As he landed in the courtyard, though, he was reminded that another loss threatened his family. By some miracle, his mate had escaped the attack without significant injuries, but Rachen hadn’t been so lucky. The fact that Hareem had forgotten that, even for a moment, shamed him. In the end, Rachen was his brother, and his wounds had come as a sacrifice in Hareem’s service.
Lieutenant Zager met him in front of the mansion. “Your Imperial Majesty,” he said with a bow, “everything has been dealt with as per your commands.”
Hareem shifted into his human form. Draechen already rushed around him, providing him with a cloak he wrapped around his shoulders. Distantly, Hareem wondered why his people worried about frivolities like that under such serious circumstances.
“How is my brother?” he asked the lieutenant.
Sagenamadeen gestured him inside. “He’s…I couldn’t really say, Your Majesty. Prince Talrasar has been with him ever since his arrival, and he’s mostly kept us away. In fact, everyone except me and him can’t even get close. His powers seem to be leaking out of him.”
Hareem cursed. That wasn’t good news. Rachen hadn’t originally been a black dragon. His natural affinity toward fire had combined with Karein’s powers throughout his existence in Karein’s body. Or so Karein had explained. But what would happen if Rachen couldn’t handle those borrowed abilities? He was already unstable. Overlords, Hareem didn’t even want to imagine it. He didn’t want to think about treating his youngest brother as a black dragon who’d run amok.
At the corner of his mind, he felt his mate stir, and the fact that in spite of their recent separation, Taryn still lingered within their bond, anchored Hareem. He wouldn’t allow any further harm to come to Rachen. His family had hurt itself already far too much. It was time for a new policy.
Lieutenant Zager gave him an enquiring look, mercifully not pointing out the huge potential problem that could appear out of this. Hareem met his gaze and said, “My brother will receive the best medical attention. He’s strong. I have faith that he’ll manage to recover.”
Sagenamadeen nodded. “Until then, Majesty, I must bid you to be careful in approaching. Please, allow me to check on him for you.” He stopped Hareem in the middle of a corridor. “He’s just ahead now. If Prince Talrasar hasn’t managed to stabilize his condition yet, it would be dangerous for you to go further.”
Hareem bristled. He’d always hated being treated like he was frail or powerless, especially when compared with Karein. Of course, he intellectually knew there was a good reason for the lieutenant’s ability to withstand Rachen’s energy sapping powers, but that didn’t help Hareem’s temper.
Fortunately, before he could do something stupid like blasting Sagenamadeen with an ice spell, a door in front of him opened. A tired-looking Prince Talrasar appeared in the doorway. “Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty. Come on in. It’s safe.”
Forgetting about his frustration with Sagenamadeen, Hareem walked to Talrasar’s side. He had to admit he didn’t like Talrasar’s pallor, but he was no healer, and he could do very little about it.
Sagenamadeen joined them and they shared a concerned look. No one had forgotten how much Talrasar had done for them and the effort he’d put into helping Hareem himself when he’d been poisoned. He would hate it if, now, Talrasar overextended himself and suffered because of it.
When his gaze fell on the bed, though, he understood the reason of Talrasar’s condition. He hadn’t seen Rachen before he’d been injured, but even now, he was writhing on the bed, crimson and black flames licking over the headboard and the floor closest to him. It was miraculous that the entire place hadn’t exploded by now.
“He seems better,” the lieutenant said, much to Hareem’s shock. What the fuck? If that was better, how much worse had his brother been?
Talrasar offered them a small smile. “He’s proven to be responsive to my powers. He still feels close to me because of the fact that he shared some memories with Kael.”
His smile faded as he took another look toward Rachen. “Sadly, my presence and efforts are also somewhat counterproductive. I’ve fixed his physical injuries, but the strain the wound put on him broke the tenuous balance he’d gained over his psyche.”
“You’re talking in riddles,” Hareem said. “What’s going on?”
“At the most basic level, Rachen doesn’t know who he is,” Talrasar explained. “His dragon can’t even decide which element to align itself to. The fact that I helped with his healing did assist him in removing the damage the magic bullets did, but it also stirred his confusion regarding me, and in some ways, Sari.”
