Without allowing anyone to say a word in complaint, Aleksander strode out of the great room with Rafe. When they got past the hall, Rafe tugged on his hand.
“Wait a second.”
“What?”
Rafe let go of him and scurried into the office. Digging into a drawer in his desk, he pulled out a folder. “Will you go back with me for a second?”
“Okay.”
They returned to a room full of people who still weren’t speaking. Aleksander refused to make eye contact with anyone and just focused on his mate, who was now flanked by two big wolves as he led them to the coffee table.
After slapping the folder down, Rafe stood and straightened his shoulders. “If you want to know what happened to me, it’s all in there. You can believe what you want.”
The two men and their wolves left the room, and once Aleksander got them into their suite, he pulled Rafe into the circle of his arms.
“I don’t think you should’ve called them out like that,” Rafe complained, holding Aleksander tight.
“You don’t need a champion; you’re strong enough for ten men, but I’m your mate and I’m not going to stand for our family hurting you. You’ve been through enough.”
“I’m okay,” Rafe murmured into his chest. “I mean I know I’m fucked up, and I’ve got scars inside me, but I’m doing okay. I know I’m strong and I like who I am.”
“In spite of everything, Rafe. That’s the point.”
“Rafe wonderful person. Rafe kind to Nox.”
Aleksander shook his head as his wolf spoke to him. That voice was going to take some getting used to, but now it was as if he were sort of magickind as well as shifter, and that was awesome. “I agree, Nox. Rafe is wonderful.”
“Of course he’s going to say that. I feed him and I scoop his shit out of our backyard.”
“Rafe funny too.”
All Aleksander could do was laugh at the absurdity of the situation. “He likes your sense of humor.”
“I know. For some reason, Mortis thinks I need a play-by-play of everything Nox is telling you,” Rafe groused. Putting a tiny bit of space between them, he turned to his wolf. “Sander’s awake now, he can tell me what Nox says.”
“Come on you three, let’s go relax in the living room for a while. We have a lot of time to make up for.”
“I’m expecting some making out.”
Aleksander kissed him softly. “Me too, babe.”
∞∞∞
With shaking hands, Dra’Kaedan picked up the folder Rafe had tossed onto the coffee table. Embarrassed, he ached for the hurt they’d unintentionally inflicted on Rafe. “I want to know who in this fucking house would believe for one minute that Rafe had in any way exaggerated his pain,” Dra’Kaedan growled. “We’re going to sit here tonight and go through every slip of paper in here so you can see for yourselves what Rafe survived. For months, he was beaten, starved, tortured, and he barely escaped with his life.”
Brogan got up and laid a hand on his shoulder. “I think you guys deserve to know that it was his family who chose to brutalize him. King Kestle and Duke Sullivan wielded the weapons and put in him in manacles because he was gay. Or because they’re sick fucks. Probably both.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Noirin muttered. “That’s awful, and we fucked up. We thought we were protecting him by keeping issues out of his hands. Instead, he thought we didn’t trust him and that we didn’t think of him as High King.”
Brogan nodded. “I’ll take the responsibility for that, and I intend to apologize at the first opportunity. Our thought process was to reduce his stress, and instead we increased it. No wonder he retreated to his room. I’d like to know which of you purposely hurt him by talking shit. If you prefer not to tell the whole family at once, then you can speak to me privately, but I can assure you that one way or another, Aleksander’s going to figure it out. It’s better to fess up than wait and let him get more pissed.”
His mother got up and went to Dra’Kaedan’s side. “Dear, why don’t you start with the file. I’ll warn you the pictures are gruesome and graphic, but it’s important for you to see what a warrior our High King is, though there should be no doubt in your soul that he holds his title legitimately. I can’t imagine how anyone in this wonderful family could not see the fight in his eyes or the love he holds for Aleksander. We made a mistake in giving him space when he needed our succor, and all we can do now is ask for forgiveness. And just as importantly, give him the caring we’ve held back. He needs us, and we cannot fail him any longer.”
