Page 35 of Heart of the High King
“You’re spoiling my damn mood, Paunchy. You need to get control of that dragon,” Charlton bemoaned.
Rafferty’s dreams of Aleksander had grown more intimate, and his feelings for him were stronger than anyone in his family or he had intended, but he wanted to continue to grow their friendship. If he had to beg to visit him or promise the moon, he’d do so. “I want to shift, Your Highness. I could spend plenty of time flying at D’Vaire. No one cares that I’m a black dragon; I’m not even the only one there. Give me a couple of days to get my beast back under control, and I’ll come home in a better mood. His Highness will let me stay at the house, so it won’t cost you a penny. The Grand Warlock is even willing to come and teleport me, so no rental car or paying for Dérive.”
“Now we’ve been using Dérive plenty, but that doesn’t mean I want a sorcerer on my land. That won’t do, Paunchy.”
“I could take Dérive there and I don’t know…work it out with High King D’Vaire to pick me up or something. I’ve saved my wage money, so I can pay for the teleportation.” Rafferty might have felt like he was well-compensated when he’d lived in rural England and was issued his father’s currency, but switching to Council funds was brutal. There was barely enough to compensate Sullivan for all the idiotic clothes he purchased without Rafferty’s permission or consent.
“I’m getting annoyed with the topic,” Charlton confessed. “Sullivan, drive your brother to Dérive after breakfast.”
Sullivan shrugged. “I was heading there anyway. I’ve got a date soon.”
“In the middle of the morning?” Rafferty asked.
His brother smirked. “We have to arrange things around her mate’s work schedule.”
Rafferty glanced sharply at Sullivan. “You’re cheating on another man’s mate?”
“It’s not my fault she’s a rich woman who is mostly ignored by her man’s constant working. All I did was meet a friend of hers on one of the singles websites. What can I say? I’m so good in bed—she recommended me highly.”
“You do realize that if you get caught, you could be sentenced to death?”
“Paunchy, stay the fuck out of my business. I’m not trying to ruin a matebond. I’m helping an ignored woman who I’ve been texting with. Back off.”
Knowing if he pushed his brother, he might miss out on his ride to Dérive, Rafferty snapped his mouth shut. His breakfast was quickly shoveled in since Heather was a horrible cook, and he told Sullivan he’d be ready to go in a few minutes.
Hey, can you do me a favor?Rafferty texted to Aleksander, then dashed up the stairs. Once he got to his room, he grabbed his duffel and threw clothes in it.
“Hey, Sully, how long can I stay at D’Vaire?” he called out to his brother who was passing his space to get to his own.
“I don’t know. Why didn’t you ask Father?”
“I forgot. Has he left the house?” The front door slammed answering Rafferty’s question. “I’ll text him.”
“Hurry up, I don’t have all day.”
“Okay.”
There was still no response from Aleksander, so Rafferty fired off a message to his father. Charlton answered in a matter of seconds.How long has His Highness invited you for?
Since Aleksander didn’t even know he was coming yet, Rafferty pushed his luck with a lie.Two weeks.
Can’t do that, Paunchy. Sullivan can’t be expected to run the household himself. You get one.
Thank you, Your Highness.
“Paunchy, if you want to go, get your fat ass down here,” Sullivan shouted.
Snatching his bag, Rafferty dashed to where his brother was waiting. “Sorry. Father said I can go for a week.”
“I know, he texted me. Get in the car, will you?”
Rafferty did as he was told and as he got closer to the Dérive station, he wondered why Aleksander was ignoring him. They arrived, parked, and went inside. Just like his previous teleports, Rafferty felt sick to his stomach and wished he had a drink to moisten his mouth. There was a small waiting area with seats, so Rafferty grabbed one and pulled out his phone.
Sander, you okay? I’ve some exciting news, but I need your help.Rafferty searched through the gifs on his phone and found one that was an animated puppet, so he sent it. Then he saw one blowing hearts, so he clicked on it as well. It occurred to Rafferty it was probably rude to send a third, but he wanted to convey how much he missed him, so he chose a cute puppy with those words at the top.
Finally, he received the notification for a new text and he grinned like an idiot when he saw who it was from.
Babe, I miss you too, but it’s not even six in the morning. What’s up?
