Rafe had spent countless hours with weapons because he had no choice, but that was none of anyone’s business, so he chose to say nothing.
“You’ve certainly got them all fooled. I swear they think you’re made of glass. No one wants to upset poor Rafferty with the sleeping mate. It sure doesn’t keep you from going through more money. You had to have a decent throne room, didn’t you? Fits right into your need to flaunt your new title. Aleksander certainly never bothered with it, but it’s not good enough for Rafferty.”
Kendrick’s words were trying to poke holes in Rafe’s confidence, so he went straight to the back door and walked out. The wolves were lounging on the deck watching as D’Vaires hung swags of dragonskin and lengths of glittery beads everywhere they could.
“Rafe upset?”
“I’m fine,” Rafe said with almost enough muster to fool himself. “Are you guys supposed to be out here while they’re decorating for your ceremony?”
“Like watching.”
“Can I help?” Alaric said, opening the door behind Rafe. Chander and the rest of the Darays followed him.
“I didn’t know you were coming over.”
“Gavrael called me. We wouldn’t miss it.”
“Sorry, I should’ve thought about it myself,” Rafe said. “Who else should be invited?”
“Call Drystan or he’ll pout,” Chander advised.
Rafe did as he was told and before long, he was standing in the spot Dra’Kaedan had stood, uniting him with Aleksander as an extended number of D’Vaires sat awaiting him to start.
“Thanks, everybody, for dropping everything to be here for this impromptu celebration of a matebond. There’s nothing greater in our lives than the gift of Fate and the promise of a loving future,” Rafe said, smoothing his hands on the dress pants Dra’Kaedan had insisted he change into. “I would not be alive if Arch Lich Chander Daray hadn’t resurrected Mortis at the suggestion of Lich Sentinel Alaric Daray. In the middle of nowhere, in a place that no wolves should exist, I ran into one and he led me to rescue. He gave his life so I might survive, and I’m so grateful that he was given a second chance. From the moment Mortis was resurrected, he watched over me. I never worry about safety because Mortis takes his duty to protect me with the utmost dedication. An intelligent wolf, I enjoy speaking with him each day. Once I was reunited with High King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis, Mortis’s thoughts went to his mate.
“Sander was immediately on board to tie his soul to another to give Mortis a chance at happiness. When I first saw Nox, I was shocked at his size, though I ask myself why considering Sander’s dragon could flatten our mansion. Like Mortis, he is devoted to not just Sander, but by extension, to me as well. As for the two of them, I do not wonder at their happiness. They are always together, delighted to be companions and friends. Love has flourished, and they have sealed their bond, proving that Fate has selected well yet again. May the fondness in their hearts grow as they walk through eternity together.
“We will use the customs of D’Vaire to unite this pair, including the beautiful elven wreaths designed by Killian the Dwyer and Drindyr Duke Dravyn D’Vairedraconis, placed by Reverent Knights Drystan and Conley Gylde-Kempe.”
The wolves lifted their heads high as the circlets of D’Vaire lilies, reminiscent of the ones Rafe had worn just weeks ago, were placed on their heads. Madeline had promised to make them a case to display them in their room.
“D’Vaire has adopted many practices as they’ve thrived not by sticking to a single race but by including the traditions of the entire diverse family. The attachment of collars belongs to the Vampyr Clutch and Vampyr Lord Grigori Volkov-D’Vaire and High Arcanist Delaney the Dark were the first in the family to wear them. They will now assist in placing them for Nox and Mortis.”
Grigori and Delaney were smiling as they got the dragonskin around the necks of the wolves.
“Arch Lich Chander Daray and Lich Sentinel Alaric Daray will now use a dagger designed by Madeline D’Vairedraconis, which was inspired by the unique weapons carried by the Sentinel Brotherhood, to assist with the blood locks.”
“Say they yours.”
“Mortis has asked that I mention that they were made for me so I can embarrass myself several times a week going against Skeleton Lords Gavrael and Gedeon and Coven Lord Bridger and Coven Lord Hadley.”
