Concern flooded Sari, this time not for himself or Karein. “You’ll take care of Caelyn, won’t you?” Sari’s irrational anger with Caelyn was gone now, and he just wanted his friend to be safe. “He’s expecting a child.”
“I know. Don’t worry about him. Onyerre can’t touch him in Eternelle, not when he and his mate have been accepted there.”
He had a point. The only people who could give any command to the priestesses of Eternelle were Sari’s parents. Besides, Sari fully understood now that the spirits of the obelisk were actually the ultimate authority in Eternelle, and they had extended their welcome for Caelyn and Graham.
This brought Sari to the essence of what Selbrian was saying. “When are you going?” he asked quietly.
“In a few hours,” Selbrian replied. “The servants are already packing.”
“So soon?” Sari blurted out before he could stop himself. He might have been aware of the problems his half siblings’ and stepmother’s presence could create, but right now, his father was the last link he had to his old life. A part of him, the one that had felt at home in Jenarra’s temple and had relaxed when kneeling in front of the Obelisk of Eternelle, couldn’t just let go of it so easily.
Through his bond with Karein, Sari felt his mate’s distress as his pain. “Oh, baby,” Karein whispered, “how I wish I could bring Rose Noire to you.”
Those words served as a reprimand and a sharp reminder that he might have been forced to leave his fae family behind, but he had found a new one. Karein was everything to Sari now, and while he would miss his parents and friends, his mate would always be more important.
Besides, he’d long ago stopped being a child, and had become a prince. He wasn’t afraid of any challenge, and that included rebuilding his life, even here in Draechenburg if need be.
Shaking himself, he threw a sheepish glance his father’s way. “Sorry about that. I shouldn’t have said it. I understand completely.”
Selbrian smiled fondly. In a strikingly gentle gesture, he petted Sari’s hair. “You always do.” He blinked in surprise as his hand found the remaining tangles. “Oh, dear,” he commented. “Your hair is a mess. Come on. I have a little time. I’ll fix it.”
Sari showed his father to the bedroom he now shared with Karein, congratulating himself for his previous idea to clean the place up. Selbrian’s gaze lingered on the bed a little, but he made no comment regarding Sari and Karein’s private life. Instead, he took the comb Sari had abandoned and gestured for Sari to sit down.
“Okay. Let’s see if we can mend this problem.”
Sari obeyed, allowing his father to work his hair free of the tangles. It was a surreal event. Selbrian was not only his sire, but also his king. He’d never once deigned to come into Sari’s room just for the purpose of combing his hair.
Perhaps this was Selbrian’s way to express his own regret for his hasty departure. But really, neither Selbrian nor Sari had to be so tragic about the whole thing. It wasn’t like they were lost to each other forever.
“Once the situation settles, we can go visit,” Karein promised through their bond. He had now exited the throne room and heading toward the barracks to check up on the troops. The pang of sadness he had experienced when Sari had foolishly clung to his father had disappeared since he now seemed to have a clear plan in mind. He couldn’t bring Rose Noire to Sari, but he could get Sari to Rose Noire.
“Thank you,” Sari replied. “I know it won’t be right now, but it means a lot to me, just the same.”
Because whatever his father said, Sari knew that he could trust Karein. His mate would keep his promise to Sari. This was why, in spite of all the hostility around him, Sari now thought that he could find a home here. Karein was his home, not Draechenburg, not even Rose Noire. And that made Sari happier than he’d ever been in his life.
* * * *
When Karein slipped back into his quarters, he was well aware that Sari was not alone, and not only because the guards had told him so. King Selbrian still remained with Sari, presumably to comb Sari’s hair. Karein guessed Selbrian had just picked this excuse to spend more time with Sari, which he honestly appreciated.
Careful to be as stealthy as possible, Karein peeked into his bedchamber. Sari knew he was there, of course, but likely, Selbrian didn’t. “He does,” Sari corrected him. “He felt you when you opened the door. There was a shield around the room.”
Ah. Well, Selbrian would never speak freely as long as Karein was there. Even knowing that Karein was Sari’s mate, the fae king couldn’t fully trust him.
