Draechen's Mate [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 2] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  Chapter Fourteen

  The morning of Karein’s departure, Sari dressed in his most elegant and strict outfit. He considered braiding his hair back by ways of his people, but in the end, left it loose, like Karein always asked him to. He exited his quarters with his head held high and his spine straight, meeting every gaze without flinching.

  He had not seen Karein since their supposed argument. Sage had come to officially notify him of Karein’s decision, although, of course, Sari had already known about it. A part of Sari wished he could have hidden in his room and not been forced to watch his mate leave without him, but he couldn’t do that. The naga delegation was leaving at the same time. Besides, no matter what differences Sari and Karein had—or rather, pretended to have—in public they still needed to keep up the appearance of a happy couple. It was horrible and frustrating, creating a nearly farcical situation. Basically, Sari would have to simulate masking a dislike he didn’t really feel, while attempting to hide his genuine need for his mate. It was enough to make his head and his heart ache.

  Nevertheless, he did what his position demanded and went to the throne room. The imperial family would gather here to officially see off Karein, his brother, as well as the naga prince. So far, only Akarawem was present. Sari experienced a brief moment of panic, during which he thought he’d have to stand next to the princess, but then, Sage intervened, guiding him across her. For once, she didn’t smirk at him. In fact, she didn’t spare him one single glance.

  “My parents didn’t appreciate what she did,” Karein said in Sari’s mind. “I gather they must have punished her somehow, although I’m not sure what happened.”

  Sari did his best not to show the relief he felt at hearing Karein’s voice. All thoughts of Akarawem vanished, and he focused on Karein. “Thank Jenarra we have this bond. Otherwise, I don’t think I could have let you go.”

  “I can still back out of it,” Karein replied. “Just say the word.”

  But Sari couldn’t be so selfish. Karein was the only one who could help Prince Hareematek in such a delicate matter. Even if Sari didn’t get along with his own siblings, he wanted Karein to be close to his brother, to build a real relationship with Hareematek. “Go,” Sari answered, “but come back soon. I already miss you, and you haven’t even left yet.”

  As he spoke, the doors to the throne room opened, and Hareematek walked inside, followed by Karein and Camden Isaiat. The rest of the naga delegation completed the group. According to what Sari had been told, this official farewell wouldn’t have happened normally, as the Isaiat weren’t considered important enough. In fact, Karein and Hareematek’s trip wouldn’t have warranted such attention either. But since the two princes’ departure coincided with that of the Isaiat, the emperor had decided to add a gesture of goodwill toward the naga, throw them a bone, in a way.

  It seemed to take forever for Karein and the others to make their way across the huge room. Sari honestly didn’t know how long the trek lasted, because every part of him was fully focused on Karein. Impossibly, his mate seemed even more handsome today, dressed in one of his formal uniforms, the Ouroboros-like ring on his finger. His dark gaze met Sari’s at one point, and time seemed to stop altogether. “You’re the beautiful one,” Karein said through their bond. “I can never get tired of looking at you.”

  “Stop complimenting me, or I’ll make a fool of myself right here,” Sari warned him, “and then all this will be for naught.”

  In spite of his own words, the warmth of the connection kept him rooted in his spot. Even if he was physically distanced from his mate, the bond soothed him somewhat, so Sari could control himself even when Karein walked past him. Finally, the group stopped in front of the thrones. The side doors opened, and the emperor stalked inside, his heavy steps making the walls and floors shake. The empress followed behind the red dragon and wordlessly sat on her throne. With a regal wave, she beckoned her two sons forward.

  “Today, you leave Draechenburg. You will be messengers of the Tersain name. We wish you good fortune and safety in your travels. May the Overlords watch over you.”

  Sari had a feeling none of those present were convinced by the warm words. He definitely wasn’t. The empress just recited them, like they were a boring poem. Obviously, she considered this entire ceremony pointless. The process was repeated when Camden was beckoned closer, with a small difference in that the Tersain reputation wasn’t invoked. The entire thing lasted a few minutes, maybe less, and then, the gathered group was dismissed.

