Page 58 of Worthy Promises
Lex was still frowning as they were joined by a Valzadari elf and two cougar-gargoyle hybrids. Although Oliver was overloaded with names and faces, he recalled the elf was Pyxlevir and the other two were his best friends, twin brothers Colburn and Crispin Hawthorne-Stone. Colburn—or Colby, as he preferred—and Crispin were the children of the gargoyle rulers, Watchman Hunter Hawthorne-Stone and Watchman-mate Jordan Hawthorneonca-Stone.
“Hey,” the yellow-green-eyed Colby offered. Thankfully, Colby wore his hair shorter than his twin brother, so Oliver could tell them apart. “We were so excited to meet you, Oliver, that we couldn’t remember if any of us said congratulations to you and Worth.”
“Of course you did,” Worthington assured the dark-haired shifter. “But we never tire of hearing it.”
“Congratulations,” Pyxlevir commented. The elf with skin the lovely color of an azure sky was considerably shorter than his nearly six-foot-tall friends at perhaps five-foot-two. His black tresses sparkled with beads handcrafted by the company his father ran, and his traditional Elven tunic and pants were the same deep blue as his eyes.
“Thank you,” Oliver replied.
“Where’s your brother?” Colby asked Lex. “I haven’t had a chance to see him yet.”
“On the deck. Noir stole him from me.”
“You don’t sound at all bitter about it,” Crispin teased, peeking through the long strands of dark hair hanging in his eyes to grin at Lex.
“I’m his flesh and blood, that should entitle me to extra snuggles,” Lex argued.
“Maybe you and Rutledge should have a kid,” Colby suggested. “Then you could baby-cuddle constantly.”
Rutledge’s light gray gaze widened, and the horror on his face was unmistakable. “W-we don’t know anything about raising a child,” Rutledge stammered. He patted his shirt pocket where the notebook he was never without rested. “I’d have to take so many notes. Learn so many things.”
“Relax,” Lex coaxed. He tried to put an arm around his mate but was stopped by Rutledge’s temporary owl wings, which caused Lex to scowl. “Now you can understand why we’ve never offered to take Wentworth overnight for my folks.”
“I’m reading books, Lex,” Rutledge defended.
“I know, we’re fine. Keeping him overnight scares me too.”
“Have no worries, fair Rutledge,” Worthington said. “Soon we’ll have a baby of our own in the house overnight and we can all learn how to care for Noir and Kendrick’s little one.”
“Look, Aeron and Dravyn just took some steak and stuff off the grill,” Colby remarked. “Let’s go see if we can grab some food.”
“Go on ahead,” Worthington told him. “We have some more calming of Lex to do so our fair Rutledge isn’t stuck with a sour dragon all night.”
After hugging everyone, Pyxlevir, Colby, and Crispin set off to eat. The moment they were gone, Worthington frowned.
“He’s gotten better at pretending, but our Pyxlevir is still not the same since Gramlithyn left,” Worthington commented.
“Is this a story you know yet, Oliver?” Lex asked.
Oliver shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”
“At six years old, Pyxlevir met his best friend, Gramlithyn. They were inseparable. When they were teenagers, they met Colby and Crispin. The four grew close, and soon it was four instead of two,” Worthington said.
“I think it’s safe to say that Pyxlevir and Gramlithyn still considered themselves a bit closer to each other than they were to the twins,” Lex added.
Worthington nodded. “I agree. Plus, Colby and Crispin have their own unique bond as gargoyles. Each gargoyle has a twin, and that birthright is nurtured among every gargoyle pair. Anyway, as their graduation from the Spectra Academy grew near, Colby and Gramlithyn decided to go on an adventure. They wanted to do a bit of traveling and camping, so they planned a three-week trip.”
“All four had their futures set,” Lex said. “They’d be attending college and working. Pyxlevir and Gramlithyn at Elven D’Vaire, Colby chose Gargoyle Security, and Crispin aids Jordan as part of the Royal Order of the Gargoyle.”
“But Gramlithyn found traveling addictive. Three weeks wasn’t nearly enough for him,” Worthington remarked. “Colby came home alone. Here we are two years later. Gramlithynhasn’t returned. Not even for holidays, much to the distress and annoyance of his parents. Pyxlevir doesn’t speak of it, but according to the twins, he no longer has any contact with his former best friend. In fact, Crispin and Colby barely hear from Gramlithyn either.”
“I can understand the desire to follow his dreams, but I’m confused why he’d need to cut himself off from his family and friends,” Rutledge commented. “But I don’t know Gramlithyn. He must have his reasons.”
Lex’s dark brows drew together. “I’m sure he does, but I personally don’t think it’s fair that Gramlithyn hasn’t offered any explanations to the people who love him. They deserve better. We all do. He has parents who’ve done nothing but support him, and his best friends were his constant companions until he decided traveling was more important than anything else.”
“But we should also stay open-minded and remember that he’s a young man following his dreams,” Worthington added quietly. “Maybe he doesn’t understand how he’s hurting those around him because he’s lost in pursuing his passion.”
“That sounds like an excuse,” Lex stated. “We’ve been making them for him for two years now.”
