Emperor's Consort [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 5] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  The guard’s eyes flashed with anger. “You little slut.” A fire bolt bloomed in his palm, ready to be launched in Taryn’s direction. “I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”

  “Will you now?” Taryn taunted the man. “Come on. Do it. Maybe it will make you feel better about your own pointless existence. It probably feels good to abuse people who are smaller than you. Let me guess. You’re feeling physically inadequate, right? Your prick simply isn’t doing the job. Is it your size, or does the equipment simply not work?”

  The draechen took a threatening step forward. He’d have undoubtedly launched the spell at Taryn, but then, the sound of approaching footsteps reached Taryn’s ears. The guard must have heard it as well, since he allowed the spell to fade. “On second thought, I’ll let His Highness teach you that lesson. And once he’s through with you, I’ll show you just how small my prick isn’t. Mutt whore.”

  Taryn didn’t have the time to provide a comeback. The door opened, and his mate stepped inside. Prince Hareematek’s eyes were like chips of ice as they settled on the guard. “Out,” he ordered simply.

  The previous aggression in the draechen soldier died out. “Yes, Your Highness,” he said with a bow.

  For a few moments, Taryn actually experienced a pang of satisfaction as he watched the guard scurry away like a rat. When the soldier abandoned the room, though, it became obvious that his presence wasn’t the real problem.

  As soon as the guard was gone, Prince Hareematek turned his attention toward Taryn. “What’s your name, werewolf? Speak.”

  Every inch of Taryn wanted to follow that command. He wanted to get to know his mate, to nuzzle close to his side, claim him and be claimed. But fate had decreed that Taryn would never have that. “You mean your valuable sources didn’t provide you with every bit of information about me?”

  Hareematek shrugged. “That’s not my department, but my brother’s, and for the moment, I’d prefer to keep my interest in you away from prying eyes.” His full lips twisted into a small smirk. “Besides, I’d much rather draw out the information from you myself. So, I repeat. What. Is. Your. Name?”

  Taryn swallowed around the sudden knot in his throat. He wanted to stubbornly refuse answering the question, to show the draechen prince that not everyone would obey him. But Hareematek’s icy gaze seemed to pierce his very soul. Taryn couldn’t resist it, so he glanced away. He did manage to hold his tongue, so that stratagem worked, at least for about half a second.

  Then, the prince walked to his side and grabbed his arm. Before Taryn even knew what was going on, Hareematek pushed him against a nearby wall, pinning him there with his larger bulk. “Tell me,” he whispered huskily in Taryn’s ear. His breath was hot, and his body hard and unyielding in all the right places. His hard dick nudged Taryn’s hip, pointing out that he’d been honest about his confession of interest. If nothing else, he was sexually drawn to Taryn.

  Of course, Taryn had known that from back in his cell, but he still hadn’t been prepared to handle it. It occurred to him that an ice dragon shouldn’t be so warm. He also realized that he should be putting up more of a fight, that for all his bravado, he hadn’t tried to pull away at all since the draechen had first touched him. It was like his wolf had rolled over and exposed its belly in submission, and Taryn couldn’t help but follow its example.

  “T–Taryn,” he stammered. “Taryn Lovington.”

  Hareematek chuckled. “Nice name. It suits you. You’re as lovely as it suggests.”

  The prince’s words surprised Taryn. The draechen had no reason to show him any kindness, let alone woo him. He really didn’t know how to react to that compliment, and Hareematek didn’t give him the time to shake off his confusion. “Do you know who I am?” he asked Taryn.

  Taryn just nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He wouldn’t be able to suppress his resentment with having been forced into this position, into the arms of a mate he desired as a wolf and as a man, but whom he’d been taught to loathe.

  “Say it,” the draechen prodded. His tongue swirled around the lobe and he bit down slightly, making Taryn shiver. “I want to hear my name from your lips.”

  Where was the man going with this? What did he want to prove, that he had Taryn at his mercy? That was already quite obvious. Much to his shame, Taryn’s body begged for the draechen’s touch. He was so hard it hurt, and he wanted to weep at the shame of it, and at the realization that he even experienced shame at something as natural as desiring his mate.

  Prince Hareematek might have freed him from his prison, but he was still trapped, and this time, he had no chance to escape. Nothing Taryn did would change the fact that the draechen was his supposed other half.

