Fire's Embrace [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  His dragon was roaring approvingly, and even Rachen’s rational side was screaming, “Finally.” This wasn’t the exactly the best place to do this, but Rachen didn’t care. Pulling Alwyn into his arms again, he asked, “Will you be mine, baby? Will you be my mate?”

  He licked Alwyn’s neck, groaning as his mate’s flavor exploded over his taste buds. Overlords, he could only imagine how it would feel to suck Alwyn’s dick or thrust his tongue into Alwyn’s sweet little ass. Unable to hold back, Rachen reached down and squeezed Alwyn’s cheeks into his palms. That ass had tormented him for months. Alwyn still wore his sprite-style garments that hid more than draechen clothes did, but even so, nothing could hide Alwyn’s beautiful, tempting body.

  He nibbled on Alwyn’s earlobe, his arousal soaring as Alwyn shuddered in pleasure. “Be mine,” he repeated. “I want you so much, no matter what.”

  For a few moments, it seemed like Alwyn would agree. He leaned against Rachen’s chest and tilted his head, offering himself to Rachen, wordlessly agreeing to his request. Rachen was just about to take his mate in his arms and carry him toward their quarters, but then, Alwyn tensed and forced his way out of Rachen’s embrace, shaking his head. “I…We shouldn’t. If I truly did something…You deserve better.”

  Rachen cursed himself and his luck. If he’d only gotten his head out of his ass earlier, they wouldn’t have been in this dilemma in the first place. Rachen would’ve been Alwyn’s mate, and he would have sensed what Alwyn had in the throne room. In fact, Alwyn would have been by his side, a member of the Tersain family, like Sari and Talrasar.

  It was too late for regrets now. Rachen had to respect Alwyn’s desires. “All right,” he replied. He pressed a kiss to Alwyn’s forehead. “We’ll do it your way. Always.”

  “Thank you.” Alwyn shot him a tremulous smile. “Besides, I don’t want you to claim me out of…well, out of pity.”

  Rachen’s mind just about went blank at that. He would have laughed if the entire thing hadn’t simply crushed any ability to react. Sadly, Alwyn took his silence as confirmation of that insane idea. “I don’t want you to go against your heart for my benefit,” he added

  This time, Rachen couldn’t help it. He burst into bitter chuckles. “Oh, baby. I’ve been going against my heart for months now. I’m so in love with you that sometimes, it feels like I can’t breathe. Just…don’t worry about it right now, all right? Let’s take everything one step at a time.”

  Alwyn looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn’t. In the end, Alwyn was right. Now was not the time to jump in bed together and make rushed decisions. There was too much at stake, too many things that could go wrong. True, being mates could have helped them. It might have even kept Alwyn safe from any consequences that could appear from Ferradul’s potential involvement in this entire debacle. After all, if Rachen claimed him, Alwyn would be a Tersain.

  Nevertheless, Rachen had to respect Alwyn’s decision. They had to bond because they felt it in their hearts, not for other reasons.

  Forcing a smile, Rachen leashed his protesting dragon. He’d waited for months. He could wait for as long as Alwyn needed. They’d come up with a different solution for their problem.

  “Just trust me,” he told Alwyn. “I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

  “I do trust you,” Alwyn replied almost inaudibly. “It’s myself I don’t have any faith in.”

  Rachen didn’t know how to address that, so he didn’t. Instead, he just took his mate’s hand and guided him inside. Somehow, he would show Alwyn that he needed to believe in himself, and in their bond. He was sure of it.

  Chapter Two

  Rachen left Alwyn in his quarters and decided to address the matter with the same person who’d sought him out. Out of their family, Karein was naturally the closest one to him. He was also likely to understand Rachen’s plea for help. Then again, so would Hareem and Kaelezrin, since both had gone through the unpleasant experience of having their mates threatened by factors beyond their control.

  Still, Rachen knew Karein. He had been Karein for a long time, and when he looked in the mirror, at times, it was Karein’s reflection he saw. Only the red streaks in his hair and the flecks of red in his pupils told him different, or rather, only the way Alwyn’s presence reached out to him.

  It wasn’t very late, but Rachen knew where Karein was most likely to be. He headed directly toward the quarters his brother shared with Sari. He reached his destination in record time and knocked at the door.

