Page 87 of Heart of the High King
When Mortis tired of running, he and Aleksander returned to the deck. His Highness arranged his long frame on the chaise next to Rafe while Mortis rolled around on the wooden planks. It was unnerving to have those dark, beautiful eyes studying him intently, so Rafe’s attention went to his combat boots.
“Why would that hurt me?” Aleksander asked.
“Because you have unrealistic expectations.”
“I’m going to choose to ignore that statement. How’s your new job working out?”
“I guess, good. I mean, I’m mostly sure I know what I’m doing.”
“You still aren’t going to tell me who told you that you needed money, are you?”
“Nope, it was probably a misunderstanding, and I’m not a tattletale.”
“It’s been several days since the press release went out announcing our matebond. Have Drystan and Conley managed to get anything to work with on your case?”
Rafe shook his head. Although the Reverent Knights had gone to interview his family yet again, they expressed delight at the news that Rafe was a High King while lamenting that he’d cut them out of his life. As if he’d simply walked out of their house one day and hadn’t looked back, which was how Rafe wished the story had gone instead of the tragedy he was living instead. “Unfortunately, no.”
“And you aren’t going to tell me who hurt you either, are you?”
“I told you, there’s no need.”
“My desire to kill him, her, or them hasn’t lessened.”
Rafe rolled his eyes. “You have an entire house full of people counting on you. There’s zero reason for you to jeopardize that. The Reverent Knights will figure this out.”
“Will you tell me why you freaked out at breakfast the other morning?”
“You mean when I found out that you gave me your title?”
“It’s our title, not mine, but yes. What happened?”
“You keep putting me in a position where I have to say no to you,” Rafe accused.
“It wasn’t my intention to make you uncomfortable.”
“I know, you’re too nice to do that.”
“Aleksander nice,” Mortis said, laying his head on the chaise so Rafe could pet him.
“Isn’t that what I just told him?”
“Tell him I say.”
“Fuck’s sake. Sander, Mortis thinks you’re nice.”
Aleksander wiggled his fingers, and the wolf traitor trotted over to get love from Rafe’s lost mate. “You’re nice too, Mortis.”
“Rafe jealous again.”
“Shut up, I’m not jealous of this weird-ass relationship you have with Sander.”
“Really, because it kinda sounds like you are,” Aleksander responded with a chuckle.
“I’d get up and walk away, but that requires more effort than I want to exert at the moment.”
“Are you pushing yourself too hard?”
“If I didn’t, I’d still be lying in a hospital bed in Nashville being told I’ll never walk again. I had two choices. I could either accept that it wasn’t worth trying, or I could prove that doctor wrong.”
