Page 16 of Worthy Promises
The D’Vaire resident seamstress cheered loudly. “Absolutely, and I already have a perfect idea for one of the lounge rooms downstairs. Chrys, you didn’t tell me dragons could be pink.”
Worth wasn’t sure what to make of their comments, and he reluctantly swung his dragony gaze to his Emperor. The tall dark-haired leader of Worth’s people was grinning.
“I’m sorry, Larissa,” Chrysander replied. “No one told me they could be pink either. Of course a D’Vaire would have a unique one-of-a-kind beast. Wow, Worth, you’re stunning and enormous.”
“Nice to know I’m not the only oversized dragon,” Aleksander mused with a chuckle. “This is my favorite shade of pink too. It’s warm and bold. Well done, Worth.”
“I’m just a boring navy one,” Somerly remarked.
Brogan frowned. “Hey, I’m a navy one. We’re not boring.”
“You’re also not the lone pink dragon,” Madeline D’Vairedraconis retorted. Madeline was Larissa’s mate, and she crafted metalworks for the family.
“I wish I could take good pictures,” Duke Dravyn D’Vairedraconis remarked softly. The dark green dragon was Worth’s cousin and responsible for the enormous garden close to where Worth was listening to a conversation beyond hiswildest dreams. Were the D’Vaires and the Emperor actuallyproudof Worth’s weird color?
Noirin D’Vairedraconis slung an arm around her brother Dravyn’s broad shoulders, and her violet gaze was bright with joy. “Can you imagine Worth at sunset or sunrise? The brilliant colors in the sky would complement his incredible dragon.”
“Here’s me…a plain old brown beast,” Lex muttered.
“Every dragon is gorgeous,” Aleksander told him. “Some of them are just more unique than others. Fate wanted Worth to stick out, and she chose well.”
“Seriously, though, how soon can you shed your scales?” Blodwen asked, her gray gaze filled with excitement. “Ineedit.”
Chrysander chuckled. “Give the man a moment to acclimate to his new home. Will you fly for us, Worth? I think we’d all love to see your magnificent wings against the blue sky.”
Confused by their delight, Worth turned and ran as he flapped his wings to get off the ground. Once he was high enough above the cheering and clapping crowd, Worth’s dragon did a tight roll through the air. The beast was happy to show off for them, while the man was struggling to understand their reactions.
Worth wanted to believe things were different at D’Vaire, but he was frightened. If he allowed himself to hope he’d finally found his place and could leave solitude in the past, to lose any of it would be devastating. Worth wasn’t sure how he’d recover from such a fall.
∞∞∞
Many months later
D’Vaire was everything Worth had believed it to be the moment he’d arrived and met the wonderful people beneath its giant roof. In the months since he’d moved into his brother’s house, Worth had befriended everyone. To his delight, he was closer to no one more than Aleksander. They had tons of things in common—including an interest in figures—and Aleksander had trusted Worth with the role of aiding him with the many financial concerns of the wealthy family.
Aleksander loved to increase his funds and considered investments one of the vital ways to care for his family. It was the opposite of Boian, who’d spent what he wanted on himself and never known where his next dollar was coming from. Worth didn’t bother thinking much about his father, but he’d never escape his past. That didn’t hurt any longer.
It was difficult to be lonely at D’Vaire. Worth’s new family had embraced him, and he’d immersed himself in life in Arizona with enthusiasm. He still hated the quiet, and it sucked to slink off to the gorgeous room Larissa had designed for him. Although he appreciated her efforts—and had nearly come to blows with the determined woman following his refusal to put his own dragonskin in his ridiculously extensive suite—Worth preferred to be around the people he’d grown to love.
There were changes since Worth moved in. Shockingly, Duke Drogo and his other half, Duchess-mate Emmeline, had left the Consilium and now lived next door at the Draconis Court of Bera. King Aeron and Queen Helen Beradraconis were the parents of the Reverent Knights and considered part of the extended D’Vaire family. D’Vaire boasted a magical bubble that protected the lands of Bera and D’Vaire, and there was no safer place on earth.
Worth’s relationship with Drogo hadn’t changed. No one discussed anything that had happened at Court Ethelin. Lex was kind enough to invite Worth along for his visits to hisparents, but it was difficult to sit in a room with Drogo now. It was Drogo who’d handed Aleksander money when King Boian banished him. All throughout Worth’s life, Drogo had known that Aleksander and Worth’s cousins existed.
Yet Drogo insisted it had been Worth’s choice to stay in that awful house. Drogo had mentioned to Worth the humans willing to aid dragons wanting to join the Council, but he’d prevented Worth from seeking them out. If Worth had known about the D’Vaires, he would’ve gone directly to them. Why hadn’t Drogo helped him do that? His loyalty to Boian was so absolute that he’d lied to Worth daily. At least Worth had grown to understand that not every Duke had a barren soul and was obsessed with keeping his title at any cost.
There were three at D’Vaire who served Aleksander with honor but were baldly honest with their King. If Brogan, Dravyn, or the newest of Aleksander’s Dukes, Mac, had an opinion, they offered it without worrying if it opposed their King’s thoughts. Worth appreciated their candor and their nobleness and respected them highly.
The atmosphere at D’Vaire begged for people to be themselves, and Worth had easily regained his confidence. His relationship with his dragon hadn’t been ignored either. While Worth preferred his suite decorated in the blue and black of his new court, he’d also grown to appreciate the rarity of his pink beast. Fate had selected him to stand out. In less than a year, Worth and his dragon had a symmetry he’d desired in his youth long before that awful day Boian had cast him out.
Worth loved everything about his life at D’Vaire and didn’t care what happened—he wasn’t leaving under any circumstances. Every day was fun, and he enjoyed the unexpected. Which was why he had no complaints as he shuffled into the plain throne room of the house. The rest of the mansion was beautiful, but the space where his King should’ve held courtwas bland. To Worth, it spoke of Aleksander’s humble soul. However, it rankled that such an incredible ruler had to use an ugly room on the rare occasion when Aleksander wanted an event in there.
After everyone shuffled in and found seats, Aleksander smiled. “Ladies and gentlemen of D’Vaire, today we honor a practice as old as dragonkind. Worthington D’Vairedraconis, will you please join me?”
Bewildered, Worth did what he was told.
“Please kneel,” Aleksander ordered.
“This better not be a beheading,” Worth grumbled as Brogan passed Aleksander a beautiful sword withD’VAIREetched into the blade.
