Page 5 of D'Vaire or Nothing
“Nox and Mortis protect you and Rafe,” Nox said.
“Plus, we have wolves,” Rafe remarked as he stepped closer and grabbed Aleksander’s hand.
Brogan leaned forward. “Are you feeling nervous or anything?”
Since Aleksander had no intention of advertising his agoraphobia to the hotel staff, he shook his head and kept his answer short and succinct. “No, and if you intend to walk with us to the restaurant, the least you could do is figure out which way we need to head to find it.”
“No worries, I have the entire resort map memorized. It’s through the casino. Let’s go,” Brogan instructed.
“You and Dra’Kaedan can walk ahead of us, and we’ll follow. We’re on a date, and I don’t want to make small talk with anyone but Rafe,” Aleksander responded.
“Hey, Tallosaur, what makes you think I want to talk to him?” Dra’Kaedan asked, finally standing up fully and glaring crossly at Brogan.
“Well, Squirt, you’re welcome to keep silent for the night,” Aleksander replied.
Brogan snorted. “I don’t think he has that power.”
Lifting his head to the ceiling, Dra’Kaedan sighed. “Why am I the one stuck with this man?”
“Are you asking Fate, or is your question academic?” Aleksander asked. “Because I have some theories about how you’re suited to such an annoying person.”
“Okay, I’ve already had enough of you, Lankenstein,” Dra’Kaedan retorted and tugged on Brogan’s hand. “Let’s go, mate.”
“I’m not annoying,” Brogan grumbled as he allowed himself to be led away by Dra’Kaedan.
“Yes, you are annoying, Mortis,” Rafe told his wolf. “So is Brogan.”
Aleksander reached out and easily laced his fingers with Rafe’s as they set into motion behind the Grand Duke. While Brogan had allowed several feet between them, he kept glancing back.
“If he keeps doing that, he’s going to walk into something,” Rafe said.
“Serves him right. I appreciate his dedication to his job, but he deserves to have a fun weekend too. I’m sure Dra’Kaedan would appreciate a couple of days without Brogan obsessing about where we are.”
“As High Kings, can we lock them up somewhere until Monday when we check out?”
“If Brogan bothers us during dinner, we’ll consider it,” Aleksander replied.
Thankfully, the walk to the restaurant wasn’t long, and Aleksander marveled at the dark interior. As a nod to the dragon Kings, there were silver crowns adorning the three-leaf clovers decorating the walls. Almost everything else was black, and it made the large space feel intimate.
Before Aleksander could take out his identification card, the host greeted him and Rafe. They were led to a secluded curved booth in the corner of the restaurant. Unlike the rest of the room, there were accents of gold on the crown above theirtable. It matched the double circles Aleksander was given by Fate the day he was made a King in 1369. Aleksander grinned at Rafe. As the only High Kings, Rafe and Aleksander were the sole beasts granted the use of both silver and the gilt of Emperors.
“Your Highnesses, give me a moment,” the host said after handing them menus. He bent and yanked on the base of the raised booth. It slid out to reveal a large doggy bed that the two wolves immediately hopped into. Mortis’s tongue lolled out, which amused Aleksander. He loved the goofiness of Rafe’s wolf as much as he admired Nox’s more dignified approach to life. “We have bowls for your wolf sentinels. I can bring them now or have your server take care of that later.”
“No need to make an extra trip,” Rafe replied. “Our server can bring them out at his or her convenience. Thanks so much.”
“My pleasure, your server should be with you shortly.”
With that, the host left them alone.
“This is so cool,” Rafe said. “They created a table for us and our wolves.”
“Comfy,” Nox remarked.
“Elf and Chrys never miss a detail,” Aleksander commented. “I hope they allow this to be used when we aren’t in town or it’s going to sit empty way too often.”
“I’m sure it’ll get used. Probably for VIPs or some shit.”
Aleksander took a single glance at the menu and immediately decided on a thick steak and potatoes. “I know what I’m getting.”
