It was a royal command and one that not even Onyerre could deny. Gritting her teeth, she bowed, and without another word, stalked out of the throne room.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Darian spoke out, “With all due respect, Father, we all know that Sareltae is the only reason why this is happening in the first place. Had he not assisted the rogue sprite, we wouldn’t have drawn the hostility of the draechen onto us.”
Unfortunately, all of the royal family were aware of the accusations addressed to Sari and his mother, accusations he couldn’t exactly deny. When the entire debacle had started, a few months back, the draechen had been quite vocal about it. Of course, the throne’s formal stance had been that they in no way supported any enemy of Ornoz. The Elusian High Judges, the Krites, had fortunately helped, although they must have known it was all a lie. In the end, the draechen had been forced to back down, until now.
“You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Selbrian walked to his son’s side and squeezed his shoulder. “Stop letting your resentment for your brother blind you. The draechen have been targeting us for years. What Sari did or didn’t do is irrelevant.”
Charlize looked like she wanted to say something, but she held her tongue, obviously unwilling to be sent away in shame like her mother. “But you knew this already,” the king continued. “We came here today to figure out what’s the best policy we should take with regard to Sari’s mating.”
“I didn’t think there was a choice,” Misael said hesitantly.
“There isn’t,” Eanera answered. “However, once the draechen have Sari in Draechenburg, they’ll be granted access to sensitive information they can use against us.”
Darian frowned. “But it’s not like Sareltae is going to suddenly be claimed by the impulse to say he betrayed Ornoz.”
“Of course not,” Sari replied, “but there are other ways they can… Well, Prince Shtamakarein can get into my head.”
“Through a mate bond.” Charlize crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. “It will never happen, not if the two of you aren’t true mates.”
“A man of Shtamakarein’s power can force a mind-link,” Eanera whispered softly. “It wouldn’t be like the mate bond, but it would be enough to achieve his goals.”
Sari shivered at the thought of what such a thing would imply. Forcing a link like that was akin to slavery, so much so that the Directive actually forbade it as a method to use against the ninth caste shifters. It could break the mind of the targeted individual, in this case, Sari.
“I didn’t think draechen had that ability,” Darian said with a scowl.
“They don’t, not usually,” Eanera answered. “Their power is more…straightforward. But all sources show that Prince Shtamakarein is different.”
“Are you sure he’s going to try it, Mother?” Sari inquired.
“Jenarra has showed me very little, dear child,” Eanera answered. “We’re trying to fill in the blanks by speculation, but we can’t know anything for certain right now.”
“So what am I to do?” Sari inquired. “I cannot deny him if he wishes to claim me. It will be in his right once we are mated.”
He was surprised that his voice didn’t shake at those words through which he was practically damning himself. But he was holding onto the wooden wolf, and it helped him more than he would have thought. Still, that toy wouldn’t help him keep Shtamakarein out of his mind, or his body. Likely, nothing would.
“We could try to exploit this,” Charlize said softly. “The Directive clearly states that a true mate bond is to be respected. We could condition this mating on not forcing a connection that isn’t real, out of that respect. With luck, the draechen would change their minds altogether.”
“And it’s a reasonable condition.” Selbrian grinned. “They couldn’t find motive in it to start a war. Excellent idea, my dear.”
“I concur,” Eanera answered. “But how will we convey this request?”
“I’ve already considered this issue,” Selbrian said, sitting back down on the throne. “For obvious reasons, your mother and I cannot accompany you, Sari. However, your siblings can. Darian is my heir, so Misael will be my envoy of choice. And since Charlize’s suggestion had proven to be so useful, I will allow her to go as well, if she so desires.”
Sari half expected his sister to refuse, but much to his surprise, she didn’t. Instead, she said, “I would be honored to represent you in Ornoz, Your Majesty.”
“Excellent.” Selbrian clapped his hands together and smiled. “Now, I want the two of you to promise me something. Insofar as it is within your power, you will protect your brother. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Majesty,” Misael and Charlize both said.
