Page 50 of Worthy Promises
Worthington’s blue gaze filled with empathy and what Oliver hoped was understanding. “Zarasha loves cuddles. When Pyxlevir was growing up, he was fond of affection too. Actually, Pyxlevir still adores a good hug. I assumed Orion would be the same. Or he’d tell me to bugger off.”
Oliver was learning about the D’Vaire family connections, but he wasn’t sure who Pyxlevir was. “Pyxlevir?”
“Chieftain Kalthekor Valzadari and Chieftain-mate Aristos Centaurus-Valzadari’s son. You’ll be meeting them all tonight since Lex and Rutledge’s event is focused on our sister sanctuary, Elven D’Vaire, and its corporate entity of the same name. Because elves are so closely related to sprites, Ducblanc-mate Tiridythas D’Vaire will be there representing his company, Tiri’s Textiles, too.”
“Okay,” Oliver replied for lack of any other response.
Worthington reached out and rubbed Oliver’s back. Although he wasn’t a feline shifter, he wanted to purr at the lovely contact between him and his other half.
“Ask him often for hugs, Owliver. If he’s not in the mood, he’ll tell you. I can’t speak for knowing the minds of all children, but it’s been my limited experience they tend to be honest at that age about their wants.”
“I barely remember being that young, and no one was hugging me.”
“I understand,” Worthington replied. “Hugs weren’t part of my childhood either. But rest assured that snuggles of any kind are always welcome, Owliver.”
“That’s because our father is an asshat,” Aleksander remarked as Oliver wondered if it would be too telling if he threw himself into Worthington’s arms immediately. The only thing that stopped him was knowing they had an event to go to, and he didn’t want to alarm the poor D’Vaires by forcing them to tear him bodily from Worthington’s side.
Jeremiah scuttled in with a sheepish look. “Are we ready to go?”
“Hello, we were waiting for you,” Dra’Kaedan retorted, gesturing at the crowd of single D’Vaires dressed smartly for their night out. “See you later, Rafe, don’t let Tallosaur run amok.”
Oliver closed his eyes and, after a few seconds of weightlessness, found himself at a Dérive teleportation station. The staff came to attention immediately, and Oliver wondered if it was because they were facing royalty or the Chief Financial Officer of their company. Worthington greeted everyone with friendly smiles as they ventured out and around the corner to an elegant hotel.
Ahead of them, many of the D’Vaires went straight into the ballroom, but Worthington hung behind the crowd for a moment. At his side Jeremiah stood expressionless and the Grand Duke and Grand Warlock waited as well—likely becausethere was no other D’Vaire security present and Brogan was often called overprotective.
“Owliver, you’ll need to hold my hand,” Worthington said, sliding his fingers along Oliver’s palm. It sent a wonderful shiver along his spine, and his owl preened at the affection from their mate. “This is a singles event, and I’ll have no one there believing you’re looking for anyone.”
Amused that Worthington believed anyone would choose to chat with him at a singles event when he was standing next to the most gorgeous person to ever draw breath, Oliver smiled.
“Will Asteria be okay without you?” Oliver asked.
“Yes, though neither of us enjoys being parted. Thankfully, she was excited about playing with Orion and Zarasha, which makes me feel better about leaving her.”
They entered the large room where the event was being held, and the Grand Warlock and Grand Duke immediately excused themselves to check out what food was being offered.
“Oh, go ahead, Jeremiah,” Worthington coaxed.
The Magister Duke sucked in a deep breath and latched his glittery gaze onto Oliver’s face. “I hope you don’t mind. I know you’re here to enjoy your evening with Worth, but I wanted to apologize for our past interactions. You were persistent in pursuing my art, and although I appreciated your interest, I wasn’t always kind about refusing to discuss anything with you. Now that we’re family, I want to ensure that there are no hard feelings between us. What can I say to make up for the way I treated you?”
“I took nothing you said to heart,” Oliver assured Jeremiah. “Our past discussions were about business. No one gets through every interaction with a yes. I was disappointed but not in the way you treated me. You have an incredible gift, and I wanted to showcase it. I understand His Majesty aided you at the start, and you understandably feel loyal to your curator.Something about your work touched my heart. I love art and have put together quite a collection, but in my bedroom is one of your pieces. That’s how much I appreciate your talent.”
“Wow,” Jeremiah replied. “I had no idea.”
Worthington grinned and squeezed Oliver’s hand. “Which piece is it?”
“The one I mentioned to you. How often have you painted Asteria onto the landscapes you’ve done of the Fae?” Oliver asked Jeremiah.
“I’ve given Worth a few of Asteria, but I only sold one piece with her. It’s so awesomesauce that it wound up with you.”
“Where it was obviously meant to be,” Worthington added.
“How’d you wind up with a Fae pet anyway?” Oliver asked.
“Well, that’s something we’ll have to discuss privately later,” Worthington replied. “The story features a D’Vaire secret or two.”
Oliver loved the reminder that he’d have Worthington to himself later and he’d spend his first night sleeping in someone else’s bed. A rush of heat flowed through him, and Oliver wondered how long it’d be before it was appropriate to have his hands on Worthington’s long, lanky form.
“Come on, let’s go say hi to Lex and Rutledge,” Jeremiah suggested. Near the couple, Ashby and Kitchi were conversing with the two Prism Lords who served as advisors and guards to the leaders of the Spectra Wizardry. High Arcanist Royce the Red was grinning at something the ruler of the centaurs, Archon Timotheus Centaurus, was saying as the two strategos tasked with seeing to his safety stood behind him.
