Page 74 of Worthy Promises
Lifting his chin, Orion’s lips pursed. “It’s not fair she can’t go to school with me.”
“I agree.”
“Why don’t the people at D’Vaire with magic help her?” Orion asked.
“I don’t really understand magic, so I can’t answer that.”
“Could you ask someone? I want to know why Zarasha can’t do what she wants.”
“Yes,” Oliver replied. “I can ask, but I can’t promise that either of us will get an answer we like. As far as I know, Zarasha is stuck as ato’faer.”
“That’s not fair.”
“I know, but Xakiok didn’t hurt her on purpose.”
Orion crossed his arms. “Xak is very nice. He didn’t want to hurt Zarasha. I’m not mad at him. If I had magic, I’d fix Zarasha.”
“You’re very smart. If there was a way to fix her, I’m sure you’d find it if you were a sorcerer.”
“Will you ask about Zarasha soon?”
“Yes, this weekend.”
“Okay, can we call Larissa now?”
“As soon as we clear our plates from the table.”
That sentence was all it took to get Orion moving. His little feet hit the floor, and he took off toward the kitchen with his plate a heartbeat later. Amused at his enthusiasm and concerned at how Orion was going to take the hopelessness of Zarasha’s situation, Oliver followed at a more leisurely pace.
Chapter 25
Worth didn’t often find himself in the office building behind the mansion. But it wasn’t completely foreign territory. He dragged himself over at least every couple of weeks to allow Kitchi to trim his ends and to thin out some of the bulk of his nearly shoulder-length locks. Besides Kitchi’s salon, there were several other home offices, including the newest addition to the building, the headquarters of Fated D’Vaire.
However, neither of those were Worth’s destination today. With Oliver’s fingers laced with his own, Worth headed to the top floor. It wasn’t cut into several spaces but instead was an enormous conference room dedicated to a group who’d already changed the world multiple times. It was a place of reverence, and it belonged to Sorcery D’Vaire. As he stepped across the threshold, Worth kept his gaze locked on Oliver’s face.
Worth smiled as Oliver’s eyes widened and his lips parted on a long breath. For a split second, Worth was reminded of the way Oliver’s mouth had fallen open as he’d come that morning. His cock jerked in his jeans, but Worth forced himself to remain in the moment.
Oliver was a tantalizing man, but they had a mission, and it had nothing to do with stripping the owl shifter and begging him to make Worth climax.
“What do you think?” Worth asked, waving his hand toward the large round table anchoring the space. The chairs were already filled with the nearly fifty members of the renowned group. Behind their heads were bookcases that ran from floor to ceiling and overflowed with precious tomes—many of them one of a kind and priceless.
Secreted between the shelves were long banners highlighting the many races the group encompassed. There was power in the space, and yet it also brought Worth a sense of comfort. As far as he was concerned, there were few problems in the world unsolvable to this incredible group and their lifelong pursuit of knowledge.
“It’s beautiful,” Oliver said in awe. His shoulder was uncharacteristically bare as Asteria was happily playing with Zarasha and Orion. Her defection wouldn’t last long, and Worth hoped she wouldn’t figure out Oliver wasn’t within a few feet of her until they were finished discussing their issue with Sorcery D’Vaire. The last thing he wanted was a sadllerka’irrofeeling abandoned and searching for Oliver in the house.
“We so rarely have guests,” Saura enthused. “I wonder if we should’ve had refreshments.”
“Since when do we feed guests?” Chander asked.
“I don’t know, but I could use some cookies,” Dra’Kaedan replied.
“When can’t you use cookies?” Renny asked.
“I’m sure the point you were trying to make is that it’s always a good time to have cookies,” Dra’Kaedan retorted.
“You two better get in here and grab a seat before Squirt runs off for snacks and we don’t see him for an hour,” Aleksander commented.
Worth led Oliver to two free chairs next to Aleksander. As soon as he was seated, Oliver took Worth’s hand and laced their fingers once again. Worth loved how affectionate his mate was,and it made him almost giddy to think about how soon they’d be together constantly. A buyer had been found for Oliver and Orion’s home. All they had left to do was empty the rest of the contents and finish up the redecoration of Orion’s white, purple, and pink Fae-inspired bedroom.