Sari didn’t know if he believed them, but their promise still made him smile. Perhaps this wasn’t so hopeless after all. In the end, he wasn’t alone in this fight. He had his mother, his father, and even his somewhat-reluctant siblings. And as he squeezed the toy wolf in his hand, he knew he had an even greater power by his side, one that wanted to prevent the war as much as he did.
Chapter Three
That afternoon, the jet carrying Sari and his siblings from Rose Noire to Germany entered draechen airspace. The more Sari approached what would likely be his future home, the faster his heart raced. Neither Misael nor Charlize or any of the guards that had come with them seemed to have any inclination to speak to him, but even if it hadn’t been so, Sari didn’t think he’d have known what to say. The silence would have seemed disheartening, except Sari hadn’t expected anything different from his siblings, and the soldiers had better things to do than to engage him in conversation.
As such, he just kept staring out the window, admiring the view, but really seeing very little. From up above, Europe seemed very beautiful, but Sari had never truly been able to explore it. Now, he would be exchanging his previous gilded cage for another one. He wondered if he could find a way to convince his mate to travel together. Probably not.
All too soon, their destination loomed ahead. The dark silhouette of the Draechenburg citadel made Sari shiver in nervousness. His siblings tensed, and Sari distinctly suspected his sister must be regretting having agreed to come. There was just something dark and ominous about the way its towers seemed to stab the clouds, spreading a distinctive poisonous aura.
Taking a deep breath, Sari sent a prayer to Jenarra and fixed his robes. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to make a good first impression. He combed his fingers through his locks, making sure the pins holding his elaborate hairdo in check hadn’t decided to go astray during the trip. Judging by the look his siblings threw his way, he was likely overdoing it, but he couldn’t for the life of him stop himself.
A part of him had expected the voluminous jet to have to land somewhere in the Black Forest below. The cliffs were far too abrupt to allow the construction of a runway. As it turned out, he’d been mistaken, because a huge platform had been erected, almost as if for that exact purpose.
As the plane started to descend, Sari’s eyes caught a few figures waiting for them on the runway, some male, some female. He wondered if any of them were his future mate. Somehow, he doubted it, because none of the men he glimpsed seemed to fit the vague descriptions Sari had received of Prince Shtamakarein. The draechen was said to be larger than life, and so powerful that it showed in every step he took. The waiting people didn’t have that.
Finally, the plane landed and came to a halt on the runway. Steeling himself for what would follow, Sari unbuckled his seat belt and got up. Shouldering his weapon, one of the guards politely gestured him toward the exit. “Right this way, Your Highness.”
Sari forced a smile and nodded silently, watching the doors of the plane open with dread. As per their rank, his brother and sister went first, followed by guards. Finally, Sari exited the aircraft as well, and for the first time, he stepped onto what was, according to the paranormal laws, Ornozian soil.
One of the women he’d spotted from the pl
ane, a beautiful redhead, came forward. “Welcome, Your Highnesses,” she said. “I am Princess Akarawem Tersain. I will be your host for whatever you require throughout your stay here.”
“Greetings, Princess Akarawem,” Misael said. “I am Prince Misael, and this is my sister, Princess Charlize, and my brother, Prince Sareltae. In our names, and that of My Lord Father, I thank you for your warm welcome and hospitality.”
At that, the draechen princess turned toward Sari. She said nothing, although Sari thought he saw a glimmer of calculating disdain in her eyes. Minding his manners, Sari decided to speak. “And I must personally express my gratitude for the honor you’ve bestowed upon me through your proposal of uniting our houses.”
“The honor is all ours,” Akarawem answered, “although all thanks should be directed to my father, and of course, my brother.” The latter part of the phrase seemed to have been added as an afterthought, making Sari suspect that the draechen prince hadn’t had much choice in the matter either. Naturally, he didn’t get the chance to prod into it as Akarawem added, “Please, follow me. My brother is very eager to meet with his future mate.”
