Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove)

by Hyacinth, Scarlet

  Without allowing himself to change his mind, Owen pressed his lips to Yane’s. Because of the difference in heights, Owen found himself forced to stand on his tiptoes to reach Yane’s lips. But he did take the other man by surprise. Their kiss was gentle, close-mouthed, and with restrained passion. Owen wanted more, but instead of yielding, Yane pushed away from him.

  “Owen, stop,” he panted out. “I need to tell you something. But not here.”

  Owen gave Yane a curious look but didn’t get the chance to ask. The other man started dragging him away from the beach and in the direction of Tanarak. Owen could do nothing but follow, even if he still felt confused and hurt over the obvious rejection. What could Yane possibly want to tell him? What was he hiding?

  Yane took them to his living space, the small home he owned in the port town. Owen had also received a spot here, since sleeping anyplace else would have been even more awkward. As soon as the door of the house shut behind them, Owen reached for Yane again. “Wait. What’s going on? Please tell me.”

  He hated the trembling of his own voice, but he couldn’t keep it in check. Yane gave him a pained look.

  “Owen, I…I’m engaged.”

  “To Alcharr?” Owen asked. He’d suspected something was going on between the two. Oddly, he didn’t mind. He liked Alcharr, and he thought the eagle could make Yane happy. But that didn’t explain the connection between them. Could it be just in his mind? “I’m sorry if I was out of line. I don’t mean to get between you two. I just want to understand what’s going on.”

  Yane shook his head. “I…It’s not Alcharr.” He paused, as if he were having trouble speaking. “It’s his brother, Valderr, an arranged marriage for the benefit of our nations. But you’re right about one thing. Alcharr is my lover.”

  Owen blinked in shock. He plopped down on Yane’s bed, too astonished to even speak. Out of everything Yane could have said, this was the last thing Owen expected. “So…you’re cheating on your fiancé with Alcharr?”

  He couldn’t disguise his dismay at the thought. He’d never imagined Yane and Alcharr being guilty of such a deceitful thing. But perhaps there were circumstances involved Owen didn’t know about. He shouldn’t judge without knowing all the facts. “Please tell me you have a good reason.”

  Yane sighed and sat next to Owen. “We’re in love, Owen. But we can’t be together because the alliance requires me to wed Valderr. I just…I thought you should know.”

  The pain in Yane’s voice reached out to Owen, and he realized how wrong he’d been. He took Yane’s hand in his own and squeezed it. “It’s all right,” he whispered. “There’s always a way.”

  He didn’t intend the caress to be any more than a friendly support, but it turned out completely different. He didn’t know which one of them reached for the other first. The next thing he registered was Yane’s lips crashing against his. As if through a dream, he wrapped his arms around the other man’s neck. He parted his lips, allowing Yane entrance, and the nymph’s tongue invaded his mouth, exploring and devouring. Yane change their positions on the bed, pushing Owen down and keeping their bodies close together. Their kiss broke briefly for the seconds they needed to breathe, then continued as if it had never stopped.

  Yane’s hands worked at his clothes, tearing the material to pieces. Owen gladly yielded to the assault, the need to be skin to skin so intense it hurt. Before he could do so, however, Yane lifted his head and pulled away.

  “We shouldn’t be doing this,” Yane said, panting. “It’s not right.”

  Owen nodded. His cock throbbed with desire, but he didn’t want to push Yane more than he already had. Yane loved Alcharr and he was engaged. They’d just talked about it, for fuck’s sake. Sex would just complicate things.

  He tried to move away, but to his surprise, Yane pushed him back down. “I can’t. I can’t let you go. Gods help me, but I can’t do it.”

  Owen’s eyes widened as Yane descended upon him again. Impossibly, the kiss seemed to be even hungrier, more frantic. Owen knew he should put a stop to it before it was too late, but he could not have given it up to save his life.

  He wrapped his legs around Yane’s waist, rubbing against the other man in wanton despair. Yane groaned, and faster than Owen could even process, he removed the rest of Owen’s clothing. “Now you,” Owen croaked out. “Clothes. Off. Need. Skin.”

