The apology was on his lips, but he couldn’t quite say it. As a rule, he hated to apologize. Thinking clearly, he knew Kyllian was right, at least to a certain extent. Hash had not claimed Owen and therefore could not demand any explanations. But admitting that out loud was out of the question. In the end, Kyllian had been out of line with his vulgar statement.
So he just waited in silence while Kyllian waved his hand in the air, setting everything back in place with just a flick of his wrist. The books returned to their previous position, and Hash mentally sighed as he plopped back down on the couch to resume the research. Owen and Yane wouldn’t leave his mind, and his body still sizzled with unfulfilled arousal. The paragraphs blurred in front of his eyes as he imagined Owen moving with Yane, their beauty entwined in a dance of passion. He saw himself joining them, touching them, showering their bodies with kisses and caresses.
He was so lost in his fantasy he almost missed the moment Kyllian let out a victorious sound. Pushing the images of Owen and Yane to the back of his mind, he focused on the wizard. “What is it? What did you find?”
For a few moments, Kyllian didn’t answer. But when he did look up, his expression was glum. “Something I would have preferred to never see in my life.”
Hash got up and went around the couch to scan the pages Kyllian studied. The wizard’s musky scent filled his nostrils, fueling his arousal, but as the information in the book started to penetrate his consciousness, all thoughts of sex disappeared. “A necromantic crystal? But how?”
To his knowledge, necromancers were very rare. Few people knew that the plague after the flood had been fueled by their magic. As such, the rest of the wizards hunted them down and eliminated the guilty parties. Even so, spots such as the plague lands still lingered. It was unfathomable that no one noticed the accumulation of dark power in all these years.
“I do not know how. The only explanation I can find is that somehow, the necromancers who created it also managed to disguise it from other wizards.” Kyllian took a deep breath, as if struggling for calm. “It seems we’re being taken for fools. But I won’t stand for this. That crystal is going down, if it’s the last thing I do.”
“Pardon me for saying,” Hash intervened, “but the very purpose of this intervention was to fix it. Have you forgotten?”
“I haven’t forgotten, no,” Kyllian snapped at him. “It’s only because of the promise I made that I’m not going back to destroy it right now.”
“So what are you going to do, smart guy? We’re supposed to be saving Yane from imminent war.”
“As long as the crystal exists, there can be no peace,” Kyllian answered. “And, if I’m not mistaken, the crystal isn’t in any jeopardy in the first place. It will be recharging soon.”
“Recharging?” Hash repeated, confused.
Kyllian nodded and turned the page of the tome. There, in black and white, was spelled the most horrifying revelation of the day. “A wedding,” Hash said numbly.
Yane and Alcharr’s brother were due to marry soon. They’d all been convinced the reason behind it was the alliance, but something more sinister seemed to be going on.
Kyllian snapped the book shut. “Come. We need to talk to your friends.”
With that, the conversation essentially ended. There was no more time for sarcasm or banter. Kyllian’s tone told Hash everything he needed to know. When Kyllian grabbed the tome and headed toward the exit, Hash followed without another word. His mixed emotions would just have to wait until they figured out the solution for the most urgent problems.
The morning after his heart-to-heart with Valderr, Alcharr arrived at Tanarak, carrying an urgent message from his father. Truth be told, he was supposed to go to the dryad capital, whereupon the royal family would send a summons for Yane. But Alcharr had already decided to go against Amadeus’s orders, and this was only the beginning.
To his surprise, on his way there, he ran straight into Hash and Kyllian. The two were entering Tanarak just as Alcharr landed there. “Hello,” Alcharr greeted them. “Any news on the problem we discussed?”
Kyllian nodded, his expression solemn. “We need to talk. The situation is more serious than I expected.”
Alcharr didn’t like the sound of that. He looked toward Hash, who seemed thoughtful and uncomfortable. “What is it?”
Hash shrugged, although his demeanor looked anything but nonchalant. “It isn’t my place to say, and now is not the time to discuss it.”