  Intellectually, Taryn knew that not all matings worked out. Although mates were supposed to be perfect for each other, sometimes, it simply didn’t happen that way. Why did Taryn have to be one of those exceptions? A werewolf and the heir of the Ornozian Empire? Truly, it was almost a cruel joke.

  A single tear slid down his cheek before he could stop it. Suddenly, the draechen froze. He faced Taryn, scanning his face earnestly. His ice-blue eyes glittered with an emotion that Taryn didn’t dare name.

  “Sweeting…are you all right?”

  As he spoke, he brushed his thumb over Taryn’s cheek, wiping that lone tear away. Taryn’s heart very nearly stopped. He hadn’t thought that this could get harder to handle and understand, but here it was. A part of him had almost preferred it when the draechen had been treating him with the same arrogance he likely did everyone else. This unexpected gentleness made Taryn’s barriers crumble and his resolve fade away into nothing.

  “Prince Hareematek Tersain,” he whispered softly.

  The draechen shot him a puzzled look. “What?”

  “Your name,” Taryn clarified. “It’s Hareematek Tersain.”

  For a few seconds, the draechen just stared at him. Then, his lips twisted into that now familiar smirk. “Call me Hareem, sweeting. I believe we shouldn’t dwell on formality, given that you and I are just about to get to know each other really well.”

  He illustrated his point by rubbing against Taryn, his prick coming into contact with Taryn’s. Taryn’s breath caught, and he threw his head back, moaning. He knew he shouldn’t be surrendering like this, but he couldn’t help it. The scent of Hareem’s arousal was like a drug, making Taryn forget about everything that wasn’t his mate.

  Hareem released a low growl and licked a wet stripe over Taryn’s neck. Taryn almost thought the draechen would claim him on the spot, but it didn’t happen. Instead, Hareem briefly pulled away and released a low groan. “You’re too tempting for your own good.”

  Taryn forced himself to look at his mate, finding Hareem’s icy eyes strikingly hot. He had no words, his vocal chords having seemingly frozen. But they didn’t have to talk to communicate. Their bodies could do all the speaking.

  Now more than ever, Taryn became aware that he was next to naked, the only thing keeping him halfway decent being a sort of loincloth wrapped around his groin. Since it wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding Taryn’s interest, his cock strained obscenely against the material. Still, even that garment seemed too much. Taryn wanted to rip it off, to spread his legs and offer himself for Hareem’s pleasure. Gods, he could imagine it now, how perfect it would be to have Hareem’s dick inside him, to move with Hareem as the draechen fucked him over and over.

  His face flamed as he acknowledged his own daring desires. He’d never been with anyone before, and yet, his body knew what it wanted. Maybe that was what finally gave him back the ability to speak. “I don’t believe tempting you is a bad thing,” he said.

  Hareem’s nostrils flared. He lifted Taryn in his arms, supporting him against the wall. Taryn instinctively wrapped his legs around Hareem’s waist and his arms around the draechen’s neck. “I suppose we’ll find out,” the draechen mused.

  Those words were the only warning Hareem gave Taryn before he crushed their mouths
together. Taryn’s eyes drifted shut as he surrendered to Hareem’s desire. The draechen licked over the seam of Taryn’s lips, demanding entrance, which Taryn gladly gave. As Hareem thrust his tongue into Taryn’s wet cavern, Taryn clutched his mate’s shoulders, needing more.

  Hareem’s clothes rubbed against Taryn’s chest, taunting him with what they hid. Every time Hareem rubbed against Taryn, his motions stimulated Taryn’s nipples, which seemed to have a direct connection to his dick. All the while, Hareem kept devouring his mouth, so hungrily and deeply that even breathing became irrelevant.

  It was Taryn’s first kiss, and it tasted like winter, lust, and desperation. To a certain extent, it reminded Taryn of the way he’d once played with snowflakes, catching them on his tongue, laughing as they melted. Monroe had been with him, watching and shaking his head at Taryn’s antics.

  The memory snapped Taryn out of his trance. He broke the kiss and shook his head, trying and failing to dispel his lust for his mate. “We shouldn’t do this,” he whispered brokenly. “It will never work.”

  “Do you think so?” Hareem inquired. “I think we’ve been doing just fine.”

