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

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  Finally, after what felt like an eternity, a knock sounded at the door. Alwyn was there in mere seconds and opened it. Rachen stood at the other side, and judging by the dark expression on his face, he didn’t have very good news.

  Swallowing around the sudden knot in his throat, Alwyn gestured for the draechen to come into the room. He ensured their privacy by closing and locking the door, and then opened his mouth to ask what was going on.

  Before he could do so, Rachen pushed him against the door and crushed their mouths together. For about half a second, Alwyn didn’t respond to the kiss, too surprised at the suddenness of it, but that didn’t take long. His body reacted to Rachen’s proximity, and he kissed the draechen back, clutching Rachen’s shoulders wildly. His dick hardened, and he rubbed against Rachen, seeking more of the addicting sensations.

  Rachen groaned as he thrust his hips against Alwyn’s. The friction drove Alwyn wild with rapture. Whatever thoughts had gone through his mind before, he completely forgot about them. His world became Rachen, the need to have Rachen touch him. The blaze of all-consuming lust consumed him, and Alwyn embraced it, embraced the fire of their shared passion.

  When Rachen broke the kiss in deference of their need to breathe, Alwyn refused to allow the moment to stop. He found himself dropping to his knees and starting to work on the bindings of Rachen’s trousers. Rachen released a choked groan. “Alwyn, what—”

  Alwyn didn’t give his mate the time to finish the phrase. He slipped his hand into Rachen’s pants, engulfing the dragon’s prick in his fist. Rachen’s words melted into an incoherent moan, one which Alwyn echoed. It was the first time they shared an intimate moment like this, the first time Alwyn had touched Rachen’s cock. He’d known that Rachen was well endowed—their previous kisses had always ended in Alwyn feeling Rachen’s hard-on through those tight garments he wore—but actually witnessing it firsthand, no pun intended, was a different matter altogether.

  He needed more. He had to taste Rachen, to sample the flavor of his mate’s pre-cum. Not even allowing himself to think too much about what he was doing, Alwyn freed Rachen’s dick from its confines. Generous amounts of liquid already flowed from the tip, making Alwyn’s mouth water. He couldn’t have stopped himself to save his life.

  Surrendering to the passion boiling within him, Alwyn licked over the glans, gathering the fluid on his tongue. Rachen’s spicy flavor exploded on his taste buds, fueling the fire inside Alwyn. He’d have liked to actually take his time, to explore the thing of beauty that was Rachen’s dick at leisure, but he had no patience left. Instead, he began to suck his mate’s dick in earnest.

  Rachen was too big for Alwyn to be able to take all the way into his throat, but Alwyn was nothing if not determined. He bobbed his head up and down, reveling in the sounds of pleasure the dragon was making. At first, Rachen seemed to attempt to hold back, but Alwyn would have none of it. He persisted in his efforts, moaning for extra effect and using his hands on the base of Rachen’s dick.

  Finally, Rachen succumbed and started fucking Alwyn’s mouth. His hand tangled through Alwyn’s locks, holding him trapped as Rachen took control. Alwyn gladly allowed it, becoming a vessel of pure pleasure, enjoying the simple carnality of it.

  His grip on Rachen was the only thing anchoring him in a world that was quickly beginning to lose substance. Rachen’s grunts filled his ears, an obscene prayer that reached out to the deepest, most basic part of Alwyn’s being. And then, Rachen thrust one last time into his mouth, the head of his dick actually hitting the back of Alwyn’s throat. With a scream, Rachen came, filling Alwyn’s wet cavern with streams of hot cum.

  Just the taste of his mate’s spunk and the knowledge that he’d pleased Rachen were enough to push Alwyn over the edge. Even as he gulped down every drop of Rachen’s seed, Alwyn shuddered through his own climax. The world grew white, and for a few moments, he saw something inside him, beyond the blaze of his passion. But his focus was on Rachen, and he couldn’t focus on anything beyond that.

  Alwyn could have lingered in this moment forever. When he was on his knees in front of Rachen, submitting to the other man’s mastery of him, everything seemed so simple and right. All he had to do was to be with Rachen. Nothing else mattered.

