Page 177 of Heart of the High King
Aleksander’s chest puffed out at their praise of his mate. “I can’t wait until this afternoon to see it for myself.”
“Good, now go get him,” Noirin instructed.
Aleksander rose and strode into the office, and Rafe looked up from his computer. “What’s up?”
“Come into the Royal Den for a second.”
“I know you’re in there with everybody,” Rafe said, getting to his feet. The two wolves hopped up from their dragonskin bed and followed him across the hall. “What do they want with me?”
Aleksander didn’t answer; he opened the door and ushered Rafe inside. His mate stared straight ahead while Nox and Mortis stood sentry on either side. It was as if he were preparing for battle, and it broke Aleksander’s heart that he’d feel that way in his own house.
“Your Highness, we were chosen to guard, protect, and advise you and Aleksander,” Brogan stated. “And in that, we failed.”
“No, you’ve done your job. Everyone’s safe.”
“Do you feel safe? Do you feel like you have a family around you ready to support you?” Brogan demanded. “Because you do, and our decision to shield you from household issues, annoying guests in your office, and demanding silence whenever you came into a room led you to believe that we were somehow not happy to have you as High King. Nothing could be further from the truth, Your Highness, and we beg for your forgiveness. I’m sorry, we thought we were doing the right thing, but we went against our oath. We had no right not to discuss that with you or make that kind of decision behind your back.”
The confusion on Rafe’s face made Aleksander step to the side so he could rest his hands on his other half’s shoulders. Squeezing them, he kissed his glossy curls. “They do like you,” Aleksander said. “They just suck.”
As he’d intended, Rafe chuckled. “You’re horrible, Sander.”
“He didn’t put us up to this,” Noirin assured Rafe. “We wanted to help, and we did more harm than good. That’s not how things should work here, and we’re really sorry.”
“You don’t have to keep apologizing to me,” Rafe said. “I would prefer if decisions like that didn’t happen behind locked doors, but I understand your motives. I guess, if you didn’t believe I was such a mess, you wouldn’t feel like I needed to be protected in that way.”
“Nonsense. You think we didn’t try to reduce Aleksander’s stress while you were taken from him? Of course we did. In not such a grand fashion, but when someone is hurting, that’s what family does. We close ranks. The D’Vaires taught me that the day I arrived at this mansion,” Worth responded. “Will you tell us what asshat has gone out of his way to be hurtful to you?”
“No, I’ve created enough strife in this house.”
Worth let out a dramatic sigh. “Have fun arguing with him for the name, big brother.”
“Thanks, guys, for trying to help me. I appreciate that you wanted to,” Rafe offered. Aleksander crossed the tiny distance between him and his mate and pulled Rafe close. “And Sander, I’m sorry I complained about shit to you. It was small of me and I was wrong.”
“Rafe. No, you were not, and I will not accept your apology. Will you sword fight with Conley this weekend?” Aleksander asked. “These idiots kept the family from visiting, so I thought we’d get everyone together. They’re bragging about how good you are with a sword, and Conley’s unbeaten, so I thought you might enjoy taking him down.”
“If no one else has beaten him, I don’t know how you think I can, but I’ll fight anyone. I’ve been practicing my whole life, and it’s something I enjoy.”
“One last question,” Mac said. “When do we get to see the new throne room?”
“Seems appropriate that it gets unveiled with Their Majesties here, what do you think, Rafe?” Aleksander asked.
“That works,” Rafe replied, grasping Aleksander’s forearm. “If the walls are pure gold, blame Worth. He gave Jeremiah’s group an unlimited budget.”
“Throws me right under the bus,” Worth muttered.
“I haven’t even gotten to say hi to Jeremiah,” Aleksander said, releasing Rafe. “And I need to see his dragon.”
“He’s gorgeous,” Noirin responded. “Aren’t you glad Rafe didn’t make him wait at Court Wells until you got your ass up?”
“As I expected, Rafe is a fantastic High King.”
“Maybe even better than you,” Dravyn teased.
“This is what happens when you’re around Killian the Dwyer constantly. You get mouthy,” Aleksander accused.
“All right, gentlemen, we can swap insults later. I have a lunch to prepare, and I expect Their Highnesses to attend,” Noirin said.
Rafe threw up his hands. “Can’t you just call me Rafe?”
Noirin walked over, and Rafe blushed when she bussed his cheek. “As I once told Killian the Dwyer: Eat my food. Do that and I’ll call you whatever you want, Your Highness.”
“Like I’m not sick of microwave dinners,” Rafe muttered.
Aleksander laughed and steered his mate out the door. “Let’s get some work done.”
“He says that like we’re going to continue to give them quiet,” Worth remarked, following them across the hall. Within minutes, Aleksander was behind his desk, and there were dukes sprawled on the sofas as they bantered and worked, and he smiled at Rafe, who appeared cautious but optimistic. Aleksander understood that the only thing Rafe needed was time to know that he was a D’Vaire all the way down to his freakish soul.
