Chapter 15

T he corner of Roman's mouth lifted as Grant drifted a hand across the back of his gray velvet couch.

"Your place is gorgeous. I love the colors," Grant said.

"Thanks, it's my sanctuary. Our work is hard. I finally have a place where I can fully unwind, and I needed to make a permanent imprint on it."

Grant tilted his head as he studied Roman's face. His green eyes shined with excitement, joy, and a healthy dose of disbelief. With so much going on in his head, Roman supposed it was inevitable that he'd take a moment to compare the new Venerable Knight with the human private investigator he'd met months ago.

Roman realized he'd have no issue distinguishing between the past and present. Grant's resurrection had brought a different man into Roman's life. One with a positive outlook, a ready smile, and a love for the Order of the Fallen Knights deep enough that he'd worked hard to attain a title only captured once before in history.

Roman hadn't known the old Grant well, which was now a blessing. He could set aside those few conversations with a relative stranger despite the tenuous matebond and focus solely on his future with the other half of his soul.

"I get it," Grant replied softly. "That's how I feel about walking into work on Monday. I want to do more than waltz around with a fancy title. Yeah, I earned it, but I also want to make it matter. For every fallen knight to know I'm there for them and that I'm willing to do whatever it takes to protect our Council."

The determination blazing in Grant's green eyes was an attractive look on the brunet. But Roman ignored his hormones and focused on the Venerable Knight's words. He recalled vividly how integral it had been to Samson to prove he was worthy of his title. Roman had never had to face that challenge. He was the fourth fallen knight ever resurrected, and the responsibility of aiding Drystan alongside Arvandus had always sat comfortably on his shoulders.

Their population had grown slowly, and those early fallen knights remained trusted colleagues Roman knew well. He made it a point to connect with his subordinates—which was why his weeks of training them following their resurrection was so vital to him.

"I have faith in you," Roman said. "And I already need your help."

"You do?" Grant asked in surprise.

"Yeah. It might seem like a small thing, but I don't know your classmates. I introduced myself earlier, but this is the first training I've missed. The lack of connection with them bothers me, so I'm glad you've built a relationship with them. Every fallen knight should be able to call up a VK and ask for whatever they need. To me, our most vital job is taking care of our people."

Grant smiled. "Then maybe you shouldn't have avoided me for eight weeks. I would've had a studying buddy, and at night I'd have had the perfect way to unwind with a bout of hot, sweaty sex."

"Please. You're a virgin, what do you know about hot, sweaty sex?" Roman teased.

"You're a cruel man, Roman Calixtus. But you can count on me. They're a great group. Meanwhile, are you going to show me your bedroom?"

"Nope."

"What? I showed you mine."

"Good for you. What do you want to eat?" Roman asked, heading to the kitchen that opened into the living and dining area to grab beers for them both. He plucked his phone out and pulled up the app for the building, which included the daily menu.

"By the looks of this place, I make a pretty decent salary, so are you going to let me compensate you for my meal?"

Roman laughed. "I already told you I saved up for years to afford this place. Also, hell no. I'm not taking money from you."

"Why not?"

"Because you should spend it on yourself."

"How expensive are jeans? I can probably afford them and whatever we're eating."

Handing his phone to Grant, Roman leaned against a barstool upholstered in a tonal gray-striped velvet. "Pick something and I'll order it. I think I'm going with the steak and potatoes option."

"Sounds good, I'll take the same thing," Grant replied, returning the device to Roman. "Answer my question about the jeans."

"I'm assuming you don't want some outlandish designer option, so jeans are definitely affordable."

"And I'm sure the RKs picked an apartment I can easily pay for because they aren't assholes who'd start my career off by putting me in a bind."

"Correct."

"So, what else am I going to spend my money on?"

Roman shrugged. "You may not want to live in that apartment forever. Maybe you'd want to save up to have your own sanctuary, not just a roof over your head picked by someone else."

Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his casual uniform pants, Grant scowled. "Maybe we should be clear about how our relationship is going to work."

"I don't understand."

"Well, I was taught that everything was secondary to Fate. Nothing is more vital than her gift of a mate. So, I'm wondering why I'd be saving up for a sanctuary when you spent years working out how to afford a nice place. Don't you imagine we'd want to live together here at some point?"

Shaking his head at his foolishness, Roman wasn't sure whether to laugh or roll his eyes.

"Of course. I guess I'm still wrapping my head around everything," he answered honestly. For the past eight weeks, he'd feared it would be difficult to separate the past from the present. But what Roman had failed to do was prepare for his future—or at least one with a mate as eager to forge a relationship as him. "But to be fair, we should also consider finding a new condo or house together. Something that suits us both perfectly instead of me expecting you to move somewhere I chose."

Grant scoffed. "Because I'm suddenly some expert at real estate or room design? Dude. You're here. That's what matters."

"Your directness is blowing my mind," Roman said. Not once had it occurred to Roman that Grant would jump into a matebond with both feet. Which was silly. As Grant had pointed out, every fallen knight was resurrected with the knowledge of mates and the importance of Fate. It would've been completely out of character for someone so devoted to the teachings of the Council to be anything less than eager to dive into a relationship.

