“One last question,” Mac said. “When do we get to see the new throne room?”
“Seems appropriate that it gets unveiled with Their Majesties here, what do you think, Rafe?” Aleksander asked.
“That works,” Rafe replied, grasping Aleksander’s forearm. “If the walls are pure gold, blame Worth. He gave Jeremiah’s group an unlimited budget.”
“Throws me right under the bus,” Worth muttered.
“I haven’t even gotten to say hi to Jeremiah,” Aleksander said, releasing Rafe. “And I need to see his dragon.”
“He’s gorgeous,” Noirin responded. “Aren’t you glad Rafe didn’t make him wait at Court Wells until you got your ass up?”
“As I expected, Rafe is a fantastic High King.”
“Maybe even better than you,” Dravyn teased.
“This is what happens when you’re around Killian the Dwyer constantly. You get mouthy,” Aleksander accused.
“All right, gentlemen, we can swap insults later. I have a lunch to prepare, and I expect Their Highnesses to attend,” Noirin said.
Rafe threw up his hands. “Can’t you just call me Rafe?”
Noirin walked over, and Rafe blushed when she bussed his cheek. “As I once told Killian the Dwyer: Eat my food. Do that and I’ll call you whatever you want, Your Highness.”
“Like I’m not sick of microwave dinners,” Rafe muttered.
Aleksander laughed and steered his mate out the door. “Let’s get some work done.”
“He says that like we’re going to continue to give them quiet,” Worth remarked, following them across the hall. Within minutes, Aleksander was behind his desk, and there were dukes sprawled on the sofas as they bantered and worked, and he smiled at Rafe, who appeared cautious but optimistic. Aleksander understood that the only thing Rafe needed was time to know that he was a D’Vaire all the way down to his freakish soul.
Chapter 67
Aleksander smiled as Jeremiah stood in front of the double doors off the great room. The entire family had arrived the night before, and it was a festive atmosphere.
“Your dragon is extraordinarily beautiful,” Ellery told Jeremiah.
“Thanks, Elf. I think so too. It’s funny because after you shifted, I couldn’t decide if I would prefer to be a sleek black beast or a stunning white one and somehow, I got both colors with a few shades in between thrown in.”
“I appreciate you giving Elven D’Vaire exclusive rights to your dragonskin,” Kalthekor remarked. “I know it’s going to be very popular and will add plenty of funds to both D’Vaire sanctuaries.”
“That’s the best part for me. Okay, is everyone here?” Jeremiah asked. “Because I’m nervous as hell.”
“The gang’s all here,” Damian assured him.
“Awesomesauce. Ladies and gentlemen of the extended D’Vaire clan, I present to you…the throne room for our incredible High Kings,” Jeremiah called out grandly, then threw open the doors.
With Rafe’s hand in his, Aleksander walked in and his eyes widened. They’d knocked out the ceiling to make the room soar up two stories for half of it, while a spiral staircase led up to a balcony. There were two prominent thrones in the center of a dais with padded dragonskin beds on either side for the High Kings’ wolves. Behind Aleksander’s and Rafe’s chairs were specially designed seats for not only the dukes but each Council leader that called D’Vaire home, and on the wall was an enormous family crest with magically preserved lilies.
A glorious mural that had every D’Vaire represented with either their beast or in full magical or elven splendor was opposite it. Padded benches were lined up over the slate floor, giving it a medieval feel as did the iron chandeliers. Upstairs, there was a living library of important objects to D’Vaire, like old crowns, and plaques that represented each race in their family. If he had the imagination to create something so wonderful, Aleksander still doubted he had the ability.
“Wow,” Rafe murmured for perhaps the twentieth time while they strolled around.
“Right? We’re going to have to actually act like royals in here.”
“Act like royals by being on the advisory panel,” Chrysander drawled from behind them.
“I am on it,” Aleksander remarked. “I know I’ve missed six weeks, but you can blame Nox.”
“Aleksander funny.”
“I was talking to Rafe.”
“Oh,” Rafe responded. “I didn’t know I was on it.”
