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

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  Night had already fallen by the time his tired wings carried him to the mansion. Thick columns of smoke still hovered above the structure, although it seemed obvious that the main conflict had ended. Hareem landed in the courtyard, drawing startled gasps from the draechen guarding the area.

  “Where is my mate?” Hareem sent out without even shifting forms. “Where’s Taryn?”

  Sagenamadeen Zager rushed to his side and bowed lowly. “I’m afraid he’s missing, Your Majesty. We’re doing our best to track him, but the rain has made things very difficult for us, wiping away his scent.”

  Hareem released a loud roar. He didn’t want to hear that they couldn’t find his lover. His dragon knew better. His dragon sensed that Taryn was near. He launched himself into the air, again, ready to go look for Taryn.

  Before he could do so, the draechen lieutenant stopped him. “Wait, Majesty. What do you want us to do with the prisoners and your brother?”

  “Prisoners?” Hareem repeated. “My brother?”

  The words didn’t really make sense. In fact, there was very little that did, except his burning need to find his beautiful lover. True enough, if his men had taken captives, they could provide useful information, not to mention that Hareem could enact his revenge. But right now, his priority was Taryn.

  The small part of him that remained rational pointed out the second part of Sagenamadeen’s inquiry. Taking a deep breath, Hareem forced himself to think. “What happened to Rachen?” he inquired.

  After all, Rachen wasn’t just another soldier. He was family. Taryn would be disgusted with him if he treated the situation dismissively.

  “He was gravely injured in the battle,” Sagenamadeen reported. “We’ve managed to detain the shooter, a fae, but Prince Rachen’s condition is still delicate.”

  Hareem felt like a hammer had struck him in the chest. He’d only just started to get to know Rachen, and while, in many ways, he still distrusted the man, he’d been of the firm belief that everyone deserved a second chance. Now, he was torn between his family and his mate, yet another bitter choice standing in his way.

  But was there really a choice at all? Truth be told, Hareem could do very little to help Rachen. He was no healer, and as much as he’d have liked to see his brother, the fact remained that he’d basically be useless. Besides, his first loyalty was to his mate and child.

  So many times, he’d ignored that. If he hadn’t, perhaps they never would have gotten to this point in the first place. He’d done his best to be a good mate, but his position as an emperor had always gotten in the way. Even now, his supposed future empress was waiting for him in Draechenburg. He never had asked Elina Eretar to marry him, but she’d likely known what to expect.

  Either way, it didn’t matter anymore, because Hareem was sick of compromises. True enough, the last time he’d tried this, he’d gotten poisoned. But he would come up with a way. He could no longer place his hopes in a vague, obscure future. He would mend the rift between him and Taryn. He just had to.

  For that purpose, though, he needed to find his mate first. “Contact Draechenburg and Rose Noire if you haven’t already done so. Make sure Prince Kaelezrin and Prince Shtamakarein are made aware of the situation. Have healers sent here and keep an eye on Rachen to the best of your ability. In the meantime, the prisoners are to stay in the cells and given no sustenance.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Sagenamadeen said. “It will be as you command.”

  It was actually quite fortunate that Lieutenant Zager was here. Hareem had been reluctant to separate the man from his naga mate so soon, but Sagenamadeen was one of his best soldiers, and his absence had been quite a blow for the Wyverns. Fortunately, both the lieutenant and his lover understood this and had never argued against the necessity of Sagenamadeen’s departure.

  As they spoke, the planes that had accompanied Hareem from Draechenburg finally landed. From one of them, Prince Talrasar emerged, and just like that, one of Hareem’s problems was solved.

  Having given his instructions to Sagenamadeen, he launched himself into the air and flew away from the mansion, following his natural instinct that pulled him toward his mate. He just had to summon his memory of Taryn, his beautiful Taryn, the lovely werewolf who’d never truly given up on him. The night when they’d mated had been the happiest one in Hareem’s entire existence. It still came to him, as bright and clear as the ocean he’d flown over throughout his trip, those moments when Hareem and his mate had finally become one.

  * * * *

  Taryn sighed as he flopped down on the bed. His lower lip stuck out in the ghost of a pout. He looked so cute that Hareem desperately wanted to taste that plump mouth. Not that Hareem had any plans of making any comment on it, even if he did kiss Taryn. Anything could set off Taryn these days, including any insinuation that Taryn was, in any way, weak.