  Pointing out the meaning of his words, Hareem tore off the scrap of cloth that covered Taryn’s nudity and discarded it on the floor. Now completely naked, Taryn could do nothing but tremble under the lustful appreciation of Hareem’s gaze.

  Hareem slid his free hand between their bodies and gripped Taryn’s dick. Doubts dissipated as Hareem rubbed his thumb over the leaking tip. Taryn became fixed on the pleasure, on the rhythm of Hareem’s caresses, on the delicious friction, and, most of all, the longing to touch Hareem back. He writhed between the need to come and the desire to take this further, to pleasure his mate in every way.

  “P–please,” he begged. “I want… I need…”

  He was completely incoherent, but that was in no way a surprise. Fortunately, Hareem must have understood him, because he murmured, “Soon, sweeting. Soon.”

  Hareem’s voice was breathy, like he struggled with a very heavy burden. Taryn’s wolf saw his advantage and decided to pursue it. “Now,” he insisted. “Fuck me.”

  Three simple words, three syllables that Taryn didn’t even know how he’d managed to utter. He didn’t know how he’d surpassed his shyness and apprehension, but he had. It was what he wanted, and he felt so sure of it, more certain than he’d ever felt of anything in his life.

  Fortunately, his words worked like a charm. Something seemed to snap inside the draechen. Holding Taryn tightly, Hareem carried him to the bed and dumped him on the mattress. Taryn glanced up at Hareem and licked his lips, waiting to see what his mate would do next.

  The draechen didn’t disappoint. Never glancing away from Taryn, he practically tore off his expensive shirt, revealing his muscular chest to Taryn’s greedy gaze. As Hareem toed off his shoes and started to work on his slacks, Taryn’s mouth went dry, his entire body trembling in anticipation. He itched to touch every inch of delectable skin, but he was simply hypnotized by the show and couldn’t reach out to take what his wolf demanded.

  His mate didn’t torture him for long. He shimmied out of his pants, and as the material pooled at his feet, Taryn realized his mate hadn’t been wearing any underwear. His mind just about melted at the first sight of Hareem’s dick. True, he’d felt it against his body and had guessed that the draechen would be gifted in that department, but he still hadn’t been ready for it. Gods, Hareem’s cock was huge, easily nine inches, perhaps more. Taryn didn’t even know whether to feel mind-numbingly excited or scared out of his wits. Surely, that thick dick wouldn’t fit for the destination Hareem had in mind.

  Hareem must have guessed Taryn’s apprehension, because he shot him a comforting smile. Now completely naked, he joined Taryn on the bed, pinning him down and boxing him in with his strong arms. “Don’t worry, sweeting,” he said. “We’ll go slow. I won’t force you into anything. Now, tell me. What do you want?”

  As Taryn gazed deeply into his mate’s eyes, he saw a million different feelings there, ranging from lust, to honesty. It was a striking thing, to see a man known for his coldness show such raw emotion. It settled Taryn’s heart, but at the same time aroused him and gave him enough clarity to provide a response.

  “I want to touch you.”

  Hareem brushed his lips over Taryn’s in a ghost of a kiss, then, much to Taryn’s surprise, pulled away. He sat back on the pillows and beckoned Taryn closer. “I’m all yours,” he said.

  A tiny part of Taryn wanted to ask, “Really? Are you?” But he refused to let his insecurities ruin this moment. His heart thundering, Taryn crawled between Hareem’s legs. There was so much he wanted to do, so many things he ached to taste and explore. In the end, his gaze fixed on Hareem’s jutting dick. It already leaked generous amounts of pre-cum, and the translucent fluid beading at the tip drew Taryn in like a moth to the flame. Breathless with anticipation, Taryn lowered his mouth over Hareem’s cock and took it all the way into his throat.

  Or, at least he tried to. He failed abysmally at it and gagged, tearing up as he choked on his mate’s generous cock. He’d have felt embarrassed, but his mate was right there, guiding him through the process.

  “Slowly, sweeting,” Hareem told him, his hand gentle in Taryn’s hair. “Don’t force yourself.”

  Hareem’s voice was strained, arousal thick in his tone, and it occurred to Taryn that, even if he hadn’t been able to fully take Hareem’s dick, he still had the draechen at his mercy. He controlled Hareem’s pleasure. He might have been a prisoner just hours before, but now, he was free.

