Page 24 of Heart of the High King
“I’m trying.”
“I’ve got Father caught up on things. He’s already struggling to handle everything without me.”
It was difficult for Rafferty to believe that since his father didn’t do much besides order people around, but he kept that harsh criticism to himself. While Rafferty loved and respected his only parent, he liked to think he was also aware of his faults. “We can go home at any time.”
“We’re going to D’Vaire tomorrow.”
“I know,” Rafferty grumbled. Sitting back down, he reluctantly snatched his phone after Sullivan returned to his. There was a notification that he had a new text and much as he didn’t want to read it, he had no choice.
Thanks, I used to hate it. There’s no way to dye the blue and I didn’t want to stand out. I’ve learned to take pride in being a freak. My cousin, Noirin, cuts it for me and we’re both unimaginative, I guess. I might have to borrow your style. It looks great on you.
Aleksander’s hair drifted to nearly his shoulders and the entire underneath that peeked through the otherwise black strands was a rich navy. It was also stick-straight, which Rafferty envied since his was the opposite.Don’t shave it.
If Rafferty had brought weapons on their trip, he would’ve used one to chop off his fingers to keep himself from ever sending another text again.
Too late, I already asked Noir. She’s going to do it tonight.
Not knowing if Aleksander was joking or not, Rafferty stared at his device until his eyes nearly crossed.Please don’t.
No worries, I was only teasing. She’d refuse anyway, and Noir’s rather terrifying if I push her into losing her temper.
It was an odd statement to Rafferty as the king he lived with had never bowed to anyone, but then he recalled the deference his father had once given Molly. Perhaps at the D’Vaire household, Noirin was their version of the woman Rafferty still missed dearly despite her rejection. As evening fell, Rafferty continued to text with Aleksander. They stayed on simple topics that mostly had to do with the crappy shows Rafferty was being forced to watch, and what he learned was that Aleksander appeared to be kind. It boded well for the idea of making him a friend and ally. If Rafferty managed to keep it together, he might make some progress on that task in the morning when they went to Aleksander’s home. Because he had no other choice, he simply ignored what Fate intended for them.
∞∞∞
Aleksander stood out on his deck with his other half in another eye-searing outfit of mismatched reds and greens, and it was awkward. When Rafferty and his brother arrived, Aleksander had taken care to introduce both to the entire family. By the time they’d greeted the D’Vaires, Noirin and Kendrick had lunch set out to eat. Duke Sullivan had been bewildered by not only the entire D’Vaire clan eating together but that Aleksander had dukes scattered around the room instead of at his table. At the Kestle household, things were vastly different, and Aleksander wasn’t unduly surprised.
His idea of having everyone in the same building wasn’t the norm for dragons, and neither was shucking the trappings of royalty the moment the door shut. But it was Aleksander’s preferred way to rule, and he would change that for no one. The conversation during their midday meal was polite, though Aleksander observed that Sullivan only spoke to other dragons—and unless it was a direct question, he only engaged with other dukes. Haughty and not particularly friendly, Sullivan wasn’t Aleksander’s priority, so he ignored him.
As for the man who Fate had chosen for Aleksander, he hadn’t said a word while he sat across from him at one of the round slabs of wood to the side of the kitchen. Instead, he savored every bite of his meal. Rafferty was undoubtedly a foodie who liked to languish over good taste. Quite the opposite of Dra’Kaedan who was also silent whenever he had a fork in his hand, but that was because he was shoveling it in at the speed of light.
Aleksander hadn’t missed the small smile that played around Rafferty’s mouth as he found something that pleased his palate, and he was thrilled that the two talented D’Vaire chefs were impressing him. When he was finished, Rafferty had gazed longingly at the island where the buffet was set out, but Sullivan gave him a sharp look. With that scowl that drove Aleksander nuts plastered on his sexy face, Rafferty waited patiently for the entire group to finish.
After taking his plate to the dishwasher, Aleksander had invited Rafferty outside while Sullivan visited with Kendrick. Now that they had some semblance of privacy, neither of them knew what to do about it. Time continued to stretch out uneasily, which made Aleksander nervous, so he just went with the first thing that popped into his head.
“What do you say we shift and fly? You can see the entire land that way.”
For a split second, there was excitement in his dark eyes; then a frown appeared. “I need to talk to Sullivan first.”
“Before you can shift?”
Rafferty waved a hand randomly in the air. “It’s a whole thing. Being a black dragon…well, it’s complicated. He’s just inside. Give me a minute.”
Wondering what in the world he was talking about, Aleksander waited patiently until Rafferty re-appeared. “Well?”
“It’s cool. Sullivan said it was better to do it here, actually.”
“Are you going to explain that?”
“I told you, it’s complicated. My dragon makes people uncomfortable, which I don’t enjoy. But it’s like Sullivan said, it’s a been a while for me and if I don’t, I might get sick again.”
“Again?”
“I get human shit like colds and flus regularly. Could you turn around or something?”
“No need,” Aleksander told him and lifted an arm to point in the general direction of one of the additions they’d put on the house. “There’s a changing room over there. You can put your things in a cubby and shift right outside. As soon as I see your dragon, I’ll do the same, okay? And hey, I have a dragon that makes people uncomfortable too. I get it, but if you allowed your beast out frequently, you wouldn’t get sick.”
“It’s just to the right?”
Holding back his sigh, Aleksander nodded. Rafferty strolled to it, and Aleksander noticed for the first time the way he hunched slightly, as if he wanted to make himself appear smaller. Odd behavior for a below-average height dragon, and Aleksander wondered about his home life. Kendrick didn’t have positive things to say about them barring Sullivan, who he admittedly didn’t know that well.
Barely down that train of thought, Aleksander spied a gorgeous black dragon trotting out from the other side of the changing room. His scales were more matte than shiny, which was unusual. The former emperor and current Reverent Knight, Drystan, was the only other dragon known to Aleksander that lacked a bright sheen. It was a testament to the diversity Fate gave them, he thought as Aleksander strode over his land.
Inside the little space for shifting, Rafferty’s clothes were carefully folded in a slot nearly in the corner, Aleksander noted as he stripped to skin. Walking out into the warmth of the early afternoon heat, Aleksander took mere seconds to morph into the largest beast in dragonkind. The pain had dissipated after the initial year or so as his body finally acclimated to the extremeness. With a small run on sturdy legs, Aleksander took flight while Rafferty did the same a few feet away.
Pleasure swept over him as he soared upward. Although he was always happy to be in the air, it was the first time both man and dragon enjoyed it with their mate. Aleksander let out a burst of fire in celebration, his long tail whipping upward so he could barrel roll in excitement as Rafferty responded with flames of his own. While their human counterparts were struggling to find their common ground, the instinctive natures of their dragons already understood what a gift they were to each other. It was for Aleksander a sign that this was going to work and that Fate hadn’t made a mistake with him and Rafferty.
