Page 2 of Heart of the High King
“Shift back,” Charlton coaxed.
Rafferty did as he was told and it was a rather simple process to return to a smaller body. With alacrity, he snatched up his clothing and dragged them on while his brother chuckled.
“Molly, take the boy into the castle,” Charlton ordered as she hustled to him.
“He is a boy no longer, Charlton, and you would do well to remember that. He’s a dragon of immense strength.”
“Woman, I have no time to argue. Do you not hear the distress of the crowd? Though you often forget I’m their king, I must assure them all is well. It would do better with Rafferty inside.”
Once again, Molly looped their arms together and patted him. “Come along Rafe, let your father tell the crowd how proud he is to have a black dragon for a son. You’ll be a duke by supper.”
“King Charlton gets to decide who gets titles,” Sullivan drawled.
“Do not take that tone with me, Your Grace. Rafe is the darkest dragon in this court, and everyone with sense in their head knows that black ones always get titles.”
“Your Highness, why do you always allow this servant to speak to me this way?” Sullivan demanded.
“Mind your manners, Sully. She takes care of the household. Molly’s no ordinary girl. Now please take Rafferty inside and, for Fate’s sake, plait his hair. You know those wild curls drive me out of my mind. Most unmanly,” Charlton ordered.
Still befuddled by his shift and what it meant, Rafferty said nothing as he and Molly ventured inside the castle.
“Do not fret about your father or anything else. You are going to look mighty fine in a coronet, Rafe, and why he’s always carrying on about your hair I’ll never understand, but sit you down. I’ll put it back in its plait,” Molly said, pushing her stunning ringlets off her shoulder.
Rafferty chose the closest bench and allowed her to put his curls into a braid. Although he’d taken care of it himself that morning, shifting had loosened the thick mass. Was the black of his dragon going to be yet another one of those things that annoyed his father? Already he had Rafferty’s unruly locks and his height to fuss about—although most dragons towered over the massive fireplace in the great hall, Rafferty barely reached the mantel.
“I never thought to be darker than His Highness,” Rafferty said quietly.
“It is hardly your fault that Fate chose it for you, and I will not listen to you take on any guilt.”
Rafferty nodded as he got to his feet once she’d finished taming his tresses.
“Go on then, give me a smile,” Molly ordered.
Because she was impossible to resist, and he’d always wished she’d been his mother instead of the random servant who’d died giving birth to him, Rafferty obeyed her demand. “Yes, ma’am.”
The doors burst open, and Charlton and Sullivan strode in. “Leave us if you would, Molly. I wish to speak to my son.”
“I need to speak with Cook anyway; we must be ready for the feast,” she responded as she bustled out of the great hall.
“I thought a black dragon to be a good thing, Your Highness.”
“Make no mistake, Rafferty, it is an honor to be given such a beast, but you must understand how uncomfortable it makes the inhabitants of the court. You a black dragon while the king himself is brown? Most odd.”
“The people do not wish to see His Highness overshadowed,” Sullivan added. “They do not like seeing a dragon who might be considered by some fools stronger than our king.”
“I did not mean to overshadow you, Your Highness. I had never thought to even be a black dragon,” Rafferty said and wished he’d never been one at all. His beast gave a disgruntled huff in his head, but the damn thing was already ruining his life.
“I think it would be best if we made attempts to keep everyone happy,” Charlton remarked. “I believe your shifts should take place at night, so your color cannot be discerned.”
“And there is no need to do it regularly. There is no advantage to releasing your dragon that often.”
“That is not what my dragon trainer told me,” Rafferty argued to his brother. “There are a great many benefits.”
“Which you will still get, but you need not put yourself above the entire court. You must find the discipline to space them out as much as possible. I daresay you’ll build up a tolerance and will only need to do it a single time when the moon is full.”
There was a disgusted roar in Rafferty’s head, but there was no way he was going to displease his family. “I can do that, Your Highness.”
“I must still make you a duke, but you need not try to lord over your brother. He is and will always be the first duke, you understand, boy?”
“Of course, Your Highness. I would never think myself above Sullivan.”
His brother slapped his shoulder. “Good. Now, shall we go back outdoors and enjoy this day-long celebration? Perhaps find a woman willing to bed you?”
“I will choose my bed partners.”
“Leave off annoying your brother today, Sullivan. As long as he dares not choose a man, he is free to make his own decisions.”
Sullivan’s face was a picture of disgust. “Rafferty would not dare, or I would run him through.”
“I do not wish to bed a man,” Rafferty stated emphatically. The truth was, he had no wish to bed anyone. Although he’d admired the beauty of a woman’s face or even the strong plane of a man’s jaw, there was no desire to slake his lust. His lack of interest made no sense—barely a day passed without Rafferty touching himself, but he simply did not wish it was with anyone else. It was a secret he was not bold enough to let get out as it was most important to Charlton that he and his sons displayed great vigor, but Rafferty set it aside. Nothing about it would be fixed, and he had the new problem of his dragon. Rafferty would have to work hard to be a proper duke to atone for his oddities.