“You can tell him it’s safe to speak,” he whispered in Sari’s mind. “I’m going to find Sage and patrol the grounds a bit.”
As much as he valued his time with Sari, Karein would have Sari all to himself from now on. These last minutes Sari was spending with Selbrian were precious to him. Given Karein’s relationship with his own parents, he valued Selbrian’s affection for Sari and wanted to encourage it.
He stepped out of the room once more, giving the two fae privacy. His mate’s gratitude followed him even as he walked through the winding corridors of the palace. “Thank you, Karein.”
Karein hid a smile. “No, Sari. Thank you.”
Without Sari, Karein would have never felt the true warmth a family could offer. Sari’s relationship with his parents might have been strained, but, insofar as Selbrian was concerned, at least, Karein had seen and experienced genuine familial love. In a way, Sari never stopped sharing the beauty of life with Karein. In fact, Sari himself was the greatest gift of all, and Karein would never cease thanking the Overlords for being entrusted with something so special.
Chapter Eleven
A few days later
The forest was quiet, the only sound that reached Sari’s ears being the rustling of the leaves and the soft whisper of the wind. He slipped through the foliage, scanning the area carefully. He knew better than to believe he was alone. He was running from a predator, one who would likely catch him no matter what Sari did. But Sari wouldn’t go down without a fight. At the very least, he could make things difficult for his pursuer.
He hastened the pace, his heart beating a million miles an hour. The predator was close now. Sari could feel him practically breathing down his neck. It wasn’t something he could physically sense. By rights, nothing in the forest gave him any warning as to where his foe was hiding. But Sari knew, regardless.
He tried to use this knowledge to make his escape, but it was futile. Out of the blue, a heavy figure appeared from the bushes and jumped Sari. On instinct, Sari threw up a shield, which made the man miss him. He attempted to flee, but lost his concentration. The shield fell and at last, his foe jumped him. They fell together onto the ground, with the larger man on top. “I got you,” Sari’s captor whispered.
Sari laughed as Karein pinned his hands over his head. “That you did,” he replied. “I do wonder what you’re going to do with me now.”
“Mmmm…” Karein buried his face in Sari’s hair and inhaled. “Do you want me to free you? Because if you do, you need to pay up.”
“And what if I don’t want to be freed?” Sari wiggled his eyebrows coyly. “What will you do then?”
Karein met his gaze, his lips twisting into a wicked smirk. “I’ll take my payment as I wish, of course.” He pressed a kiss to Sari’s forehead, impossibly close to the gem on Sari’s forehead. “Perhaps I’ll steal this,” the draechen said, wiggling his tongue around the gem.
Sari gasped as sensation shot through him. “Y–you have a fetish for that thing,” he stammered out.
“How could I not?” Karein snickered. “You’re the only person I know who was born with a gem attached to his body.”
Ever since finding out the jewel was organic in nature, Karein had taken every possible opportunity to touch it. It was something Sari had never allowed from any other person since the jewel marked him as a chosen child of Jenarra. Only his mother had it out of all the fae he’d met, although hi
story had documented other instances where it had been present, like with Prince Talrasar. But what those books didn’t describe was that when a lover touched that gem, it felt amazing. Karein had once made Sari come just by wiggling his tongue around the jewel.
Karein seemed to have similar intentions today, but less patience. In fact, this time, he abandoned the gem and crushed his mouth to Sari’s. Sari moaned, immediately parting his lips for his mate’s invasion. Karein thrust his tongue into Sari’s mouth, wildly, almost aggressively, his animal instincts very close to the surface. Sari could feel the dragon so close to the edges of Karein’s consciousness, brought forth by Karein’s need for him and their little impromptu hunting game.
