Chapter 27

R oman smiled at Grant and hugged him close for a second, careful not to muss his formal uniform.

"Have fun this morning," Roman said.

Grant feathered his fingers through Roman's hair. "I will." He leaned in and kissed Roman's earlobe. "I love you."

"Love you too," Roman whispered as the other two smiling Venerable Knights watched them from their desks. He brushed his lips against Grant's and patted his firm backside as his other half walked away to supervise the arrival of Council leaders.

The moment Grant disappeared into the throng of fallen knights weaving through the main area of headquarters, his mouth thinned, and he turned to his coworkers.

"Get up, we need to talk privately in the conference room," Roman ordered.

Samson's expression was hardly friendly, but he rose and grabbed his coffee cup.

Arvandus, on the other hand, lifted a blond brow. "What? Why?"

"Can't you do something without twenty questions?" Roman asked.

Although Arvandus rolled his blue eyes, he got up, but unlike Samson, he made no move toward the conference room.

"Arvandus, let's go," Roman said, grabbing his best friend's arm and hustling him closer to the door.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Arvandus protested as he slapped at Roman's hand to free himself. "Why do we need to go in there? If you want to talk to Sam and me, we literally share an office."

"Some things require privacy," Roman retorted as he continued to pull Arvandus closer to their destination.

"Honestly, the only reason I'm even entertaining this is because Grant was strangely quiet yesterday. I'm not leaving until I know what you did to him," Samson said.

Roman wanted to protest that he'd never hurt Grant, but he had, so he didn't bother to respond to Samson's statement. At least not yet. It took a few moments, but eventually, Roman shoved Arvandus into the conference room where Samson was already seated and nearly slammed the door behind him.

"Have a seat," Roman ordered.

Grumbling, Arvandus trudged to the chair next to Samson and dropped heavily into it. Roman opened his mouth to speak but snapped it close when the door whipped open.

A shocked Reverent Knight froze in the doorway.

"What do we have here?" Conley asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be downstairs getting ready for your morning in the Main Assembly Hall?" Roman barked.

"Someone is in a mood," Conley replied. He strode to the end of the table where a stack of folders sat and grabbed a cellphone off the top. "I forgot my phone. But now I'm curious, and this will probably prove way more exciting than watching people find their seats downstairs."

Conley made himself at home by sitting on the edge of the table, so Roman didn't bother trying to nudge him out of the room. Besides, Conley could probably help with his problem. The man had a love so legendary Roman watched people stare and sigh at the loving couple regularly.

"Did you have a fight with Grant?" Samson asked. "Is that why he was weird yesterday? Because if you did, you need to apologize. Don't be like a sentinel and hold a grudge for fifteen million years."

"Little trouble in paradise?" Arvandus asked.

Samson's bisque gaze widened. "Are you kidding? Fuck no. I adore B. Sure, we have disagreements. All couples do, but we work our shit out like grown-ups because the last thing I want to do is have any distance between me and B."

"Are you insinuating that Apple and I don't work our shit out like grown-ups?" Arvandus asked.

"Wow, I guess Roman isn't the only one in a mood," Conley chirped. "What happened, Arvandus?"

"Nothing!" Arvandus exclaimed. "Apple and I are awesome. I swear I don't know how it's possible, but the longer we're together, the better it fucking gets."

Conley nodded. "Yeah, I know how that works."

"Which is exactly why you're all here this morning," Roman stated. "Yes, Grant was upset yesterday, but we didn't fight." It pained him to admit it, but Roman shared the entire story about what Grant was confronted with in DC. "I waited too long to tell him about his past. He asked me if I had any more secrets. I did. It's impossible for me to hide things from him. Even if I say nothing is wrong, he knows I'm being untruthful. So, I had to tell him I love him. He has all this shit in his head including running into his ex-boyfriend Reginald yesterday, and here I am, ruining what could've been a beautiful, romantic moment by confessing everything. I need to make it up to him."

"By asking him to be your bonded mate?" Arvandus asked, his gaze lighting up with anticipation.

"Well, I don't know if the time is right for that," Roman muttered. "He's dealing with this past shit right now. I don't want to overwhelm him or make him think I'm trying to brush my dishonesty under the rug by putting together some grand gesture."

"Don't let any circumstance prevent you and Grant from fulfilling your matebond," Conley warned. "Everything is secondary to what you've built between you. By asking him to complete what Fate gave you, you're letting him know that he's what you want for eternity. That's a bold statement. If you want to make it romantic, then by all means, go for it. But it's about love and the connecting of your souls. Nothing else matters. Absolutely nothing else matters, Roman."

There was no question in Roman's mind that he wanted Grant forever. His soul yearned to be twisted fully with Grant's. But he hadn't wanted to rush Grant into it. "How do I know Grant is ready?"