  “We were honored by your visit,” the empress told Camden. “Please join us again as soon as you can.” To Karein and Hareematek, she said, “Draechenburg will eagerly await your return.”

  As she got up, everyone bowed. Judging by the elaborate rituals at his wedding, Sari had expected this to last much longer, but apparently he’d been mistaken. The imperial couple was already leaving, with the emperor having given no sign he even cared about his sons’ departure. Sari swallowed around the sudden knot in his throat. He was not ready for this to be over so soon. In fact, he was not ready for Karein to go.

  But he could not stop it. Hareematek lingered for a few moments after his parents departed then turned toward the door and headed out. His sister accompanied him, and Karein followed, not sparing Sari the slightest glance. Sari would have been hurt, except he could feel the desperate urge Karein had to rush to Sari’s side, take him in his arms, and never let go. Honestly, Sari wondered how both of them were managing to put up this elaborate show without bursting.

  “We should head out to the cliff,” Sage told Sari. “Come, Highness.”

  Sari nodded, scanning Sage’s face for any sign of heartbreak. There was none. Sari knew Sage had to be upset that Camden had chosen to leave, but the ice dragon remained as calm and composed as ever. It helped somewhat. If Sage could watch his mate go, Sari had to be as brave as the lieutenant. He couldn’t disappoint his own lover.

  Outside, the plane that would take Karein away from Sari was already waiting. By the time Sari and Sage reached the cliff, Hareematek had already boarded, obviously eager to get to his destination. On impulse, Sari went to his mate’s side and hesitated. What was he expected to do in such a situation? Would it be all right if he kissed Karein?

  “Have a good trip, Your Highness,” he said at last.

  Karein scanned him from head to toe, then smirked darkly. Pulling Sari close, he crushed their mouths together in a bruising, nearly violent kiss. To everyone else, it might have looked like a humiliating claiming, but it wasn’t, not at all. All right, Karein did seek to claim him, but not to shame him. Sari desperately wanted to surrender to the desire burning between them, but he didn’t. He allowed himself the guilty pleasure of Karein’s kiss for as long as he dared, then pulled back, glaring.

  “Sorry,” Karein said through their bond.

  He didn’t sound apologetic at all, but the simple words still melted Sari’s frustration. “No, you aren’t,” Sari answered, “but that’s all right. Neither am I.”

  There were a million things Sari would have liked to do in that moment, and none of them involved Karein leaving. His mate shared his desires, and for a few seconds, he hesitated. But then, Sage pulled Sari aside, and it snapped both Sari and Karein out of their trance. Karein turned on his heel and boarded the plane without looking back.

  While Sari had been distracted by Karein, the naga delegation had already joined Hareematek inside the aircraft. With the last passenger, Karein, inside, the jet doors closed. Sari clenched his fists as he watched the plane speed off the runway and take off. For a few moments, the other draechen lingered on the cliff, observing the disappearing plane into the distance. Soon, though, everyone lost interest, and they all returned to their various tasks or plans. Everyone but Sari and Sage.

  The two of them remained there for a while longer. “They’ll return to us,” Sage finally said.

  Sari didn’t know if the draechen was trying to convince himself or Sari. Nevertheless,
he nodded and smiled at the lieutenant. “Yes, they will. Soon.”

  For his sake, for Karein, but also for Sage and Camden, he hoped he was right.

  * * * *

  Eanera opened her eyes and gasped as the nightmarish images threatened to overcome her. She swept a hand through the air, trying to reach for Sari. Only, Sari wasn’t there. He was in Draechenburg.

  As the last traces of the dream finally faded into reality, Eanera shot to her feet. The vision had come to her so suddenly, taking her by surprise. It was very rare for her to see an immediate event so clearly. More often than not, she only caught glimpses or flashes of things to follow, sometimes, a whole generation in the future. She managed to interpret them through Jenarra’s will. But there was no divine intervention needed to understand this particular vision. Her son was in trouble. Eanera just knew it.