Alcharr frowned. Whatever Hash wasn’t saying, it couldn’t be good.
“Come on,” Kyllian said. “Let’s find your companions.”
It was early morning, but Yane always got up at the crack of dawn. In a strange development, they couldn’t see the nymph anywhere around the town. As such, they headed toward Yane’s small home.
“Is he there?” he asked Hash. As a shape-shifter, the dragon would know.
Hash nodded, although his attitude was getting stranger by the second. “Maybe I should go get him,” Kyllian suggested.
The mere idea surprised Alcharr, and he knew the two were hiding something connected to Yane. Frowning, he stalked to the house and knocked at the door. “Yane?” he called out softly. “It’s me.”
A muffled curse sounded from inside. “Just a minute,” Yane answered.
Something in Yane’s voice unsettled Alcharr. Coupled with Hash and Kyllian’s silence, it defeated Alcharr’s usual scruples. He pushed the door open and gaped at the sight that met his eyes.
Yane was half-naked and pulling his clothes on. On the bed, a dazed, sleepy Owen lay, blinking away the remnants of slumber. The human’s body bore distinct traces of a night of passion. It didn’t take a genius to realize what happened there.
Owen’s eyes widened in alarm, and Yane cursed again. Alcharr backed out of the house, too shocked to even process what he’d seen. Sure, he’d known about Yane’s attraction to Owen. He himself felt it. But he hadn’t expected Yane to actually pursue anything, and now, of all times.
He leaned against the outer wall of the house, unable to breathe. He remembered the last few days they’d spent together with Owen and the others. If he wanted to be honest, he couldn’t say he felt very surprised. He realized then he felt jealous not only of Owen, but of Yane, too. He’d have liked to be with them. He’d have wanted to share the moments that had surely been special.
“Are you okay?” Hash asked.
Alcharr stared at the shape-shifter in dismay. He didn’t understand anything anymore. “How did you know?” he asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Hash looked away. “Perhaps I should have. I just couldn’t find the words. As for how I knew…I felt it, deep inside.”
Alcharr blinked, uncertain if he was understanding the man’s words right. Slowly, realization struck. He finally grasped the reason of Hash and Sassaki’s interest in Owen. The human was their mate.
But Alcharr and Yane didn’t even have that excuse. He wondered where they stood now that Owen was in the picture. He wondered what Yane would decide regarding the wedding.
Just as he thought this, Yane and Owen appeared from the house. Yane took his hand and pulled him inside. Reluctantly, Alcharr accepted Yane was right. They couldn’t exactly talk outside, where all the locals of Tanarak could see them.
“Look, Charr, I can’t say I regret it,” Yane said. “What I feel for Owen is different than what I feel for you. I just…Please understand.”
“What about us?” Alcharr asked. “I wanted to face my father, to find a way for us to be together in spite of the alliance, in spite of everything. Where are we now?”
Yane’s eyes widened. “You truly want that? You truly think we can face King Amadeus and win?”
“The alternative is simply unthinkable. My father wants you to marry Valderr in two days. Two days, Yane. And no matter what happens between us, my little brother also deserves to find his own love.”
Owen looked between him and Yane, his blue eyes wide. Obviou
sly, he didn’t understand the conversation between Alcharr and Yane. Once, Alcharr would have hated any person who would attempt to steal Yane from him. He’d even been resentful of his own sibling, even if Valderr didn’t actually want Yane. But Owen…He couldn’t hate Owen, especially not when the human looked at him like that.
“Alcharr…This is my fault,” Owen whispered. “I got between you. I’m so very sorry.”
Alcharr didn’t answer. He wanted to say it was okay, but at the same time, he didn’t think it would be true.
Thankfully, Kyllian intervened, providing a welcome distraction from the awkward situation. “As problematic as this is, there’s something else that requires your attention, namely the crystal. It is not what I expected at first.”
Alcharr clung to the lifeline Kyllian offered, focusing on the problem he could deal with rather than his own messed-up love life. “How so?”
