Page 103 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 41
When Aleksander regained consciousness, he would’ve let out a yelp, but his fangs were still embedded in Rafe’s wrist. His eyes squeezed shut as he wondered how in the world he got into the operating room, and he panicked at how furious Rafe was going to be when he woke up. As carefully as he could, Aleksander pulled his teeth free and sealed the wound with his tongue, not that it was necessary since Saura sent a bolt of dark magic to heal him.
“Fuck,” Aleksander spat out.
Saura raced over and grabbed his hand. “It was your beast that wouldn’t be denied his mate. Rafe will understand. Look, T’Eirick’s got both of his hips already healed since the transfusion.”
“Aleksander, his vitals are getting stronger since your blood was introduced. We’d like your permission to work on fixing his ankle and possibly removing the rod from his leg,” Dr. Suricata rushed out.
“Okay, yeah, sure,” Aleksander breathed out. His mind was brimming with questions.
“Come along, dear,” Saura coaxed, leading him to the double doors. Swinging one open, Aleksander found a bevy of dragons and a druid waiting for him. “That’s it. Don’t you worry. We’ll take good care of Rafe.”
“We may need more blood,” Dr. Suricata called out. “If you could go downstairs and donate some, that would be great.”
“We’ll take him,” Brogan said, grabbing Aleksander’s arm and hauling him out.
Mechanically, Aleksander put one foot in front of the other as they traveled through the hospital. “How did I get in the operating room?”
“Your dragon took control,” Chrysander said. “We had no choice but to let him go find his mate. He’s got some serious tracking abilities; you went straight to the right room.”
“Rafe’s going to kill me,” Aleksander lamented.
“He will understand and be happy,” Ellery corrected.
They arrived at the same place where Aleksander had given blood before kissing Rafe good night, and the nurse got him onto a gurney. The needle was in his arm as dragons huddled around him. “How am I going to explain this to Rafe?” Aleksander asked.
“Just tell him the truth,” Zane said. “He’ll be fine, just like Elf told you.”
“He was adamant that he didn’t get a blood transfusion and even more so that our matebond not be sealed. And my damn dragon robbed me of even feeling our souls connect. It was over by the time I regained any control. I’ve never had my beast engulf me that way. I don’t remember any of it—it’s like I passed out or something. But, obviously, I was up and walking.”
“Your beast is incredibly powerful, Aleksander. You’ve always known that. Ell and I could get you to stop fighting to get to him, but we weren’t able to convince your beast to relax. He left us with no choice but to allow you to seek out Rafe,” Chrysander explained.
“Your Highness, this is your second blood donation today. It’s imperative that you shift to replenish your supply,” the nurse interjected.
“We’ll take him straight to the roof once you get enough blood from him,” Brogan promised. “I’ll fly with you, Aleksander.”
“Should I really be flying while Rafe’s in the operating room?”
“Even if they finish up the hip wounds while you’re in the air, he will still need to go to the recovery room to let the drugs wear off,” Worth insisted.
“Those wounds are fixed. They’re going to work on his ankle and maybe even the rod in his leg. His vitals have improved since they did the blood transfusion.”
“You see? Your dragon is helping,” Mac remarked.
“When you’re done flying, you’ll need to eat plenty of protein,” the nurse instructed.
“What’s the food in the cafeteria like?” Worth asked.
“It’s pretty good, Your Grace. I think you will enjoy it. The administration is mostly shifters, so we always have plenty of meat options.”
Ellery patted Aleksander’s leg. “Chrys and I must return to work. Please call if you need us, and make sure we are kept up-to-date on Rafe’s condition.”
“I really appreciate you guys showing up when my dragon seized control. I’m sorry you had to drop everything because I couldn’t handle my beast.”
“You know very well there are times when we have no choice but to surrender. We will see you soon. Give our best to Rafe, and we will stop in and see him when he is out of surgery.”
“Thanks, Elf. We’ll keep you posted,” Aleksander promised.