  Eanera didn’t linger to even think about what she was doing. She just grabbed her cloak and ran out of the room, already knowing what she had to do. As she burst out of her quarters, startled priestesses intercepted her.

  “High Priestess, what’s the matter?”

  “Your Holiness, where are you going?”

  “Is there anything we can help you with?”

  But there wasn’t. Only Eanera could do this, and she had waited long enough.

  All her life she had put her duty as a priestess before her own desires. She had held onto it, even when she had met the recently married king and fallen desperately in love with him. She’d told herself that simply remaining by his side would be enough. That had clearly been a desperate attempt at self-deception, one Eanera had been forced into. Still, when Jenarra had given her the chance to have a child with Selbrian, she’d still been deliriously happy.

  Only, once Sari had been born, her priorities had suffered a great change. A part of her had wanted to fully dedicate herself to her beautiful boy. Since she’d known she couldn’t do that, she’d ended up cutting Sari out of her life at times.

  But no longer. As important as her duties might have been, Eanera wouldn’t let them stand between her and her son, not again. Pushing past her underlings, she ran, heading straight toward the hangars.

  When she exited the temple, shock rippled through the guards. Like the priestesses, they tried to approach her, but Eanera ignored every attempt.

  If only Selbrian had been here today. But he was visiting his exiled wife, making sure Onyerre wasn’t up to any mischief. It was hard to believe that even after Selbrian had finally cracked under the pressure of her poison, Onyerre was still keeping Selbrian and Eanera apart, but it was nevertheless the truth. Her transgression hadn’t been serious enough to warrant the dissolution of their marriage, and she remained queen, even if her authority had been drastically reduced.

  Either way, there was no time to contact Selbrian. Every second counted, and Eanera needed to get out of Rose Noire as soon as possible, before Onyerre’s kids found out she’d fled and decided to stop her.

  As if summoned by her thoughts, Darian appeared in front of her, seemingly manifesting out of nowhere. “And where do you think you’re going, High Priestess?” he asked.

  Eanera didn’t even bother to answer. She knew she was likely forfeiting her position, maybe even her life, but she wrapped him in a powerful shield and shoved him aside.

  At this point, she’d drawn quite a lot of attention from the guards, but no one dared to stop her or get in her way again. She exited the palace without further incident and headed directly toward the helipad. Once more, the soldiers manning the area attempted to find out what was going on. “Your Holiness, is everything all right?” one of them asked.

  “My presence is required elsewhere,” she answered. “If you are loyal to Ivenia and Jenarra, you will take me there at once.”

  The soldier blinked, but nodded. “Of course. Just point me in the right direction. I am at your disposal.”

  Eanera slid into the helicopter, and as the aircraft took off, she sent a prayer to Jenarra. She didn’t regret breaking her oath and leaving the temple. She’d chosen to be a mother, instead of a priestess. She just hoped that she hadn’t waited too long to make this decision, because if so, Sari would pay the price.

  * * * *

  Sari walked through the corridor, with Sage following right behind him. The palace was strikingly quiet, but Sari could still swear he heard the whispers of the draechen as he passed. He’d have thought he was being paranoid, except Sage had assured him it was very much true. It was beginning to get on Sari’s nerves, especially since, according to Sage, he had to ignore the draechen lieutenant, too. The only good thing about the entire situation was that the emperor had decided to ignore him. Sari knew better than to believe this would last, but at least they’d left him alone.

  He’d spent most of his time during the past few days in his room, but now he’d decided to leave his quarters and go to the library. He wouldn’t be able to focus on doing any reading, but at least he’d make a show of not having anything to hide.

  “Except we do,” Karein said through their bond. “We have plenty to hide. Be careful, baby.”

  “I will,” Sari said. “Don’t worry about me. Just focus on what you have to do.”

  Karein had arranged a meeting with a man named Philip Strange so that he could help his brother. The last thing Sari wanted was to distract Karein from it. Fortunately, the library was close by, so Sari hoped that he’d find some privacy, and perhaps even some way to occupy his time.