Either way, Sari would never be able to forgive himself if he left his mate wanting. Fortunately, Karein was completely naked above Sari, courtesy of the fact that he’d flown Sari to the forest in shifted form. Taking advantage of that, Sari allowed his hands to roam over the delicious expanse of his mate’s nude form. Karein groaned whenever Sari’s fingers made contact with a particularly sensitive spot, which seemed to be every time, really. His hard dick nudged against Sari’s thigh, demanding attention Sari gladly gave. Smirking to himself, he slid his hands between their two bodies and engulfed Karein’s prick in his fist. Karein released an animalistic noise that, like his groans, was swallowed in their kiss. But it didn’t matter. Sari got the message loud and clear, and he started massaging Karein’s dick like he knew his mate wanted.
It was hard to believe that a few days before, Sari had never touched a dick other than his own. With Karein, the process flowed so naturally. Sari had learned to love the feel of Karein’s dick in his hand, or better yet, in his mouth or his ass. Of course, it certainly helped that he could experience everything Karein did. Even now, as he fisted Karein’s prick, it seemed as if Sari was touching himself, and yet, oddly not. The filter of Karein’s pleasure made it different, and so much better than anything Sari’s imagination could have conjured.
But predictably, Karein was not satisfied with only that. Still fucking Sari’s mouth with his tongue, he clutched at Sari’s clothing, seemingly moments away from ripping it off. Unlike Karein, Sari was dressed in one of those draechen-style outfits, but taking into account the way Karein’s hands were passing over his sides, the material wouldn’t survive for much longer. “Just remember not to tear my pants,” he managed to say through their bond.
Karein broke their kiss long enough to give him a look of disbelief. “You have your hand on my dick, and you can still think about fashion?”
He spoke so lowly it would have been frightening had it come from someone else. No, to someone else. Sari would never be scared of his mate, not when he could sense the desire emanating from Karein, smell it in the air, taste it on his lips. Really, he understood the point of Karein’s question. How could Sari even dwell on any other considerations except that of reveling in that desire, bathing himself in it? He must have been insane, but even as he swept his thumb over Karein’s erection, he said, “Suit yourself. I just don’t want half of Draechenburg to see me naked.”
Sari tried to sound nonchalant, but he couldn’t hide his own need, and his voice came out breathless, every word punctuated by a gasp. Karein’s dark gaze flashed with unrestrained lust. “You’re mine.” He practically snarled. “Only mine.”
Karein tore Sari’s garments, pants included. He moved so fast Sari had trouble following his actions, and he was overwhelmed by the hypnotic hurricane of Karein’s lust. When he could think, Karein usually shied away from pushing Sari too far, out of the lingering apprehension that he’d hurt Sari. But not now. Now, his dragon had taken over, and it was roaring to claim Sari. Sari could almost hear its furious cries, and oh, yes, he wanted to be claimed. He wanted Karein’s dick inside him so much he was surprised he hadn’t simply jumped the draechen already.
Karein flipped him on all fours on the grass and squeezed his hip, hard. Following the wordless command and the images he could see in Karein’s mind, Sari spread his legs wide and pushed his ass out. In moments such as these, the mate bond was strongest, guaranteeing that Sari knew exactly what Karein planned. Some people might have thought it would just lead to boredom, but instead, it heightened the anticipation, making him desperate for the moment when that sweet touch would finally come to grant him relief.
Of course, not even when the urgency threatened to burn them both alive did Karein fully forsake his nearly unbearable tendency to keep Sari from harm. Knowing what would likely happen, Sari had brought a small bottle of oil, but it had been in his now-discarded pants, and Jenarra only knew where it had landed, or if it was even usable. However, Karein was nothing if not resourceful. Instead of trying to find the lost lubricant, he just spread Sari’s ass cheeks and licked across Sari’s crease. Sari cried out as pleasure exploded through him, threatening to propel him into an early orgasm far too soon. He blindly clutched at the grass beneath him, but the blades ripped in his palm, doing very little to anchor him. The feel of Karein’s hands on him only made him want more, or rather, all of it. Karein was relentless. He wormed his tongue inside Sari’s body, using it like a little cock to stretch Sari’s channel. The sinful, nearly taboo touch awoke every nerve ending in Sari’s already oversensitized body. He pushed back against Karein, fucking his mate’s face with a lust that he might have once considered too much. Jenarra above, he’d never even thought someone would like doing something like this, but there was no denying that Karein did enjoy it, and a lot. In fact, Sari’s gem was just one of Karein’s fetishes, because half the time, the draechen was always bending him over to rim him or fuck him.