Hareem’s breath caught. “What exactly are you saying? What would you have me do?”
“He needs something I can’t give him. There is one person who can help, Emperor Hareematek. I have seen it in his heart when I healed him. The best thing we can do right now is to urgently transport him to Draechenburg.”
There were a million questions Hareem wanted to ask, and he planned to do exactly that. But first, he had to get things moving. Hareem turned toward Sagenamadeen. “Make all the arrangements. Prepare a plane for our return to Draechenburg.”
The lieutenant saluted and fled the room, obviously understanding the extent of Hareem’s urgency. Once he was gone, Hareem directed his attention to Talrasar once more. “What person?” he asked.
“Your resident sprite. Alwyn Cyraltin. I believe that he is Rachen’s mate, but Rachen’s hasn’t fully accepted it. I…”
Suddenly, Talrasar paled and trailed off. Hareem opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but before he could say anything, Talrasar swooned. He’d have fallen if Hareem hadn’t been there to catch him.
Hareem cursed as soon as Talrasar landed in his arms. The fact that his mate had left him was already bad enough. Now his family was getting hurt, and Hareem still hadn’t figured out the real guilty party.
One thing was certain, though. That vampire who’d dared to start this attack would pay. Hareem would make sure of that personally.
But first, he had to focus on making sure Talrasar wasn’t actually injured. Slowly, he lowered the Ivenian on a nearby couch. His heart clenched as he scanned Talrasar’s pale face. It was too easy to imagine Taryn in his position, the way he must have been when the elf had found him.
He wanted to call for help, but there was likely no one close enough to provide assistance. Fortunately, Sagenamadeen returned in record time. He gaped in shock when he saw Hareem holding the still-unconscious Talrasar in his arms.
“You said there was a fae involved in the attack,” Hareem said without preamble.
“Yes,” Sagenamadeen answered. “In fact, I didn’t get a chance to tell you sooner, but according to Prince Rachen, this fae is actually the mate of the vampire leading the attack.”
Oh, finally, some good news. Hareem found himself smiling. “Excellent. Bring the fae, and his mate. I won’t allow any more pain in our family, not if I can help it. Take as many guards as you need to ensure there are absolutely no risks.”
Of course, taking such a step without acknowledging the dangers it entailed would have been foolhardy. But Sagenamadeen understood what Hareem meant, and why he’d chosen this. Hareem could see it in his eyes, and he felt lucky that he had the other ice dragon here. At the very least, there was someone who could back him up if things went to shit. Besides, the lieutenant was personally involved in this, too. Hareem could trust him to follow through on his word, if only because of his need for revenge.
Once again, Sage abandoned the room. Hareem itched to do the same, to take matters into his own hands and hurry things along, but now was not the time to be rash. Or so he told himself. Right now, it was really hard to remember that, when all he wanted to do was to track down the people guilty for this and squeeze the life out of them.
He couldn’t afford to do that, though. He’d already lost enough today, but he couldn’t allow his personal pain to cloud his reason more than it already had. It wouldn’t help
Talrasar and Rachen. It certainly wouldn’t help Taryn. Most of all, Taryn needed him to be levelheaded now, so as to find the best solution for Ornoz’s problems and finally, finally be the mate Taryn deserved.
It seemed to take forever, but at last, Sage returned, followed by a pretty large group of draechen. They were escorting two prisoners, one of whom was a fae, the other a vampire. Hareem didn’t bother to get up just yet. Instead, he beckoned the men closer, analyzing both of them. Anger burned brightly inside him as he recognized the vamp as the man who’d dared to hurt Taryn.
It would have been so easy right now to tear the vampire apart. Even if he was obviously a powerful man, right now, he was in Hareem’s hands. But no, Hareem would take great pleasure in making this guy suffer. After all, the vampire’s favorite philosophy seemed “an eye for an eye.” Hareem very much looked forward to applying it. If he could draw some uses of his foes first, well, that would be even better.
“Do you know who I am?” he finally inquired.