Rafe kept silent as the necromancer and sentinel helped the wolves by smearing a little blood from their paws onto the face of the locks. The click of the collars made him grin.
“I know I am not alone in wishing Nox and Mortis love and friendship in the future. Congratulations, guys.”
With those words, Rafe bent down and laughed as the two wolves licked his face and then rubbed their noses together.
“Nox and Mortis happy. Thank Rafe.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Chapter 63
Rafe sat in an eerily silent room as he typed away, adding another old Council bill to his database. Four weeks ago, the office had been filled with lively voices but no longer. Instead, the door that connected it to Worth’s was tightly shut, and the residents of the house preferred to gather in the Duke Argent’s space. While Rafe interacted with people during his weapons classes, the weekly meetings only took minutes. No one had any issues, and Rafe found it hard to believe that normal trials and tribulations had simply ceased. The problem was him, and he was embarrassed that he’d failed as a leader.
It made him wonder why the hell Fate thought he could hold such a prestigious title or what Aleksander had been thinking when he’d given it to him instead of designating him as High King-mate. While Rafe dissected the months he’d spent with the D’Vaires to pinpoint his mistakes, he could not deny that it hurt his feelings, because he could find nothing. Rafe genuinely liked each shifter, sorcerer, and elf with perhaps the only exception being his brother, who he avoided at all costs. Nothing Kendrick said was true, but it still dinged the confidence he’d nurtured into existence since Nox had been resurrected.
“Wow, how’d you get everyone to scatter?” Conley said as he walked in.
Rafe shrugged as the wolves raced to greet both Reverent Knights. Standing, he was embraced by both men. It occurred to Rafe that he’d done better making friends with the extended D’Vaires than the immediate family but again, he could not explain it.
“Have a seat, what’s up?” Rafe asked, selecting a sofa made of Aleksander’s dragonskin. Missing him was a constant ache, and Rafe devoted every hour he could to lounging with him and talking his ear off. If Aleksander was listening, he was probably dying to tell him to shut up.
“It’s very important to me that we don’t do anything to give you a reason to be afraid or concerned, but we received a report from an anonymous source at Court Kestle,” Drystan said.
“What’s going on?” Rafe asked while Mortis smashed himself against his leg.
“Charlton and Sullivan are missing,” Conley confessed. “They vanished two days ago, and no one is talking, so we don’t know if it was a voluntary thing or if they’re in danger.”
“What about the twins? Nollan and Neil are still around?”
“Nope, they’re gone too, but they just took off this morning supposedly. We have no idea if they went to join Charlton and Sullivan wherever they went or if they decided to bail since their leader is gone,” Drystan responded. “It’s imperative that you take care, Rafe. We can’t know if they’re going to try to come after you in some way.”
“I’d feel more comfortable if Brogan knew what was going on,” Rafe decided. “He’s in charge of security here, and any D’Vaire might be in danger because of me. Sander’s the only one who knows who hurt me.”
“You can tell anyone in your family,” Conley assured him.
Rafe got up and knocked on the door to Worth’s office. Unsurprisingly, the Grand Duke answered. “Hey, can you come in here?”
“Sure.” Brogan was warmly greeted by the Reverent Knights and everyone grabbed a se
at. “Is something wrong?”
“We need to update you on a situation,” Drystan said and laid out the facts for Brogan, whose gaze went straight to Rafe.
“I’m sorry,” Brogan offered quietly. “I had no idea it was your family who fucking hurt you.”
“Please don’t apologize. Coming out of the closet didn’t work out so well for me but honestly, I don’t believe they ever gave a shit about me. I just want to make sure they don’t wind up harming anyone else.”
“I don’t think you should leave the D’Vaire bubble until they’re arrested.”
Rafe shrugged. “Where would I go anyway?”
“Do you think Dr. Suricata would agree to meet you here?” Brogan asked. “The wizards have brought nurses here before to draw blood. I’m sure the Prism Wizards could do it again so we can use someone they trust.”
“I could ask her. I don’t have an appointment for a few weeks.”
“Let’s hope we’ve got these guys in custody by then,” Conley remarked.