Karein’s amused voice slipped into Sari’s mind. “I don’t hear you complaining.”
Yeah, like Sari would ever complain about that. Besides, he had his own fascination, with Karein’s dick, so things worked out pretty well if he said so himself. He could imagine it now, the purplish head slipping into Sari’s asshole, the burn and bite of pain that followed, only to be replaced by mind-numbing pleasure. Oh, yes… The sensations were always out of this world and more than Sari could handle.
Fortunately, Sari’s thoughts caused exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for. With a growl, Karein lifted his head. “You want to be fucked?” he asked huskily, slapping Sari’s ass. “I’ll give you the fucking of your life.”
Sari felt guilty for manipulating Karein, or would have if moments later, the thick head of his mate’s prick hadn’t nudged at his opening. As it was, he could only congratulate himself for his idea, as instinctual and unintended as it had been. And then, that distant thought melted as his mate’s dick entered him in one single hard thrust.
That initial burn, the sudden fullness, and the overwhelming feelings that always swamped Sari whenever he and Karein made love nearly triggered his orgasm. By some miracle, he managed to hold it back. Meanwhile, Karein stilled inside of him, allowing Sari to get used to his girth. Sari didn’t want to wait anymore, though. He craved exactly what Karein had promised him, to be fucked hard, taken, and branded by his mate, the same way he had been the day of their wedding.
Thankfully, Karein’s legendary composure couldn’t withstand the pressure either. The draechen started to rock in and out of Sari, first slower, then gradually increasing the speed. It was just like Sari had imagined it, only better. As impossible as it might have seemed, every time they spent together was perfect, and yet, their next coupling gained a new layer of complexity, like with each passing second and each breath they took, they loved each other more. Their bond had been strong from the very first moment they’d met, but it grew even more powerful every day. And today was no exception. Even if he was naked on the grass, his channel only superficially lubricated, the entire experience was like Sari’s own personal version of the heavens.
Sari’s brain now worked in a staccato rhythm that followed the pace of Karein’s thrusts. Yes. One hard shove struck Sari’s prostate, making stars burst into his vision. So good. Karein
pulled out his dick and slid back in, the friction massaging the walls of Sari’s channel, stretching him to capacity. So hot. Karein’s breath tickled his ear as the draechen leaned over him, holding Sari aloft with one single powerful arm. Karein. The draechen buried his face in Sari’s hair like he often liked to do—another of his fetishes—groaning. Mate. Over and over, Karein moved in and out of him, the dragon’s hunger flooding Sari through their bond like an all-consuming blaze. Mate. The sensual energy that they created together seemed to stop time itself. Mate. Sari didn’t even know if he was thinking these things, or if Karein was whispering them to him. It didn’t even matter. They were one.
And then, Karein finally gave them both what they wanted and buried his fangs in Sari’s neck, and one last thought crystallized in Sari’s mind, as bright as the sun rising over Rose Noire and as clear as the Danube as it burst out of the mountain that housed Draechenburg. Love you. Again and again, until that was the only thing that remained, the love, carnal, passionate, and yet so pure. Sari’s love for Karein and Karein’s answering feelings propelled them both over the edge as they came together in a supernova of rapture. The wet heat of Karein’s spunk filled Sari’s channel while Karein’s emotions spilled into Sari’s soul through their connection.
For a few beautiful moments, the world ceased to exist outside the union of their bodies and hearts. Their memories and thoughts fully connected, their identities winding together in a single cohesive whole. It couldn’t last—it never did—but even as the high of it began to fade, the emotion never vanished. It settled into a beautiful afterglow that enveloped Sari’s soul like a warm blanket.
Karein slid out of him, and together, they collapsed onto the grass. “Mmm, love you,” Sari said again, this time out loud.
His mate pulled him close, and Sari obediently cuddled to his side. “Love you, too,” Karein answered, petting his hair.
Draechen's Mate [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 2] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 16
