Heart of the High King (D'Vaire, Book 19)

by Jessamyn Kingley

  With no idea how to be a full partner to Aleksander, he supposed the only fair thing to do was allow him to have relationships outside their matebond. Rafe was in no condition for intimacy, and he was too horribly embarrassed to ever undress in front of the man. They could be the best of friends, but they would never be lovers, and it broke Rafe’s heart.

  It was rather ironic after centuries of confusion over his sexuality and finally unlocking when he grew attracted to Aleksander that now he’d have to keep it tucked away forever. The thought of the way he would give himself to others would no doubt drive Rafe slowly mad, and he wondered at the cruelty of his fate. As Rafe succumbed to the pull of his medications, he was plagued by an image of watching Aleksander disappear into a room with a faceless man. What shattered him was the smile on Aleksander’s face, and he wanted to hurt him for biting him in the first place. But in the end, it was Rafe who’d returned and agreed to the treatment, so once again the blame fell on his shoulders.

  Chapter 43

  After being up for most of the night, Aleksander was exhausted and had a horrible crick in his neck from his refusal to let go of Rafe’s hand while trying to find a comfortable position in his chair. Council hospitals kept their patients in beds large enough for mates to share, but he refused to climb in on the off chance he’d cause Rafe any pain. The nurses were keeping track of his swelling, and it had continued through the night. His face was puffy and so was the rest of him, but they were hoping it had finally leveled off. Aleksander had liked the silver that had threaded through his curls, but at least now he understood why Mortis’s fur had changed to navy.

  Rafe’s eyelashes fluttered, making him smile. Although his mate had awakened several times, he hadn’t stayed that way long. “Hi,” Rafe offered when he caught sight of Aleksander staring at him.

  “Hi, how are you feeling?”

  “Sore.”

  “You want some pain medication?”

  Rafe shook his head. “No, I don’t like the way it makes me feel. Did they fix my hips?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is that why my face feels funny?”

  “You’re very swollen.”

  “I guess they won’t be able to fix the major stuff then, since I’ve reacted to the magic again.”

  Aleksander squeezed his hand. “Babe, you don’t need any more healing. At least not right now. We’ll have to see how the aging goes. You might need things taken care of in the future, but you’re as good as new. Everything is fixed. Literally everything. You don’t even have that scar over your eyebrow that you had when we met.”

  Rafe blinked heavily. “What?”

  “I guess it didn’t sink in when I told you last night. You’re fully restored.”

  “Okay.”

  “You don’t believe me, do you?”

  “No.”

  With a chuckle, Aleksander raised their joined hands, so the blankets fell off Rafe’s arm. “Look, no scars.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  When the door swung open to reveal Dr. Suricata, Aleksander nearly raced to kiss her on the mouth. Maybe she could convince Rafe that he was better.

  “Good morning,” she remarked brightly. “How’re you feeling this morning, Rafe?”

  “Confused. Why would they remove the scars from my arm? And why does Aleksander think I’m fully restored?”

  Walking over to pat his leg, Dr. Suricata grinned. “I never imagined yesterday that when we started, we’d get results like this. You can thank your mate for his extremely powerful dragon and the efforts of the talented Sorcery D’Vaire, but you are, indeed, as good as new. We took a CT scan of your abdomen and chest. Your missing organs are restored and functioning well. The rod is gone, and so are the ankle pins. Your blood tests show the cancer is eradicated, and they also removed the superficial scars that covered you from head to toe.”

  “Okay.”

  “I’m serious, Rafe. Your only issue right now is the severe swelling, but I truly believe we’ve reached the peak, and it should start to slowly dissipate as long as you stay around these Cwylld stones until the magic wears off. And allow me to congratulate you on your matebond. I know you didn’t want a blood transfusion but when it became necessary, Aleksander’s dragon would allow no one—not even Their Majesties—to keep him from his other half. That is why we permitted him to bite you.”

  Rafe’s attention went from Dr. Suricata to Aleksander. In his blue eyes—which Aleksander had to admit were more gorgeous with the silver and gold rings near his pupils—was a mixture of hope and disbelief. Acting on instinct, Aleksander leaned forward, and Rafe shifted to meet him halfway.