There were gasps as Dra’Kaedan used his magic to enlarge the first image inside the folder, which was taken within hours of him being found when the only thing that gave him a fighting chance was the wolf Chander had married to his soul. “This is High King Rafe D’Vairedraconis, and this is what Court Kestle did to him. This is why we should do nothing but protect Rafe, and this is why he will always have my undying devotion,” Dra’Kaedan said, flipping through photos that still brought tears to his eyes. “The only reason he is in our house today is because he found the will to survive. Each of us would be lucky to have such strength in our hearts.”
Chapter 66
Aleksander laughed as he tried to brush Nox but kept getting his hand butted by Mortis. The two wolves acted like puppies sometimes, but he did not doubt their deadliness should they believe someone was attacking, especially if Rafe was in any perceived danger. They followed him from room to room, and Aleksander knew it wasn’t only because his father and brother were somewhere unknown. Nox had told him again and again how much they loved Rafe, which didn’t surprise Aleksander in the least. Not only did he adore the man himself, but it was also impossible to miss how much care Rafe lavished on both animals.
“I don’t really care if you’re hungry,” Rafe told his wolf, sitting on the floor next to Aleksander. “I’ve already fed you twice, and in case you haven’t noticed, it’s eight in the morning.”
Aleksander kissed Rafe. “Thanks for cooking breakfast.”
“You shouldn’t have insisted we stay in here for meals. I’m not going to allow you to separate yourself from your family.”
“Our family, and I just wanted a little bit more alone time with you. We’ll eat lunch in the kitchen as usual, okay?”
“Sorry I fell asleep for like fourteen hours.”
Aleksander set the brush down and rubbed Rafe’s back. “You needed it, and I got the chance to hang out with Nox and Mortis.”
“Nice job keeping them off the bed.”
“It’s okay if they curl up with us now and then.”
“They take up all the room.”
“I have something to say to you,” Aleksander told him seriously, which caused Rafe to frown.
“Okay.”
“I don’t hold anything against you. When you went home, I wasn’t thinking that you were abandoning me. Our relationship was growing, and I knew what was on your plate. You aren’t at fault for what happened or our separation.”
“I should’ve stayed with you. Everything would’ve been so different.”
“You weren’t ready to make that step yet. Stop taking any blame for what they did to you.”
“You know not everyone might see it the way you do. I still don’t think you should’ve told everyone off last night. I’ve made mistakes, and they should be free to pick who they like. It isn’t going to have any bearing on our future if they don’t want to be my friends. I love you and I love who I am.”
“Rafe, I’m not going to apologize.”
“I don’t want to fight with you about this. I’m just asking you to not alienate yourself from your family.”
“How am I ever going to get you to say ‘our family’ if they aren’t willing to make you feel like you belong?”
“I belong here with you. To me that’s the most important thing. I can deal with whatever shit comes along so that I can be with you.”
Aleksander bussed the corner of Rafe’s mouth. “I lo
ve you and your hard head.”
“Piss.”
“Mortis needs to go outside.”
“Nox is less eloquent. He has to piss. Why don’t you go get some work done, and I’ll take them out? And congratulations on your promotion and raise. That’s very kind of you to donate half your salary to the D’Vaire sanctuaries,” Aleksander said as he got up and took Rafe’s hand once he did the same.
“Thanks, I can’t believe Elf insisted on that.”
“I can. You’re awesome.” Aleksander kissed his mate again and patted his butt as he sent him on his way into the office. Without a word to any of the D’Vaires in the great room, he took the wolves outside. While they ran off to do their business, Aleksander grabbed two balls and was just past the deck stairs when Brogan appeared.
“Aleksander, the dukes and I need to speak to you privately.”
When Nox and Mortis trotted to Aleksander, he threw the toys in his hand. “I believe you meant to say that the dukes wish to meet with both their High Kings.”
“Look, just trust me, okay? This one time we need to talk to you.”