  Yane chuckled breathlessly but obeyed. He pulled away from Owen to get rid of his shirt, breeches, and boots. Owen watched greedily as every inch of Yane’s glorious body was revealed. His mouth watered, and he didn’t even think of holding back. He pressed his mouth to the first patch of skin he could reach, laving it with his tongue. Yane’s taste, the flavor he still had on his tongue from their kisses, emanated from his body, salty and wild, like the sea itself. Yane groaned, a tortured sound that Owen almost mistook for pain. The look in Yane’s eyes told him differently, though, as did Yane himself moments later. “I want you so badly, Owen,” the nymph whispered. “I have to be inside you.”

  And then, there were no words, just the sweet sounds of male pleasure. Yane’s hands caressed Owen’s chest, his lips exploring Owen’s face and neck as his fingers tweaked Owen’s nipples. The nymph’s caresses made all the confusion go away. Owen simply surrendered to the pleasure, reveling in his soon-to-be lover’s touch.

  Yane’s tongue traveled from his neck to his chest as the nymph moved down his body. He tasted every inch of Owen’s skin, a seduction of the senses, slow like the caress of the warm ocean in the eye of the storm. Sexual energy sizzled over them, but Yane kept every motion gentle, almost worshipful. Owen arched against him, needing to touch and to be touched in return. He thrust his hips up, wordlessly indicating to Yane where he wanted him to be.

  Yane chuckled. “Impatient, are we?”

  Owen let out a disgruntled groan, but it morphed into a strangled gasp when Yane’s nimble fingers cupped his balls. It was a promise meant to tantalize, not bring him over. Or was it? The wicked touch traveled to Owen’s taint, rubbing the sensitive zone, making him dizzy with lust. His hole clenched, waiting for the invasion that didn’t come, but needing it more and more.

  Yane’s face was so close to Owen’s dick he could actually feel the nymph’s breath tickling the sensitive skin in a moist caress. Owen couldn’t take it anymore. He threaded his fingers through Yane’s soft hair and tried to push Yane’s mouth where he most wanted it to be. Yane allowed him to do so. Wet warmth engulfed Owen’s dick, and he howled in pleasure as sensation assaulted him.

  This time, Yane didn’t tease. He bobbed his head up and down Owen’s dick, tracing the thickest vein with his tongue. When he returned at the head, he greedily sucked the glans, his moans illustrating his enjoyment. The sweet noise sent delicious vibrations through Owen’s dick, pleasure pooling in his balls. All the while, Yane’s clever fingers continued to work him. Owen was so lost in the ecstasy he almost missed the moment a wet digit rubbed at his anus.

  Distantly, Owen asked himself where the humidity came from before he remembered Yane’s nymph nature gave him the ability to command water. Convenient.

  Still, water wasn’t exactly known for its lubricant properties, and the penetration of the finger burned a little. It had been a while for him. His last failure of a relationship made him doubt his own abilities in ever finding the right man. He’d just needed to go to another world to achieve his goal, because being with Yane certainly felt right.

  Yane’s mouth on him helped him relax his body, and soon, he found himself taking the digit and wanting more. Much to his dismay, though, the finger left his body and Yane began to move away. Owen moaned in protest. “Please. Don’t. I need…”

  He knew he was being incoherent, but the mere thought that Yane would stop now scared him. Yane pressed a light kiss on his nose. “Give me a second. I just need something to prepare you with.”

  And with that, he was gone. Owen blinked, half expecting this to be only a dream. But before the haze of arousal
could even vanish, Yane returned to the bed, carrying a vial with him. “Relax,” he whispered. “I won’t let you go.”

  Yane poured some transparent liquid on his fingers, and Owen took his cue. He spread his legs and lifted them as far as he could, exposing his hole to Yane’s gaze. The nymph groaned, and two fingers penetrated Owen’s opening. With the oil slicking the way, Owen took them easier. He kept his eyes on Yane, on the play of muscles of Yane’s chest, on his beautiful hair and eyes. He thought about how much he wanted Yane’s cock inside him. He thought about Sassaki, Hash, and Alcharr. Oddly, they were all in his heart, and he wanted them with him. Yane understood that. Yane loved Alcharr, and even if he’d been hostile toward Sassaki and Hash, the tense attitude had gradually disappeared. And then, there was Kyllian. He remembered Kyllian’s strange words, comforting and completely clashing with everything Kyllian had ever done. They want you, but they’re afraid. Well, Owen wouldn’t be afraid. He’d embrace this, no matter what happened.