  When their lips met, it didn’t matter where they were or who else was in the room. Rafe slid his tongue in as they kissed with all the longing that had grown between them in the months since he was kidnapped. It made Aleksander’s head swim, and he had no doubt Fate had picked the perfect man for him. With his free hand, Aleksander cupped his face and stroked his swollen skin, so happy just to be with him.

  The man he adored pulled away but a second later brushed his mouth gently across Aleksander’s. Their gazes locked as Rafe lay back down, and Aleksander hoped he never forgot the smile on his face.

  “If I’m fixed, why can’t I go home?” Rafe demanded of Dr. Suricata when he finally looked away from Aleksander.

  “You’re still being monitored for your swelling,” Dr. Suricata responded. “You haven’t even tried to walk yet. Your catheter is still in.”

  “Get it out. If I can walk, I can take myself into the bathroom.”

  “I’m willing to honor that request, but I’m not going to release you until at least tomorrow, okay? We’re not even sure yet if the swelling has stopped. It’s imperative we intervene if it becomes life-threatening. Because of it, you likely have generalized pain and achiness all over. Is there any place in your belly or chest where it’s more intense?”

  “No.”

  “Okay, then I’m going to ask everyone to leave so we can get that catheter out,” Dr. Suricata responded.

  Aleksander stood and kissed Rafe. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.”

  “Dr. Suricata?” Rafe asked.

  “Yes?”

  “Thank you,” Rafe told her, his voice wavering. “Not just for today but for everything. Since I came to Vegas, you’ve done everything possible to help me. I’m not eloquent or anything, but I want you to know that I appreciate you and your staff. I know I wouldn’t have come as far as I did without you.”

  Dr. Suricata patted him again. “My pleasure, Rafe, and I know you would’ve persevered no matter who handled your care. I doubt I’ve ever worked with a patient with your kind of determination. Now tell your mate and his dukes to scoot.”

  The dukes in question were still yawning and complaining as Brogan corralled the group into the hall.

  “You think he’s grasped yet that he’s healed?” Worth asked, leaning against the wall. The Duke Argent was unperturbed by the strange looks he was getting from passing medical staff who were likely wondering about the tall man wearing pajamas with hot pink owls.

  “I don’t know. I hope so. If not, he’ll figure it out soon,” Aleksander replied.

  Mac gave his shoulder a friendly slap. “At least he didn’t try to kill you for completing your matebond.”

  “He is pretty swollen. Maybe he’ll try once he can get up,” Dravyn mused.

  “Maybe you’ll be flattened by Killian for sleeping with Mac last night,” Aleksander snarked.

  “We shared a giant bed; it’s not like we had sex,” Dravyn argued. “There weren’t that many places to lay down, and I needed sleep.”

  “It’s not like I even got that much rest without Roger and Idris.”

  Brogan snickered. “You mentioned your mate’s familiar first. I guess we don’t have to ask which one of them you miss the most.”

  Mac’s glare was ferocious, and he punched Brogan’s arm hard enough that the Grand Duke win
ced. As Brogan rubbed his offended limb, Aleksander laughed, and it helped wash away the tension locked in his body that had accumulated the moment they arrived at the hospital. After all his worry and fear, Rafe was whole, and for the first time since they met, there was nothing impeding their relationship. Aleksander was going to dedicate himself to focusing on Rafe and growing what already existed in their hearts.

  ∞∞∞

  The moment Rafe was unfettered from his catheter, he asked for and was given his duffel from Dr. Suricata. Snagging a pair of underwear, he got a change of clothes out.

  “You’re really swollen—you might prefer to stay in a gown,” Dr. Suricata warned.

  “I’m going to at least put on some boxers.”

  “Save the rest for tomorrow, huh?”

  “Fine,” Rafe answered, shoving the track pants and T-shirt into the suitcase again.

  “Let’s get you sitting up.”

  With some help from Dr. Suricata and a nurse, Rafe got up and swung his legs over the side. The puffy set of limbs, completely missing scars, were stunning.