“The crystal is actually a source of necromantic power. It is the reason why the plague lands have never recovered from the effects of the flood. For the moment, it has been weakened by the ages of use, but it will be recharged. The sacrifice of a newly wedded couple will take care of that.”
Alcharr blinked, at first thinking he hadn’t heard correctly. “You can’t be serious…”
“Do you think that I’d be joking with something like this?”
Indeed, the implications of Kyllian’s words were too grave for any amusement to be appropriate. If Kyllian was right, someone seemed to be planning Yane and Valderr’s death. Alcharr suddenly felt sick to the stomach. The knowledge of his lover’s affair with Owen began to matter less in light of Kyllian’s revelation.
“There’s no way I’m going to allow that to happen,” he said decidedly. No way would he just stand by and lose his brother and the man he loved at the same time.
“Well, at least Valderr and I don’t have to wed,” Yane said in a poor attempt at humor.
Silence met his words, until Hash finally spoke once again. “Whatever the case, you have to remember that with the crystal falling, so will your protection on the plague lands. Once the wyrms are unleashed, we have to prepare for war.”
Alcharr nodded. His mind went to Sassaki. He wondered what the wyrm would say. Sassaki’s betrayal of his people initiated this entire discovery. If Sassaki hadn’t told them about the crystal, they might never have known about its necromantic powers until it was too late.
But in a war between dryads and wyrms, which side would Sassaki take? Alcharr was afraid to ask that question. And as he looked toward Owen once again, he realized he was afraid of many things.
Chapter Six
Sassaki tapped his leg impatiently against the ground. They were supposed to meet after dark, but Sassaki had sensed urgency in his mate and decided to push the time up. It was still daytime, something that made Sassaki uncomfortable.
But truth be told, Sassaki had more to talk about than just the famous crystal. He was a bad mood. No, he was in a horrible mood, mostly because of a particular event the night before. Just a little after his discussion with his mother, he’d felt a wave of arousal invade him. Owen. Owen and Yane. He’d sensed them touching each other, in bed together, kissing and fucking.
“Are you all right?” Kani asked by his side. Seeing his mood, the mer insisted on coming for this meeting. He’d even made an additional effort and come on land, although it had been somewhat tiresome to dry his tail. “I hope you’re not going to attack the nymph.”
Sassaki glared at his friend. He should confront Yane. The man would soon get married, for crying out loud. He should not be playing with Owen’s heart. But as much as he hated to admit it, he liked the nymph. “Of course not. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
The sun shone brightly in the sky, and for the millionth time, Sassaki wished the plague lands were not devoid of trees. He felt exposed on the beach, where everyone could see him. It didn’t help that he still recalled the torturing moments he’d spent while experiencing Owen’s pleasure. He’d have gone after Owen, but the remnants of his reason told him it would mean a risk far too great to take.
Strange emotions coursed through him, beckoning at his beast, making him unable to concentrate. The wild nature of the wyrm threatened to emerge. He ached to claim his mate. And oddly, he yearned to do so with Yane as well.
“Calm down.” Kani tried to soothe him. “I know it seems bad, but there must be some sort of explanation.”
“I would very much like to know it,” Sassaki replied bitingly. He sighed at the look of hurt on Kani’s face. It wasn’t the mer’s fault for his predicament. “Sorry, my friend. I’m just…”
Kani nodded, his upset expression vanishing into a kind smile. “It’s okay. I understand.”
Their conversation ended as Sassaki sensed several presences approach. His mate was coming, and with him, several others. Most were familiar, and he recognized Yane, Hash, and Alcharr simply by the feel of their power. But there was someone else, someone Sassaki hadn’t met before. He growled as he realized this must be the wizard, the famous Kyllian who wanted Owen for himself.
Kani gave him a concerned look but didn’t say anything else. At last, the group appeared on the beach. The tension they radiated was obvious, even in Owen. Sassaki looked over each man, wondering if the others knew about Yane and Owen.
