“I wondered about that. I remember you had to ask permission to shift. That was weird to me.”
“There was nothing comfortable about my relationship with my beast, and I think it was freedom for him. I can’t really blame him for being unhappy. I didn’t respect our bond. One of the many mistakes I’ve made in my life.”
“Rafe, you didn’t choose to not shift.”
“I know, I was manipulated into thinking it was best, but the reality is if I wasn’t so stupid, I would’ve seen the truth of the situation and fought for my dragon.”
“Against people sadistic enough to torture you for being gay?”
Rafe pulled away to stare at his empty plate. “I probably would’ve died a long time ago…long before I met you. Fate would’ve brought me back, so you weren’t alone and maybe we’d be living happily ever after here at D’Vaire.”
“If that’s how it was meant to happen, it would’ve happened that way.”
“I never meant for any of this.”
“I really wish you would stop blaming yourself for anything. You’ve done nothing wrong. You’re exactly where you should be, and I’m grateful that you filled out that application.”
“Are you still mad at me for not contacting you after I woke up from my coma?”
“Rafe, come on. I’m not angry at you for anything. Yes, I would’ve liked to hear from you because I worried about you and because you would already be healed. Sorcery D’Vaire could’ve spared you some of the pain you’ve gone through, but I’m not going to ever hold that against you.”
“How did you become such a good person, Sander?”
“I’m not so remarkable, but you are.”
“This pedestal you want to put me on is weird.”
“So is your insistence at not looking at me when we’re talking.”
“In your eyes I can see what you’re feeling, and it’s overwhelming because I expected you to be…I don’t know…over me or something.”
“I have no intention of ever getting over you. I doubt I could if I tried.”
“I know I can’t get over you.”
Aleksander placed a hand on Rafe’s bounty of soft curls. Gently pulling his head close, he kissed his temple. “Good. Now relax for a bit. I’ve got to go shake off some of this rage that wants to choke me. Then I’ll be back to check on you.”
“Okay, but I’m going to go to bed soon. I’m tired.”
“Get some rest. I’ll tuck you in if you’re already asleep,” Aleksander told him. Releasing him, he grabbed his tray to carry it to the kitchen. “Don’t forget we have a Sorcery D’Vaire meeting tomorrow afternoon.”
“How could I?”
Satisfied that Rafe was willing to consider having his wounds healed, Aleksander strode out, with Mortis on his heels, and allowed the fury in his veins to flood his system. The only thing that could calm him a fraction was the reminder that the fallen knights would never give up. Someday, Rafe’s family would pay for what they did to him and the life they nearly took.
Chapter 39
Rafe had spent months reminiscing about every kiss, touch, look, and conversation he ever had with Aleksander. Those memories were still his most precious commodity, and it was nearly impossible to comprehend that somehow, he was adding to that treasure trove. But considering what kind of person his mate was, Rafe shouldn’t have been so surprised to find himself being treated with kindness and consideration.
Asleep shortly after dinner, he didn’t know if Aleksander had tucked him in, but Rafe doubted his other half hadn’t fulfilled his promise. Aleksander was not the type of man to misspeak or give half-truths, and Rafe supposed that was why he trusted him despite the betrayal of his family. Or perhaps he was simply too stupid to comprehend when someone was toying with him. Either way, Rafe was happy with the friendship rising from the ashes.
It was the reason he was walking outside to attend the Sorcery D’Vaire meeting. There wasn’t anyone else around because he was running late. Having taken a nap after lunch, if Aleksander hadn’t texted him, Rafe likely would’ve missed it completely. Although he would’ve preferred to use his wheelchair, there was a step up into the building that housed the offices of D’Vaire, so he was using his walker, even though his arms were trembling with fatigue. Managing the single step, he got inside. In front of him were a bunch of closed doors. Leaning against the wall, Rafe pulled his phone out as Mortis stared up at him with curiosity in his blue gaze.
Sander, which door is it?
Third floor, it’s the only one up here.
