Page 43 of Exes, Hexes, and Strategy
“You received your team assignment?” Kane Fletcher asked as he passed Rafe a bottle of beer.
Taking the bottle, Rafe nodded. He and Nina had been invited over to Kane’s place to celebrate their recent graduation from Hunter training before they headed out to join their new team on their first true hunt.
A burst of feminine laughter drifted to him from beyond the open sliding doors that led to the patio. Kane’s mate, Sophia, and Nina had become fast friends and currently, were sitting together at a table under the moonlight, their heads bent close as they discussed something that had both of them highly amused.
“Your Nina,” Kane continued. “She on your team?”
Rafe reluctantly dragged his eyes away from Nina’s grinning profile to look at Fletcher. “She is.”
The other man nodded. “Morgan may be a hard-ass sometimes, but she’s got a gooey center.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle as he wondered what said hard-ass would think of Kane’s comparison.
Another burst of laughter had both men turning to look outside.
“Our women,” Kane said with a smile of admiration and a shake of his head. “They're stronger than we are, I think, more resilient, and in my Sophia's case, a heck of a lot smarter than me.”
Rafe said nothing, though he agreed with the statement as it applied to him and Nina.
“It has never botheredme that my Soph can't give me children.”
Rafe fidgeted a bit in his seat and covered the movement with a drink from his beer as he wondered where Kane was heading with such a personal topic. It was true that the Born could only sire children with another Born. Nina would never bear Rafe a child, but like Fletcher, who had married Travis St. John’s sister – a dragon shifter – Rafe was okay withthat. Nina was more important to him than some faceless, nameless, possible future offspring.
When they eventually retired from the Hunters, they may one day decide they wanted to increase the size of their family and choose to adopt. They had that option, and there were plenty of children – human or supernatural – in need of homes, but that was an option for way in the future. And unlike Rafe’s childhood, any children they chose to raise would be done so surrounded by love and laughter, never isolated, abused, or made to feel like a failure.
“It was Sophia who suggested you might make a fine heir for me.”
Rafe’s mouthful of beer spewed out in a wide arc to splatter the coffee table.
“She likes you,” Kane continued as if nothing had happened, casually passing Rafe a tea towel so he could wipe up the mess. “I like you. And since I’ve already taken you under my wing, we might as well make it official.”
Rafe was struck dumb.
“You’ll have to finish your allotted time as a Hunter of course, but once that’s done…” Kane let the sentence go unfinished as he shrugged. “Louisiana is a big state, plenty of territory, and honestly, having someone I can trust to help control it, someone who understands how things should be run, it would be a huge benefit.”
The women chose that moment to enter, both of them smiling widely until Nina saw Rafe’s face. He could imagine how he must look with his mouth still hanging open in shock and droplets of beer probably still dripping from his chin.
“What happened?” she asked, her head moving between Rafe’s face and Kane’s.
Sophia, on the other hand, moved straight to Kane, settled in his lap, and looped her arms around his neck. “You told him?”
Kane nodded. “He was surprised,” he stated matter-of-factly.
Surprised was an understatement. Blown away would be the closer estimation. Clearing his throat, Rafe looked at Nina. “Kane has asked me to be his heir.”
Nina’s face bloomed with pleasure, her smile brilliant. “That’s amazing!”
Moving forward, she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly before settling into his lap. “This is so great! I’m so happy for you,” she gushed.
With Kane and Sophia temporarily forgotten, Rafe cupped Nina’s jaw with his hand, his thumb stroking her cheek as he gazed into her eyes. “Only if you want it, too,” he told her. “We’re a team. We make decisions together.”
Placing her palms on either side of his face, her voice was firm as she said, “When you told me that you might never be able to return to New Jersey, I was heartbroken. I have family there, and it hurt to think that I would have to choose between spending my holidays with you or with my parents – that we couldn’t all be together for Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter.”
When Rafe went to interrupt, she shook her head and pressed a finger to his lips. “And then, Morgan told us that the new Born who has taken control is fine with you occasionally visiting, and I felt so much joy that I wouldn’t have to choose after all.”
Tears welled in her eyes and she freed his lips to swipe at them as she continued, “But then, I felt guilty. You lost yourbirthright, and here I was only thinking about whether you’d be sharing turkey dinner with me rather than realizing how painful it would be for you to return there.”
“Never,” he fiercely swore. “Never would I find any moment with you painful. No matter where we are.”