  With a sigh, Sari slid his hand in the pocket of his jacket. Since Karein had left, Sari had taken to carrying the box with the wooden toy with him. As risky as it might have seemed, it soothed him somewhat and gave him hope that things would be all right.

  Sadly, the toy wolf couldn’t warn him ahead of time what paths to take to avoid certain undesirables. As such, before Sari could get to his destination, he was intercepted by the princess. It seemed that she had somehow convinced her parents to forgive her for her gaffe, although she did have several draechen soldiers with her, perhaps meant to make sure she didn’t commit any more mistakes. “Good day, Prince Sareltae,” she said. “I haven’t seen you in forever. Is everything all right?”

  “I’m afraid I’ve been unwell,” Sari answered. “My apologies for not being able to attend meals with you, Highness, but I likely wouldn’t have been good company.”

  Akarawem released a sound that seemed to be meant to convey distress. “Oh no. Is it serious?”

  Sari shook his head. “I thank you for your concern, but it’s probably just fatigue.”

  As if his words had taunted fate, Sari suddenly felt a sensation of dizziness flow over him. Just like the day of his supposed argument with Karein, he swayed and was caught by Sage. Karein’s voice immediately appeared in his mind. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

  At the same time, Sage asked, “Highness, what’s the matter? Do you need to go to a medic?”

  “I’m fine,” Sari replied automatically to both of them. Only then, he knew that it wasn’t exactly true. Something had happened to him, although not something bad.

  Dazed, Sari leaned against Sage’s shoulder and gasped out, “Jenarra above… I’m pregnant.”

  Out of all the possible things that could have happened, Sari had not expected this. He’d known that it might happen eventually since his healing powers made him very fertile. But since his mate wasn’t fae, he’d thought it would take a while longer. Apparently, his body didn’t agree.

  “Pregnant?” Karein repeated in his mind. “No. That’s not possible.”

  He didn’t seem very happy about it, which made Sari frown. Okay, so the circumstances weren’t the best, but unlike in Hareematek’s unfortunate case, Sari was not forbidden to breed with Karein. He had to admit it wasn’t the best time for a baby to be born, with a war looming ahead and their relationship suffering because of the pressure of others. Maybe that was the reason for Karein’s attitude. Sari couldn’t immediately tell because Karein’s mind had beco
me a confusing whirlwind of thoughts and emotions that made very little sense.

  Unfortunately for Sari, he didn’t have the time to figure it out. In his shock, he had made his little confession out loud. Therefore, everyone around him, including the princess, had heard him.

  Just like Karein, she asked, “Pregnant?” She actually laughed a little. “Well, that’s going to make things easier.”

  Her smirk puzzled Sari. “I don’t understand. Easier how?”

  Akarawem ignored him and instead turned toward the draechen soldiers who accompanied her. “What are you waiting for, fools?” she shouted. “You heard it from his own mouth. He has committed treason to the crown. Get him.”

  Instantly, the guards lunged toward Sari. On impulse, Sari threw up a shield, blocking the attack. He didn’t know how he even managed to do so since his focus was completely off. Still, his enchantment held to the original blows. But then, the draechen summoned various ice and fire spells, and Sari knew the shield wouldn’t be able to withstand the combined energy of it. He couldn’t grasp the reason behind this sudden, nearly irrational hostility.

  Obviously understanding more than Sari, Sage started to pull him away. “We need to get you out of here,” he said.

  Even if he clearly meant to help Sari, his voice held barely concealed anger, and not at Akarawem. “Lieutenant, what’s going on? Why is everyone suddenly so furious with me?”

  Karein was the one who explained. “It’s because I’m sterile, Sari. I can’t have any children. For Sage, for everyone in Draechenburg, the fact that you confessed to being pregnant equals an admittance of cheating on me.”

  Sari gaped, the shock caused by Karein’s words nearly freezing him on the spot. He probably wouldn’t have been able to even continue moving, except Sage continued to pull him along, seemingly determined to save him in spite of believing him to be a traitor. Personally, Sari couldn’t have cared less about what Sage thought. As much as he appreciated the lieutenant, Sari had more pressing concerns right now.