  For a few moments, nothing happened. Rachen knocked again, probably a little harder than he should have. Finally, a noise sounded inside, like someone was coming. Seconds later, Karein opened the door, almost ripping it off the hinges in the process. “What?”

  Karein was completely naked and smelled like Sari and sex. A few months ago, Rachen would have actually felt jealous because Karein had Sari. He still did, but for a different reason. Now, it wasn’t Sari that Rachen wanted, but a mate bond like Karein and Sari shared, one Rachen could have with Alwyn.

  “My apologies,” he said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.” He was actually tempted to emphasize that normally, Sari was much noisier, but he doubted his brother would appreciate the reminder. Judging by Karein’s expression, it was entirely possible that Sari had had his mouth full when Rachen had knocked.

  “It’s okay,” Karein replied, wiping his sweaty brow. A pair of pants landed on his head, tossed from inside the room. Karein grumbled as he grabbed the garment and pulled it on. Well, shit. Interrupting his brother during coitus wasn’t likely to put Karein in a very good mood.

  “Come on in,” Karein said, wordlessly gesturing him inside. “I have a feeling I know what you want to discuss.”

  Rachen wordlessly followed his brother inside. Karein closed the door behind them and gestured for Rachen to sit down. Rachen wordlessly plopped down on the couch, and Karein joined him shortly after that.

  “Have you spoken with Hareem and Kael?” he asked.

  Rachen shook his head. “I came to you first. Did you three discuss it?”

  “Yes.” Karein took a deep breath, as if bracing himself for something. “Given what Talrasar said, Elina Eretar’s death could have had natural causes, but such cases are extremely rare. It takes an extraordinary illness to cause a fire dragon’s blood to scorch her brain like that. Considering that she’d moments earlier offered to exchange information for leniency, we can’t rule out the concern that she was murdered by powerful magic. Most likely a sprite. Alwyn is one of the few non-draechen who were at the ceremony, and he had the means to kill Elina Eretar. Understand, we don’t actually think he’s guilty, but we have to take into account every possibility.”

  Rachen buried his claws into the couch and focused on calming down. “He didn’t do anything,” he said. “Why would he? It makes no sense. Ivenia and Ornoz have a tentative treaty now. Alwyn has been with us for months and helped us with the Ancient Horror. The fact that he’s here isn’t proof that he actually hurt anyone.”

  “No, it isn’t,” Karein answered. “Everything is very circumstantial right now. It certainly seems like a sprite power killed her, but it could have very easily been something else. But my gut tells me there’s something there.”

  Rachen would have told his brother that he didn’t give a fuck about his gut, but Karein was on his side. “There’s no proof that he’s involved,” he said again.

  Karein rubbed his eyes, his shoulders slumping. “What do you want me to do, Rachen? What do you want me to say?”

  Rachen licked his suddenly dry lips. Starting today, Karein had become one of the three Imperial Consuls that led Ornoz. He had a lot of pull, and if Rachen played his cards right, he could be able to investigate this without Alwyn getting too involved. “I don’t want you to hurt him in any way,” he said. “I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

  Karein just sighed, and he wasn’t the one who replied. The bedroom door opened, and Sari appeared from inside. Unlike Ka
rein, he’d actually put some clothes on, although that did nothing to disguise the fact that his lips were swollen from kisses, perhaps more. He was beautiful, but he didn’t hold a candle to Alwyn. Distantly, Rachen wondered how he’d ever thought Sari was his true mate.

  “You have to know that Karein would never harm Alwyn,” Sari said. “We all understand how much he means to you.”

  “It’s not just that,” Rachen insisted. “He’s not a murderer.”

  “You seem very sure of it,” Karein pointed out. “You’ve discussed it with him?”

  Rachen hesitated. He truly wasn’t sure how much it was safe to tell Karein. He wanted to trust his brother, but some things had to stay between him and Alwyn.

  Nevertheless, Karein needed to know about Ferradul’s potential involvement. “He feels it’s possible that his father could have had something to do with it.”

  “Which brings us to our original issue,” Karein said. “Why would a sprite, be it Alwyn or his father, do something like that? What could he possibly have against Elina?” His gaze sharpened as he looked at Rachen. “What did she know, Rachen?”