  This time around, though, Taryn’s struggle to appear strong in Hareem’s eyes seemed to have ceased to matter. “Do you have to go?” The werewolf’s voice trembled as he spoke. “Can’t you at least delay it?”

  “I’m sorry, sweeting, but I can’t,” Hareem replied. “I’m fairly certain my father is planning to marry my brother off again. Overlords only know what other things he has up his sleeve, what with everything that happened last time.”

  Taryn fell silent, curling in a small ball on the bed. Hareem swallowed around the sudden knot in his throat and abandoned his packing. He joined his lover on the mattress and caressed his mate’s soft hair.

  He didn’t have to ask what was bothering Taryn. He already knew that Taryn was mourning the deaths of Graham Powers and Caelyn Sutharlainn. In truth, Hareem mourned them, too, not because he’d felt particularly affectionate toward the couple. Rather, the fact that his brother had killed them suggested Karein was on the edge and would likely not survive his two hundredth birthday. True, Karein had kind of been forced to do it, but in his heart, Hareem had thought his brother would find another way. Karein might not show it, but he wasn’t actually as cruel as he seemed. And Hareem might not have had a clear relationship with his younger sibling, but he cared about Karein, in his own way.

  “They shouldn’t have died,” Taryn finally said, his voice barely audible now. “Their only sin was loving each other.”

  “I know, sweeting.” Hareem lay down next to his mate and pulled Taryn against his chest. “Believe me, I understand how you feel.”

  Taryn turned toward him, pinning Hareem with angry green-gold eyes. “Do you, Hareem? Do you really? I knew Graham. We might not have been best friends, but I knew him. He was a good man. He only wanted what was best for his pack.” Those beautiful orbs now shone with unshed tears, and he actually started to struggle against Hareem’s hold, punching his chest with small fists. “Your brother killed him, and you allowed it. Will you allow him to kill me, too?”

  Hareem’s insides turned to ice, and he caught Taryn’s wrists and pinned them above his head. He rolled on top of his mate, holding him down with his bulk. His gaze met Taryn’s, and he fiercely answered, “Don’t even joke about. I’d rather die before I allowed anything to happen to you.”

  Taryn’s tears started to die, and he stared into Hareem’s eyes with something akin to distressed awe. As always, Hareem was completely incapable to resist him. Even if he knew he should have been doing something else entirely, he crushed his mouth to Taryn’s, taking his lover’s lips.

  The werewolf moaned and granted him access. Hareem thrust his tongue inside his mate’s wet cavern, sampling Taryn’s delicious taste. His lover’s dick nudged against his hip, and Taryn writhed against him, biting on Hareem’s lip, making small, delicious noises that made Hareem’s arousal soar.

  Hareem never wanted to stop kissing his mate. Taryn’s flavor was his own personal aphrodisiac, and Hareem simply wanted to lose himself in his lover’s scent and lust. But it was not enough, not nearly enough. Their lip-lock tasted like despair and tears, and Hareem wanted to wipe that away with his body, his heart, and
his soul.

  With a growl, Hareem tore his mouth away from Taryn’s. The werewolf released a low whine of protest, but it turned into a moan when Hareem started to nibble on his earlobe. Holding his mate’s wrists immobilized with a single hand, Hareem used his free one to explore his lover’s smooth torso. His palms reached Taryn’s groin and he rubbed the werewolf’s cock through the material of his pajama bottoms. He wasn’t wearing anything else, which was fortunate because Hareem’s patience was reaching its limits.

  Taryn tried to wiggle out of the garment, but because of Hareem’s hold on him, it didn’t really work. His frantic motions did have quite an effect, though, as the friction caused sparks of pleasure to shoot all over Hareem’s already oversensitized body.

  Wild with need, Hareem ripped off his mate’s pants, discarding the remnants on the floor. He enveloped Taryn’s leaking prick in his fist, rubbing his thumb over the weeping tip. Taryn arched his back and cried out, “Oh! Hareem… More! Please!”

  Taryn’s beautiful cries were like a blaze melting away the ice around Hareem’s heart. Hareem couldn’t hope to resist them. In fact, he couldn’t hope to resist Taryn, period. Ever since he’d first met Taryn’s beautiful gaze, he’d been enraptured with him. Whether Taryn knew it or not, the little werewolf had enslaved him. Hareem craved him more than he did his next breath.

