They were the three most powerful words in any language in Renny’s mind, and while his heart rejoiced, there was no way to brush aside his fear. Rorie’s solution was sound and it might be perfectly doable, but there was a voice inside warning him it might not be that easy. “I tried so hard to keep myself from falling in love with you, but I failed.”
Rorie pressed his mouth to Renny’s and kissed him tenderly. “I wish to apologize for stealing your heart.”
“You did, Rorie. You stole it.”
“Will you say it in Fae’is?”
“O’Lliosa, v’airsell nioll.”
“I am sorry you do not wish to.”
“We should celebrate that we’ve fallen in love, not mourn it,” Renny said, though it made it harder on some level to know his feelings were returned. The responsibility of taking care of Rorie’s heart was one he could not ignore. It had been ingrained in over six hundred years of Dra’Kaedan’s memories, which had been the first thing to settle in Renny’s mind when he was summoned. Dra’Kaedan had been raised by two people who still adored each other, and it was something Renny’s warlock was proud of. “We’ve both waited our entire lives to find our mates.”
“Bétea did well for us.”
“I thought I was getting a dragon,” Renny added with a shrug.
“I have thought on that since you told me of Dra’Kaedan and Dre’Kariston’s dragon forms and how they match their mates. I cannot miss the caring that exists between you and Brogan. He is most overprotective and revels in his ability to oversee your safety. Brogan and Dra’Kaedan care for you in a fashion similar to the way Saura and T’Eirick treat their sons.”
Renny managed an eye-roll. “Yeah, I swear sometimes Brogan and Dra’Kaedan think they’re my parents.”
“I have tried to superimpose myself with a dragon, and I find myself with a vision of one like Brogan. In my scenario, your mate and Brogan would butt heads over who is truly tasked with your protection. There were many imaginary fights in my head.”
“I used to think about that myself before I met you. I’ve been glad from the start that you’ve gotten along well with Brogan and Dra’Kaedan.”
“I might not understand their penchant for silly fights, but it is impossible to deny the love that exists between them. Their caring for you is also apparent. I am fond of them and every D’Vaire.”
Orlami and Zurenzi soared above their heads, barely visible in the darkening sky. They did not have the advantage of the many magical bubbles glowing on the terrace, and it brought him far away from the imaginary dragons Fate hadn’t given him to the reality of sitting on the grounds of a castle in the middle of a dream. “What if you change your mind?”
“About what?”
“When we wake up and you realize the problems we’re witnessing in this dream are very real, will you be content to stay out of things and allow Drekkoril to manage them?”
“I will not be leaving him to do it alone. We will have to manage the hours wisely, so I can assist in a manner that still gives us plenty of time at D’Vaire.”
“You won’t have the D’Vaires to scare the sioskallos or Fae into doing things like keeping animals out of cages.”
“There will not be dragon shifters or wolves enticing my people to keep pets.”
“It’s a dream, Rorie. We didn’t affect your people. It’s not possible. Your taming of Orlami inspired them to want animals of their own. They don’t have your bravery, so they chose little ones they can easily snatch and cage.”
Rorie blinked. “It is true. I have done this. I sought to make the D’Vaires responsible. I did not think my taming of Orlami would have any consequences on nature.”
“Without the D’Vaires, how will you fix things?”
“You are asking me a question meant for Drekkoril,” Rorie corrected. “He is the leader. It is up to him to find solutions and prioritize them. I will assist if he asks…no more, no less.”
“I’m sorry, I’m annoying the shit out of you because I’m scared of losing you.”
Scooting over so he could wrap his arms around Renny, Rorie kissed his chin, then his nose. “You will not lose me, v’airsell nioll. You may wish for it in moments I test your patience, but I will always be here with you.”
Renny held him close and hoped to hell they both got what they wanted—a future together.
Chapter 24
Time was moving quicker, and the tension was noticeable in Drekkoril’s body as his magic grew grayer. It was something Rorie understood as it had started to affect him. The crime rate was soaring since the sioskallos had not found additional setieons—if there were a handful left, it would shock Rorie. Although there continued to be no word from Valiant Defender Hibozeth, his population was growing steadily. The D’Vaires patrolled for the sake of the animals, but it was a dream, and they could not eradicate the practice of caging them.
The power struggle had disappeared in Rorie’s mind. No longer did he fight to have any say, and he fully left Drekkoril to his task of being Noble Protector. At night, he went to the siofllar’am and grew disgusted with the way his people were continuing to rally behind the awful sioskallos and not giving Drekkoril the proper respect. It annoyed him, and it did not help his mood that they were at the point in the library where words were becoming redundant. They’d reached the end of new information, and he was still stuck sleeping. Their knowledge of the Vol’Gon era was sparse, but that didn’t bother Rorie. If he had one of Renny’s magic wands, he’d wish to wave away those eight thousand years of nonsense.