Brogan got to his feet and turned to the Reverent Knights. “Why don’t you guys come into Worth’s office? I’ll grab the sentinels, and we can figure out how to make sure those that do need to leave are properly protected.”
“Sure,” Drystan said, he and his mate rising.
Guessing he was no longer needed, Rafe stood. “You guys can tell the others why everyone’s in danger. I don’t care if they know it was my father and Sullivan that did that shit.”
“It might help them understand the gravity of the situation,” Brogan said. “I don’t want anyone waltzing out of here and into danger because they decide some missing guys from your old court running around doesn’t mean shit, but I’m going to keep it to our security guys for now. I hope Kendrick isn’t still talking to them.”
“It’s been a few weeks since they exchanged messages,” Drystan confided. They went into Worth’s space and the door was shut, blocking Rafe from hearing anything else.
“Protect Rafe.”
“No worries. I’m not leaving D’Vaire. I mean even if I wanted to, where the fuck would I go? I wish the others didn’t have to worry about this shit, though.”
“Nox needs outside.”
“I suppose I have to take you both.”
“Protect Rafe.”
“Me standing around while you two piss has nothing to do with my security,” Rafe told the pair and ventured out into the hallway. When he got to the great room, it was just his shitty luck that Kendrick was there.
“Hello, Your Highness.”
“It’s Rafe.”
“Right,” Kendrick responded with an unfriendly stare.
Rafe opened the back door and the wolves ran out. Instead of following them, he shut it to deal with his brother. One thing was for sure, he had a horrible track record when it came to relatives. “Go ahead. Say whatever’s on your mind.”
“You know what I keep wondering? If your health was as poor as everyone believes, how were you so easily healed? I think you might’ve played that up. You needed a way to distract Aleksander from the way you left him. How is he going to be mad at you when you’re sick and dying?”
The one thing Rafe had never imagined was that anyone could think he would stoop so low to fake illness and manipulate Aleksander. Was that what everyone thought? Had the sorcerers themselves been surprised to find his case was overstated when he was in their care? Rafe just stood there stupidly as Kendrick took a step closer.
“You’ve been in contact with Jeremiah since you were healed but handing him a project with an unlimited budget without any oversight is a pretty bold statement. Is something going on between you two?”
Turning on his heel, Rafe didn’t think. Escape was a necessity. Only Aleksander wanted him around, and now there might be a rumor spreading that he wasn’t honoring his matebond. It was the final straw for Rafe, and he went straight to his bedroom, where he grabbed his tablet from the nightstand.
There was no reason for him to continue to put himself in the presence of the D’Vaires. Food could be ordered, and he’d move his laptop to the living area of his suite. It was designed essentially as a small apartment, and Rafe was going to avail himself of its amenities. Forget the High King nonsense—that was Aleksander’s title, and he could resume his duties whenever he woke up. Rafe wasn’t going to keep pissing the D’Vaires off by pretending to be something he was not. And if he cried a little about being such a disappointment to Aleksander’s family, that was his business.
∞∞∞
The sun wasn’t down on Saturday night, but Rafe was already in his pajamas. There were no longer sword classes on the weekends, which was the only time he bothered the D’Vaires, and he’d already worked silently with the sentinels and jogged. Once back in his room, he’d showered and gotten comfortable. When the timer he set for the oven dinged, the two wolves went racing to the hot appliance.
“These cookies are for me,” he told them, pulling on the oven mitt he bought and yanking the sheet out. “Hey, I didn’t burn them again.”
“Cookies are yummy.”
“Fine, I’ll share, but they need to cool first.”
“Mortis and Nox sentinels. Can’t feel too hot. Won’t burn.”
“Good for you, I’m barely more than human. You know I torched the top of my mouth the other day. I’m not doing it again and if I have to wait, so do you.”
“Ice cream.”
“Hmm, you’re right. That is good with warm cookies.” Rafe grabbed the spatula and transferred his chocolate chip beauties to a plate and shoved the sheet into the sink. Pulling out a bowl and the ice cream scoop, he dumped some Neapolitan into the wolves’ dishes, then piled a few scoops into his. After allocating cookies, he carried his snack into the bedroom, where he curled up on the bed, next to Aleksander.