So, where’s the elevator?
For fuck’s sake. One second.
There was a stomping sound above him; then Aleksander bounded down the stairs with Dra’Kaedan just behind him.
“No one thought about how we’d get you up there. We’re stupid and I’m sorry,” Dra’Kaedan said. “I’ll teleport us up.”
“It’s fine, you guys aren’t stupid,” Rafe countered, closing his eyes. His stomach reacted as it always did, but it was essentially lost in all the issues he already had.
“Sorry, babe,” Aleksander said, walking over to a stunning round table in a room that was filled with old books and abounded with knowledge and prestige.
“Have a seat, Mr. President,” Renny invited. Pulling out a chair, he smiled. Assuming he was speaking to Aleksander, Rafe tried to go around him but the familiar frowned. “Dude, it’s a great chair.”
“I’m not the president.”
“You’re Aleksander’s mate. He’s president, so you are too,” Renny patiently explained as Rafe lowered to the seat and to his surprise, was pushed in. “There you go.”
“Thanks,” Rafe replied. Once Aleksander was next to him, he leaned in so his mate could hear his whisper. “I’m not really the president of this, am I?”
“Trust me, you’ll never get used to it. I haven’t.”
“Not really an answer, Sander.”
The High King simply winked at him and turned to the remarkable people around them. “Ready to get started?”
“Absolutely, and since we only have one project, there’s really only one question,” Saura stated. She smiled brightly at Rafe. “Well, dear, are you going to let us heal your wounds?”
“I’ve thought about this all day, and I’m willing to discuss it.”
“Dr. Suricata’s willing to speak with us; should I call her?” T’Eirick asked.
“Yeah,” Rafe replied. They got the meerkat on the phone and greeted her warmly.
“I’m so pleased you’ll consider moving forward, Rafe, and I can’t tell you what it means to me to have the chance to work with Sorcery D’Vaire. How are you feeling today?”
“All the swelling is gone from where the Lichpriestess healed me yesterday, but I need some reassurances before I can give my consent.”
“Like what?” Aleksander asked.
“I know you guys can’t rule out the possibility of a blood transfusion, but I need that to be only used in an extreme emergency. I don’t want to rob either Aleksander or myself of the choice,” Rafe stated.
“I would like you to consider completing your matebond,” Dr. Suricata insisted. “With the blood of His Highness in you, we could move faster and safer forward with your treatment plan.”
“None of this comes with any guarantee other than I might not have open sores on my hips. I will not complete my matebond. It’s not fair to either of us to be stuck with the state of my current health.”
“Dr. Suricata, I would be willing to complete our matebond, but I’m not going to badger Rafe about it. I want him to be comfortable with the decision, and my priority right now is making him better. At this point, I think it would be best if we shelved the conversation. I’m grateful he is even willing to consider the healing of his wounds,” Aleksander said, and Rafe smiled at him for allowing him to make the right call. Trusting that Aleksander would be true to his word, Rafe was confident there wouldn’t be any further insistence that he do the unthinkable in
binding their lives.
“Okay, I’m with you. I want him to be in less pain, and hopefully we can extend his life. I know how hard it is for him to consent to procedures after all the ones he’s already had. So, I will agree not to press the issue. However, if it becomes medically necessary to have a blood transfusion, I’m not going to hesitate to make that call.”
“Thanks, Dr. Suricata. I appreciate that,” Rafe said. “That’s the only obstacle for me. I’d…well, I would like to go ahead.”
Aleksander grinned and kissed his cheek. “Let’s start planning, everyone.”
“The hospital is willing to allow Sorcery D’Vaire to line a single patient room in copper. They balked at first since the board is comprised of mostly shifters, and they never seem to put enough value in magic, but the Arch Lich contacted Dr. Tranelephas, and he has a lot of clout. Once he put his weight behind the request, they agreed. I’d like to do this as soon as possible, before anyone on the board or administration thinks of a silly reason why this is not a good idea, and it’s best for Rafe if we don’t delay as well. I can do this on Tuesday if you guys can get the copper handled.”