Sari very much doubted it. If it had been so, Shtamakarein would have been here with Akarawem to welcome him. But of course, Sari wasn’t so arrogant as to believe himself entitled to such a thing. It just confirmed his previous knowledge of the way this day, and likely, the rest of his life would go, at least, if Sari didn’t do something about it.
Remaining quiet, Sari followed after the princess as she led them inside. He said nothing, instead taking heed of anything that might be able to help him. He did figure out that one of the men with Akarawem was stealing occasional glances at him. The chill in the stranger’s stance could have had something to do with the obvious fact that he was an ice dragon—or so Sari surmised given the dark-blue color of his hair and eyes—or it might have been just because he didn’t like him, period. Either way, Sari made a mental note to watch out for him. Something told him the stranger was a very dangerous man when he wanted to be.
At last, the walk through the cavernous corridors ended, and Sari and his companions stopped in front of huge, wooden doors. Sari gaped at the sight of them. They seemed so large that someone would have had to be twice Sari’s height to hit the upper threshold. But then, everything inside the draechen palace was like that. The hallways themselves were spacious and tall. Sari supposed that made sense, given the size draechen could reach in shifted form.
The guards opened the doors and bowed lowly. “Presenting Their Highnesses, Princes Misael and Sareltae Norrenddare and Princess Charlize Norrenddare of Ivenia, accompanied by Her Highness Princess Akarawem Tersain and His Lordship Lieutenant Sagenamadeen Zager.”
Sari didn’t hear anything spoken or any permission being given, but the soldiers gestured them inside. As he stepped forward and the large doors closed behind him, several things struck him at the same time. The draechen throne room was almost obscenely huge, just like the palace itself, and for good reason. A red dragon sat curled on a pile of jewelry, eyeing their approach with shrewd, intelligent eyes. Sari would have been surprised, but he distantly remembered now that the draechen emperor never shifted to his legged form in public, instead using a form of telepathy to talk to his people. This must have been what had happened earlier, with the guards. Still, in spite of the remarkable presence of Emperor Kavehquader Tersain, Sari almost didn’t see him at all. As if on instinct, his gaze went to a tall, muscular man, waiting silently next to a slightly shorter one. Both of them stood by the two thrones, one of which was occupied by a draechen woman.
Dressed in a majestic black uniform, the mysterious man watched them approach with an impassive expression. At first, the size of the room and the somewhat tricky lighting prevented Sari from taking in every detail of the stranger’s face and body, but as he and his companions walked closer, that changed. The man’s midnight-black eyes met Sari’s, and a flash of awareness seemed to course through them, echoing deep inside Sari.
He didn’t even know how he kept walking, how his knees didn’t buckle right then and there. Everything inside him screamed “mate.” This man was his true mate. Could it be? Could he be so lucky as to believe that, by some miracle, the man he was supposed to marry just happened to be his other half?
Distantly, he spotted the woman who’d been sitting on the throne, obviously the empress, gesturing them forward with a regal wave. She said something, and Misael replied, but the words didn’t really compute for Sari. The only thing he could focus on was the overwhelming presence of the dark-haired man. He wanted to taste those stern, sensuous lips and thread his fingers in that dark hair, to see if it was as soft as it seemed. He wanted to undo the buttons of that uniform and trace the muscles it hid with his tongue, to kneel at the draechen’s feet and take the other man’s cock in his mouth.
Sari realized he was staring at the draechen’s groin, and felt his face flame. Taking a deep breath, he struggled to calm his racing heart. Just in time, too, because finally, the empress turned her attention toward him. “Prince Sareltae,” she said, “I’d like you to meet my sons, Prince Hareematek, and your future mate, Prince Shtamakarein, General of the Chrysalidian Wyverns.”