“I can guess,” the vampire replied between gritted teeth. “Let us go. You’re going to regret this, draechen.”
Hareem scoffed and slowly got up, careful so as not to jar Talrasar. “There’s very little that you can do to me at this point that would hurt me. I, on the other hand, could make your life very difficult.” He turned his gaze toward the fae. Reports from Karein claimed that the fae resident in New York had been cooperative, but apparently, that wasn’t exactly the case. “Tell me your name, fae.”
The fae stubbornly held his tongue, but Hareem wasn’t one to give up so easily. He gripped the other man’s chin and met his dark eyes. The stranger’s Hispanic looks weren’t very common among fae, and Hareem suspected he already knew the man’s identity.
“You know what?” he asked. “Forget about it. I don’t care who you are. We’ll discuss that in detail later. For the moment, you’ll tend to my brother and Prince Talrasar. With. Everything. You. Have.”
The fae threw a gaze toward the bed. “I might be willing to assist the prince, but you’re more of a fool than I thought if you think I’ll heal that creature.”
The draechen guards tensed at the insult, but Hareem just chuckled. “I don’t think you understand.” He grinned ferally and released the fae’s chin. He walked to the vampire’s side and grabbed his shoulder. Spikes of ices erupted from his fingers, piercing his foe’s flesh. With one hard shove, he forced the vampire to his knees. Out of thin air, he created a blade made out of pure ice. “It wasn’t a request.”
“Don’t,” the vampire said. “You know what’s at stake here.”
Hareem pressed his icy knife to the vamp’s throat. “Oh, yes. He certainly knows that. No pun intended, right? Raul.”
The fae’s nostrils flared when Hareem used the name, and Hareem congratulated himself for the guess. Then again, given the way Raul was looking at his vamp mate, the last thing on his mind was Hareem realizing his identity.
Hareem used the moment to clarify the situation further. “Oh, and don’t even think I’m bluffing. Your beloved mate messed with the most important thing in my life. So you’d better give me a reason to keep him alive, because if you don’t… well, suffice it to say, I’m going to enjoy myself very much.”
“Raul, don’t listen to him,” the vampire insisted. “You know Talrasar is as guilty of this as the rest of them.”
Anger flared through Hareem, and he nudged his foe’s neck with his blade. “You would let that man die if you could, when he once sacrificed his life and that of his mate for the good of the entire world?”
“He and his famous mate enslaved my people,” the vampire replied without missing a beat. “I have no loyalty toward him.”
“Clearly.” Hareem glanced at the fae once more. “What about you? Do you have any loyalty toward your heritage? Or maybe I should ask something different. Do you care about what happens to your mate?”
Finally, Raul took a deep breath and nodded. “All right. I’ll do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt him.”
Hareem smirked. “I knew you’d see things my way. And don’t try anything. If you have any honor left, you’ll at least respect the man lying there.”
Raul’s eyes flashed with resentment, but he said nothing. Instead, he knelt next to Talrasar and focused strictly on the unconscious prince. As his hands started to glow, Hareem watched him carefully for any false movements.
Perhaps Raul wouldn’t have hurt Talrasar out of respect, but now, he certainly wouldn’t, not with the threat to his mate’s life looming over his head. To be true, Hareem didn’t really plan to allow Raul to approach Rachen, but he instinctively knew that it would be all right where Talrasar was concerned.
A few minutes passed, and, at last, Talrasar opened his eyes. He seemed dazed but no longer as pale as before. “What happened?” he asked.
Before Hareem could answer, Raul replied in his stead. “You fainted. Congratulations, Your Highness. You’re going to be a father.”
* * * *
Leaving Rose Noire was probably among the hardest things Karein had done in a long time. He trusted his mother-in-law’s visions, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable with abandoning Sari there. He never was, when he and Sari were apart. It certainly didn’t help that he was worried about his brothers. Rachen was still so fragile, since his sense of identity hadn’t fully recovered. Meanwhile, Hareem was at odds with his mate, and that couldn’t bring about anything good.
