Rafael by Faith Gibson Read Free Book Online Page B

rolling in, crashing over the jagged rocks that
protruded from the depths like a barbed wire fence protecting a prison. The
beauty of the water mixed with the turmoil of the waves somehow brought a sense
of balance to Rafe. As he breathed in the scent of the saltwater, he felt a tug
on his arm. Looking down, there was a small, black-haired boy reaching for his
hand.
    Clasping onto
the child’s hand, he looked back out to the sea. The tide calmed; the waves no
longer crashed. The water was as smooth as glass. Glancing back down, the child
was smiling up at him. “It’s pretty, Papa.” The boy was pointing to the
horizon. The sun was peaking its head over the faraway horizontal barrier that
appeared close enough to touch. “It is beautiful, my son.”
    Rafe came out of
his trance with a start. What the fuck? Rarely did his meditation take
him that far into his subconscious. But a child? He was not a father, of that
he was certain. The fates guaranteed they could not procreate unless it was
with one who could handle carrying a Goyle fetus: their mate. Would the fates
have changed their minds or had they made it so the humans could carry a
shifter child as well?
    Meeting Kaya and
the possibility of human bonding must have affected him deeper than he knew.
Previously, Rafe bore little hope of finding a mate and having a family. Now,
it was all he could think about. To have his home filled with children, given
to him by the woman he was fated to be with, would be worth every second of
loneliness he had endured for the last five hundred years. He rose from the
bench and made his way through the garden, stopping to admire the last few
blooms that were hanging on in spite of the cooling weather.
    Grabbing his
phone on the way to the shower, he rang Geoffrey. Frey was one of the more
disciplined of the Clan. He didn’t stay out late and he rose early. “Yo.” His
answer was in no way disrespectful to his King. He was answering as family.
    “Yo yourself. I
got a call earlier from Sin. He’s sending Lorenzo Campanelli and Jasper Jenkins
our way. I need you to pick them up from the airport and bring them to the
manor. Sin said that Jasper is showing signs of aggression. I think I have the
perfect test to see if that’s true.”
    “Ah, let me
guess. A little friendly scrimmage?”
    “Right you are
my brother. It’s been a while since we have gathered all the family together,
and I do believe today is perfect for a meeting .”
    “If Jasper isn’t
exactly a team player, how are you going to handle him?” Frey was the enforcer
of the family. He relished bringing less than submissive members back in line.
    “I won’t be
handling him; you will. The way you brought Michael around all those years ago
was brilliant. If you can tame his beast, surely you can handle Jasper.”
    “We shall see.
Are you going into the office this morning?”
    “Yes, for a while.
I am going to schedule a video chat with the others so we’re all on the same
page.  I will be home by the time you bring our guests. Sin didn’t give me much
of a heads up, so they can stay with me until they find their own homes. I’ll
have Willow set up the video feed, and I will talk to you then.”
    Rafe stopped off
in the kitchen for a cup of coffee before he made it to the shower. His
housekeeper was putting something sweet smelling in the oven. “Good morning,
Priscilla. We will be having new family arriving this afternoon. If you would
please, make sure two of the guest rooms are ready.”
    The older lady
walked up to Rafe and pulled his face down so she could kiss his cheek as she
did every morning. She was the closest thing he’d had to a mother in almost two
hundred years. Priscilla’s family had been serving the Di Pietros for
centuries. She and her brother, Jonathan, lived with and served Rafe and
whoever stayed with him.  Very few humans knew of the shifters, and those that
did were as loyal as if they were shifters themselves. “Of course, my boy.