Page 73 of Heart of the High King
Chapter 31
Rafe was barely awake when he was forced to drag himself out of bed. Sitting up, he rubbed a hand over his upset stomach. Knowing that his wolf needed to be cared for, Rafe snatched his braces off the nightstand and yanked up the leg of the crazy pajamas Larissa had made for him.
“Pee,” Mortis told him.
“I know buddy, I’m moving as fast as I can. If you need to go really bad, run down to the kitchen. I’m sure someone will open the door for you.”
“Can wait.”
“Okay,” Rafe responded. Shoving his feet into his combat boots, Mortis trotted to him with his hoodie in his mouth. “Thanks.”
Once he’d taken it from Mortis, Rafe pulled it on and unfolded his walker. It was a long distance from his room to the kitchen, but he had to keep up his strength for as long as he could so as he had for the last three mornings, Rafe shuffled his way to the great room.
“Let me get the door for you guys,” Noirin said when she spotted them. As for her mate, he caught Rafe’s gaze and glared ferociously. Rafe had no idea why Kendrick had so much animosity for him, but he decided one of his goals at D’Vaire was to try to mend his fences if he could with the only brother he would credit as family.
“Thanks,” Rafe told Noirin as he made his way outside. The three stairs took him time, and Mortis raced ahead with his tongue lolling out. Excited to be outside, he took off running while Rafe slowly eased his way across the uneven terrain. As soon as he got a short distance from the deck, he stood and breathed in the flowers of Dravyn’s garden. Vowing that he would let its beautiful fragrance remove the stench of the mine he’d called home for five months, it was indeed the remedy he needed. His mouth lifted into a smile as his wolf rolled onto his back.
“You’re goofy.”
“Try.”
“If I tried that, I wouldn’t be able to pick my skinny, decrepit ass off the ground.”
“Funny.”
“Yeah, I’m hilarious. Maybe I should be a comedian.”
“Throw.”
Rafe fished the ball out of his pocket and pitched it as far as he could across the land. Mortis loped off as if he were a large dog while Rafe backtracked toward the house. Lowering himself to the deck after getting up the stairs, Rafe held out his hand and Mortis dropped the toy into it.
“Ready?”
“Throw.”
Doing as he was told, Rafe flung it and Mortis took off again. It was great to see his buddy enjoying himself. They’d been outside together at a small courtyard at the hospital once he was able to get around, but there wasn’t enough room for Mortis to use up much energy. That settled things in Rafe’s mind about his decision to come to D’Vaire.
Rafe was also relishing the food. Deciding that with numbered days there was no point left in restricting his diet, Rafe had told no one about his doctor’s prescribed limitations. In the dining area, he enjoyed every tasty morsel Kendrick and Noirin put together. It left him with a host of issues afterward, but Rafe had learned months ago that nothing came without pain.
Mealtimes were interesting. Although he could walk in the morning, by afternoon he was too wiped to, although he’d attempted it the first day. It had worn him out so bad, he’d nearly missed dinner due to a long nap. No one talked to him much, and he purposely tried to stay away from the D’Vaires. Not wanting to interfere with their lives, he certainly wasn’t going to impact Aleksander’s—which turned out to not be a problem since the High King was nowhere to be found while Rafe ate.
That didn’t cause any anger in Rafe. Having barged into Aleksander’s world under a guise, he guessed that neither of them was prepared to deal with the aftermath of that decision. All he could hope was that Aleksander wasn’t taking things too hard. Aleksander had close to a year of wondering what to do over Rafe, and whatever tenderness or friendship existed between them had likely long died. Rafe was gathering his courage to someday say the things he needed to his old pal Aleksander. It was important that he continually remind himself that Aleksander was his past, and he hoped that his former mate would give him the opportunity to try and explain.
“Hungry?”
“Yeah, you?”
“Yes.”
Mortis released the toy into Rafe’s hand, and he tucked it into his pocket for when they were outside again in a few hours. Painstakingly, he got to his feet and dragged his already tired limbs to the door. It swung open seconds before he could grab it.
“Hey, you two,” Noirin greeted them, ushering the pair inside. “I found some dog recipes online and made you something, Mortis. I hope you like it. And Rafe, no arguments this morning. I’ll load up your plate, so you just get comfortable at a table.”
Since Rafe couldn’t take on the formidable duchess even if he was in perfect health, he did as he was told and found a seat farthest away from the D’Vaires, who were trickling in. Unlike him, they were dressed and groomed for the day. Having neglected to take his shower, he idly wondered if his hair was sticking up. Deciding he couldn’t care less, Rafe thanked Noirin once she set an overflowing dish in front of him. Murmuring an apology to his stomach, he dug in.
∞∞∞
In the same fog that had consumed him since the day Rafe returned to D’Vaire, Aleksander wandered into the building behind his mansion. On the top floor, he found all of Sorcery D’Vaire waiting for him at the giant round table Harley Griffinis had built for them.
