.
“Aleksander, what you have done here already is above and beyond what I would expect of any of my kings. We don’t know how long we’ll need to take advantage of your hospitality. You’re entitled to some form of compensation.”
“I have not ever gone against my emperor whether it was you, Elf, Drystan, or Conley, but I’m going to say this, and I won’t be persuaded otherwise. Not so very long ago, you asked me to give Tiri the use of my last name. I never anticipated a situation where I’d be compelled to use that to my advantage, but I will do so now. When the Ducblanc-mate became a D’Vaire, that made you part of my family. You already were considered an extended member but now, you’re connected to us on paper as well. Family doesn’t expect to be compensated, so you can take your money and shove it.”
“Um…as your first duke and advisor perhaps that’s not the best way to talk to His Majesty,” Brogan ventured.
“I’m not in the mood to be diplomatic. Twice now I’ve been in a situation, helpless when my emperor was attacked. Fate made me a king. It’s my duty and honor to be able to provide whatever I can to help my leaders. If I accept anything less, I am not doing what Fate expects of me.” Aleksander’s furious gaze once again turned to Chrysander. “You can take me as I am, or you can send me off to some remote fucking piece of land like the first time around, but I’mnottaking your money.”
Chrysander raised a hand in apology. “Aleksander, I didn’t mean to insult you or your honor. This is all I have left. I don’t have any other way of thanking you for what you’ve done and will do while I sit out here in your backyard.” When his voice cracked as he spoke, Ellery leaned his head against Chrysander, and his heart broke for probably the thousandth time in the last few days. Chrysander was hurting so much, and Ellery wanted so desperately out of this situation so he could comfort him.
“You just thanked me, and I didn’t even need that. We care about you, Elf, and the rest of you guys. We want to do this. That’s what family does,” Aleksander said quietly. Then a ghost of a smile appeared. “Of course you’re also my emperors, so even if you were an asshat, I would do the same thing, but I’d take your money. If for no other reason than to buy a muzzle for Dra’Kaedan when he gets mouthy.”
“Hey Bigfoot, I’m always mouthy.”
“Don’t I know it, Squirt.”
“Is there anything else we need to go over?” Chander asked.
“Right? Like it was hardly news that Dra’Kaedan is mouthy,” Renny added.
Chander’s phone rang and when he glanced down at the screen, he grinned.
“When he’s smiling like that, we don’t have to ask who it is,” Chrysander remarked. “Talk to your mate, Chand. We’ll get together whenever we have news to go over.”
As the group started wandering either inside to grab a sandwich or back into the office building to get to work, Chrysander stood and simply leaned into Ellery. Lifting one wing, Ellery wound it partly around Chrysander in a poor substitute for a hug.
“Aleksander,” Chrysander called out before the D’Vaire King got too far away.
The blue-black eyes were wary as he headed over to where Chrysander was relaxing against Ellery. “Yes?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I can’t even guess as to why you would apologize to me.”
“In 1369, you were told to disappear. Bernal sent you to some spot at the end of dragonkind. I want you to know I kept you isolated, not because you failed at anything or because I thought you were complicit in what happened. Your father—who I didn’t even know then was related to you or I seriously would’ve found a way to flatten him—did everything he could to spread rumors about how evil you were. I thought I was protecting you by keeping you away from the rest of the dragons. I believed after a fashion King Ethelin would shut his fucking mouth, and the whole issue would die.”
Aleksander’s smile was grim. “You severely underestimated my father’s ability to gossip.”
“Apparently, and by doing so I did you a grave disservice.”
“Chrys, do you think you’re standing in my backyard because I have some misguided desire to vanquish my guilt over Drystan and Conley’s deaths? That I feel like since I was there, I should’ve done something?”
“No, I don’t think that’s why I’m here. However, there’s a part of you that believes you should’ve saved them.”
“I did. I’ve come to terms with that. I think it helps knowing them now and seeing how happy they are. This was their path. Eternity together. It sucks how it came to be, but they wouldn’t have had this otherwise. But all that shit has nothing to do with this situation.”
“I need you to know there’s no other place I’d be right now. No other king I would ever trust to watch over Ell while I have to be in Council session. You are no ordinary king, nor do I think Fate ever intended you to be. She selected you for a special purpose. That’s why you have golden rings while all the others have only silver. I don’t think we’ve even touched the surface of what she put them there for, but we will in time. You have a noble heart and one without limits. Your honor is rarely matched, not only in dragonkind but in life, and through everything you’ve been through, I have only ever seen you act with compassion and understanding. I only wish we’d met sooner and that I’d understood better not only you, but her wishes.”
Aleksander’s cheeks went bright with embarrassment while Ellery nodded—his only way of echoing Chrysander’s words.
“It’s not really fair to try and make me cry.”
Though Ellery couldn’t see Chrysander’s face from this position, he heard the smile in his voice. “With all due respect, Aleksander, if I wanted to make you cry, I’d make sure Dra’Kaedan was out here. I wouldn’t deprive him the pleasure of witnessing that.”
“For an emperor, you’ve got a real nasty streak.”