“I didn’t fuck it up again, Sander,” Rafe said after taking a gooey, hot bite of his treat. “Remember the last ones? I scorched those but I’m not picky, so nothing went to waste. This cooking thing isn’t easy. I’ve got the hang of heating stuff up though, and you’ll be happy to know, I’ve gained weight in the last week, so I’m doing okay.”
“Yum.”
The two wolves hopped up onto the mattress and tried to nose their way into Rafe’s bowl. “Get the fuck right out of here. Lie down, I gave you plenty. Better yet, you’ve got your own bed in here and an entire room not that far away.”
“Love Rafe.”
“You can sweet-talk me all you want, I’m still not sharing,” Rafe told the pair, who acted like gentlemen and sprawled out on the covers. “You guys are going to have to get over this penchant for sleeping with us when Sander wakes up. I can’t even move right now.”
“We protect you.”
“Nobody’s going to come barging in here. I know those assholes from Court Kestle are still missing, but I don’t think they’re stupid or brave enough to come to D’Vaire. The other dragons are being transferred out as Their Majesties decided to dismantle the entire court.”
“Talk to Aleksander.”
“I was until you jumped up here,” Rafe retorted. His attention went to the comatose dragon next to him. It didn’t matter that Aleksander hadn’t opened his eyes in five weeks, Rafe’s heart still overflowed with love for him. Kendrick’s last conversation drifted into Rafe’s mind. “Your family doesn’t like me, Sander. I don’t know why. Maybe I’m just not that likable. My social skills suck. Or perhaps they’re pissed that I left you. I can’t tell you how sorry I am that I did that to you. I can’t really blame them for their feelings. I was wrong. As much as I love these giant wolves taking up our whole bed, if I had done the right thing and stayed with you, I wouldn’t have needed Mortis. I was selfish as fuck to return to Court Kestle. I can’t undo that decision, but I wish I could.”
Rafe set his half-full bowl on the floor and the two wolves scrambled to eat it. Letting them enjoy his snack, he laid his head on Aleksander’s chest. Drifting his fingers along the planes of Alek
sander’s face, it was impossible to hold in his hurt or his tears. “I’m messing up this High King thing. You’re going to have to fix it when you wake up. I don’t even know what’s going on around here. No one wants to talk to me. I’m not sure what I can do to change their minds about me or mend these fences. I need your help. Give me some ideas. I don’t want to make any D’Vaire unhappy but clearly, I am. I’ve had so much time to think. I found out I do like me, and you fell in love with me, so I can’t be all bad. I’ve learned that I’m loyal. Even after the shit way I was treated growing up, I never swayed from Court Kestle. I think that’s important. I like that in a person. I’ve discovered I’m strong and I can persevere. I’m a hard worker. I believe you got a pretty good mate who maybe wasn’t destined to be a High King or at least not one like you. How could I be? There’s only one person who was chosen and that’s you. Elf and Chrys did that. They’re good people, and they like me. I got a raise and a new title this week. I’m now the official archivist for the Office of the Emperor. I told them to split my check with the D’Vaire sanctuaries. I believe in what you guys do here, and I hope I can help someday.”
Rafe’s mouth lifted in a half smile while he rubbed Aleksander’s shoulder. “I’ve been doing so much soul-searching, and I kinda think I deserve a reward. Why don’t you wake up and give me a kiss?”
With a sigh, Rafe got up and tended to the dirty dishes. In the wee hours of the morning when he woke screaming from a night terror, he wept uncontrollably, aching for the man he loved.
Part 5
VINDICATION
Chapter 64
Time had no meaning when you were unable to even open your eyes, but Aleksander was aware that too much of it was passing. Helpless in a pervasive darkness, the only sense he truly had was his hearing. There was a man who kept him company with increasing persistence, and Aleksander did not need to be told it was Rafe. Even in a tempest he would recognize the gritty, rich voice of his mate. At first the words were dulcet, and he was swamped with love for his other half.
Heart of the High King (D'Vaire, Book 19) Page 46