Page 128 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 49
Aleksander walked out the back door to find Rafe standing in his pajamas, talking to his wolf. “You didn’t wait for me,” he said, skipping down the deck stairs. When he got to his mate’s side, he couldn’t resist a quick taste of his mouth.
“I wanted to see Mortis,” Rafe remarked as Aleksander tugged him into his arms. Aleksander had taken a shower and when he’d emerged, he’d discovered a perfectly made bed and his other half missing.
“How’s he doing?”
The wolf in question let out a woof, and Rafe took the ball from him and chucked it across the yard. Mortis loped after it with his tongue hanging out, appearing pleased with his lot in life.
“Good. I can’t believe how much I missed him.”
“The Cwylld stones are in Cadlyr’s safe for now. You guys can hang out all the time again.”
“You think anyone in the house can see us out here hugging and shit?”
“Does it bother you to be openly affectionate?”
“No…maybe. I don’t know. Just some stuff’s private.”
“I doubt anyone has their face pressed against a window, watching us.”
“Yeah, plus I like being close to you. It’s just if I’m not kissing you constantly when we’re around everybody, it’s not because I don’t want to, okay?”
Aleksander smiled and their lips met briefly. “That’s perfectly fine with me. But there will be lots of kissing when we’re alone.”
“You’re damn right.”
“I have to say, I’m going to miss having you to myself.”
“I considered asking Killian to zap me with a spell so I could bloat back up and be forced to spend a few more days in bed with you,” Rafe replied.
“I hate to be the one to break this to you, but there’s no way in hell he’d hurt you on purpose.”
“Yeah, he seems like a nice guy.”
“You’ll get to know everyone eventually, starting with your first family meeting tonight.”
“I’m nervous. Do you have an agenda or anything I can study to get ready?”
Aleksander shook his head. “I’ve never used one; it’s very casual.”
“Well, what are you going to talk about?”
“Regular stuff. I have no idea what’s gone on around the house this week, so we’ll just have to play it by ear.”
“That’s not very organized,” Rafe muttered, delighting Aleksander with a scowl.
“You ready for breakfast?”
“Yeah,” Rafe replied. When he pulled away, Aleksander took his hand. “Come on Mortis, time to eat.”
The wolf ran over and stared up at Rafe. “No, we can play ball later,” Rafe said, ruffling the fur on Mortis’s head. “Well, good for you, I’m starving.”
“Problem?”
“He wants to keep playing, but I’m going inside. Stop yelling in my head, Mortis.”
“Be nice,” Aleksander chided the pair, scratching behind Mortis’s ears.