  “They look great, don’t they? You’re going to need to rebuild your muscle mass and gain some weight now that you have no restrictions on your diet.”

  “Right,” Rafe replied, continuing to stare in disbelief. They assisted him in getting on his underwear and to his feet. Swollen enough that his joints were screaming in protest, he managed to make it the short distance to the bathroom.

  “I’m guessing you don’t want us in there with you?” Dr. Suricata asked.

  “I got it.”

  “Okay, I’m going to get your mate back in here. He can help you get into bed. Walking around may help with the stiffness in your joints, but you’ll need to stay in the room so you’re around the stones. I’ll check on you in a couple of hours. I’m going to order some more blood work this afternoon. We need to monitor your aging diligently and the effects of Aleksander’s dragon on it. Biting you regularly should help not only with that but to keep your immune system tuned, since you’re at risk of contracting viruses and other humanlike illnesses.”

  “Fine,” Rafe responded and refused to blush at the thought of Aleksander biting him.

  She walked out and Rafe shut himself into the bathroom. The man in the mirror was unrecognizable. Instead of gray in his curls, there was the same striking navy as Aleksander’s. Carefully moving closer, he marveled at the silver and gold rings near his pupils. It should’ve saddened him since it was proof of the matebond Aleksander had been forced into with his unruly dragon, but mostly he was still incredulous. His face was swollen, distorting his features, but as promised there wasn’t a single scar.

  Rafe used one hand to hold himself upright on the sink and with his free one dragged up his gown. Underneath was a pair of plaid boxers and unblemished flesh. It was impossible to wrap his brain around what had happened while he was resting. Accepting that he was likely in shock, Rafe was simply unable to process his bounty of fortune. Had those incredible sorcerers truly offered him a new lease on life? With a shake of his head, Rafe returned to the reason for his trip to the bathroom.

  After taking care of his bladder, he washed his hands. As the soap and water poured over them, he saw them almost as if they weren’t his. Rafe dried them off and with a last glance at his unexpected reflection, opened the door. There was a tall dragon waiting on the other side for him. As gorgeous as ever, Aleksander also appeared tired, but Rafe couldn’t find any regret in his beautiful eyes.

  “You need help getting back to the bed?”

  “I did okay in the bathroom. I got it.”

  “Larissa made me bring a blanket for you, did you want to use it?”

  “That was nice of her, sure,” Rafe replied, slowly making his way to the bed while Aleksander produced a large cover that Brogan assisted him in placing. By the time he got to his destination, Aleksander was waiting for him with the sheet lifted. Rafe climbed up and Aleksander tucked him in.

  “I think they’re going to bring you breakfast soon,” Aleksander told him.

  “You need to eat too.”

  “I’ll bring him something. Let me get changed,” Worth said, disappearing into the bathroom with his duffel.

  “You look exhausted,” Rafe told Aleksander.

  The High King laughed. “I am. This chair sucks.”

  “We told him to get into bed with you, but he refused. He didn’t want to wake or hurt you,” Mac interjected.

  Aleksander was Rafe’s anchor, and he was feeling overwhelmed by what had happened, but he wanted his mate happy. “It’s big enough to share,” Rafe offered quietly to Aleksander.

  Without a word, Aleksander pulled off his shoes and gently got in next to Rafe. “How’s this?”

  They were only a few inches separating them, and it was an instant comfort to Rafe, who faced Aleksander with a smile. “Nice,” he responded, then rolled his eyes at his own idiocy. Having Aleksander near was incredibly more than “nice,” but he lacked the words to describe anything happening in his life.

  “I can’t read your expression; what’s going on in that head of yours?”

  Rafe leaned closer to Aleksander. “Is this real?”

  “Yeah, babe, this whole thing is real. You’re all fixed,” Aleksander replied and buried a hand in Rafe’s curls.

  “I can’t really grasp it.”

  Aleksander kissed him softly. “You just need some time.”

  “You turned my hair blue.”

  “Technically it was my dragon, and I think it’s almost too bad. I liked the silver, but now we both have navy. No one will be able to ignore that we’re mated.”