"If he loves you, he's ready," Samson replied.

Arvandus's blue gaze darkened. "The world will do what it wills, like Grant running into this Reginald person yesterday. You can't account for it. Follow your heart. You won't regret it."

Roman walked over and rested his palm on Arvandus's shoulder.

"That's not always true," he whispered.

Reaching up, Arvandus patted Roman's hand. "My situation was unique, and I loved Apple. The first time we bound our souls, I paid with my life. And I regret that it cost Apple even more because he had to watch me die. He had to live with those memories. He still does. But I let it go, Roman. I can't fix what happened, and I can't wipe away the years we were apart. But look where we are today. He's everything, and we have forever. Nothing will keep either of us from ensuring that we have our destiny together. You lost Grant once, but now he's the man he was intended to be…not warped by whatever or whoever he was as a human. You love each other and there are no evil people around waiting to make you pay for that."

"I'm sorry this conversation brought up those memories for you," Roman told his best friend as he released his hold on Arvandus and took a few steps so he could see their faces again.

Arvandus smiled genuinely. "That's okay. Because my mind immediately escapes that past and remembers what came next. Walking into Alaric and Chand's condo to meet a blackened skeleton with little belief in the future."

"And tonight, you're gonna go home to a smoking hot redhead who rocks your fucking world," Conley added.

"Exactly," Arvandus replied.

"How pissed was Grant at you?" Samson asked.

"I expected yelling. Or something bigger," Roman said, his brow furrowing. "But that's not Grant. Or he's still too shocked to find that anger, because he was stoic. I think his biggest fear is what else I hadn't told him or that our past relationship was far more complicated."

"You barely knew him," Conley remarked. "Did you even talk a handful of times?"

"Four to be exact, and I admitted to both myself and VK Valerius that I didn't like that Grant," Roman commented.

"Weird how life changes us," Samson said. "How a different set of circumstances alters who we are as people. I was apparently a spoiled prince willing to risk the lives of my mate and myself by walking straight into danger. Sometimes I think about that, and I wonder how it could've been me who did that. But then, I've exposed B to danger in this life too."

"The fuck you did," Roman snapped. "What happened that morning when you wanted to show your family your new VK vehicle is not your fault. Not in any way, shape, or form. I know you, Samson. If you thought for a second there was danger, you and your dragon would've sat on Brynn if necessary to keep him from going near that garage. Don't you dare hold on to any guilt for that. You did nothing wrong."

"He's right, Sam," Arvandus added.

"Okay, okay, intellectually, I know you're right. But my dragon is very protective and still rocked by that morning. People died. Thankfully, my B is a sentinel and can't be easily hurt. Let's not get distracted though. Roman wanted us in here. We know why Grant was upset. It's probably going to take some time for him to process everything. But that's understandable. Our mission is to help you figure out the best way to ask him to be your mate, right?"

Roman sucked in a breath and blew it out slowly. It was a huge, bold move, but he wanted it. He craved holding Grant close and feeling their souls twist together for eternity.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess I'm doing this."

"Well, don't look at me for ideas," Conley remarked. "I've been mated twice. For the first one, teenage Drystan decided he didn't want to sleep alone, so he grabbed a dagger and basically coerced me into being his mate. Took me less than a day to forgive him, though, because I loved him. And I could've shoved him out of my bed. I didn't because I wanted that matebond too. Deciding on our second one was like a negotiation. We picked a date a month ahead, even though we barely knew one another. Again, we were both fucking ready on the big day."

"You and Drystan suck at romance," Samson observed.

"I guess I do too," Arvandus commented. "Of course, I wanted to plan something, but I knew better. Apple would've said no right to my face. He wasn't ready. Then when he was, he springs it on me at dinner with the family. It was cute."

"I didn't realize until this moment that all I really needed to do was talk to Samson," Roman said. "He's the only one here who planned something nice."

Samson smiled dreamily. "It was beautiful. I found a gorgeous hotel with a fancy restaurant. B had to practically be dragged there, though until he finally relaxed and enjoyed himself. I was so happy I got some recipes from the restaurant for him. The room had pink flowers because that's his favorite color. It was such a romantic night. B was so gorgeous. He always is. I cherish those memories so much, and so does he. I wanted it to be so special for him. You should've seen his face. He was so surprised and thrilled. B made every ounce of effort so rewarding."

"Is Samson's gushing helping you at all?" Conley asked. "Because I'm getting really jealous and lowkey want to punch him."

"Agreed, but let's fish out the important message here," Arvandus said. "You need to plan something that would mean the most to Grant. If I took Apple to a fancy restaurant and showered him with champagne and roses, he'd be nothing but suspicious. It wouldn't relax him; it'd put him on edge."

"Maybe you shouldn't suck so bad at romance," Samson retorted.

"Okay, or Apple and I are casual people," Arvandus argued.

"I'm with Arvandus on this," Conley said. "Samson, that night worked because it was perfect for you and Brynn. Your mate has a soft, generous heart, and you take pleasure in fulfilling his dreams even if they're unspoken. Roman, is Grant a romantic like Brynn? Would he like the fancy stuff?"

"He doesn't own a tie," Roman said. "His dress-up clothes are all uniforms. I'm not sure he has more than one or two casual button-downs. Grant's a jeans and T-shirt guy."

"Okay, good. So, either you wow him with something opposite or play to that," Arvandus replied. "Which do you think he'd prefer?"

"Keep in mind there's no wrong answer," Samson said. "You can always change things on the fly. Like Gavrael told me to take a bath with B. That did not work the first time at the hotel. Dude, we are big guys. We barely fit in the damn thing together."

"This is really complicated," Roman lamented as he tried to imagine Grant being swept off his feet with either an elegant night out or something laidback. "He's only been resurrected for several months. Grant is still learning about what the world offers."

"Then no matter what you do, make it an experience he hasn't had yet," Conley suggested. "You're after memories and making him feel so loved, he's enveloped in it like a blanket."

"I guess I'm wowing him one way or another," Roman replied.

"If you need wardrobe options, we have his uniform measurements on file," Conley reminded him. "You can arrange for something to be tailored if necessary."

"What if you chose something in the middle?" Samson asked. "Jeans and a sport coat."

"With a lime-green button down," Arvandus threw in.

Roman smiled as he pictured it in his head. "Liking that. Where do I take him?"

Pulling his phone out, Samson tapped on the screen. "So, I was looking into this cruise. Instead of a river, they do a dinner thing out in a bay. It just opened, and it's run by the merpeople. They guarantee you'll have views of merpeople. It's not their home—they are way too private for that—but I assume they pay merpeople to swim in the bay during the cruises. I was going to take B and see how cool it is, then suggest it to Zane since Tiri is fascinated with mermen. You could check it out instead and let us know how awesome it is. They supposedly have hired a great chef."

"Well, unfortunately, it's no Henry Gennevios restaurant, but that doesn't mean the food will suck," Arvandus said. "This looks like fun."

Roman skirted around the table as Conley hopped off his perch to get closer to Samson.

"Show me," Roman requested. It was a two-hour cruise that included a menu with several appealing options. "Okay, I'm sold. Now, do I take him to a hotel afterward, or could we go home?"

"What if Drys and I snuck into your condo while you're on the cruise? We could set out some champagne or whatever?" Conley asked.

"B is going to kill me for telling you this, but he's experimenting with a recipe for key-lime-infused popcorn. He could make it for you guys that night."

"And we can ask Killian and Dravyn to create a flower for you guys," Arvandus suggested. "It'll make your matebond ceremony special to use them a second time on that day."

"This is why I dragged you guys in here," Roman enthused. He couldn't wait to see Grant's face as he asked him to be his bonded mate. It hadn't started out as his idea to pop that question yet, but he dearly wanted it. And Grant deserved to be swept off his feet a bit. "This is perfect. I hope he loves it."

"He's getting you," Conley said. "Of course he'll love it. Now, pick a date and give me instructions. I need to get downstairs before Drys murders me for leaving him alone with the Council all morning."

"Thanks, I'll get all the details to you once I have them," Roman replied. He hugged Conley, and the Reverent Knight dashed out of the conference room.

"This is going to be great," Arvandus predicted as he stood.

"You guys are the best, thanks for your help."

"Now I have to think of a way to compensate B for telling you about the popcorn recipe," Samson muttered as he rose and headed for their office. "He was saving that for your matebond ceremony."

"Oh man, you're in deep shit," Arvandus replied.

"You're a romantic person like your mate," Roman said. "You'll think of something to smooth things out."

"Wow, Roman, thanks so much," Samson replied, sarcasm so thick it was impossible to miss.

Roman tried a winning grin, but when that did nothing to change Samson's baleful expression, he rushed to his desk and busied himself with his laptop.

"If I think of something to help you, I'll let you know," Roman called out helpfully.

"Please, he needed us for his own mate," Arvandus scoffed.

"Right," Samson agreed. "I'm not holding my breath for his help."

A pithy response was on the tip of Roman's tongue, but he refused to give in to the part of him that wanted to argue with his coworkers. They were probably right anyway. He was terrible at romantic planning. Thankfully, he had enough self-awareness to ask his friends for their aid. Now, Roman just had to pull off a night for Grant to remember fondly forever.