“We can do the copper at any time, Dr. Suricata,” Dre’Kariston promised. “This afternoon works for us. It would give us a chance to recuperate the lost magic in case we need to refill my parents as they work on Rafe.”
“Rafe, is Tuesday good for you?” Saura asked.
“Yeah, sure. How long would I have to stay?”
“If things go well, it will likely only be a single night but may extend to two or three. I know you’d prefer to return to D’Vaire as quickly as possible and if you’re stable, we’ll send you home. Let me go get the logistics worked out on which rooms I can snag, and I’ll call you, Grand Summoner,” Dr. Suricata promised. After farewells from everyone, they disconnected.
“You will need to contact Drystan or Conley,” Alaric said. “Mortis will need to be tranquilized.”
“I can do that for you if you want,” Aleksander offered.
“Yeah, sure, go ahead.”
“Should we keep him here? If we leave him in the room with Rafe for a long time, those stones are going to drain him and make him feel like shit,” Chander remarked.
“Is that okay with you, buddy? You can get tranqued and sleep in your own bed until I get home.”
“Can’t go?”
“It’s better for you to stay here.”
“Who protect Rafe?”
“Mortis wants to know what the plan is to protect me.”
“It’s definitely something we need to discuss. You’ll be in a room with Cwylld stones, which means no sorcerers, sentinels, or fallen knights in there with you,” Brogan replied. “So, it’ll be dragons. Worth, Mac, Dray, and I will sleep there with you and Aleksander. Did you have security before when you were in the hospital since your attacker or attackers are still at large?”
“Yeah, Drystan and Conley kept a guard in the hospital the entire time I was there. I don’t think they were stationed outside my door every minute, but I had a button I could push if I needed help.”
“Okay…so, Aleksander, when you speak to them, request a guard. Otherwise I’ll ask our sentinels to take turns doing it.”
“Two High Kings. I’m going to have sentinels in the building, no matter who likes it,” Alaric stated.
“Good, then maybe I can actually relax a little,” Brogan remarked. “I know this is medically necessary, but it still scares me shitless. Especially with Mortis here and knowing that the High Kings will be separated while Rafe’s being healed.”
“Mortis only needs to be tranqued for the duration of the procedure. Once he awakens, if Rafe is in any danger, he will automatically come to his defense, Cwylld rocks in the room or not. Their souls are bound,” Alaric stated.
“What do you think, Mortis?” Rafe asked.
“Alaric and Brogan got this. Reverent friends help too. You safe. Will help if someone come near you.”
“Okay, Mortis is satisfied with that plan.”
“Stupid question, but are you staying overnight, Aleksander?” Brogan asked.
“You already know the answer to that. I’ll be with Rafe.”
“So, let’s discuss what happens after the healing,” Delaney said. “You’re going to be swollen, and in order to keep it in check, you’ll need to stay around the stones for a few days. If you leave the confines of the room for long periods of time, you may experience a rebound of your symptoms, so it’s important that you don’t do that.”
“I can manage for a few days. Sander, you’ll take care of Mortis?”
“My pleasure.”
“Aleksander nice. Aleksander play.”
“Mortis is excited. I think he likes you better than me.”
“Rafe my person. Love Rafe.”
“I love you too, buddy,” Rafe told his wolf, petting his head.
“You know, I had a dream last night of a certain shadow walk Dre’Kariston and I had,” Chander revealed. “I distinctly remember T’Eirick’s familiar, Eldwyn, telling us we might find ourselves hunting for more Cwylld rocks someday. It would appear he was right.”
Dre’Kariston nodded. “That crossed my mind this morning, actually.”
“We will have to make do with what we have. I’m going to suggest that no magic be used in the house while Rafe’s recovering. The reality is, we don’t know what residual effects even the dome might be having upon his health. It might be so insidious that he’s not aware of how it’s making him feel,” Vadimas stated.