  Rafe scowled. “I thought I was just going to take a nap and wake up with some improvement on the sores on my hips.”

  “You didn’t even think they were going to fix them?”

  “It seemed like too much to hope for.”

  The door opened to reveal an orderly with a tray of food, forcing Rafe to rotate away from Aleksander so they could place it in front of him. After accepting his thanks, the man disappeared.

  “That smells good,” the man in his bed remarked.

  Shaking his head at the crazy idea that he was under a blanket with Aleksander, he picked up his fork. “And all mine.”

  “Not even mated a day and the romance has died,” Mac snarked.

  When Aleksander gave him an exaggerated pout, Rafe rolled his eyes and scooped up some eggs. His thought was to hold the fork out to Aleksander to grab but when he aimed it in his direction, his mate opened his mouth so, with a mental shrug, Rafe fed him the bite. “Enjoy it, that’s all you’re getting,” Rafe remarked, concentrating on eating his breakfast.

  Unperturbed, Aleksander stole a piece of bacon and told his brother to bring Rafe back a piece of cake from the cafeteria, which earned him a kiss. It might be a fantasy or a wonderful dream, but Rafe was going to enjoy every moment of it.

  Chapter 44

  When lunch rolled around Rafe was tired of the inactivity, though his body was hardly up to anything other than lumbering around the room on inflamed joints. His spirit and energy, however, were slowly increasing as disease and injury no longer dragged him down. Rafe doubted he had mentally or emotionally embraced the abrupt change in his circumstance, but he was trying. Dr. Suricata had confirmed that she believed the swelling was stable and no longer increasing, which relieved Rafe as it meant he would go home in the morning.

  Refusing to consider the weirdness of returning to D’Vaire as Aleksander’s bonded mate, he had no real idea of what to expect. They hadn’t planned on combining their souls, and they’d spent more time apart than together. It was something he would’ve loved to speak to Aleksander about, but the High King had yawned through the lunch his dukes brought to him, then promptly fell into a deep sleep.

  “We should probably wake him,” Mac said.

  “What for? He was up most of the night,” Worth retorted.

  “Yeah, but if he sleeps all afternoon, h
e’s not going to be able to get any rest tonight.”

  “Give him a poke, Rafe,” Worth instructed. “Mac’s right.”

  Rafe shook his head. “It’s fine.”

  “He’s supposed to be keeping you company anyway,” Brogan said, walking over and nudging Aleksander’s shoulder, which had zero effect on the dragon.

  “Good luck,” Dravyn remarked with arms crossed. “He’s always slept like the dead.”

  “I think he loses his paragon status for falling asleep when he should be caring for his mate,” Worth commented.

  “I’m fine, though,” Rafe argued.

  “Are you not in a hospital?” Worth demanded.

  “Well, yeah, but I’m probably well enough to go home. They are just being overly cautious.”

  “If the doctor thinks this is where you belong, there’s a reason.”

  “I say he could be relaxing in the comfort of our house and eating better food,” Brogan interjected.

  “You’re just bitter about being separated from your mate,” Mac answered.

  “No, obviously I’d prefer to be with Dra’Kaedan, but it’s also safer for Aleksander and Rafe to be at home.”

  “Well, if big brother here is going to lay about like a giant slug, it’s up to us to entertain Rafe. We’ve got board games and cards. What do you prefer?” Worth asked.

  “I haven’t played anything, really.”

  “Have no fear. We’ll teach you,” Worth replied, picking up a deck of cards. Dravyn’s phone rang, and he stepped into the adjoining room.

  “I guess he wants privacy to make kissy face with Killian,” Mac snarked.

  “You cooed at Idris and Roger for a full thirty minutes earlier,” Worth pointed out.

  “At least we want to be mated,” Brogan stated. “Unlike some people in the room.”

  “I’ve rethought the idea that I wish to be alone,” Worth argued.

  “You didn’t want a mate?” Rafe asked.

  Worth stared at him, and even though his face was so similar to Aleksander’s, Rafe couldn’t read his expression. “I’ve dreamed of being with my mate since I was in my teens, but recent events had me terrified of everything that can go wrong.”