“Baby,” he whispered to Eli, “there.”
“I know,” Eli responded. “I saw.”
Eli crossed the street and slipped into the alley where they’d seen the mysterious shadow disappear. They found Vane and Marlais Hayden leaning against a brick wall, looking anxious. Well, Marlais seemed fearful. Vane just appeared to be puzzled, although Dante knew all too well that one could never trust the expressions of a bloodkin.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Eli Starburst,” Vane drawled. “This is a surprise. Let me guess. You received a mysterious message from the avians as well.”
He wasn’t looking at Dante, which probably meant the other bloodkin couldn’t see him.
Eli nodded. “We had to come help when we learned Kier and Cole could be in trouble.”
Marlais frowned at Eli’s slip of the tongue, obviously not understanding why Eli had said “we,” not “I.” Vane arched a brow. “I do wonder what my brother could have possibly done to warrant any type of loyalty from the avians. The Bloodmoor family have a nasty history with that species, you know.”
Dante remembered that Cole and Vane’s parents had been murdered by avian rebels, although he’d been too young at the time to know the details first hand. It was quite a notorious event because it had a connection with the destruction of the first Tachakan dome, which had led to Cole being exiled for fifty years. Dante’s father had kept the general public from learning the more compromising information, such as Kier’s involvement, but he had told Dante.
“Well, whatever happened, we can’t stay here to figure it out,” Eli said. “Could you and Moss create a distraction for us?”
“Yes, we can,” Vane answered, “but first, you’re going to explain what exactly is this whole ‘us’ business.”
Eli threw a gaze Dante’s way. They were probably never going to believe Dante was alive, in a way. Then again, Aran wouldn’t believe it either if they didn’t have a convincing way to present their case.
With that thought in mind, Dante allowed himself to slip into Eli’s body. The elf welcomed him, sharing everything he was with Dante. Normally, Eli remained in control, but obviously guessing Dante’s thoughts, he now allowed Dante to control the physical form they were both inhabiting.
For that reason, when he spoke, it was Dante’s voice that came out. “I couldn’t leave Eli,” he told Marlais and Vane. “I’ve been with him all this time.”
The color drained out of Marlais’s face, and not even Vane could hide his shock. “Dante?” the other bloodkin breathed out. “Is it really you? How is this possible?”
“There’s no time to explain. Kier and Cole are in danger, and Eli cannot sustain two souls for an extended period of time. We’ll tell you what we can on the way to the palace.”
Vane and Marlais didn’t argue with him. “You’re right, of course. Come on. We’ll find a way to get you inside. You’re the only one who can reason with the Imperator now.”
As they left the alley, Dante briefly abandoned Eli’s body to give his mate some time to rest before they had to face Aran.
The trip to the palace was brief and uneventful. He and Vane had no trouble in avoiding the Tachakan patrols. However, once they reached the gates of the imperial residence, their task grew a lot harder.
“Here’s where our distraction comes in, I guess,” Vane said. “Any thoughts?”
“Actually, yes,” Marlais offered. “I acted as bait once. I can do so again.”
“No offense to you, Marlais,” Eli pointed out, “but that didn’t work out so well.”
“That wasn’t Moss’s fault,” Vane shot back, his eyes glittering with possessiveness and protective anger. “You can’t possibly blame him for what happened.”
Eli grimaced. “I don’t. It’s just a sensitive subject. Go ahead, Marlais. Tell us your idea.”
“Well, it’s nothing elaborate.” The human shrugged, looking uncomfortable. “I thought I could cut my hand with something and lure them with my blood.”
“You know, I think I agree with Eli,” Vane suddenly said. “Last time didn’t work out so well. We should come up with a different plan.”
Dante disagreed. He knew what urged Vane to say that, but it was actually a great idea. Simple, yes, but most good plans often were.
Marlais glowered at his lover, obviously not appreciating the dismissal. Fortunately, Eli intervened. “We can pull it off. Vane will stay with you to keep you safe and make sure you escape unharmed. It should work.”
