Page 132 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 50
After the tumultuous phone call with his family, Rafe had shaken off the pain that rose to the surface whenever he reflected on what had nearly ripped him from the life he was now assembling. Dinner with the D’Vaires and the Reverent Knights was enjoyed; then he built more muscles in his arm throwing the ball for Mortis. Now, he had a whole new wave of strong emotions gripping him as he walked into the living room with his hand in Aleksander’s. The entire family was gathered for their weekly meeting, and he couldn’t quite understand where his nerves were coming from.
Aleksander led him toward a sofa, and the chatter in the room died as they took their seats. Making the mistake of locking eyes with his brother, who had disdain written on his face, Rafe’s confidence sunk. While Aleksander had forgiven him for breaking the rules of matebonds, it was clear that he might be the only one. Sorcery D’Vaire had healed him for Aleksander, but Rafe believed he had yet to earn their respect and mercy for walking away.
“Thanks, everybody, for being here tonight,” Aleksander said, holding Rafe’s palm between his. Mortis leaned heavily against Rafe’s leg as he sat next to him like the sentry he was. Rafe stroked his soft fur and was grateful to have at least two allies in what he couldn’t help but consider hostile territory. “I’d like to start by officially welcoming Rafe to his first meeting. It’s nice to know I’m no longer expected to lead this fantastic bunch of freaks by myself.”
Rafe offered Aleksander a small smile and failed not to blush as his mate kissed the corner of his mouth. “Thanks.”
Aleksander flashed him a grin, then returned to his family. “Okay, let’s start with Dra’Kaedan. What’s up with the sanctuary?”
“Well, I’m not sure that we’re even open right now,” Dra’Kaedan responded with a shrug.
“I don’t believe we should be. Not while Rafe’s healing and honestly, not until they apprehend whoever hurt you,” Brogan stated.
“No one’s been arrested yet. Is it really feasible to keep people from finding sanctuary because of his case?” Kendrick asked.
“I don’t want you guys to close the doors because of me,” Rafe interjected.
“Dra’Kaedan?” Aleksander asked.
“Look, I’m not afraid of there being any possibility that whoever hurt Rafe is going to make it into our dome. No matter who is at fault, our application and process are too thorough for there to be a conspiracy to get in here. And even if they did, there’s no way they could hurt him again. But I’m more concerned that we give you two the chance to focus on your matebond without the intrusion of new people in the house.”
“And Rafe’s been through a lot; he may wish for the opportunity to deal with the aftereffects on his emotions,” Worth added.
“I really don’t want to impact the sanctuary,” Rafe insisted, growing almost panicky at the idea that he would so greatly influence Dra’Kaedan’s Coven in a negative way.
“There really isn’t any reason to make this a big deal,” Renny stated, with a glare for Brogan. “We don’t even have any viable candidates who’ve applied.”
“Since I doubt we’re going to get a consensus on this, let’s move ahead as if we’re open. If you find an application that might be good for us, then at that time, we can discuss our options. Perhaps we can have them stay at our sister sanctuary until we can agree that it’s feasible to bring them here,” Aleksander decided.
“That’s a good idea. Elven D’Vaire is dying to expand, but as predicted, they aren’t getting any applications. Elves just aren’t accustomed to having a choice to go to a sanctuary geared for them. And it’s difficult to break the thousands of years of tradition that have taught them to be insular,” Dra’Kaedan stated. “We’re going to start more aggressively advertising it. Kalthekor’s got it all over the company website, and I believe eventually we’ll get some elves willing to try out this new idea.”
“I do hope we can help some elves,” Evlithar said, his blue eyes troubled. “Kalthekor’s trying so hard, and the elves at the new house are anxious to help, too.”
“I think when we have our next family get-together, we should lobby the other races to advertise as well. If we can plaster ads everywhere, it will get the measure out far and wide,” Aleksander suggested.
“I’ll call Kalthekor to get the ad he’s using. I can have it on the Dérive website in the morning,” Killian, the man who ran the company said. “You know, we could do a postcard, magnet, or something like that and have my druids hand them out, at the very least, to every elf they teleport.”
Evlithar clasped his hands together and smiled brightly. “What a lovely idea, Killian. That could be very helpful.”
“Speaking of sanctuaries, often when we have new members arrive, we find ourselves with great input to improve. Rafe, you’re the latest addition to Dra’Kaedan’s Coven, do you have any feedback you think might be good for us?” Aleksander asked.
Put on the spot without any warning made Rafe’s brain blank, but he forced himself to think it through as every eye in the house burned through his skin. Remembering his questioning of his brother about money, the response hadn’t matched up with the rules. “When you get to D’Vaire, you’ve come from somewhere different. There’s a lot of information to adjust to and nothing written down—or at least not where you’d easily find it. If you have questions, you’ve got to ask someone and while everyone is very nice, it can be intimidating, especially if you aren’t in the best place mentally, emotionally, or physically. Have you ever considered a guidebook of sorts? A manual that you could hand out to new residents?”
“I didn’t have any trouble adjusting when I arrived,” Kendrick responded with a little shrug.
Kitchi’s laughter was musical. “Of course not, you met your mate. I agree with Rafe, it can be confusing when you first get here. Everyone’s super nice, of course, but I’m always worried about getting on someone’s nerves by bombarding them with questions. If it’s okay with my bosses, Worth and Killian, I’d love to help you put something together, Rafe.”
“Like you need to ask such a thing,” Worth muttered.
“I’d be happy to pitch in as well,” Bard Ashby D’Vaire chimed in.
“I’m so on Team Rafe,” Renny enthused.
“Count me in as well,” Grand Summoner Familiar Lucian said.
“I’d like to join Team Rafe,” High Arcanist Royce offered.
