Page 106 of Worthy Promises
“What’s that mean?” Imogene asked warily.
“Our Grand Duke is obsessed with security. You’ll get used to it,” Worth replied. “Would you like to leave with us?”
“I can be packed in five minutes. Do you mind if I sneak out?” Imogene asked, her smile reminding him of Aleksander’s. “If my mother finds out, she’ll have King Mardas forbid it. That’s why I’m still here. I don’t know who my biological father is. Hepaid for a son, not a daughter. So, Ismay and I stayed there until she had a boy, but I was too young to remember any of it. Oh, yeah, I mostly call her Ismay. Not every one of her paramours wants one of her kids hanging around. King Mardas is okay. Old-fashioned like her though. My place is in a bed or with a sponge in my hand, you know?”
Worth was grinning like an idiot, and he didn’t care who was watching. He had a sister. Although the plan was to locate siblings, he hadn’t known if they would find any or how he’d feel when they did. Elation coursed through him, and he couldn’t wait to introduce her to their siblings and cousins. Grabbing Oliver’s hand, he gave it an affectionate squeeze.
“I’ll escort you to your room, and you can relax in the car until everyone is ready to leave,” Gedeon volunteered.
“Might be weird if I’m wandering through the house with a stranger,” Imogene replied with a grimace.
“He is a sentinel. You will be the only person who knows he is at your side,” Gavrael stated. “Geddy can remain invisible as long as necessary.”
“Oh, kick ass. That’s a handy skill. Yeah, dude. I mean, Geddy, come on.”
Imogene took off at a run, and Worth laughed. “She’s going to fit in perfectly.”
“His name is Gedeon to others,” Gavrael grumbled.
“We’ll fix that,” Worth assured the disgruntled Skeleton Lord. “I’m not letting anyone call my mate Owliver either.”
“I know today wasn’t exactly what you wanted, but at least we can bring Imogene to D’Vaire,” Oliver said.
“Damian won’t let King Mardas get away with allowing anyone to bypass the requirement to donate their DNA either,” Worth replied. “So, we’ll have Ismay’s in the system. We know there’s at least one other son. We learned more than I could’vehoped for. I’m sorry for Ismay. Her life hasn’t been easy. But I can’t fix that.”
Oliver kissed him. “Let’s go find everyone and get going so we can introduce Imogene to them.”
“And ensure she has the correct name for my mate,” Gavrael muttered as he led their group away from the shrubs and back to the house.
“Sentinels really do hold horrible grudges,” Worth mused as wondered how long it’d be until they could all escape Court Mardas.
Chapter 36
With a grin, Worth sat in a pretty chair once made for a to’faer to enjoy fake tea parties. Now that Zarasha was a little girl again, the tea was real, and Noirin had ordered some fancy petit fours for the day since Aleksander insisted she and Kendrick take another full week off before resuming their favored duties.
“I’m so excited, this is my first tea party,” Imogene enthused. She’d worn a blue sundress for the occasion that enhanced the azure in her eyes, and after taking a seat next to Xakiok, she flicked her long plait off her shoulder. Her arrival to D’Vaire might’ve been recent, but she’d thrown herself into family life, and Worth was sure they’d be the best of friends in no time.
“They are fun,” Xakiok assured her. To Worth’s delight, Xakiok smiled more freely and there was slightly less of a burden weighing down his vivid pink gaze. But Xakiok hadn’t changed enough to embrace magic as Zarasha had. Worth wondered if Xakiok would ever allow himself genuine happiness or if he’d remain forever scarred by a mistake he’d made as a young teenager.
“But we have to pretend the tea is hot,” Orion warned. “Daravius is afraid we’ll burn ourselves.”
The Valiant Defender was slowly adjusting to Zarasha’s new life and continued to worry about her leaving the house to attend classes or spilling hot tea on the frilly dresses she still loved. Daravius had devoted himself to refilling her closet with a plethora of gorgeous clothes, and although he wanted to stop using black fabrics now that she was a Light Fae, Zarasha refused to hear of it. Having blonde hair made her no less Xakiok and Daravius’s family, and she wanted no one to forget that the Fae were now united thanks to Daravius and Drekkoril’s matebond.
“At least we have raspberry tea today,” Zarasha enthused as she stood to pour the beverage in the fancy cups with flowers in her favored colors of purple and pink. “It’s so delicious. I think it’s my favorite so far, but there are a lot of things I need to taste.”
“Zarasha eats more than anyone else at lunch,” Orion confided.
“Nothing wrong with a healthy appetite,” Oliver told his brother.
Worth’s mate was particularly fetching in a pale yellow shirt that highlighted his gorgeous eyes. Resting his hand on Oliver’s thigh, Worth leaned over to kiss his cheek.
“Exactly,” Imogene replied. “I love food. Everything Henry has made is awesomesauce.”
Whether it was a bid to fit in or Imogene’s nature, she’d easily slipped into using the favored words of the D’Vaire family, andawesomesauceremained Jeremiah’s favorite adjective.
“Noir and Kendrick are fabulous too,” Worth assured her. “We always eat well here.”
“I still can’t believe Noir is my cousin,” Imogene enthused. “I have such incredible relatives. Aleksander is so super nice. So is Rafe. They aren’t anything like King Mardas. Noone handed me a list of duties and a bucket of cleaning supplies. And this house! I get to live here. Are you serious right now?”