“Can you and Dante handle it from here?” Marlais asked, concerned.
It was, in effect, inspirational to see the human include Dante in their group so naturally. Dante could see why Vane had fallen so deeply for Marlais Hayden. “We’ll be fine,” he said. “I know the palace extremely well. I’ll get us to where we need to go.”
Eli repeated the words since their companions probably couldn’t hear them. Vane didn’t look happy about the situation, but then, Marlais said, “It’s all right. I trust you to take care of me.”
Just like that, Vane’s resistance melted. It was almost ridiculous, and Dante might have actually burst into laughter if not for the seriousness of the circumstances and his awareness that he was probably just as sappy in his relationship with Eli.
In the end, the plan went through without a hitch. Vane made a small cut against Marlais’s throat, leaving a few drops of blood to flow. Once they were ready, Marlais staggered toward the gates, pretending to be a human who someone had fed from. Dante had to admit that he smelled very appealing. Even in this form, Dante could scent the intoxicating aroma of Marlais’s blood. Once upon a time, it would have been nearly impossible to resist, but now, he had Eli, so he didn’t even blink.
The guards at the gate were, however, very distracted. The hour had them frustrated and cranky, and smelling the blood of a human they were technically speaking not allowed to touch—since feeding from an already weak donor could kill him—put them on the edge. At first, they just looked at each other, and then, they stepped toward Marlais, looking very eager to approach the human indeed.
They weren’t exactly abandoning their posts, but their behavior did give Eli and Dante the opening they needed to slip past the gates. Trusting their companions to handle the guards on their own, Dante and his mate entered the palace grounds.
The next hurdle they had to pass was the dogs. Dante cursed to himself as he realized he’d completely forgotten about them. He actually liked the beasts, and they liked him in return. But now, he didn’t have a body they could scent and wag their tails around. The only one they saw was Eli, and Eli remained a stranger.
Or so Dante thought, at least until the dogs looked from Eli to Dante’s position, sniffing the air curiously. Once again, Dante entered Eli’s body, this time allowing Eli to take over. And then, Eli started to sing. Dante had never realized it, but his mate had a lovely voice. The beauty of it didn’t delay in having an effect. The animals began to yip happily, leaping around Eli’s legs like young pups. Dante wasn’t sure if the dogs sensed him, as this was the same reaction he had elicited from the dogs. Either way, he and Eli were allowed to pass without any problems, although the animals would have probably liked to tag along.
Navigating through the palace felt like waking up from a dream, or falling into one. It was all so familiar, every wall, every item of decoration. And yet, his perspective was one of an outsider now, of a man bursting in without being invited. He had betrayed this place, just like he had betrayed his family and his people. Did he regret it? Yes. Would he have done things differently under the same circumstances? Doubtful.
But perhaps it wasn’t too late. Perhaps he could make amends, fix this somehow. “Your father is the one who’s at fault,” Eli said in his mind, “not you. Always remember that.”
“I tried to kill him,” Dante replied.
“You wouldn’t have done so if he hadn’t gone insane and tried to break the Covenant.”
Eli had a point, but Dante still
wasn’t comfortable with it. They didn’t get to debate it further, as Dante directed Eli to the path toward his father’s private temple. Keeping a strong glamour on, they managed to pass the soldiers guarding the area, until at last, they reached their destination.
As Eli advanced, an increasing feeling of doom filled Dante. He felt as if he was on the edge of something momentous, like an abyss loomed in front of him and he couldn’t quite see it. Was it his emotion or Eli’s? He couldn’t tell, but he did know there was no going back now. He just had to have faith that they were doing the right thing.
As it turned out, Dante got the answer to that question easily enough. The silence of the temple was disturbed by the sound of raised voices, shouts, and screams that should have had no place in Mother Earth’s home.
They followed the noise and reached a room that was guarded by half a dozen bloodkin soldiers. It was unfortunate, and they were not so easy to bypass. However, Dante believed that his father must be beyond that door. The only thing they had to do was to incapacitate these men, even temporarily.