  Rachen struggled to keep a straight face and not show the turmoil rushing through him to his brother. “Why are you asking me that? She said that it was a secret about a member of the Tersain family. It could have been about anyone, including you, including Sari.”

  “You’re right, of course,” Sari said. “I just get the feeling we’re missing something.”

  Even as he finished the phrase, Sari’s eyes widened. He swooned and would have fallen, but Karein shot forward, catching him before he could hit the floor. Rachen stared at them in shock. He would have rushed to get a healer, but the gem in the center of Sari’s forehead was glowing. He was very still in Karein’s arms, at least for a little while. Then, his entire body started to shake and small whimpers of pain escaped his lips. Much to Rachen’s shock, he cried out. “No…Don’t!”

  * * * *

  Sari sat at the dinner table in one of the private rooms in Draechenburg. It was a rare moment of peacefulness, during which all of them could gather together and just enjoy the simple, sweet quiet.

  On the seat next to him, Karein smiled. He reached for Sari’s hand and squeezed it. “I’m so happy,” he said through their bond.

  Sari’s hand drifted to the swell of his belly where his child rested comfortably. “Me, too,” he replied.

  He glanced across the room, where Taryn was giving his son his bottle and Hareem was, like always, beaming at them proudly. Galyn had grown quite a lot, and he was already showing signs of having inherited magic from both of his parents. As if guessing his thoughts, the infant suddenly created a tiny flame in his hands and threw it at Hareem. Hareem just laughed, obviously used to Galyn’s antics.

  “I can’t wait for our children to be born,” Talrasar said to Sari’s left. “And not only because Galyn is so cute. I swear, when I prayed for a baby, I really didn’t think I’d feel so awful half the time.”

  Sari patted Talrasar’s hand. He knew pregnancy had been harder on his ancestor than on him, so he tried to support Talrasar, in whatever way he could. Kael certainly wasn’t much help. Half the time, he just beamed stupidly at his mate, at least until someone except direct family approached Talrasar. His demeanor could make a complete one-eighty in seconds if he felt another draechen was threatening his territory. Even now, he had a possessive arm wrapped around Talrasar, ignoring everyone else except his mate. So very normal.

  Caelyn and Graham sat next to Sari and smiled at Talrasar. “But it’s all worth it,”Caelyn said, rocking his own son. Caelyn’s baby slept comfortably in his arms, and the sight of the two of them made Sari look forward to holding his own son even more.

  “That it is,” Talrasar confirmed. As they spoke, Graham kissed Caelyn’s temple, then got up and retreated to chat with Taryn. Sari almost couldn’t bear so much happiness. Having his friend with him again, now that they both had families, was like a dream come true. But then, Caelyn was more than a friend. He was like a brother, and seeing him so in love filled Sari with joy.

  The peaceful scene was interrupted when the door burst open and Sage rushed inside. For a few seconds, Sari thought something had actually gone wrong, but then, he took a good look at Sage’s face and saw only bliss. Camden followed him, looking like he’d just been handed the keys to Varuna’s realm.

  “It’s confirmed,” Sage said. “We’re going to have twins. We’re not sure about the gender yet, but there are certainly two children.”

  Camden grinned proudly, his slitted eyes glowing like twin suns. “I almost can’t believe it. And now that everyone is working on the Directive…it’s not even dangerous anymore.”

  Behind Sage and Camden, Rachen and Alwyn walked into the room. Distantly, Sari noted that Rachen’s hair was bloodred. But of course it was. After all, Rachen’s nature as a fire dragon demanded it.

  “My brothers certainly are something,” Rachen commented. Turning toward Alwyn, he asked, “Don’t you agree, baby?”

  Alwyn didn’t answer. Suddenly, the room began to darken, the familiar furniture fading. “What’s going on?” Taryn asked with a frown. He held Galyn protectively, and Sari noted that even Galyn’s bottle had vanished. “This is…”

  Taryn didn’t get to finish the phrase. His form began to blur, like it did when he was about to change shapes. Hareem snatched the child before Taryn could drop him. And not a moment too soon, because Taryn was suddenly on all fours, a wolf.

