Book Title: Venerably Daray (D’Vaire, Book 28)
Author and Publisher: Jessamyn Kingley
Cover Artist: LJ Anderson of Mayhem Cover Creations
Release Date: March 31, 2022
Genres: MM Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance
Trope: Fated mates
Themes: Love
Length: 95 441 words
It is book 28 in the D’Vaire series and does not end on a cliffhanger.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Even with Fate’s blessing, there are no guarantees in life or love.
Blurb
Skeleton Lord Brynnius Daray is happiest when he’s wielding his daggers or elbow deep in flour, baking some wondrous treat. As an elite assassin, Brynnius spends his days protecting the Council of Sorcery and Shifters, and his evenings are for family. The Darays are lively and dedicated, and Brynnius loves them fiercely. However, at night he is alone, and Brynnius yearns for his mate.
Having been recently resurrected, Samson is desperate to prove his worth as a fallen knight. The trouble is, Samson is part of a ground-breaking experiment—and the new spell is flawed. Or perhaps it is the man himself that has issues. While Samson struggles to understand his purpose, he learns that Brynnius is the other half of his soul.
Although Fate has brought them together, neither man is sure what the future holds. To figure it out, they must confront the past and reconcile their present. Just when Samson and Brynnius finally find common ground, the world intrudes. Nothing will ever be the same for the Darays.
“What if there was a way for me to become a normal fallen knight?” Samson asked the group. “You told me that Sorcery D’Vaire reunited you with your dragons, why can’t they escort mine back over the veil where he fucking belongs?”
“We can’t split your soul, Samson,” Drystan said. “SkeL Brynn is on his way.”
The excitement from Samson’s dragon nearly buoyed Samson’s mood, but he was too weary to garner any joy. Not only did he shift constantly, which depleted his body’s resources, but Samson couldn’t consume enough food to compensate, and he slept in quick bursts that left him exhausted. Whether it was because Samson knew Brynnius was arriving or his beast really was that attuned to the sentinel, the fallen knight swore he felt it the second the Skeleton Lord arrived.
When the door swung open, Samson’s knee slammed into the table as his dick grew hard and the delicious scent of chocolate chip cookies filled his flared nostrils. His beast exulted in their mate walking toward them, but Samson was pissed.
There was so much anger in him, Samson trembled with it. Samson clenched his teeth, and his eyes met Brynnius’s. Although the brown irises were attractive, as was the rest of the man, there was no surprise on Brynnius’s face.
“You knew. You knew this whole time, didn’t you?” Samson demanded.
The Skeleton Lord bobbed his head.
“Your senses were likely too muted to understand the day we met, but I was aware,” Brynnius said, his voice gentle. It soothed the rabid dragon, and that only further ignited Samson’s fury, which thankfully killed his erection.
“Aware of what?” Arvandus asked.
“He’s my fucking mate,” Samson yelled, his fingers curling into fists, which he slammed onto the table.
“Samson, take a deep breath,” Conley instructed softly.
The Reverent Knight rose and laid a hand on Samson’s shoulder, but it wasn’t welcome. Samson moodily shrugged Conley off and shoved his chair from the table. Once on his feet, Samson turned his back on the man with the caramel tresses hanging in his handsome face. Like Samson, Brynnius was broad shouldered, and the fallen knight couldn’t deny that he was attracted to him. His dragon didn’t like the way Samson was dismissing their mate, but that was too damn bad.
“Did you know I was here?” Samson asked.
“I found out a week ago,” Brynnius replied.
“Were you aware that they’ve run out of drugs to control me?” Samson bellowed. “Did you know my fucking dragon has been driving me insane, and it’s because of you?”
“I know you’ve struggled—”
“You have no fucking idea,” Samson shouted. “Where were you? Why didn’t you tell them or me that you were my mate?”
“I—”
“I don’t even fucking care. It doesn’t fucking matter,” Samson growled, and his dragon lost his shit. There’d been a few minutes of peace, but it was long gone as man and beast once again fought for supremacy.
“Samson, give Brynn a chance to talk,” Arvandus stated calmly, though Samson detected the undercurrent of irritation.
“He can say whatever the fuck he wants.”
“Not if you keep interrupting me,” Brynnius muttered.
“Just say it and go away,” Samson retorted.
His dragon was in full protective mode and wanted Samson to demand that Brynnius never leave so they could watch out for him, which was utterly ridiculous since the man was an immortal sentinel.
“When Drystan met Conley again, he decided that his mate should go through training without the added pressure of adjusting to a matebond,” Brynnius responded. “That is why I said nothing. I was using their example to guide my behavior.”
“Except neither of them were dealing with a fucking dragon who’s obsessed with you,” Samson roared and turned to face the group again.
There was a mixture of emotions on the faces around him, but none appeared friendly. It was impossible for Samson to be treated fairly in the situation. Arvandus lived with Brynnius and was mated to one of the Skeleton Seven, and both races had a cordial relationship. They knew Brynnius, and Samson was the new guy—one who’d caused them nothing but grief from the second he was resurrected.
“To be fair, Samson, you didn’t mention that your dragon has an interest in Brynn,” Conley said.
Samson’s jaw clenched, and he nodded furiously at the realization that his thoughts were right. They’d readily sided with their friend Brynnius and had no idea how the betrayal was settling into Samson’s mind. They might not have known, but Brynnius had understood their connection, and he’d ignored it.
Even Samson’s dragon was pissed at that; it was ironic that they often found accord on such tenuous and irritating things. Siding with Brynnius was a rejection as far as beast and man were concerned, and Samson had to wonder if Brynnius had kept quiet because he was ashamed that a revered Skeleton Lord was paired with a recruit whose only claim to fame was being unable to attend his classes.
Jessamyn Kingley lives in Nevada where she begs the men in her head to tell her their amazing stories which she dutifully writes it all down in what has become a small mountain of notebooks. She falls in love with each couple and swears whatever book she wrote last is her absolute favorite.
Jessamyn is married and working toward remembering to start the dishwasher without being distracted by the scent of the magical detergent. For personal enjoyment, she aids in cat rescue while slashing and gashing her way through mobs in various MMORPGs. Caffeine is her very best friend and is only cast aside briefly for the sin better known as BBQ potato chips.
Join her Facebook group, Jessamyn’s Ruffian’s
Social Media Links
Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook
