Page 80 of No Ordinary Drakeling
Chapter 26
“King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis, allow me to present Duke-mate Tiridythas D’Vaire,” Chrysander said.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace,” Aleksander responded with a wide smile.
“You can call me Tiri, Your Highness. I want to thank you for allowing me to use your last name. I’m grateful for your kindness.”
“Please call me Aleksander, and it’s an absolute honor to have you carry our court’s name. I’m humbled to be in such great company. I hope you enjoy your visit—everyone’s excited about your mating ceremony tomorrow.”
“Me too. The Sprite Grove doesn’t have any traditions regarding mating ceremonies. We simply exchange blood and go about our day. I like that I’ll get to see more of how the Council works.”
“Oh my goodness, no one told me you were here yet,” Evlithar said as he raced into the room. “You’re so lovely, Your Grace. And it’s so good to see you again, Ellery.”
There was a smattering of excited voices as the rest of the D’Vaire elves showed up in the living room. Then before Chrysander could argue, Ellery and Tiri were whisked out.
“I think one of those men with pointy ears was the Valzadari chieftain,” Damian commented. “How’s he doing?”
“I believe he’s doing well. He and Evlithar grew closer after the birth of the chieftain’s son, which has helped Kalthekor a lot, I think,” Aleksander explained. “Evlithar and everyone else around here gets the chance to watch Kalthekor’s son during the day when he’s at work. We’ve all fallen in love with the little guy. Pyxlevir’s adorable.”
“And of course, Elven D’Vaire has focused on making crazy cute outfits for Pyxlevir, and they’ve even gotten Kalthekor to expand his horizons and wear different styles,” Grand Warlock Dra’Kaedan D’Vaire added. “We’re glad Kalthekor has become a regular visitor here on the weekends too. He’s not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, but hopefully our crazy antics are helping him heal from everything as he’s restructuring his life.”
“How are things going with your mate? His smile was pretty bright when you guys got here,” Saura, Dra’Kaedan’s mother, said.
“I’ve made mistakes,” Chrysander confessed as he took a seat on one of the comfortable couches. “I don’t know what effect it’s had on our relationship. It’s embarrassing as the leader of the Council to admit I don’t know shit about elven traditions. I thought I did, but I’m realizing I don’t have a clue. I’ll be glad when we’re finally able to have our ceremony and can move forward with our lives.”
“Chrys, there’s no way to know everything. There are simply too many races in the Council,” Chander responded. “I was surrounded by sentinels from the time I was a teenager, and yet I didn’t grasp how different they were until over six hundred years later when I learned Alaric was my mate.”
“Our souls were bound to necromancers, and we also struggled to comprehend their way of life,” Alaric added.
“Perhaps that’s why Fate gave you a hybrid. It’ll give you both a better understanding of some of the differences between races,” Saura suggested. “I imagine it can only make you and Ellery better Council leaders.”
“You sure you don’t want your council back?” Chrysander teased Saura. It was at moments like this that Chrysander was eternally grateful that Sorcery D’Vaire resurrected Saura and T’Eirick. While he didn’t truly want to give up the mantle Chander gave him two centuries before, he appreciated the wisdom of all its former rulers.
“It’s hilarious that one minute you’re trying to get people to take your job and in the next breath, you’re getting on my case for not being political enough,” Aleksander commented. The D’Vaire king was ostracized for six centuries, because his hateful father turned everyone against him, until the current Grand Warlock knocked on his front door. Since then, the D’Vaires had opened their sanctuary and with each year, their prominence grew.
Aleksander was impressive—both in looks and temperament—but despite his poise, he suffered from a desire to keep close to the mansion he built in Arizona. He hid it well, but Aleksander feared the censure of his brethren. It frustrated Chrysander that anyone had ever shunned the D’Vaire king, and he hoped someday he would be able to leave the past where it belonged.
“Do you really want me to start annoying you about involving yourself more with the other dragon kings? I mean, I have so much more leverage now. You’re connected to one of the duke-mates in my family,” Chrysander retorted.
Aleksander shook his head hard enough that his mane of both blue and black hair shifted wildly. “Nope.”
“Since we’re discussing politics, how much faster are you going to keep churning out council bills? I get a little sick to my stomach when I think about having to expand my office staff,” Chander said.
“It’s going to be announced while Ellery and I are on vacation after our ceremony, but the plan is to slow things down. We’ve worked our asses off, and I’ve sacrificed having a personal life. Now that I’ve met Ellery, I no longer want to spend all my time working.”
Chander nodded. “Good. You deserve to be happy and in order to do that, you’ll need plenty of time with Ellery.”
“That’s funny because you literally didn’t sleep until you fell down before Alaric here showed up,” Chrysander teased.
“I had to learn the hard way that you can’t run away from yourself,” Chander drawled.
“I doubt there will be any protests when you change things. I imagine many offices will be glad to have more time to review everything. I know the Sentinel Brotherhood will,” Alaric added.
Chrysander lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “If they protest, I’ll simply take Ellery and run away, leaving the whole damn thing in Saura’s and T’Eirick’s laps.”
“Nice try, but if you resign, the Council goes to Chand, not us,” T’Eirick retorted.
“I apologize but sadly, the Arch Lich doesn’t have time to lead the Council,” Alaric countered.