"I don't know why, but I like knowing I'm already keeping you on your toes."

"Without a doubt, you're definitely surprising me, and I like it."

Grant was silent, so Roman took a second to ensure their meal was ordered, then pocketed his phone and focused on the other fallen knight.

"Roman?"

"Yeah?"

To Roman's amazement, Grant stepped forward until he was inches from Roman. "I'm glad you like it. I may be young, but I've learned a little about myself already. Here's what I know. I don't like to do things by halves. For the past eight weeks, I've pushed myself. I split my time evenly between studying and punishing myself physically because I had a goal. I wanted that fucking title. So, I earned it. Now, I want to treat that title with the respect it deserves. And in the last couple of hours, meeting you has changed things. Now, I have two goals. Two avenues I want to pursue. I'm going to kick ass at my job. I'm also going to focus intently on you. Being a Venerable Knight is my future. More importantly, so are you."

Roman was so turned on, he was afraid Grant would notice the erection tenting the faded jeans he'd changed into while his other half had toured his condo. Grant's confidence was overwhelming and sexy.

"Well, on the matebond front, you're doing pretty damn good so far."

The grin on Grant's face made Roman's cock jerk. "I wish I could say the same about you, but this business about me finding an apartment when I'm definitely moving in here someday is still kind of pissing me off."

"Sorry."

"Don't you want to grovel a little?"

Roman rolled his eyes. Thankfully, the doorbell rang, and he eagerly grabbed the opportunity to get the hell away from Grant before he did something stupid, like tugging him close to ravage his mouth. Although being sexually attracted to his mate was important to Roman, he needed to get to know Grant first. The physical side of their relationship could wait until later.

"Nope. No groveling," Roman called out as he stalked to the front door. He grabbed the food from the delivery person and wished them a great day. Roman had already tipped them through the app, so he shut the door and carried their meals back to the round dining table.

"Are you sure?" Grant asked.

"Yes, now get your fine ass into a chair so you can eat. You're probably starving. Did you have time to grab lunch today?"

"Yeah, I went to the cafeteria and had a sandwich. But I'm starving. This smells fucking delicious. Thanks for having me over tonight, I appreciate it."

"Agreed, and hey, your gratitude is unnecessary. I'm glad you're here. I wasn't sure if you'd be upset that I withheld the truth from you about our matebond for the last eight weeks."

"You were thinking of me, and you understood how difficult my training would be. I know why you kept the secret, and I appreciate it. But that doesn't get you off the hook for assuming I'd want to live without my mate. Are you sure you won't reconsider the groveling thing? I bet you look damn good on your knees."

Roman choked on the bite of steak he'd popped into his mouth. With unholy amusement in his green gaze, Grant helpfully smacked Roman's back. His eyes watered, but Roman managed to swallow.

Taking a deep breath once the food was no longer lodged in his throat, Roman wondered if being unsettled would be a permanent thing whenever Grant was around. "I'm going to be the first fallen knight to die."

"Nah, you'll be fine," Grant replied. "But you know, I don't think it's too early to negotiate how quickly you'll be on your knees."

"I'm far too much of a gentleman to suck my mate off the day we meet. A relationship should take time, Grant. The emotional component of our matebond is just as vital as our physical attraction to each other."

"You sound really condescending right now. Complete pompous ass. The old Venerable Knight telling me how life works," Grant teased.

"I have something awful to admit to you."

"Go on."

"I wasn't expecting to like you this much."

Grant's mouth twisted as he cocked his head. "I'm trying to decide if I should be offended or feel sorry for you that your expectations sucked."

"Go with the second."

"Okay, but if you keep up this bad behavior, you're going to have to make it up to me somehow."

"We'll stop at the store on the way to Redmilla's and I'll buy you a candy bar."

"And maybe some cookies?"

Roman grinned and nodded. "I'll even throw in a bag of chips. Maybe a pack of gum."

"A bottle of lube?"

Lifting a brow, Roman said nothing as he stared at Grant. The new Venerable Knight lasted about two seconds before he broke into chuckles. Roman loved hearing his joy and couldn't believe how well their first meal together was going. His expectations of the future were shifting seismically with each minute he spent with Grant. The other fallen knight was devilish and had a terrific sense of humor, and Roman couldn't wait to watch him bloom in every aspect of his life.

Roman wasn't sure why he'd needed to have those brief encounters with the human Grant. It was apparent the past had no place in his future. Content with his decision to keep those previous interactions far from the man sitting next to him, Roman took another bite of his steak and hoped Grant would understand when the time was right to fill him in.

Because the last thing he wanted to do was dampen any of the light shining so brightly in Grant's eyes. In fact, Roman was already wondering if he had to tell Grant about those brief, unsettling conversations. Ultimately, it would come down to what was best for Grant. Roman wasn't sure yet. He didn't like secrets, but he also had a growing need to protect his other half.