“Trust you?” Aleksander spat at his best friend. “I did trust you. I trusted you with Rafe, and I’m the one who had to lay there helpless while he cried over his failure to lead D’Vaire properly.”
“We can explain. Please, Aleksander.”
Aleksander sighed as he took the balls from the wolves and tossed them again. “Look, I’m only going to agree with this because Rafe’s already ticked off that I took you guys to task.”
“Okay, great, come on.”
Promising Nox and Mortis he’d play later, Aleksander followed Brogan into the house. The wolves abandoned him as he got to the hallway and trotted into the office, no doubt to protect Rafe. Aleksander strolled into the Royal Den to find four of the five people he’d selected to hold titles already seated at the round table. With no small amount of reluctance, Aleksander joined them once Brogan grabbed a chair.
“I’m going to start off by apologizing, Aleksander. I made a decision that I thought was the right one, and it backfired horribly,” Brogan said.
“Bullshit. We agreed,” Worth refuted.
“We’re not going to sit here and fight about this shit anymore,” Mac snarled. “Every person in this room is too stubborn to listen to reason, so we’re just going to fucking tell Aleksander what we did and apologize for it being the wrong thing.”
“Tell me, because I’m not going to sit here all day.”
“Aleksander, when it became obvious that you weren’t going to wake up right away, we could see what a toll that was taking on Rafe. I might not have known until last night how bad he was hurt.” Noirin stopped for a moment and swallowed hard as her eyes filled with tears. “And Fate better hope I never set foot in a room with those fuckers, but we were aware that Rafe is healing mentally and emotionally. We thought it would be best if we reduced his stress.”
“We told everybody to filter issues through us. We weren’t going to burden Rafe with shit he didn’t need to worry about. He was nervous in meetings, and that’s understandable. He’s new to being High King, and no one expected him to have to do everything on his own. So, that’s why nothing happened in meetings,” Dravyn explained.
“We stopped hanging out in the office so he could get work done without us asshats annoying him,” Brogan added. “It seemed like the right thing to do, and we understood enough about Rafe to know that if we asked him, he’d assure us he could handle everything. I believed our jobs entailed us to take measures to protect him even if it meant…well, I guess going behind his back. When I think about it like that, I realize we were stupid and reckless.”
All of Aleksander’s righteous fury slipped away. It was just like Brogan and the rest of his dukes to take it upon themselves to do something to help someone, even if it meant subterfuge. “I can understand your thought process and your desire to prevent stress, but you should’ve told him. Guys, his feelings are really hurt, and he’s not a whiner or a baby. He puts great stock in being High King because he somehow believes if he fails at it that I’m going to think less of him, which is ridiculous. He can’t fail, he’s perfect for the job, and nothing is going to change the way I feel about him, but I can’t change his mindset.”
“I guess we thought that he knew we liked him,” Worth offered sadly. “Which means we’re the ones that have failed him, because we gave him cause to doubt our friendship as well as our family bond.”
“You kept the extended family away too, didn’t you?” Aleksander asked.
“Yes, of course,” Worth responded. “More people…more stress.”
“Invite everyone for the weekend. I want the whole family to enjoy themselves, and we’ll have to work on knitting together something Rafe can trust. His flesh and blood betrayed him; it was always going to be an uphill battle to get him to believe he’s wanted and liked. Those fuckers were always cruel to him—it wasn’t just those months he was chained up. Tell me who the fuck in our house is saying shit to him, because there’s no excuse for that,” Aleksander demanded.
Brogan shook his head. “We just learned about that last night when you told us.”
“I don’t know who would treat him cruelly,” Noirin said. “Although he’s always held himself a bit away from everyone, it’s impossible not to see what a caring person he is. I figured he was shy, and I think he’s overwhelmed by our craziness maybe, but I can’t imagine how anyone who watches him with you or those wolves wouldn’t see his heart.”
“I want you guys to find out.”
“I’m going to talk to Gavrael. Between us and the sentinels, we can ferret the person out,” Brogan promised. “Trust me, it’s my first priority.”
