Heart of the High King (D'Vaire, Book 19)

by Jessamyn Kingley

  “Out! Out! Out!”

  “Mortis, it’s okay.”

  “Out! Out! Out!”

  “Dammit Alaric, can you open the door?” Rafe asked. The Lich Sentinel did as he was asked, and Mortis was gone in a flash.

  Rafe shook his head at the silly wolf, then glanced at Aleksander’s enormous new friend. “Hey, I’m Rafe. Aleksander there wanted to name you Nox. What do you think?”

  Nox nodded in a sentinel-like manner and stared at Rafe.

  “Yeah, sorry, your mate’s name is Mortis, and I guess he’s a little scared of you. These guys are Drystan and Conley. The necromancer who resurrected you is Chander, and his mate is your leader, Lich Sentinel Alaric Daray.”

  The wolf loped over to Alaric, who grinned. “I don’t know why I’m surprised you’re too big to be a wolf. Aleksander’s dragon is large too.”

  “Rafe, I was afraid of this,” Chander said. “Aleksander’s soul must be sturdier than everyone else on the damn planet. I wouldn’t expect to see him wake up before that three days.”

  It was no use letting out the sigh that wanted to escape, so Rafe held in his disappointment. “You think it’ll be longer?”

  “Honestly, yeah. Nox is even bigger than I imagined he’d be. That’s difficult for someone with magic, and as far as we know, shifters don’t have any.”

  “Your Sorcery D’Vaire experiments have proved it?”

  “You’re the president, so it’s our Sorcery D’Vaire, but yeah. Thus far, the Cwylld stones are having no effect on any shifter’s beast. We’ve managed to get the blood of some other animals, like your friend Dr. Suricata’s meerkat and my buddy Dr. Tranelephas’s elephant, and none of them are reacting.”

  “How long do you estimate he’ll be sleeping or whatever?”

  “I’m going to keep my fingers crossed for three, but I really have no clue. We have no idea how long you took to adjust, considering the shape you were in, so it’s all guesswork.”

  “Okay, I suppose I should put together an agenda in case he’s not able to make the D’Vaire family meeting on Monday,” Rafe muttered, not delighted at the prospect of trying to tackle Aleksander’s duties but not willing to let him down by ignoring them.

  “Let’s let him get some rest,” Drystan suggested while the guests in Aleksander and Rafe’s room headed for the door.

  “You and I need to go find Mortis,” Rafe told Nox, but his feet took him to Aleksander’s side. Pressing a soft kiss to his forehead, he brushed a hand over his shiny locks. “Don’t sleep too long, yeah? I kinda need you. Your wolf’s crazy big and you can’t hear me yet, so we’ll talk later, okay?”

  ∞∞∞

  It was an unusually quiet Saturday for Rafe and everyone else at Aleksander’s mansion. The normal Sorcery D’Vaire meeting had been canceled in light of one of its presidents lying immobile in his bedroom, leaving everyone to do whatever they wanted with their time. The extended family was giving them space, so it was just D’Vaires hanging around the house.

  As for Rafe, he was wondering where the wolves were. When Nox was let out of the house, he’d taken off, presumably to find the hiding Mortis. Neither animal had left the bubble, so Rafe allowed them to do their thing without intervention. Even when there was prior knowledge that your mate was about to arrive, Rafe understood it still had to be scary when he got there. Mortis would relax, and he and Nox would work stuff out.

  Setting his concern aside, Rafe did have a list of things he wanted to accomplish while Aleksander was resting. It was embarrassing to ask for help with his other half around, so he headed to Larissa’s two-story workshop with the hope that she could assist him.

  “Hey, Rafe,” she said when she spotted him hovering near the door.

  “Do you have a minute? I’d like to ask you a favor.”

  “Get in here,” Larissa coaxed and patted the table where she was sitting with her laptop. “Have a seat and tell me what’s up.”

  “I have to admit, I feel like a doofus asking you this, but I don’t know how to shop for clothes,” Rafe told her after he got in the chair next to her.

  “No worries, neither does your mate. Do you want me to get some measurements so we can figure out your size so you can shop solo, or did you want my help selecting things?”

  “Um…could I ask you to help? I’ve never picked out stuff before, and I can’t see green or red.”