  He didn’t delay in complying with Taryn’s request, even if it meant releasing his lover’s wrists. He needed both his hands free if he was going to love Taryn like the sweet werewolf deserved.

  As he freed his mate from his hold, he stole another kiss from Taryn’s sweet lips. His mate almost seduced him into lingering more than he’d planned, but through some sort of miracle, Hareem managed to pull away. He brushed his lips over Taryn’s chin, then lower down, exploring the hollow of his throat, his collarbone, his Adam’s apple. When Taryn tilted his head to the side, wordlessly demanding more, Hareem was terribly tempted to bury his fangs in Taryn’s flesh on the spot. So far, he’d resisted claiming Taryn, half because of his awareness of the countless differences between them, but mostly due to the knowledge of Taryn’s enduring resentment toward his people.

  However, that wasn’t about to change anytime soon, and Hareem didn’t want to wait any longer. If his mate still wanted it, Hareem would claim him today, just like he should have weeks ago. No delays, no excuses.

  But first, he wanted to make love to Taryn, to show his beautiful wolf what was in his heart. He licked down Taryn’s chest, unable to keep himself from stopping over Taryn’s beautiful nipples. Lately, the tiny buds seemed to be even more sensitive than usual, and Hareem loved taking advantage of it. He sucked on one of the bits of flesh while tweaking the other one with his free hand.

  Taryn’s cries escalated as the werewolf’s hips thrust up, seeking more of Hareem’s touch. It wasn’t exactly easy to synchronize jacking Taryn off with playing with his nipples, but Hareem had gotten pretty good at it, and Taryn certainly seemed appreciative. Sweat beaded his brow, wetting his dark hair, and his green-gold eyes had gone nearly black with lust. His clawed hands reached for Hareem, tangling in his hair, obviously wanting to guide him lower down. Yet again, Hareem complied, but quicker than Taryn expected.

  Releasing Taryn’s nipple, Hareem went straight for the gold. In mere seconds, he crawled down Taryn’s body and took his lover’s cock all the way into his throat. Taryn released a choked noise that sounded like a cross between a snarl and a whimper. There was something both wild and vulnerable in that sound, reaching out to the deepest, visceral part of Hareem. His dragon reared its head, roaring to claim Taryn, to take him, fuck him, and mark him.

  At the same time, Hareem craved the flavor of Taryn’s essence. He wanted to taste his lover’s spunk, to feel Taryn spend himself in his mouth. Hareem bobbed his head up and down Taryn’s prick, devouring him.

  Taryn seemed to make every attempt to hold himself in check, his body trembling with the effort not to thrust into Hareem’s mouth. In some ways, Taryn still didn’t fully trust himself with Hareem, at least not in the beginning. But as Hareem continued to suck on his mate’s cock, the werewolf surrendered to him. He started to shove his dick into Hareem’s throat, Hareem’s name a litany on his lips.

  Taryn was close now, so very close. Hareem could smell it. He could hear it, taste it, feel it at the very core of his being. Groaning around his mouthful of cock, Hareem spread his lover’s legs. Taryn went further than Hareem had wordlessly instructed. Instead, he bent himself in half, exposing his nether opening to Hareem’s exploration.

  Hareem didn’t delay in taking his mate up on the invitation. He rubbed a dry finger over his lover’s anus, pushing in ever so slightly. The pressure was enough to send Taryn into the abyss. The werewolf arched his back and, with another inarticulate cry, came, filling Hareem’s mouth with salty-sweet spunk.

  In spite of the fact that they hadn’t completed their bond, Hareem almost came as well, just at the taste and sight of Taryn’s pleasure. He hung on just because he wanted to be inside Taryn when he finally spent his seed.

  Releasing Taryn’s dick from his mouth, Hareem licked his lover’s prick clean of every drop of cum. By the time he was finished, Taryn’s dick had hardened again. The werewolf released little pleading whimpers that made Hareem’s urgency increase even more.

  He reached for the nightstand and opened the drawer, grabbing the tube of lubricant from inside. Taryn shivered when he saw what Hareem was doing. He was still holding his legs up, but it couldn’t have been easy for him to remain in this position for so long.