Chrysander rolled his eyes. “I’m having the land here tested. I really think it sucks up leadership.”
“We will see you on Friday, Your Highness,” Ellery commented with a perturbed expression for his other half.
“Okay, yeah, sure,” Rafe replied. “I need to go find Jeremiah and the other people on his team to thank them for this.”
Aleksander instead led Rafe to the dais and put two fingers in his mouth to whistle loudly enough that the room quieted.
“I didn’t mean to the whole crowd,” Rafe complained.
“Go on, Your Highness,” Aleksander responded, kissing his cheek.
Rafe scowled, but he did give his attention to the crowd. “I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank Jeremiah, Larissa, Madeline, Dravyn, Killian, and whoever else they pulled in to help create this incredible room. This is way above what both Sander and I expected, and I am in awe of your creativity and the speed in which you were able to accomplish such a feat. You did an incredible job, and I think we’re going to have to invent excuses to behave like nobility just so we can come in here. I can tell you this, those doors will no longer remain shut, as every D’Vaire should get to enjoy the beauty of this space every day. Thanks, guys.”
As cheers and applause erupted, Aleksander pulled Rafe close. “Nice speech.”
“Mortis gave it an eight out of ten.”
Aleksander laughed. “Come on, we need to get a sword in your hand before our Sorcery D’Vaire meeting. I know you’re going to kick Conley’s ass.”
“You’re nuts.”
“Nope.”
Aleksander finally convinced Rafe to venture outdoors after two more circuits of the space. They found Conley already waiting with sword in hand. Brogan walked over and handed Rafe his weapon while D’Vaires filled the deck.
Lifting Rafe’s face for a kiss, Aleksander brushed their lips together. With a smile, he tied a soft blue-black ribbon around Rafe’s arm. “My favor, Your Highness. Good luck.”
“Yeah.”
The wolves sprawled on the sand at the base of the stairs so they could see as the two fighters squared up. Each man lifted his weapon in front of his face, and Drystan yelled for them to start. There was a clash of steel as they made first contact, and Aleksander relaxed against the railing. Given the talent of both, he wasn’t expecting a quick takedown of either man, and he wasn’t wrong. Minutes ticked off his watch as they cursed, hurled insults, and tried to find each other’s weaknesses.
“Let’s hope some shirts come off,” Killian said. “Go out there and take off yours, Dragon Boy.”
Dravyn blushed. “I’m not even fighting right now.”
“Why aren’t you in Rafe’s sword class?” Aleksander asked the druid.
“More fun to watch. I’ll leave the weapon stuff to Dray. I’ve finally come to the realization that druids are better lovers than fighters,” Killian responded with a wry grin. “Plus, I did try, and I’m terrible.”
“Rafe told me no one was bad.”
“Hmm, well, he’s even nicer than I thought or a better liar than I imagined.”
Rafe gracefully pivoted to the left and nearly ran Conley through as he slung his giant two-handed sword through the air. The lighter blade in Conley’s hand was allowing him to use his speed to stay in the contest, but Rafe was ruthless. Advancing steadily, he’d backed Conley up closer and closer to the office building that sat behind the house.
“I was half expecting a draw,” Alaric murmured.
“Same,” Drystan responded with aw
e in his voice. “Con may move here to get trained. He’s not going to win this one.”
Conley let out a shout when Rafe slammed his weapon into his and the Reverent Knight couldn’t hold on to his own. As it hit the sand, he nimbly stepped away so he wouldn’t be cut, not that his skin was pervious to any blade. Both men stared at one another, huffing for breath; then Conley’s face lit up in a smile.
“You and I are going to train so hard together,” Conley promised.
“Nicely done,” Rafe offered.
“Give me a hug,” Conley insisted. “Damn, but you’re good. Where ya been all my life? None of these other losers can take me down. I think my skills have atrophied because of it.”
Rafe grinned and embraced Conley. “Why do you think those asshats kept me chained up? None of them were my match, and I was stronger because I had my dragon.”
Conley’s eyes widened. “For Fate’s sake, that’s right. You’re barely more than human now.”