  With this decision came renewed acceptance, and his body swallowed up Yane’s fingers. Yane gently stretched him, and Owen began to move, fucking himself on the invading digits. “More,” he panted. “Give me more.”

  Yane used more lubricant and added another finger. Owen’s flesh yielded with ease, demanding a stronger, more forceful penetration. The urge became unbearable when Yane hit his prostate and mercilessly rubbed the spongy gland.

  “Oh, God,” he gasped out. “Please, Yane. Please.”

  Yane didn’t acknowledge his request in any way, but seconds later he removed his fingers. He positioned his cock at Owen’s opening and pushed. Owen clung to his lover’s shoulders as he rode out the initial pain. Yane was well-endowed, and Owen had not been with anyone in quite a while. But simply the knowledge of who was taking him made the pain turn to pleasure.

  At last, Yane slid home, fully impaling Owen on his cock, so deep Owen thought he would feel the nymph forever inside him. At first he took it slow. He moved his hips in a rotating motion, making his cock stretch Owen’s body, giving Owen time to adjust. Owen whimpered as the light touches stimulated his prostate. He embedded his finger nails in Yane’s skin, wordlessly begging for more.

  Yane’s blue eyes went nearly black like a stormy sea. He pulled out of Owen and thrust back in so hard Owen saw stars. He gasped, wondering if he was even going to survive this. His prostate was in fucking heaven. His cock throbbed, and his climax threatened to overcome him any minute now. He’d been at the edge ever since Yane started to touch him, and he felt like he would explode if he didn’t come soon.

  But Owen forced it back, never wanting this moment to end. Yane continued to thrust in and out of his body, harder and harder, until Owen lost track of anything except the delicious burn and the tormenting pleasure. Slideshows of faces flashed through his mind, aching for the men he acknowledged as his to share this moment. And throughout it all, Yane used him, fucked him, loved him, drove him crazy with each perfectly aimed motion.

  His anus was stretched to capacity, beautifully so. In the circumstances, Owen didn’t have a chance of keeping himself in check for much longer. His pleasure peaked and with a cry, he came, sending thick ropes of pearly cum all over his chest. Yane’s answering growl signaled the imminence of his orgasm, and moments later, Owen felt heat flood his channel.

  Yane collapsed on top of him, pressing featherlight kisses over his neck and face. A slight hiss of water flowed over Owen’s skin, cleaning him in mere instants. He cuddled at Yane’s side and closed his eyes. In his mind, the memory of Yane’s confession still lingered. But he’d deal with that later, much later.

  Chapter Five

  Alcharr flew through the clouds, furious and frustrated. It was a particularly hot day, and Kyllian’s unreasonable demands still rang out in his head. His wings hurt with the speed he’d gone at, but still, he continued at the same rhythm. Over and over, he saw the moment Kyllian had kissed Owen—and gods, he hated it. He’d been powerless to help his…Owen.

  Distress passed through him as he realized Owen wasn’t really his anything. He’d had many chances to try to approach the odd attraction between them, but neither him nor the other men did anything about it. He wished he could have stayed in the plague lands with Yane and Owen, or at least gone to help Hash. The gods only knew what other tricks Kyllian had up his sleeve.

  For the moment, though, he had other worries, namely his father. He hoped Amadeus hadn’t figured out where he’d gone. It was the last thing he needed right now.

  Soon, his city loomed in front of him, the golden buildings shining in the sun. Lately, the sight that once made his heart soar simply disgusted him.

  Few people knew the engines that held The Golden Thrones floating were failing. Unlike dragons, eagles were not creatures of magic. They used science to keep their city afloat. But with the flood, the lack of fuel had become a severe problem. They’d tried to temper the consumption of the engines, but it was only a matter of time until the engines died altogether.

  This was why the alliance with the dryads meant so much. The dryads managed to tap into the wellspring of energy of the earth and healed a small part of the plague lands. They could provide fuel for The Golden Thrones. But the price they had to pay seemed too steep, and not only for Alcharr, Yane, and Valderr. A battle with wyrms would undoubtedly bring about losses in their ranks.