As always in complete agreement with Dante, Eli murmured an incantation under his breath. The dogs came barreling from the direction of the gardens. The guards released gasps of confusion and distress, knowing clear instructions had been given not to harm the animals.
Obviously satisfied, Eli allowed Dante to take over his body. Now fully in control of this physical form, Dante slipped past the guards and burst into the room.
What he saw both shocked him and made him even more determined to fix this. His father had brought Cole and Kier into the temple. He had Kier on his knees in front of Cole and was just about to murder the elf. The same dagger that had ended Dante’s life now threatened to kill Kier.
At the same time, Dante noticed that in the center of the room there was a crystal casket, lying on a marble platform decorated with sculpted vines. Instinctively, Dante knew who was inside. His father had not burned his body after all.
That was a good sign, and it filled Dante with hope and confidence. Fortunately, the guards holding Cole and Kier down were too surprised by Dante’s entrance to immediately subdue him, and he had time to cry out, “Stop! Father, stop!”
He used his own voice, the one Aran knew so well, and it worked. The Imperator turned toward him, losing interest in Kier. He looked pale, not speaking, just staring at Dante—well, at Eli—as if he’d never seen an elf before.
Taking advantage of the provided opportunity, Dante insisted, “Father. Sire, please. You must stop. They are not to blame for my mistakes.”
At that, Aran finally snapped out of his trance. “This is a trick,” he said, hanging onto the knife as if it were an anchor. “My son is dead. Modulations of voice won’t fool me.”
“I don’t expect them to,” Dante answered, “but it really is me, Father. And I can prove it.”
And prove it he did. That day, Kier and Cole were released, but Dante and Eli remained in the Tachakan palace. Eli wasn’t happy, but both of them knew that this was the only way Dante could be rescued. And while his father proved to be very welcoming, Dante knew that they had a long road ahead of them if he ever wanted to return to normal.
Chapter Three
A few months later Eli leaned against the banister of the balcony, gazing out toward the city. It was dark, but then, it was always dark here. The bloodkin had built a thick dome around their capital city, filtering the light of the sun and keeping it from harming Tachakan citizens. It did come through, but it was nothing like the rays he was used to, the ones he’d reveled in while back in his homeland.
But Manturanael was lost to him now, and for good or ill, he had to get used to the thought of living in Tachaka. It might not be so bad. Yes, he could no longer return to the elven lands he loved so much, but he had something more valuable for him, so very precious.
“You miss it, don’t you?” a familiar voice said by his side. Eli turned toward Dante, already accustomed to the wistfulness in Dante’s voice. He would have said “no” if he’d thought it would keep Dante from feeling any guilt over Eli’s loss. But they knew each other too well, and denying the truth of his emotions would just be an insult to their close bond.
“Of course I do,” he answered. “But I don’t regret being here. I never have.”
Dante released a heavy sigh and looked away. “What if I told you I regretted it?” he asked. “This isn’t your home, Eli. You deserve better.”
Unfortunately, Eli missing Manturanael wasn’t truly the problem. The gist of the issue lay in the fact that every day, Dante became more and more aware of the limitations of their bond. Furthermore, since their arrival in Tachaka, Eli had many times found himself hosting Dante’s soul inside him. Truth be told, he rejoiced in it, but the experience was very taxing on him as one body wasn’t meant to hold two separate people.
Still, just like he’d told Dante, Eli felt like he belonged at Dante’s side. He couldn’t say he had no regrets. It was hard to do so when the man he loved so deeply was dead, and, in many ways, beyond his reach. But he had to hold onto his belief that Dante’s father would come up with a way to bring Dante back.
Ever since their arrival to Tachaka, Aran Bloodclaw had started to investigate the possibility of bringing Dante back to life. Dante’s body remained well preserved in a crystal casket, something which allowed Eli to hope. However, as time passed and their efforts continued to fail, Dante was beginning to give up, largely because he believed Eli was wasting away at his side, in an increasingly dangerous Tachaka.
