Page 107 of Heart of the High King
“He’ll take care of it in the morning when he’s a bit replenished,” Somerly answered with an embrace for Aleksander. “I’m so happy for you and Rafe. See you later.” His youngest brother took off and disappeared into the space he shared with the Grand Summoner.
Mac, Brogan, and Worth were huddled around Killian and Dravyn with their bags by the time Aleksander joined the pair. “Let’s get you guys to the hospital,” the leader of the druids stated. Aleksander closed his eyes as he was teleported back and once they arrived, Killian took Dravyn’s face in his hands to drag his head down and kissed him thoroughly.
“I’ll miss you, Dragon Boy.”
“I love you, Killer. I’ll call you in a bit.”
After Killian returned to D’Vaire, they went to the waiting room, and Aleksander sat heavily. “I don’t think I’ve grasped what’s happened yet,” he murmured.
“Perhaps when you see him, it’ll be easier to comprehend,” Worth suggested.
“All you have to do is be patient for a little while longer,” Brogan added.
Aleksander glared. “I’m going to choke you if you tell me that again.”
“Relax, you’re just scared that he’s going to wake up and kill you for completing your matebond,” Brogan chided.
“If you’re lucky, he’ll be so excited about being healed that he’ll forgive you,” Mac remarked.
“At least he’ll be too swollen to chase you if you run,” Dravyn said.
His mouth flattened in a line as Aleksander pondered which of his dukes he wanted to hurt first, but he didn’t bother arguing with the idiots. In less than an hour, he’d be at Rafe’s side, and he would get to see for himself the incredible success that Sorcery D’Vaire had accomplished. Aleksander couldn’t wait.
∞∞∞
When Rafe lifted his lashes, he was acutely aware something was different. Woozy from the medication humming through his veins, he realized it was his soul that was altered, and when it dawned on Rafe that his matebond was nearly completed, he had no idea how to react. The one thing he hadn’t wanted was to be tied to Aleksander for eternity in his broken body, and somehow the unthinkable had happened. Tears flowed as he ached for the man he’d betrayed simply by returning to his home. Aleksander deserved better than what Rafe could offer, and when the door to his room swung open to reveal the man in question with several of his dukes, it only made him cry harder.
“Hey, none of that. What’s wrong? Are you in pain?” Aleksander asked, stalking to his bedside.
“I told you I didn’t want our bond completed,” Rafe managed. “I’m stuck in this horrible body, and no one can fix me.”
Aleksander lowered the bar on Rafe’s bed and grabbed his hand. “You know that doesn’t matter to me. I’ve never had any issue with the way you look. The only thing I want is your heart.”
Rafe clutched at Aleksander as his chest heaved. “You already have that. I just wanted to be whole for you.”
Aleksander used his thumb to collect Rafe’s tears. “I have some big news for you.”
“I already know our matebond is completed.”
“Babe, please calm down,” Aleksander begged. “And that’s not what I was going to say. They fixed you, Rafe.”
“My hips are better?”
His mate’s smile was gorgeous. “They are, and so is everything else. Sorcery D’Vaire and Dr. Suricata and her team managed to heal everything. There isn’t a wound or scar left.”
Rafe frowned and he couldn’t understand how Aleksander thought that if his hips were mended he was fully restored. “I’m stuck this way forever.”
“If you mean with me, then yes. You certainly are. Now get some rest. You’ve been through a lot, and you’re really swollen.”
“But—”
Rafe was silenced by a soft kiss, and though he wanted to enjoy the feel of Aleksander’s lips against his, he was mired in disappointment and grief over his mate’s eternal sentence with him.
“You need to sleep,” Aleksander whispered, brushing away more moisture from Rafe’s skin. “We’ll talk after you wake up, okay?”
Like a dummy, Rafe nodded, and although he would never tire of looking at the perfect symmetry of Aleksander’s face, he allowed his lashes to fall. His eyes felt heavy and gritty while the rest of him was floaty and disconnected. Rafe was grateful that his hips would no longer be an area of concern and that he wouldn’t have to handle the chore of keeping them free from infection. It might allow him to walk farther if he worked hard, and Rafe vowed to do that once he was out of the hospital. And just as soon as he woke up, he was going to demand that he be released so he could get to D’Vaire.
A fresh wave of misery swept through him as he thought about his wishes being ignored and the High King of D’Vaire being tied to his pitiful self for eternity. His hand was still in Aleksander’s, and the dragon was stroking him gently, no doubt trying to calm him because Rafe was still crying.
