Page 93 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 38
Aleksander stood in his closet, changing out of his suit and into jeans while wishing he could hunt down whoever had tortured Rafe for five months to slowly peel their skin off, then tear them apart piece by piece. It was a violent image that pleased his beast, since even after seeing the poor condition Rafe was in, he’d never understood just how incredibly brave his mate was. The man Fate chose for him was the most admirable person he knew and had somehow found the courage to survive. All Aleksander could do was thank her for trusting him with such a wonderful soul, and he pledged to always put Rafe first.
Which meant he couldn’t stew in his own space about what Rafe had suffered. Once Aleksander was dressed, he strode out of his room and ventured into the hall. The almost dragon that was his perfect match was also stubborn, so Aleksander didn’t bother to knock when he got to Rafe’s door and whipped it open. His mate was in the process of stretching on his bed and appeared surprised at Aleksander’s rather rude intrusion.
“Is something wrong?” Rafe asked.
“Nope,” Aleksander responded. Walking over, he planted himself on the other side of the large mattress. “Noir’s going to bring us dinner. How are you feeling?”
“Fine. I can just leave these Cwylld stones on the nightstand, right? I don’t have to put them on my skin directly?”
“They’re fine on the table.”
“You don’t have to keep me company. The D’Vaires are going to miss you at dinner.”
There was a knock, and Aleksander rose to let Noirin and Kendrick in. They were each carrying a tray of what smelled like delicious food, and he got comfortable next to Rafe again. “Thanks, guys.”
“I’ll be right back with a bowl for Mortis,” Noirin promised on their way out
Mortis ran to him and put his face near Aleksander’s hip. “What’s up, buddy?”
“He wants your food, but don’t give him anything. It only makes his begging worse.”
“I’m sure one French fry won’t hurt,” Aleksander remarked, feeding the wolf one—who would have to depart after dinner so he wouldn’t be unduly affected by the stones.
Rafe snagged one off Aleksander’s plate. “Since you aren’t going to share with me voluntarily, and now my wolf is going to drive me crazy, I’m taking one.”
“Keep your paws off my dinner, babe.”
Noirin arrived with Mortis’s bowl, and the wolf raced to shove his face in it. “Call me if you need anything, guys,” she said, then closed them into Rafe’s room.
“I suppose you want to talk about today,” Rafe commented in between bites of his fish.
“Dra’Kaedan believes it’s high time you attend a Sorcery D’Vaire meeting, so I see no reason for us to discuss it much. We’ll go over everything tomorrow afternoon unless you’re willing to talk about your feelings.”
“I was surprised Dr. Suricata though it was a good idea.”
“You expected her to tell them you were a lost cause?”
“Yeah.”
“You aren’t.”
“I want you to know that I will think about it, but under no circumstances do I want a blood transfusion.”
“Rafe, they already told you it might be unavoidable.”
“We aren’t going to seal our matebond. It’s out of the question.”
“This is about having a big party and getting a cake, isn’t it?” Aleksander teased.
“Well, I do love cake. Not that I can fucking eat it anymore.”
“You and Dra’Kaedan both. We’ll get you back to cake eating. But hey, even if you did need a blood transfusion, our bond wouldn’t be fully sealed.”
“I can’t stomach the idea of you succumbing to heartsickness when I die because our bond is sealed in any way.”
“Babe, Marcus nearly lost his beast and died. He and Damian hadn’t sealed shit. It was his feelings for Damian that almost cost him his life.”