He was relieved when the New York headquarters were finally in sight. This feeling didn’t last long, though. When the plane landed and he rushed out of it, Sage greeted him with a glum expression on his face.
“Tell me,” Karein said simply.
Sage did. Karein listened with a heavy heart as Sage explained the extent of Rachen’s injuries, as well as Taryn’s mysterious disappearance. No one had any answers regarding the young werewolf, but according to some of the draechen who’d gone with Hareem on his expedition to find his mate, Hareem had succeeded in his task, only to let Taryn go.
Karein could imagine how Hareem felt now, because he himself had left Sari behind. There was a huge difference between the two situations, however, one that made Karein taste bitter guilt in his mouth.
“It’s not your fault,” Sari whispered in his mind. “They have to make their own path, their own choices. It’s unfortunate, but taking into account Taryn’s pregnancy, it was likely bound to happen.”
“I know,” Karein replied. “That doesn’t make me feel any better about it.”
With a sigh, he focused on Sage once more. “Why do I get the feeling there’s more?”
Sage actually winced. “Because you’ve always been good at assessing a situation.” He was whispering now and guiding Karein into the building. “Prince Talrasar assisted Prince Rachen, and then he fainted. Emperor Hareematek enlisted the help of the fae to make him recover. Prince Talrasar awoke, but now, the fae claims that His Highness is pregnant.”
So Eanera had been right about Talrasar being pregnant. Fuck. If that was the case, Kael was bound to show up any moment now. Karein guessed he must have stayed behind in Draechenburg to prevent the unavoidable chaos that must have occurred when Hareem had left. Karein was well aware how much Talrasar and Kael wanted a baby, but unfortunately, this wasn’t the best time.
“Karein, this is good news,” Sari reprimanded him. “I’m surprised at you. A child is always a reason for joy, and more so for them. They deserve to have a family.”
Karein winced, knowing Sari had a point. He himself was going to be a father, so he realized the joy of a family couldn’t be compared to anything. He wanted Kael to have that, too. He just hoped nothing happened to shadow this event and ruin Talrasar and Kael’s happiness.
Fortunately, he wasn’t forced to dwell on his glum musings for much longer. Sage finally stopped in front of a door and gestured him into the room beyond. Karein stepped inside, and the sight made him freeze in his tracks.
He didn’t know
what he’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t Raul Gomez looming over Rachen, looking like he was going to his own death, while Hareem was holding an icy blade to the neck of vampire bearing a distinctive resemblance with Fallon.
Raul turned when Karein stepped inside, but Hareem didn’t. “Ah, brother,” Hareem said without looking at Karein. “Welcome. I was wondering when you were going to join the party.”
Hareem sounded completely calm, maybe even joyful, but there was something about his voice that unsettled Karein. Obviously, he wasn’t taking Taryn’s absence well at all. Of course, Karein couldn’t blame him. He congratulated himself for coming. He could support Hareem during this difficult time, even if it meant drawing Hareem’s hostility onto himself.
“It certainly looks like I missed a lot,” he said. “Mr. Gomez, it seems you have a lot of explaining to do.”
Raul didn’t say anything. It was kind of mind-boggling really. When Sage had mentioned a fae had shot Rachen, the last person Karein could have thought of was Raul Gomez. Overlords, the last time Karein had seen him, Raul had been busy gardening and welcoming them into his quaint and cozy home. He’d seemed so completely harmless. Perhaps that should have clued Karein in on the fact that something was wrong. Appearances were always deceiving, and especially in the paranormal world, the people who seemed friendly for no particular reason could easily turn out to be traitors.
Whatever the case, Karein had a personal quarrel with Raul now. He approached the fae slowly and grabbed his shoulder. His claws dug into Raul’s flesh, making the fae hiss. Raul tried to put up shields, but Karein used his energy draining abilities, countering the enchantment.
Behind them, Karein heard a scuffle starting and surmised the vampire was likely trying to intervene. He was far from afraid, but he’d gained new appreciation of the mate bond since meeting Sari and couldn’t find it in himself to torture the fae in front of his mate.
Emperor's Consort [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 5] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 12