  The small black wolf released a loud howl. He glanced at Hareem, nudging Hareem’s leg with his snout. Hareem reached out to him, like he was about to pet him, but out of the blue, Taryn snarled and bit Hareem’s hand. He turned his back on Hareem and fled, disappearing into the shadows.

  By Hareem’s side, Graham was fighting the shift, trying to head toward Caelyn. He stopped midway and changed into his wolf form. Like Taryn, he released a savage snarl, almost looking like he was about to attack the dragons present. He must have thought better of it, because instead, he ran, disappearing after Taryn.

  “What in the world is happening?” Sari gasped out.

  “I don’t know,” Sage replied, clutching Camden’s hand, “but I don’t like it.”

  Sari scanned the area, his senses screaming that something was terribly wrong. They had to do something before it was too late. To his shock, he realized Talrasar and Kael had disappeared. Rachen was also gone, and only Alwyn stood there, still looking at them in eerie silence.

  Before Sari could do anything, Alwyn stalked to Hareem’s side. Galyn started to cry as Alwyn snatched him from Hareem’s arms. And then, much to Sari’s dismay, the child vanished into thin air, his wails silenced before they could even express the full extent of his anguish.

  “No, don’t,” Sari said. “What are you doing?”

  The question turned out to be a mistake, because it drew Alwyn’s attention to Sari. Alwyn’s fathomless gaze fixed on him and he started walking toward Sari.

  Sari reached for Karein, trying to get him, suddenly very afraid. Only Karein wasn’t there. He sat with Caelyn, a good distance away from Sari, and he wasn’t looking at Sari. Caelyn ignored him, too. His child was nowhere to be seen, but he didn’t seem to care. In fact, he appeared to be completely focused on Karein.

  Sari tried to call out to his mate, but neither he nor Caelyn paid attention to him. And finally, they vanished as well. Sari was all alone. The world swirled and writhed, and before he knew it, Sari was on his knees, lost in the darkness. He pressed a hand to his stomach, and he found it flat.

  Almost broken with loss, Sari was snapped out of his trance when a sudden voice reached out to him. “Sari, come back to me, baby. Come on.”

  It was Karein. Karein had come for him. Karein was still there, loving him, caring for him. Sari followed the voice, and finally the darkness cleared.

  The world became normal again, and Sari looked up in Karein’s familiar but terrified eyes. “Karein,” h
e whispered, “I lost him. I lost our son.”

  “You lost…No, baby,” Karein replied. “He’s right here.” He took Sari’s hand and pressed him to his belly. Sari realized in shock that he could still feel his child. “See?”

  Over his shoulder, Karein asked, “Rachen, what happened with that doctor? Isn’t he coming already?”

  The mentioning of Rachen’s name reminded Sari of what he’d seen. He clutched Karein’s arm so hard he must have drawn blood. “Karein…It’s Rachen. Alwyn. They…He…”

  He was hyperventilating, still lost in the feeling of grief in the vision. Because it had been a vision, just like his mother always had. Sari didn’t know how she dealt with them on a regular basis, but for his part, he had trouble processing it. None of it made sense. He just knew he had to keep touching Karein, because if he didn’t, Karein would leave him.

  Fortunately, Karein was there and held him tightly, hugging him close and petting his hair. “Breathe, Sari,” he said. “Slowly. Breathe and calm down.”

  With his mate’s strength supporting him, Sari finally began to relax. He stopped gripping Karein like the man was going to disappear any second now. Taking his cue, Karein asked, “What happened, Sari? What did you see?”

  “I saw…I saw death.”

  * * * *

  Alwyn paced through his room, feeling anxious and uncertain. Rachen had left almost an hour ago to speak to his brothers, and he hadn’t returned yet. It didn’t take a genius to figure out things hadn’t exactly worked as planned.

  Earlier, Alwyn had heard commotion outside his door, and he’d wanted to go see what was going on. However, he’d found that there were guards posted at his door, just like before the entire Ancient Horror thing, when he’d been just another prisoner.

  It wasn’t in the least bit encouraging. Every second seemed to turn into an hour as he waited, wondering what in the world was taking Rachen so long. Had Rachen found out something they hadn’t known before? If so, what?