  The thought didn’t vanish even when Rachen slipped his dick out of his mouth and pulled him up. The dragon was still panting, his eyes burning with sexual satisfaction. He pressed a kiss to Alwyn’s mouth, and reached for Alwyn’s dick, obviously wanting to return the favor.

  When he found the wet spot on Alwyn’s clothes, he groaned. Or perhaps it was because he’d tasted himself on Alwyn’s lips. Either way, it seemed like any moment now, he’d be ready for round two.

  Alwyn couldn’t have agreed more. He truly had no idea what made him act like this. It wasn’t like him to be so impulsive. Or was it? Alwyn didn’t even know anymore, but he couldn’t find himself to regret it.

  He couldn’t remember ever sucking a cock in his life. There seemed to be a hole where his sexuality should have been. It was one of the reasons Alwyn had begun to doubt the very core of his identity. Now, though, he could fix that, in a way he should have used a long time ago, through the one man who made him feel so very special and cared for. Rachen.

  And then, Rachen suddenly tensed and said something completely unexpected. “I won’t let them. I won’t let them do it.”

  Alwyn blinked at his mate, still lost in a daze of desire. “Do what?” he whispered against Rachen’s lips.

  Rachen stared at his mouth like a starving man would at the feast, but he pulled away. He passed his hand through his hair, ruffling the black-and-red locks. “It’s Sari. He had a vision.”

  If there was anything that could have effectively snapped Alwyn from his trance of desire, it was Sari’s name. He wasn’t stupid. He’d known from the very beginning that Rachen was a little in love with his brother’s mate. Ironically, Alwyn liked Sari. It was really impossible not to, because the fae was just so…likeable. But now, anger and jealousy flared inside him. Sari couldn’t have Rachen.

  “Why do you have to listen to what he says?” he inquired, pressing a hand to Rachen’s chest. He slid his hand under Rachen’s shirt, trailing his fingers over Rachen’s abdomen. “You have me.”

  Rachen’s eyes flashed with nearly savage desire, and Alwyn finally realized what he was saying. Fuck. He couldn’t believe how callously he’d acted. Just earlier today, he’d refused being Rachen’s mate, and now, he’d practically attacked the man. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting like this? Why did he feel so torn inside?

  The dragon must have realized Alwyn’s change in mood, because his face fell. “I should apologize for mauling you,” he said. “I should have refrained from kissing you.”

  “Please, don’t,” Alwyn answered. “I’m the one who’s fucking things up. Just…You said your brother’s mate had a vision. What about?”

  It was too difficult to discuss their convoluted relationship right now, too difficult because it hurt to realize that, until Alwyn figured out his feelings and his life, they couldn’t take it further. Every fiber of Alwyn’s being protested the thought, but Alwyn silenced the voice inside him screaming against the injustice and focused on the matter at hand. He suspected he wouldn’t like what his mate had to say.

  “The vision was about you,” Rachen answered. “Sari said that he saw you stealing Hareem’s child and making him disappear, among other things. In fact, he pretty much saw everyone disappearing. Even Caelyn Sutharlainn appeared in the vision with a baby, and then, that baby was gone.”

  Alwyn’s temper flared. “What? I would never hurt children. That’s just petty. He’s jealous because you don’t want him anymore.”

  Rachen blinked, obviously surprised by Alwyn’s words. “I very much doubt Sari has any interest in me that way. He loves Karein.”

  Sharp pain stabbed Alwyn straight in the heart. “So you believe him? You think that I’d kill Galyn and hurt so many people?”


  “Of course not,” Rachen replied. “I believe that he means well, but he himself admitted that what he saw was confusing. Sari isn’t used to visions, and he could have easily misinterpreted it.”

  “But your brothers don’t agree, do they?” Alwyn asked, disheartened.

  “They feel you need to be watched, just in case,” Rachen answered, his voice practically becoming a growl. “But I refuse to allow you to become a prisoner again. Pack. I’m getting you out of here.”

  Alwyn gaped at Rachen. The vision must have been worse than Rachen had told him if the dragon thought something like this was necessary. Alwyn knew better than anyone how much Rachen cared about his family. He held almost obsessive loyalty to Ornoz, and nothing except the most serious problem would force him out of that.

  “Rachen…Exactly how bad was this vision? Were you there?”