  The thought empowered him, and he focused on his prize. Instead of forcing himself to swallow down Hareem’s prick—something he clearly wasn’t ready for—he licked it from head to tip, tracing the largest vein on the side. He swirled his tongue over the glans, sucking lightly and moaning when his mate’s flavor hit his taste buds. Hareem rewarded him for his efforts by tightening his hold on Taryn’s hair. The pain in Taryn’s scalp just added another layer to the already maddening sensations.

  Lost in Hareem’s pleasure and his own, Taryn started to bob his head up and down his mate’s prick. His jaw ached and he still couldn’t take his mate completely, but that didn’t really matter. He used his hands on what he couldn’t suck down, and Hareem certainly wasn’t complaining. In fact, at first, he tried to hold back, but as Taryn continued his thorough suction, the draechen’s precious control finally broke. Holding onto Taryn’s hair, he began to fuck Taryn’s mouth in earnest.

  Surrendering to his mate’s mastery, Taryn became a conduit of pleasure. He felt like he was drowning in an ocean of his passion, and he never wanted to reach the shore. Life beyond this moment became irrelevant. Taryn was pure need, his skin sizzling with sexual energy and unprecedented desire.

  He rubbed his needy dick against the sheets, the friction both incredible and insufficient. He almost wanted to reach for himself, but that would have meant releasing his hold on Hareem’s dick, and that thought was simply unbearable. It was just that his body craved more, a complete union with Hareem. He hungered, and nothing could sate his lust except Hareem’s touch.

  Hareem must have guessed his thoughts, because out of the blue, the draechen pushed Taryn away. Disconcerted, Taryn blinked at his mate, wondering if he’d done something wrong. “Hareem, what—”

  His mate didn’t give him the chance to finish the phrase. He stole Taryn’s words with a ravishing, almost brutal kiss. He simply devoured Taryn, thrusting his tongue into Taryn’s mouth, taking no prisoners. It didn’t last long, but when Hareem pulled away, Taryn was left breathless, dazed, and not even knowing which way was up.

  Hareem took advantage of Taryn’s distraction to reach into the nightstand. He quickly came up with a tube of lubricant, and Taryn snapped out of his trance upon realizing what was about to happen.

  He half expected to panic again, but he didn’t. Instead, he met Hareem’s ice-blue gaze. There was a question in those beau
tiful eyes, one that Taryn answered with a small smile. Taking a deep breath, he spread his legs and offered himself for Hareem’s pleasure.

  The draechen released a low growl, and the sound swept over Taryn like a physical caress. He fell back on the mattress, unable to speak but hoping that Hareem would understand regardless.

  Hareem did, and he crawled in the cradle of Taryn’s legs. Much to Taryn’s surprise, though, he didn’t immediately open the tube of lubricant. Instead, he lowered his body over Taryn’s and started to brush featherlight kisses over his face, cheeks, and eyelids. Taryn’s arms went around Hareem as if of their own accord, because the rest of him couldn’t have moved to save his life.

  His lover lingered briefly over his lips, apparently unable to keep himself from kissing Taryn. Not that Taryn had anything against that. His tongue met Hareem’s as he tasted his mate with as much greed as Hareem himself displayed.

  When Hareem broke their kiss, Taryn released a small moan of protest. It melted into a gasp of pleasure when his mate licked over his collarbone, sucking on the hollow of his throat. Taryn hadn’t realized he’d had an erogenous spot there. But then, he hadn’t realized many things, such as the fact that a true mate bond could surpass anything—even the differences between a draechen prince and a werewolf prisoner.

  His thoughts melted into incoherence when his mate’s hot mouth engulfed his right nipple. The damn thing seemed to have a direct connection with his dick, since Taryn’s cock throbbed following the rhythm of Hareem’s suction. The bud that didn’t benefit from this treatment wasn’t ignored, as Hareem tweaked it with his hand, pinching and rubbing.

  And Hareem didn’t stop there, oh no. Just when Taryn thought his mate was going to make him come just by sucking on his nipples, the draechen released the bit of flesh he was suckling on. His mouth traveled lower down on Taryn’s body, until it finally hovered over his dick.