  Hareem dropped the tube on the bed, knowing he couldn’t prolong this for much longer. No matter how much he’d have liked to make this moment last, he had to take his mate now, to bury his aching prick inside his lover’s beautiful body.

  He briefly pulled away from Taryn, intending to pull off his clothes. A whimper from the werewolf had him moving faster than he himself had thought he would. He practically ripped off the fine garments, uncaring that it had been an expensive uniform prepared for the purpose of going to Draechenburg.

  That thought was so distant now that he couldn’t even remember why he’d ever wanted to leave. He tossed the material on the floor, never once looking away from Taryn’s beautiful face. Taryn licked his lips, releasing another beautiful whimper, and Hareem couldn’t take it anymore. He pounced, supporting his lover’s legs on his shoulders.

  Grabbing the tube of lubricant, he uncapped the bottle and poured a generous amount on his fingers. He reached between those tempting cheeks and rubbed the slick digits over his mate’s opening. Taryn’s body seemed to want to draw him in, opening to him like a flower, demanding everything he had to give.

  Hareem slid one of his fingers inside Taryn’s channel. It was his turn to hiss when his mate’s heat clenched around his digits. He could practically imagine how good the tight velvet of his lover’s body would feel around his dick. Growling, he added two more fingers, scissoring them inside Taryn, stretching his lover so that he wouldn’t cause the young werewolf any pain. Even if this meant waiting a little more, he was fine with it, because, in the process, he found Taryn’s prostate.

  The werewolf nearly shot off the bed, his scream of ecstasy echoing against the walls of the room. “Hareem! Gods… Please!”

  How could Hareem resist him? It would have taken a man far stronger than Hareem to hold back at this point. An ice dragon he might be, but he had no chance when faced with his and Taryn’s shared desire.

  Removing his fingers from his lover’s channel, Hareem positioned his dick at Taryn’s hole. As Taryn’s clawed hands reached for him, Hareem impaled his mate in one single, hard thrust.

  The pleasure that exploded through him was nearly too much to withstand. Gritting his teeth, Hareem stilled inside Taryn. It was both for his own benefit and that of his mate, because Hareem suspected Taryn was close to coming, too. Even if his mate had just climaxed, his responsiveness to Hareem’s touch had reached such exte
nts that Hareem had once made him come just by sucking on his nipples. The fact that Taryn’s dick was already furiously hard once more came as no surprise, but still aroused Hareem to no end.

  Taryn’s claws dug into Hareem’s flesh, and any sort of control Hareem might have hoped to maintain shattered in a million pieces. Arousal bubbling thick inside him, he pulled out of his mate and thrust back inside. Taryn practically howled, his grip on Hareem tightening so much it must have drawn blood. The pain just fueled Hareem’s lust. He increased the pace, fucking his lover harder and harder. He felt as if he couldn’t get deep enough, no matter what he did, but he kept trying, shoving his prick into his lover’s channel with far more violence than he’d have liked. Taryn moved with him, impaling himself on Hareem’s dick. They fell into a perfect rhythm, the scent of sweat and sex enveloping them in a protective cocoon. The sound of Taryn’s now-inarticulate cries, of flesh slapping against flesh combined with Hareem’s own lustful grunts, creating a carnal symphony that seemed to caress his skin like a physical touch.

  In no time, the overwhelming pleasure became too much to withstand. Hareem’s balls ached with the need to come, every nerve ending sizzling with sexual energy. His dragon grew impossibly impatient, its instincts closer to the surface than ever before. And then, Taryn tilted his head, offering himself to Hareem, and that splintered the lingering traces of Hareem’s reason.

  Lost in the sensations, he buried his fangs in Taryn’s neck, while thrusting one last time inside the werewolf. Sweet blood invaded his mouth, the taste of it bringing absolute rapture. With a muffled groan, Hareem came, pumping his lover full of his seed.

  It didn’t stop there. Hareem actually felt the bond click into place, uniting his mind, body, and soul with Taryn’s. Wet heat splashed over Hareem’s belly, signaling the werewolf’s climax, but Hareem also experienced it himself as it echoed through their new bond. It seemed to go on and on, Hareem’s memories and emotions mingling with Taryn’s. In that moment, no barrier existed between him and the beautiful wolf. Hareem could see and feel each and every one of Taryn’s insecurities, his quiet pain, but also his selfless love.