“Are you suggesting we remove the dome?” Brogan asked, his navy eyes wide with fear.
“No, absolutely not. All I’m suggesting is that we minimize sorcery while he’s healing. The Spectra Wizardry is open to everyone if you must cast something, or any of the homes of our extended family would work as well, I’m sure,” Vadimas promised. “Even a simple measure like teleporting groups outside since it uses magic, unlike personal teleportation for resurrected folks, which is generally added as a skill is probably something easily done to ensure we aren’t filling the air with anything unnecessary.”
“The second phase of this project, once we’ve fixed Rafe completely, is finding a way to cure or manage his intolerance. Not only will it help you, Rafe, but the other shifters who suffer from the same problem,” Renny said.
Killian bobbed his head. “It’s already in the works. I can’t do much to help with the healing other than offer advice, so Dray and I are already brainstorming that issue. It’s my druids who are the ones most shifters encounter, and if we can find a way to protect those that are intolerant, it would help me sleep a little better at night.”
“You’re terrible at sleeping,” Dravyn told his mate.
“I’m better when you’re with me, Dragon Boy.”
“For the dragons staying at the hospital, you guys get to go home to your sorcerer mates at night, right?” Rafe asked.
“Not possible,” Brogan responded. “One or two nights away isn’t going to mean anything in the long run. This is about healing you, and we can sacrifice whatever’s necessary to get to that end.”
“I don’t want to insult anyone…shifters or sorcerers, but I can’t understand why you guys are willing to do all these things. Not using magic in the house, leaving your mates, and focusing your considerable talents on trying to heal me. Why?”
“Honestly, we like to help, and if someone from the hospital had called us, we would’ve put our heads together, even if we’d never met you. But what makes us push that much harder, stretch to our limits, and to sacrifice what needs to be done, is Aleksander.” Dra’Kaedan pointed to the table. “This entire family…he built this, and he needs you at his side to be happy. And we want the chance to have you ruling at his side. You were chosen by Fate for that role, and we will allow no one to deprive you of it or your mate. The shifters honor you both by protecting you and those of us with magic offer you power. Our lives for yours, High King Rafe D’Vairedraconis.�
�
Thoroughly humbled and overwhelmed, Rafe managed a murmured thank-you while Aleksander cupped his head and dropped a kiss on his forehead.
“Sorcery D’Vaire, let’s get to work,” Aleksander said.
Chapter 40
Aleksander had done his best to spend as much time with Rafe as possible, not only because he enjoyed his company, but there was fear in his heart that his mate would back out of their plan to fix his hips. Thankfully he had not, and they were sitting in a hospital waiting for the nurses to come in to wheel him off to the operating room. Everyone had left them alone to give them a few minutes to speak privately, which Aleksander appreciated. His blood had already been taken and Rafe had, once again, warned against using it.
“Thanks,” Rafe murmured, while Aleksander stroked his hand.
“What are you thanking me for?”
“I don’t know…I guess for trying so hard to convince me to do this.”
“I should be thanking you for even considering it after everything.”
“I just want you to know, in case I don’t come out of the anesthesia, that I appreciate you and I’m sorry things didn’t work out. You know how scared and confused I was before all this, and if I could go back to the beginning when we met, I would’ve done things differently.”
“I know it’s hard for you to believe, but we have a future in front of us.”
“I need you to know one last thing in case I die.”
Aleksander rolled his eyes. “You aren’t going to die.”
“Will you just listen?”
Getting to his feet, Aleksander bussed his forehead. “Yes.”
“Remember when I told you that hope got me through everything?”
“I do. And I’m still amazed that you survived.”
“I wasn’t completely honest about that.”
“You weren’t?”
Rafe’s earnest gaze met Aleksander’s. “It was you. You’re what got me through each day. I would remind myself that if I could just hold out a little longer, I would be back at D’Vaire with you. It was the hope that we’d be together again.”
Heart of the High King (D'Vaire, Book 19) Page 28