  “I didn’t know you were colorblind,” Larissa commented. “I can see how that would make things tricky. I can offer you full-service ordering like I do for Aleksander. That man has the worst taste. If I let him go online, he’d look like a hot mess.”

  “Do you mind? I don’t feel comfortable asking you to do that for me.”

  “You kidding? I love that shit. I could pick out stuff all day long. Just tell me what you’re thinking. Jeans and T-shirts? You’ve got sneakers on, so I’m assuming you want to stay casual.”

  “I loved my combat boots, but they got weirdly stretched by the braces I had to wear. Sander’s got shoes in his dragonskin. Could I get boots like that?”

  “We’ll get you boots, shoes, and belts. No problem. They last really long too. When you get your dragon back, we can order them for you in his skin, and they even do cool patterns for mates, so you can have both on there. I’ve got some kickass ones of mine and Madeline’s.”

  “Okay. I liked the cotton pants I used to have. I guess like khakis or whatever but in black. Does that make sense? I just want to make sure they’re long enough.”

  “Oh, definitely. We want them to almost touch the floor in your boots. I love that look, and you can rock anything. So, you want just different types of T-shirts or some button-downs too?”

  “I guess I wouldn’t mind some variety. You sure you’re okay doing this?”

  “Absolutely. I’m going to start off rather conservatively, though. I know you’ve still got weight to gain.”

  “Yeah, though it’s pretty easy to eat a ton here.”

  “We have the best food, don’t we?” Larissa asked, getting up and pulling out a tape measure. Gesturing at him to stand, Rafe did and she jotted measurements as she made him assume different positions. “Okay, so can I ask you a question now?”

  Fear choked Rafe as he wondered if this was the moment when someone finally took him to task for abandoning Aleksander, so he just nodded.

  “What if we took your old room and converted it into a wolf space for Nox and Mortis, where they can hang and be alone if they want? They’re mates, and they might want some quality time together. We could set up the bathroom so they essentially can walk in and use a paw to get a shower going. A big old wolf bed for two. What do you think?”

  “Oh. Yeah. That’s actually a great idea.”

  “We can do a custom-sized doggie door so they can come in and out too.”

  “Maybe there should be one on our bedroom door too, so they don’t have to ask to be let in. I can’t hear Nox, and obviously Aleksander can’t hear Mortis either, so that way they can do their thing.”

  “Great thinking, Rafe! I’ll call Harley if you want so the griffins can squeeze us into their schedule. Madeline will just have to make another set of paw prints for the door of their new room.”

  “Is your mate around? I’d like to talk to her if I can.”

  Larissa snatched her phone off the table. “I’m texting her to let her know you’re on your way. She’s in her workshop.”

  “Great, thanks so much, Larissa. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything with the clothes and stuff.”

  “Oh honey, I’m going to have so much fun filling your closet. Go ahead and talk to Madeline, she’s waiting for you.”

  “Okay, thanks,” Rafe said, and Larissa shooed him out the door. Although she was very kind, he felt bad about asking her to essentially buy his clothes, but perhaps after she got started, he could take over and purchase duplicates of her choices. Rafe couldn’t care less about fashion, and as long as he had enough clothing to last unti
l laundry time, he was satisfied.

  Madeline’s workshop was next door to Larissa’s but vastly different. As the resident metalsmith and craftswoman extraordinaire, it was filled with heavy machinery and a glowing forge. The dragon was perfectly at ease in her domain as she sauntered to Rafe when he walked in.

  “What’s up, Rafe?”

  “I was wondering if you could help me. I’ve thought a lot about different ways to exercise, and one thing I used to love to do was weapons training, but I don’t have any. I know you’ve made some daggers?”

  “I’d be happy to make you a set of D’Vaire daggers. Are you going to train with the sentinels?”

  “I thought I’d ask if they wouldn’t mind. Um…what about swords?”

  Her grin was wide. “I haven’t had the chance to make a sword in forever. I’d love to make you something. What were you thinking?”

  “I prefer a two-handed longsword. You ever construct a bow?”

  “You know, I haven’t but I’d love to learn. And I can definitely make you a kickass sword. I’ll do a ceremonial one-handed for you too. I should’ve already gotten on that, but we don’t use them that often.”

  “Does anybody in the house still practice swordplay?”