“Hi, Sassaki,” Owen greeted him, smiling. Sassaki surmised his expression didn’t look very happy, because the beam immediately faded.
“So you felt it, too,” Hash said.
The fact that Hash knew about it unsettled Sassaki even further. He began to understand, however, that even if Owen was his mate, Hash might very well have the same right over the human as Sassaki did.
“Is this going to be a problem?” Alcharr asked. He looked tired, and he seemed to be avoiding Yane’s gaze. “We have more dangerous things to talk about.”
Sassaki wondered what that comment meant. He’d seen the closeness between Alcharr and Yane and realized the night Owen and Yane spent together bothered the eagle as well. But something more serious seemed to be worrying the group—or rather, something that didn’t involve their romantic entanglements.
“What is it? What did you discover?”
He almost wished he hadn’t asked. Kyllian launched himself in a complicated explanation over the crystal’s necromantic powers and its implications. By the time the wizard had finished, Sassaki was horrified. He’d always wondered why the waters around Tanarak had never cleared, even with eons passing since the flood. He would have much preferred to not believe the wizard, but everything made sense, and somehow, Sassaki knew Kyllian was telling the truth. The fact that Yane’s wedding would be used as a recharge for the crystal worsened the situation even more.
In the circumstances, it seemed clear that the crystal needed to be destroyed. But if this happened, the plague lands would be under attack by the wyrms.
“What are you going to do?” Kani asked, just as Sassaki readied himself to inquire the same thing. “Sassaki’s people aren’t going to lose this opportunity to take control of the plague lands.”
Kyllian opened his mouth, obviously intending to answer. But before he could do so, he tensed and looked toward the waters. Sassaki sensed the same thing Kyllian did. He pulled Kani away from the ocean, waiting for what he knew would appear.
His mother and father emerged from the sea in their bonded shifted form. Even if they could shift independently, they sometimes chose to unite their powers. When this happened, they looked extraordinary indeed, two heads emerging from the same reptilian body, hissing and snarling threateningly. Sassaki had never thought to see that threat directed at him, but here it was.
Thankfully, in that shape, his parents could not come on land. They shifted into their legged form and made their way to the shore. “Sassaki,” his father said, “I do hope you have an explanation for this.”
Sassaki suppressed the urge to wince. He’d been caught red-handed, and there was no point to lie
and pretend. “It depends on what kind of explanation you want to hear,” he replied, surprised at his own daring.
His mother glared at him. “What’s wrong with you? What is this treachery?” She gazed over Sassaki’s shoulder. “Is it your mate?”
For a few moments, Sassaki’s mind went completely blank. He wondered how in the world his mother could have realized Owen was his mate.
She continued, undeterred. “Do you have any problems with that mer of yours? I always feared mating outside our species would cause trouble, but the mer seemed nice enough. Was I wrong?”
Lota’s words finally registered in Sassaki’s consciousness, and he realized his mother had been looking at Kani. He blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “You knew about Kani?”
Arssan arched a brow. “Of course. You didn’t really think I wouldn’t notice your visits to the shipwreck, did you? And besides, these waters are our territory. It is our duty to know about every creature that lives here.”
Sassaki found it shocking that his father, who was always so adamant about keeping the waters under their control, would agree to allow Kani inside. He felt horrible about betraying them, but at this point, it couldn’t be helped.
His mother continued to glower at him. “We would not send your mate away, even if the situation is less than ideal. We’ve been waiting for you to introduce us for ages now.”
Sassaki had two choices—to perpetuate the misunderstanding or to tell the truth. His parents had been kinder to him than he’d known. Perhaps they might be able to help. Regardless of what happened with the crystal, Sassaki didn’t want the war to continue. And Sassaki had already lied enough.
“Kani is not my mate,” he whispered.
“He isn’t?” His mother seemed surprised. She took a deep breath. “Then explain this situation to me. Explain what you’re doing on the mainland with a nymph and an eagle in your presence. And Yanentah, out of all people.”
Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) Page 10