  Rachen winced. “Yes.”

  He said nothing else, and that only made Alwyn’s apprehension grow. “Tell me everything. If you want to help me, I need to know.”

  Rachen glanced away from his face. Alwyn took his hand and squeezed it. It was so hard to believe that just minutes ago, they’d practically been having sex, but the warmth of Rachen’s palm still provided Alwyn with comfort. “Tell me,” he said gently. “I can take it.”

  His mate faced him again. His eyes glittered even redder than usual, like just touching Alwyn was drawing out his true nature. “It doesn’t mean anything. You wouldn’t do anything against us.”

  Alwyn just waited, patiently glancing at his lover’s face. Finally, Rachen’s shoulders slumped. “Sari started to seize like he was having a fit,” he confessed. “He kept writhing, like he was fighting someone not really there. And when he woke up, he was practically incoherent and was convinced he’d lost his child. The shock was so great that he still might. He’s in bed now, resting, but Karein is worried out of his mind.”

  “And I imagine your eldest brother isn’t too happy about it either,” Alwyn said, clutching Rachen’s palm tightly.

  “Any suggestion that he might be separated from Taryn makes him explode like he was a fire dragon, not an ice one,” Rachen admitted. “But they do care about you. Even Sari admitted the entire thing could be a huge confusion.”

  Well, that was more than Alwyn would have expected, if the vision had indeed been so shocking and strong. “So I imagine there’s a plan other than me being imprisoned?”

  Rachen nodded. “They’re sending a message to Rose Noire and summoning Sari’s mother here. Normally, she isn’t allowed to travel, but these are extreme circumstances, especially since Sari’s pregnancy could be at risk. She might be able to help him untangle the threads of his vision.”

  Alwyn hated to admit it, but that sounded like a good idea. He himself had felt that he could be dangerous. Of course, he hadn’t exactly been thinking in terms of a child murderer, but perhaps the fae’s vision did mean something. It could give him the answer he needed.

  Rachen obviously didn’t think the same. “In any case, while they wait for her to arrive, I can take you away,” he continued. “We can leave Draechenburg and never look back. Even if my brothers follow us, I’m strong enough to protect you now.”

  “Oh, Rachen.” Alwyn sighed. “If you whisk me away, you’ll forfeit your right to a family and to your position. I won’t allow you to pay such a steep price for your affection toward me. Besides, what if they are at least halfway right? You remember what I told you about Elina. I could be dangerous without knowing it.”

  “Alwyn…” Rachen started to protest.

  “No, Rachen,” Alwyn said. “I’ll stay here and face this. You believe in Sari, and you think the vision was genuine, so I will, too.”

  Rachen gave him a pleading look. “But, baby…I can’t just stand by and watch while you suffer for something that may or may not happen. It’s ridiculous.”

  “Your brothers are reasonable men,” Alwyn answered. “They love you, and they know you care about me. They wouldn’t do anything rash. Trust them. I do.”

  That was a huge lie. Alwyn couldn’t fully trust anyone in this place except Rachen. Rachen’s brothers and their mates had made a good impression on him, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t turn against him if they thought he was truly dangerous.

  Nevertheless, Alwyn wanted to be optimistic and encouraging for Rachen. He could see Rachen so desperately wanted to believe Alwyn was right. Alwyn suspected that, in his heart, Rachen still hadn’t grown accustomed to the idea that he had a family. Even his relationship with Karein was too complex for words.

  “I’d like to believe in them,” Rachen admitted, “but my love for you is stronger than that. Please, baby. Let’s just go.”

  Sadly, it was too late for Alwyn to make that choice. A knock sounded at the door. Rachen cursed. “It’s Sage,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if my brother sent him.”

  If that was the case, Alwyn’s fate had already been decided. Nothing could be done about it anymore. “Well, we should see what they want then.” He forced a smile. “Everything will be all right, Rachen. Have a little faith.”

  He turned and reached for the door knob, fully intending to let Lieutenant Zager into his quarters. Then, he remembered that he still had a cum stain on his pants, and he had no intentions on allowing anyone except Rachen to see him like that.