  “No, but I bet you could talk a few into it,” Madeline said. “Can you teach it?”

  “I taught my younger brothers and the other men at Court Kestle my father designated.”

  “Wanna teach me?”

  “I’d love to.”

  “Kickass. I was too busy trying to make shit to keep us afloat back in the day when Brogan and Aleksander were keeping up with it. You mind if I ask around and make some swords for anyone else who wants to learn?”

  Rafe shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. It was humbling that she trusted him to teach her how to use a sword. “I honestly love to teach it and have missed it, so anyone that wants to learn is welcome to join us.”

  “Cool, give me a couple of days to get started. I’ll text you when I need you to come in here to make sure we’ve got it weighted properly for you.”

  “Great, thanks so much, Madeline.”

  “My pleasure.”

  Chapter 58

  “I’m nervous,” Rafe told a still sleeping Aleksander. Standing next to the bed, he clutched the tablet in his hands. “You should’ve woken up before dinner, but you’re still asleep. We’re supposed to have a meeting any minute. I don’t know how to do this, so you should wake the hell up.”

  “Aleksander up?”

  “No, dammit,” Rafe told Mortis. The wolves had resurfaced that morning, and Rafe had asked no questions. Although he could not sense that they were mated, there was a definite fondness, as they had stayed together all day. Rafe had explained what the griffins were going to do for them, and Harley had shown up that afternoon to take measurements. Construction would start by the end of the week, and it wouldn’t take much time to do their small adjustments.

  “Come on, Sander. Don’t you want to meet Nox?” Rafe asked. His palms grew damp enough that he had to grapple with his device and bring it closer to his chest. “Don’t do this to me. I really don’t want to do this by myself.”

  “Rafe be okay. Relax. Heart beating fast.”

  “That’s because I’m fucking scared. I have to go sit in a room full of people that probably hate me and act like I’m in charge of them.”

  “You High King.”

  Letting out a sigh, he refused to kiss Aleksander, even though he desperately wanted to, but the man wasn’t acting according to plan, so he’d have to wait until after the meeting to get any affection. “Aleksander’s the High King. I’m just his mate.”

  “Rafe silly.”

  Opening the door and waiting for the wolves to go out into the hallway, Rafe scowled. “That’s not very supportive.”

  “Mortis honest. Rafe being silly. Rafe High King.”

  “Can you talk to your mate?”

  “No, Alaric say after matebond.”

  “Good, you can annoy him and not me.”

  “Love Rafe.”

  “Dammit, don’t be nice to me,” Rafe muttered, walking into the living room. It was dead quiet as the D’Vaires stared at him. Gluing his eyes to the floor, Rafe hunched his shoulders and shuffled to the sofa, where he should be sitting with Aleksander. Within seconds, he had a wolf planted on either side of his legs once he got seated. “Uh…thanks, guys, for coming tonight. Aleksander’s still asleep or whatever.”

  “I’ll go check on him after our meeting if you want to make sure there’s nothing to worry about, though I’m sure he’s just adjusting to Nox,” Saura offered.

  “I’m not going to say no to that for sure.”

  “We can give you a cleansing potion,” Idris suggested. “You know just in case he gets stinky.”

  “I don’t think Rafe should be touching potions. I can take care of it,” Brogan stated.

  Idris nodded. “Good idea, there are some in our office. I’ll grab one and you can use it while Saura’s checking on him.”

  “Okay, guess we move on now,” Rafe got out, desperate to get the meeting done. “Um…Dra’Kaedan, any news on the sanctuary?”

  “Nope, it was a pretty quiet week. We did get our first application for Elven D’Vaire but before I could even finish processing it, the guy decided to join the Tristis tribe, so at least he’s out of his old environment and hopefully on the road to happiness. If not, he can always reapply.”

  There was literally nothing else on Rafe’s agenda, so he pulled his tablet to his chest and swallowed. “Any questions or anything?”

  “Are we going to have a Team Rafe meeting tomorrow morning?” Renny asked.

  “Um, sure. We can do that. I worked with your ideas this weekend, so I think we can finally sit down and start organizing tasks.”

  “Awesome,” Renny enthused, high-fiving Evlithar.

  “When are the sword lessons going to start? I’ve got a ton of wooden ones ready to go,” Madeline said. “Even put together some wooden shields.”