Oh, Jenarra… She was pointing to Sari’s mate and the man next to him. Her introduction had made clear which was which and shattered Sari’s last doubts. Now trembling, Sari still managed to focus and said, “It’s a pleasure and an honor to meet you, Your Highnesses.”
* * * *
The soft words went straight to Karein’s dick, and his dragon reared inside of him, roaring in lust and anger. Karein found himself taking a step forward, then another, until he reached the fae who was to be his mate. Taking Sareltae’s hand in his own, he kissed it, lingering on the gesture for longer than it would have been strictly appropriate. “The pleasure is all mine,” he said lowly.
He didn’t miss the shiver that passed through the fae, nor could he hide the reaction it had on him. But he was in the presence of his family, and if he didn’t get a grip, they would realize something was wrong. He didn’t doubt that if they learned the truth, they would prevent his mating. So he stepped back, straightened his spine, and did his best to look as cold and aloof as possible. “Ornoz welcomes you,” he finished formally.
The fae’s face fell at the chill in his tone, his silver eyes flashing with pain, but it couldn’t be helped. Karein’s dragon lashed its tail out furiously, demanding what in the world Karein thought he was doing. Because Karein, as a man, and as a beast, knew all too well that the lovely fae standing in front of him was his true mate.
His instinct was to lunge forward and touch Sareltae, to crush his lips to Sareltae’s full ones. He wanted to free Sareltae’s white-blond tresses from the elegant hairdo and hold onto those locks as he thrust his dick in and out of the fae’s body. He wanted to brush his fingers over the gem glittering in the center of Sareltae’s forehead. He’d already realized that his fantasy hadn’t been about Prince Talrasar, but about Sareltae, so he knew that it might have not been just imagination after all. He understood how good he and Sareltae would fit together.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, his brother intervened before he could do any of the things he wanted. Hareem stepped forward and made a courtly, appropriate bow. “Your presence honors us,” he said. “Should you want for anything during your stay, either I or my siblings would be more than happy to provide it.”
Karein wanted to punch his brother. Why was Hareem always the charming one? He should keep the smooth-talking for the werewolf he’d stashed away from their father.
“Your generosity humbles us,” the Ivenian princess, Charlize, answered.
Karein honestly didn’t want to hear any more of the lies both parties were spouting. He just wished he could drag Sareltae away from this room and fuck him until neither of them could walk. His dragon craved it more than anything in the world, even his freedom, even peace between the nations.
From the beginning
of time, draechen had always valued their mates a great deal. At first, almost all draechen had eventually found their mates. But in Karein’s time, it had become next to impossible. Karein only knew a handful of people who’d had the luck to encounter their other half. He had long ago abandoned hope that he’d be granted this amazing gift.
But he had to be patient and wait. Sareltae’s brother, Misael, provided him with the perfect, and most unwanted, distraction. “If I may, Your Majesties, I bring a message from my father.”
“Oh?” The empress arched an elegant brow. “What does King Selbrian wish to convey to us?”
“As you know, Father respects your ways and our traditions a great deal. Therefore, we greatly emphasize the value of a true mate bond. While we are, of course, honored by the union of our houses, the fact remains that this marriage would be a political one. Therefore, Father requests that my brother should not be forced into a mind link as only true mates should have.”
“Oh, don’t they think they’re clever,” Karein’s father said in his mind. “They know you can draw out everything he knows out of that whore’s mind. Won’t they be surprised? Tell them that we agree to their conditions. Sareltae will share with Shtamakarein no more and no less than he chooses.”
As the emperor indicated, Rowenasheb said, “Of course, we wouldn’t ask for anything Sareltae isn’t comfortable with. We’re quite certain that he and Shtamakarein will have an excellent marriage, but we agree that Sareltae can make his own choices with regard to what he shares with our son.”
While she spoke, Kavehquader directed his attention solely on Karein. “It seems, son, that you’re going to have a more difficult task at hand. Instead of forcing your way into Sareltae’s mind, you’ll have to seduce him.”
Draechen's Mate [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 2] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 4