  It was strange, but in spite of everything, Alwyn found himself blushing. For a brief instant, Rachen’s expression cleared, and Alwyn had the feeling that the other man knew exactly what he was thinking. Some of the tension began to dissipate, at least until the draechen lieutenant outside Alwyn’s room decided to remind them of his presence by knocking again.

  Instantly, Alwyn shot into action. “I should go change. Would you be so kind to receive Lieutenant Zager?”

  He half expected Rachen to protest once more, but the draechen obviously realized such a thing would be useless. “Yes, of course,” he answered, his eyes glittering with a quiet threat. “It will be my absolute pleasure.”

  Alwyn mentally sighed. It seemed that Rachen intended to respect Alwyn’s wishes, at least for now. However, Alwyn suspected that upon the first sign of someone harming Alwyn, the dragon would say fuck it, just grab Alwyn, and leave Draechenburg. Until then, it was likely that both Rachen’s brothers and his underlings would receive the brunt of his anger and outrage.

  Torn between the comfort Rachen’s affection gave him and the knowledge of what it might mean for the dragon, Alwyn pressed a kiss to Rachen’s cheek. “Just remember what I said.”

  With that, Alwyn retreated to his bed chamber to wash and change clothes. The mundane task didn’t help keep his mind off of things. He cleaned up as quickly as he could, tossing the dirty clothes in the hamper. Then, he made his way to the large wardrobe. As he found a new outfit, he wondered exactly what he was getting ready for.

  He didn’t know why, but he chose one of his more ornate garbs from inside. As he pulled it on, he remembered that he hadn’t worn something like this in quite a while, perhaps ever since he’d come here with Ferradul Cyraltin.

  Alwyn remembered that night so well, and yet, it almost felt like it had happened to someone else. No, that wasn’t right. When he thought back, the memory seemed to come to him through a filter, like he was recalling it through someone else’s perspective.

  Shaking himself, Alwyn actively pushed back his thoughts. It wouldn’t help him to dwell on this madness. He wasn’t about to find an answer to his predicament now. By rights, he shouldn’t even be trying to create an artificial armor through these garments, but he couldn’t help it.

  In the adjoining room, Rachen and Sage were talking. Rachen sounded tense and angry as he inquired, “What does my brother want now?”

  “Imperial Consort Sareltae insists on seeing Lord Cyraltin,” Sagenamadeen Zager replied in his normal, calm tone. Alwyn could almost see him with his mind’s eye, like he was standing right next to him.

  He took note of Sari�
��s new title with frustration. Before, the man had been just a prince, like him, but with Karein Tersain’s elevation in rank, Sari had become Alwyn’s superior in rank.

  Oh, this was ridiculous. Out of all the possible things Alwyn could worry about, this wasn’t the one he should be focusing on. It was more noteworthy that Alwyn had heard the conversation at all. That in itself seemed strange, since to Alwyn’s knowledge, the senses of sprites weren’t quite as acute as those of shifters. But Alwyn was used to the oddities in his life, and he decided not to question every little thing.

  He looked in the mirror to scan his outfit and nodded, pleased with his choice. Out of the blue, his reflection blurred. Something else appeared instead, like a burning shadow Alwyn tried to identify, but couldn’t.

  A hidden knowledge nudged at the back of Alwyn’s consciousness. Alwyn stared at the figure, but he couldn’t understand what it meant. The only thing he knew was that suddenly, he was screaming.

  The door burst open, and Rachen rushed into the room. He grabbed Alwyn’s shoulder and shook him. In the process, he pulled Alwyn away from the mirror. When Alwyn saw Rachen’s face, his mind cleared of some of the panic.

  Clutching the draechen’s shoulders, he buried his fingernails into Rachen’s flesh and asked, “Rachen, what’s happening to me?”

  Rachen just held him, murmuring soothing noises and petting his hair. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. Just his presence anchored Alwyn, making him feel…right again.

  Still, when Rachen pulled away, Alwyn knew he couldn’t go through with what Karein had requested. He also realized that there had to be some truth to Sari’s vision. His heart heavy, he said, “I can’t go to see him. I don’t want to hurt anyone. You have to prevent it. You have to keep it from happening.”

  Mercifully, Rachen didn’t try to argue against that. Alwyn didn’t think he could have withstood another argument with the man. “Just tell me what I can do to help.”