“Do you mind?” Aleksander asked when the pair got near the deck and Conley still had an arm slung over Rafe’s shoulders.
“So territorial,” Conley teased. Letting go of Rafe, Conley hurled himself into Drystan’s arms. “I’ve been bested, mate. Defend my honor.”
“You’re hilarious,” Drystan responded. Conley’s mouth met his for a smacking kiss.
Aleksander got a hug from Rafe. “Great job.”
“Thanks, I used to practice a lot. Looking back, I think before I met you I was only truly happy when I had a sword in my hands. I could finally beat Sullivan at something, and he couldn’t give me crap about sucking at it. It’s funny how your perspective changes once you can see the situation for what it was.”
“Conley’s going to hang out here more, so you’ll fight with him.”
“That’s right,” Conley enthused. “Better add additional classes to your schedule.”
The two discussed times, and Rafe added a twice-weekly evening class for anyone interested. It didn’t surprise Aleksander in the slightest that there were sentinels, a few emperors’ dukes, two sprites, and a reaper that added it to their calendars.
“If Alaric’s done signing up with Rafe, does anyone want to have a Sorcery D’Vaire meeting?” Chander asked.
“Sure,” Rafe replied. Within minutes, the entire group was situated around the round table, and Aleksander reached for Rafe’s hand. Noting that Rafe was still wearing his favor around his arm, even though his swordplay was done, Aleksander smiled.
“So guys, what’ve you been up to in the last six weeks?” Aleksander asked.
“It’s a good thing you woke up when you did because we were going to ask Rafe to get everyone together this weekend or next,” Saura revealed. “While we haven’t officially met since you went to sleep, we’ve been in constant communication and working on our project to tackle Rafe’s magical intolerance. Grigori?”
“We’ve managed to extrapolate the properties of the stone to pinpoint exactly what in it nullifies magic. That task accomplished, I started working on replicating it because we’re going to need it in large quantities. It’s been a slower process than I would’ve liked as I can’t expose myself to it for long stretches. Being around it works on the magical parts of me draining my blood but, luckily, I have a willing donor happy to resupply what I’ve lost each day,” the Vampyr Lord said.
“I’ll do anything for science,” Delaney snarked with a grin.
“Science appreciates your contributions,” Grigori teased. “So, once we isolated the nullifying element, I started playing around with it, which allowed me to unlock the secret of replicating it. As soon as I had that formula down, I decided to make a super concentrated dust version that I handed off to Killian and Dravyn as they requested it. Right now, I’m going the opposite way and creating versions of weaker dust. I want to make sure we have multiple options for this issue and future problems we encounter.”
“The reason we went with Killian and Dravyn as recipients of the dust is because when we started doing simulations on how to best apply this as a cure, we ran into difficulties. If we have Rafe digest it as is, not only would it really piss off his digestive system, but it would build up in his organs and tissues, essentially making him a null object that would weaken sorcerers,” Dre’Kariston explained.
“So, here’s what Dray and I thought. If we could put the property of the dust into a plant, we might have something,” Killian said. “Dra’Kaedan made us a copper box, and we put some dirt mixed with this super dust inside. We added a ginger root. As it’s grown, it has absorbed the nullifying property. When tested, it is found to have zero effect on sorcerers as far as being in proximity to it. They would weaken if they ingested it.”
“We chose ginger because it doesn’t need much sunlight, it fights inflammation, boosts the immune system, and fights nausea. Since those are Rafe’s biggest issues, we thought it was our best bet,” Dravyn added.
“You created a plant that can essentially make him able to tolerate magic?” Aleksander asked, making sure he understood what they were saying.
“Exactly,” Vadimas said. “Here’s the tricky part. The simulator only works to a point. We need to start testing on you, Rafe. We’re not sure how long it will work, so we have to determine how often you should ingest it and how much of it you need in your system.”
“I’ll do it. Am I just supposed to gnaw on some ginger?”
Saura chuckled. “We thought tea might be the best solution. Noir and Kendrick can no doubt add some creative twists to make it delicious.”
“I can do tea.”