  “Wait, swords?” Brogan asked.

  Madeline grinned. “Rafe’s going to teach me and Dray.”

  “I think you’re forgetting about me. I’m in,” Noirin said.

  “Oh yeah, and Noir,” Madeline teased with a tug on Noirin’s ponytail. “You didn’t answer me when I asked.”

  “Because I couldn’t decide if I wanted to do longsword or one-handed. Not because I wasn’t interested.”

  “I would love a reason to get my sword out again,” Brogan interjected.

  “Madeline, can you make me one?” Mac asked. “No one taught it at Court Stenet when I was old enough to learn.”

  “I’ll make all the swords you guys want. Just come see me, so we can design it. Yours is going to be so wizardly.”

  “Brogan, do you think you’d want to help me teach?” Rafe asked.

  “I hope he does, since I plan on learning as well,” Worth said.

  “Absolutely, Aleksander and I used to train. I’m not even sure why we stopped. I miss it. I bet we can get him to shake off his rusty skills when he wakes up too,” Brogan responded.

  “So, um…what if we just planned on meeting at four every day? Does that time work for everyone? You can come to classes when you want, and we can help you. We’ll start tomorrow since Madeline already made the wooden ones.”

  “I’ll miss part of dinner prep, but you can handle it without me, right?” Noirin asked her mate. “I’ll probably skip the classes some nights, depending on what recipes we’ve selected.”

  “Of course I can handle it,” Kendrick assured her.

  “I wish to join,” Gavrael stated.

  “I’ve used daggers since I was a kid, but I’m not in your league by any stretch of the imagination. Could I join you guys sometimes when you’re out in the backyard?” Rafe asked.

  Gedeon grinned. “Anytime.”

  “I’m also doing tons of research and have spoken to some professionals to help me learn ho
w to construct bows, so Rafe’s going to be doing that as well,” Madeline said.

  “I’m so learning that,” Renny shouted. “I might do swords, too.”

  “And I would be happy to make you kickass targets,” Dra’Kaedan added.

  “It’s probably going to be cakes and shit,” Renny groused.

  “Rafe happens to like cake.”

  “I guess the entire backyard will be converted into medieval lists,” Kendrick stated, his face expressionless.

  “Yeah, except there’s a giant garden,” Noirin replied, bumping a shoulder against her mate’s. “And we’d have to invite half the Council and pass out swords to fill Aleksander’s land. Chrys gave him a ton since his dragon is so big.”

  “Aleksander and Rafe’s land,” Brogan corrected softly.

  Noirin shook her head with a roll of her eyes. “Thank you. I know that in my heart, but sometimes the words don’t make it from there to my mouth. Of course, Aleksander and Rafe. Sorry about that, Rafe.”

  “That’s okay. I think of it as Aleksander’s myself. Any other questions before we wrap up the meeting?” When no one spoke up, Rafe jumped to his feet. “Thanks for coming.” Dashing out, he made it back to his room without being stopped, which was a relief. Somehow, he’d survived his first and hopefully only meeting without Aleksander.

  ∞∞∞

  “Saura and Dra’Kaedan both said you’re fine. They can’t sense any pain or injury. That made me feel better, but it’s fucking Thursday. You were supposed to open your eyes on Monday,” Rafe complained. “You’re missing the fun. A bunch of folks are out there every afternoon with swords, trying to learn. They seem like they’re enjoying it. I don’t really know how to joke with them, but they tease everyone else. It’s not mean-spirited shit like when I was growing up. It’s all in good fun. You’ve got such a great family, and I know they’re missing you. I sure as hell am. Sander, please wake up.”

  When his mate continued to lay there, Rafe exhaled slowly. Resting a palm on Aleksander’s chest, the beating of his heart soothed Rafe. “I hope you really are okay in there. I’m worried as fuck. But you already know that, since I’ve barely slept since Monday. You’re probably sick of hearing my voice by now. I don’t have anyone else to talk to. Mortis is off doing wolf things with Nox. They really like each other. They’re never apart. I need to get to my sword class. I’ll be back after dinner. I’m going to put in a movie or something. I gotta do laundry tomorrow. You know I’m going to fold everything the wrong way so you’re going to want to fix it.” Rafe laid a kiss on his forehead and even a soft one to his mouth. “I love you, Sander.”