  With all these concerns rotating in his mind, Alcharr landed on the wide palace terrace. His entire being just wanted to retreat back from where he’d come, but from this battle, he could not retreat. He’d managed to evade his father for a few days, but Amadeus would require his presence now.

  Just as he thought this, he noticed Valderr’s slender figure appear from the doorway ahead. Alcharr met his sibling halfway and hugged him tight. “How have you been, little brother?” he asked.

  “It’s horrible.” Valderr buried his face in Alcharr’s chest, sniffing. “Father means to push up the wedding. Connor won’t even be here by then. And gods, brother, I don’t want to get married.”

  Alcharr felt guilty for all the times he’d unwillingly blamed his brother for his separation from Yane. “There’s more,” Valderr whispered, “but I can’t tell you here. It’s not safe.”

  As if to confirm Valderr’s words, their father emerged from the halls beyond. He smiled at Alcharr, but his eyes were cold chips of ice. “Hello, son. Welcome back.”

  Alcharr broke away from his sibling and bowed in front of his father. “Greetings, My King. It’s always nice to be home.”

  Amadeus ushered him inside, with Valderr following silently behind them. “So tell me, son, any news as to who kidnapped your brother?”

  Alcharr shook his head. He trusted Sassaki with regard to the wyrms’ lack of involvement in it, but he couldn’t exactly tell his father that. “There is no news,” he answered.

  For a few moments, Amadeus didn’t speak. Alcharr expected his father to have an outburst of anger on Valderr’s behalf, but it didn’t happen. Instead, he hummed thoughtfully. “I can’t say I’m surprised. They covered their tracks well.”

  It wasn’t a reproach directed at Alcharr, but still it bothered him. He didn’t have the time to say anything though, as his father continued, “At any rate, we’re focusing on the wedding now. It’s in a couple of days, so there is a lot to do.”

  Alcharr gaped in disbelief. A couple of days? Sure, his brother had suggested something similar in their brief exchange, but that was pushing it, especially after the ordeal Valderr had gone through.

  “Father, with all due respect, shouldn’t we take our time with this ceremony? It’s a very important event.”

  Amadeus froze and turned to stare at him. “Are you questioning me, boy?”

  The hostility took Alcharr by surprise. Their father had never been particularly kind, but neither had he hurt them in any way. The way Amadeus spoke now almost suggested an underlying threat. “I’m merely pointing out my opinion, Father,” he answered.


  “Did your little brother come crying to you?” he asked mockingly, throwing a glare over Alcharr’s shoulder. “Don’t bother. I don’t want your opinion, boy. Just close your mouth and do what I say.”

  Without further ado, the king turned and started to walk again. Alcharr tasted bitter humiliation in his mouth as he started to follow. His father never treated him and Valderr like this, not even when the marriage had first been established. For crying out loud, they were still in the hallway and all the servants could hear the unpleasant conversation.

  By some miracle, his father suddenly turned and said, “Just go. I don’t want to see your faces.”

  Even if being pushed away like this hurt, Alcharr was thankful for it. He bowed in front of his father, mumbled a formal goodbye, and dragged his little brother out of the palace. They flew off the terrace and into the clouds. Alcharr wordlessly led Valderr out of the city but didn’t go too far before he stopped. He didn’t know if there were still hostiles watching Valderr, waiting to strike.

  They descended toward the surface and found a small patch of land that, according to Alcharr’s history lessons, had once been a small hill. There were similar spots all throughout Uli, like scars reminding them their world hadn’t always been like this.

  They landed on the ground, and Valderr sat on a rock, biting his lip in the endearing way that reminded Alcharr of their childhood years. “Do you remember when you found me on Connor’s boat and Father saw into my mind?”

  Alcharr nodded. How could he forget? He’d gone on a hunt for supposed Imperium offenders, and he’d been reunited with his brother instead.

  “Well, our minds touched then—mine and Father’s,” Valderr continued. “And it felt so odd. For a minute there, it seemed he was hiding something.”

  He gave Alcharr a desperate look. “I might have thought it was just me, but now he’s acting like this with you, too. He’s become a stranger, and I just don’t know what to believe. You’re the only one I can trust.”