“Great, so we’re going to need to run tests on you. Basically, shoot you full of magic to make sure it’s working. Be honest when symptoms start, so we don’t hurt you,” T’Eirick explained.
“Okay, I can do that. If it means drinking some tea fixes my problem, you can count on me to be honest,” Rafe vowed. “Thanks, guys. I wasn’t expecting this. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s our pleasure, dear,” Saura assured him.
Chapter 68
“Okay, I’m going to try something stronger, you ready?” Dra’Kaedan asked.
“Yeah, hit me,” Rafe instructed. For the past few days, he’d been spending time with the various sorcerers who called D’Vaire home. They shot him full of magic and were slowly lowering the number of cups of tea he needed to drink because thus far, Dravyn and Killian’s ginger root was doing the trick. Rafe had no swelling, no upset stomach or other symptoms of his intolerance. Noirin had experimented and come up with a delicious combination of ginger, hibiscus, and cranberry that Rafe loved. A stream of glowing cupcakes smashed into Rafe, and he gave Dra’Kaedan a baleful stare. “Seriously?”
“Hey, we both like to eat.”
“I’m covered in magical goop.”
“It’s my special frosting.”
“Gross.”
“No symptoms?”
“None.”
“I think we just do a single cup of tea tomorrow morning, and see if that holds you,” Dra’Kaedan said, crossing the short distance between them. “High five, this shit is really working.”
Rafe dutifully slapped the sorcerer’s palm. “Yeah, and now you can market it right, so others like me can teleport with ease as much as they want, or whatever else they want to do.”
“Yep, we’ve already talked to Grigori’s brother, Nikolai, to handle it. Plants will have to be grown in quantity, so it’ll take a little time, but it’s going to be awesome, and the proceeds are going to our sanctuaries. I think you and everyone else should continue to wear your alert bracelets—or in your case, that kickass cuff Madeline made you, just in case you miss a dose or whatever.”
“I like wearing it anyway, and that’s great. Look, since it’s just the two of us out here, I wanted to apologize for complaining to Sander that everyone at D’Vaire didn’t like me. You guys worked really hard to heal me, and it was stupid of me to not factor that into my thinking. I just figured that you’re the
type of person who’d help anyone, so I wasn’t anything special.”
Dra’Kaedan sat on the stairs and laughed when the two wolves licked his face. “You’re right, I would’ve helped anyone, but you’re very special to me. I was ecstatic that we could heal you, and I didn’t expect it would happen so fast, which was a wonderful bonus. I love Aleksander. He changed my life, and without his hospitality, I might’ve been kicked out on the street, missing out on Brogan for who knows how long. He didn’t just put a roof over my head; he stepped into the fray and dealt with the bitch that was holding me in magical purgatory. I know you love him too, and besides, I’ve seen you interact with us and these wolves. You’re fantastic, and we were wrong to think you couldn’t handle our crazy. So you can keep your apology; it’s unnecessary.”
Taking the initiative as he tried to mend fences that everyone insisted weren’t broken, Rafe grabbed a seat not far from the Grand Warlock. Mortis took the opportunity to shuffle between his legs while Nox continued to get pets from Dra’Kaedan. “I should’ve trusted you. That’s all I’m saying.”
“I never thought you exaggerated anything. In fact, you downplayed it, and I must say it hurts my heart that there’s someone in our house hurting you by saying otherwise.”
For days, Rafe had dealt with both direct and implied inquiries into the behavior of his brother, but he wasn’t going to tattle. He’d done enough of that, and all he needed to do was avoid any alone time with Kendrick. “Like I told Sander, everyone’s free to like who they want, including me. There are things I did that may appear questionable, and I’m sure I haven’t handled everything in the best way. I acted like a baby when Sander was sleeping, and I should’ve shown a braver front.”
Dra’Kaedan’s navy eyes were flooded with emotion. “Listen, your life since you met Aleksander has been a fucking dumpster fire. That’s why we wanted to protect you. How could you know who to ask for help or how to cope with this whole High King shit when the person you lean on is out cold?”
Heart of the High King (D'Vaire, Book 19) Page 49