But Eli would not let anyone push him away from Dante, not even Dante himself. “Have a little faith,” he told Dante. “Your father is bound to find a solution. You’ll see.”
Dante gave him a skeptical look. He obviously intended to protest, but Eli didn’t want to hear it. He simply couldn’t fathom ever being separated from the bloodkin. Those hours he’d spent thinking Dante was dead had been more torturous than anything he could have ever imagined. He now understood Kier better than he’d thought he would, which was why he felt relieved that, at the very least, he and Dante had managed to grant their friends the possibility of happiness. But at the same time, he wanted what Kier, Cole, Marlais, and Vane had. It could and it would happen. They just had to be a little patient.
In the meantime, Eli decided to distract Dante the only way he knew how. He leaned closer to the bloodkin, invading Dante’s personal space. It should have been strange to share such passion with someone who was, essentially, a ghost, but their desire went beyond the limitations of flesh.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he brushed his lips against Dante’s. Dante didn’t even hesitate. He kissed back, thrusting his tongue into Eli’s mouth. Eli moaned and his eyes drifted shut as he wrapped his arms around Dante.
He tangled his hands through Dante’s long hair, loving the silky feel of the strands. Dante growled, their kiss growing more aggressive, more wanton. All of a sudden, Eli found himself pinned against the solid surface of the wall, Dante’s strength and domination leaving him breathless and needy. He was as hard as a rock. The only thing he wanted more than Dante’s dick in his mouth was the same delicious member up his ass, stretching him, filling him, burning him from the inside out.
They stumbled together into Eli’s quarters, or rather, the room they shared. Eli didn’t even bother to open his eyes, relying on Dante to guide them. The bloodkin didn’t fail him, directing Eli toward the bed. As his knees hit the side of the four-poster, Eli fell back and fell onto the mattress with a thud. Instants later, Dante’s weight landed on top of him, so beautiful and real that it almost made Eli weep.
As far as Eli could tell, he was the only one who could touch Dante like this. Aran had tried to reach out to his son, but more often than not, he couldn’t even see Dante. With much effort from their part, the Imperator had managed to glimpse a shadow of Dante a couple of times, but they could only communicate if Dante inhabited Eli’s body.
If he wanted to be honest, Eli had
never understood how it could be possible for him and Dante to make love in spite of the circumstances. Perhaps he was imagining the whole thing. Maybe it was all an elaborate, beautiful dream. Somehow, he doubted it. Dante never drank his blood, and Eli knew both of them felt the absence of the connection such an exchange could bring.
They were all trying to figure out what it meant and how they could use it, but for the moment, they had no answers, and Eli didn’t want to focus on problems with no solution. He just wanted to lose himself in Dante’s embrace and forget, forget that he and Dante were still separated, still unable to fully reach each other.
Alas, it was not meant to be. A knock sounded at the door, and Dante pulled away with a sigh. Eli looked at his lover, his heart clenching with emotions he didn’t dare identify. Dante looked disgruntled, but so very alive that for a few instants, Eli couldn’t wrap his mind around the truth he knew so well.
“It’s Father,” Dante said. “I should get it.”
Eli nodded. Now that Dante had mentioned it, he could also sense Aran. The Imperator’s powers allowed him to cloak himself when he wanted to, but he tended to give Dante and Eli privacy.
Personally, Eli had never forgiven the Imperator for what he’d done. He didn’t think he ever would, not fully. Perhaps he might change his mind, if they managed to bring Dante back. And of course, he certainly appreciated Aran’s assistance, but he couldn’t just let go of his burning resentment. No matter what the circumstances had been, he could not get over the fact that Aran had wielded the blade that had killed Dante.
But his near hatred toward the Imperator didn’t matter as much as their shared goal. Aran wouldn’t have come here without having something important to tell them. With a sigh, Eli resigned himself that he’d have to wait a little while until he could get Dante alone. If Aran brought news on their ongoing project to get Dante back, Eli’s libido was a secondary priority. He didn’t want to dwell on that thought too much, though. It could very well be something different.
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