Page 200 of Heart of the High King
“He will only lose consciousness for a few precious seconds. Nothing more. Nothing less. That is so it does not pain him,” Life promised.
“Now I feel bad,” Fate muttered.
“I should go,” Eternity said, but Fate snatched part of her silvery-white gown, preventing her escape.
“No, I only agreed to find Roriethiel a mate because I was angry at Death for taking so long to bring Rafe’s dragon. You will not run off. This time you must do better to protect the Fae and prevent another catastrophe.”
“You’re one to talk—bringing Roriethiel and Drekkoril back into the land of the living is a nightmare,” Death argued.
“Not if they learn lessons from the past,” Life suggested.
Death rolled her eyes. Life had enough optimism for ten foolish souls. “Who is Roriethiel’s mate?”
“I paired him carefully and chose a wonderful realm to send him to,” Fate stalled but Death took a step into her personal space. “But it’s none of your business.”
“How is itnotmy business?” Death shrieked. “Roriethiel’s gifts are still intact, and he’s never been shy about using them. What will it mean for the realm you’ve placed him on?”
“It’s our favorite; there are plenty of shifters and sorcerers ready to handle anything,” Fate assured her and pushed Death away.
With a shake of her head, Death turned to Life. “Better hurry with that dragon. Rafe’s going to need it.”
“Speaking of Rafe, I found out who nudged his soul toward Aleksander’s too early,” Life revealed.
Death’s grin was pure malice. “Good. Who will we be punishing?”
“Folly.”
Curses in several languages exploded, and Death added a string of her own. “One day, we will catch up to her, and I’ve a mile-long list of her crimes.”
Eternity’s mouth twisted. “For millennia we’ve hunted her.”
“For every person, there is a day of reckoning,” Death promised, then set aside their fruitless search for Folly and pinned Eternity with her sharp gaze. “You better hope you do not find yourself in the same boat as our dear sister when the spell is lifted from Roriethiel and Drekkoril. And you, Fate, better hope that Daravius’s mate takes care to love him, or there will be Death to pay.”
∞∞∞
Rafe sat on the ground with his legs crossed and tried not to notice the adorable way Aleksander was playing tag with the wolves. Jeremiah was patiently walking him and Carter through a series of breathing exercises that they could use to calm themselves. The young dragon taught a variety of techniques a shifter might rely upon when their big day arrived, and they had to welcome their beast. It was hard for Rafe to stay focused; he’d been through the connection of man and animal once before and had no fear that he would fail. His question was more centered on whether he was wasting his time.
There was no peaceful being inside him waiting for his chance to spread his wings like there’d been when he was a drakeling. As his mind wandered, he considered whether that was what he should call himself. It didn’t feel right to refer to himself as a dragon, but he wasn’t human either. This heady topic was weighing heavily on his mind when his vision wavered, and he swayed. Panic closed his throat as he fell backward, and the world went black.
When he lifted his lashes, Rafe pushed off the hands tugging on him and heard people shouting his name, but he wanted only one. A force he barely recognized inside him demanded his mate, and Rafe’s eyes popped open as his fangs punched through.
“Oh, my fuck,” Jeremiah yelled. “You did it!”
Though he remained in his human guise, Rafe’s mind was conquered by his dragon, and he would not be denied. Getting to his feet, Rafe said no words as he lifted his gaze to the worried man in front of him.
“Are you okay, babe?” Aleksander asked. “How’d you do it? Your dragon’s back, but your irises are different. Wait until you see.”
Not giving a shit what he looked like, Rafe snatched Aleksander’s arm and gave him no choice but to follow as he tugged him toward the house. “Let’s go,” he managed in a voice lower and more guttural than his usual tone.
“You’re acting strange, why aren’t you excited?” Aleksander demanded. His mate tried to free himself but Rafe only tightened his grip and walked faster. “What the fuck, Rafe? Where are we going?”
Rafe got them into the house and didn’t respond to anyone’s greeting as he dragged Aleksander to their bedroom. When they were inside, he slammed the door and let go of Aleksander.
“Tell me what’s going on,” Aleksander ordered, his dark eyes full of concern.
Reaching up, Rafe grabbed two fistfuls of Aleksander’s shirt and yanked him close. Although he wanted to smash their mouths together, he had to be mindful of his already dropped fangs, so he simply kissed him with the yearning in his dragon’s heart. “I need you,” he growled against Aleksander’s lips.
“You’ve got me,” Aleksander responded. His large hands cupped Rafe’s ass and he obligingly jumped up enough to wrap his legs around Aleksander’s waist. Their tongues sought each other as Aleksander managed to get them to the bed. As one they dropped to the mattress, and Rafe buried his hands in Aleksander’s silky hair.
