Page 111 of Heart of the High King
“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.