“No, your first priority is apologizing to Rafe.”
“I just want to say one last thing to you before you go get him,” Brogan said.
“Okay.”
“You know he’s doing sword lessons?”
“Yep, and I plan on joining him.”
“I’m glad you said that. I need to warn you. He’s going to kick your ass.”
“What? Why would he do that?” Aleksander asked, completely confused.
“Well, because he’s ridiculously good,” Noirin responded. “And I never in my life had pain in my shoulders until he whipped me through workouts. But watching him is insane. I mean, even the sentinels are impressed with his dagger skill but that sword…shit. I can’t wait for this weekend, because I’m going to get Conley to bring his so they can go head-to-head.”
“Popcorn match for sure,” Worth said.
Aleksander’s chest puffed out at their praise of his mate. “I can’t wait until this afternoon to see it for myself.”
“Good, now go get him,” Noirin instructed.
Aleksander rose and strode into the office, and Rafe looked up from his computer. “What’s up?”
“Come into the Royal Den for a second.”
“I know you’re in there with everybody,” Rafe said, getting to his feet. The two wolves hopped up from their dragonskin bed and followed him across the hall. “What do they want with me?”
Aleksander didn’t answer; he opened the door and ushered Rafe inside. His mate stared straight ahead while Nox and Mortis stood sentry on either side. It was as if he were preparing for battle, and it broke Aleksander’s heart that he’d feel that way in his own house.
“Your Highness, we were chosen to guard, protect, and advise you and Aleksander,” Brogan stated. “And in that, we failed.”
“No, you’ve done your job. Everyone’s safe.”
“Do you feel safe? Do you feel like you have a family around you ready to support you?” Brogan demanded. “Because you do, and our decision to shield you from household issues, annoying guests in your office, and demanding silence whenever you came into a room led you to believe that we were somehow not happy to have you as High King. Nothing could be further from the truth, Your Highness, and we beg for your forgiveness.
I’m sorry, we thought we were doing the right thing, but we went against our oath. We had no right not to discuss that with you or make that kind of decision behind your back.”
The confusion on Rafe’s face made Aleksander step to the side so he could rest his hands on his other half’s shoulders. Squeezing them, he kissed his glossy curls. “They do like you,” Aleksander said. “They just suck.”
As he’d intended, Rafe chuckled. “You’re horrible, Sander.”
“He didn’t put us up to this,” Noirin assured Rafe. “We wanted to help, and we did more harm than good. That’s not how things should work here, and we’re really sorry.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing to me,” Rafe said. “I would prefer if decisions like that didn’t happen behind locked doors, but I understand your motives. I guess, if you didn’t believe I was such a mess, you wouldn’t feel like I needed to be protected in that way.”
“Nonsense. You think we didn’t try to reduce Aleksander’s stress while you were taken from him? Of course we did. In not such a grand fashion, but when someone is hurting, that’s what family does. We close ranks. The D’Vaires taught me that the day I arrived at this mansion,” Worth responded. “Will you tell us what asshat has gone out of his way to be hurtful to you?”
“No, I’ve created enough strife in this house.”
Worth let out a dramatic sigh. “Have fun arguing with him for the name, big brother.”
“Thanks, guys, for trying to help me. I appreciate that you wanted to,” Rafe offered. Aleksander crossed the tiny distance between him and his mate and pulled Rafe close. “And Sander, I’m sorry I complained about shit to you. It was small of me and I was wrong.”
“Rafe. No, you were not, and I will not accept your apology. Will you sword fight with Conley this weekend?” Aleksander asked. “These idiots kept the family from visiting, so I thought we’d get everyone together. They’re bragging about how good you are with a sword, and Conley’s unbeaten, so I thought you might enjoy taking him down.”
“If no one else has beaten him, I don’t know how you think I can, but I’ll fight anyone. I’ve been practicing my whole life, and it’s something I enjoy.”
Heart of the High King (D'Vaire, Book 19) Page 48