Hyacinth, Scarlet - From the Ashes [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 7] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  There was poison in Monroe’s voice as he mentioned the dragons, and Taryn reacted to it in a shocking way. With a whine, he turned and fled, disappearing into the undergrowth before Graham could even move.

  Graham didn’t even know what to think. Monroe’s hatred toward draechen was completely understandable. To be true, Monroe had always seemed even angrier with dragons that others of their kind. Graham didn’t spend enough time with him to be sure, but there was something intensely private about that fury. He could only guess that Monroe might have lost a lot of people to the dragons. Therefore, Graham didn’t blame the other Alpha for that hostility. He just couldn’t fathom why it had made Taryn react that way.

  Monroe took off after his brother, not bothering to explain. Graham decided now was not the time for words anyway. He melted into his wolf form and followed, hoping they’d catch the young shifter.

  Even if it can’t have taken him long to change shapes, he didn’t even see a glimpse of Taryn. In fact, when he ran into Monroe again, the other wolf was just waiting there, sniffing the ground, but having stopped the chase.

  At first, Graham couldn’t figure out the reason behind Monroe’s behavior, but then, he understood it. He simply couldn’t smell Taryn anymore. The traces of the young werewolf’s scent seemed to have disappeared altogether.

  Once more, Graham remembered that the Lovington line was notorious for having sprite ancestors. Of course, Graham hadn’t expected that Taryn or Monroe would actually be able to create illusions, but apparently, he’d been mistaken. He could only hope that Monroe had a way of tracking down his brother. Graham’s senses were all over the place, confused and unable to track down the missing wolf.

  Monroe chose a path to the right, then seemed to change his mind and went left. Graham ran after his friend, and they continued to run for what seemed like forever. It was hopeless. At last, when night started to fall, they stopped. Monroe climbed on top of a rock and howled, pleading his brother to come back to him. Several other wolves joined in, and Graham did the same. By now, the draechen were long gone anyway, and even if they had heard the howling, they could easily blame it on animals. Truth be told, even if that hadn’t been the case, Graham wouldn’t have had the heart to stop it. In moments such as these, it came so naturally to them, almost frighteningly so.

  For a few seconds, he hoped that Taryn would heed his brother’s call and return. He didn’t. Monroe howled again, and this time, his pain and sorrow echoed in the mournful sound. So much pain… Graham was almost crushed under it, and something inside him stirred, the knowledge of his own loss threatening to stop his heart and his breath.

  He could remember so clearly now. There had been a man, with hair like sunlight, and eyes like a cloudless sky. A sprite. But no, it wasn’t possible. Graham couldn’t remember meeting him. It had to be some strange after effect of running into Taryn’s magic. Werewolves stayed away from the rest of the paranormal world, to protect what little was left of their kind. A werewolf hadn’t seen a sprite in over two hundred years, and things had to stay that way, especially now that word had reached Graham’s ears of a sprite marrying the draechen emperor.

  Graham shook himself and turned his attention to the wolves around him. He had to focus on the here and now. He had a lot of questions, mostly rotating around Taryn.

  “We’ll never find him now,” Monroe said, his mental voice tinged with despair. “I had hoped that in this shape, he wouldn’t be able to use his sprite magic, but it looks like I was mistaken.”

  “I don’t understand, Monroe,” Graham admitted. “Why would your brother run from you?”

  “He’s convinced that he has some sort of link to the draechen. In past months, he’s grown increasingly frantic. He promised he wouldn’t just approach a dragon and reveal our secret, but the last time we spoke, he said he dreams of a draechen claiming him.”

  “Gods… And what did you do?”

  “Naturally, I started to keep a closer eye on him,” Monroe answered. “It only had a counterproductive effect. I can’t lose him, too, Graham. We have to find him before the dragons do. The only thing those creatures know is to destroy.”

  That hatred was back in Monroe’s voice. Graham truly had no idea what to say or do. This was beginning to get far riskier than he’d expected.

  On the other hand, Taryn having a draechen mate made about as much sense as Graham being with a sprite. Could Taryn have some answers to Graham’s own dreams? Was there something more to them than just hallucinations induced by hunger, loss, and fatigue?

  Graham’s heart and his wolf told him that this meeting was no coincidence. He and Taryn had understood each other. Besides, whether Graham helped or not, Monroe would go after his brother and probably get himself killed in the process.

  Confirming that trail of thought, Monroe snarled and gave him a wild look. “I’m getting closer, Graham. Soon, I’ll have a way to kill the dragons. And then, everyone will be safe. I’ll have avenged us.”

  Graham wanted to ask who Monroe wanted to avenge, but he had a feeling it would be a very bad idea. “I’ll help you find Taryn,” he finally said. “Just remember, we have to be very cautious. The draechen are gone for now, but that doesn’t mean they won’t return.”

  Fortunately, the mentioning of his brother brought Monroe back from whatever dark place he’d gone to. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” the other Alpha said. “Thankfully, I know how my brother thinks and the places where he’s likely to go. Here’s what we’ll do…”

  Chapter Five

  It was hot, so hot. Phoenix prodded forward through the dark desert. He couldn’t remember how he’d gotten here, in this dreadful place. He just knew that he had to keep moving, because if he stopped, he might very well do so forever.

  But it was easier said than done. Everywhere he looked there was only fire. The horizon seemed to be ablaze, and scorched ground burnt the naked skin of his feet. It almost felt like hot shards of glass pierced his body, making him want to just collapse to his knees and sleep forever. But he couldn’t. Somewhere beyond this desert, his mate was waiting for him. For Rachen, Phoenix needed to endure.

  “Give up,” a voice suddenly whispered in his ear. “You have no place here.”

  Phoenix turned, but there was nothing there. He shook himself, wondering if the heat was getting to his head. That was really kind of idiotic, because for as long as he could remember, he’d loved fire.

  “But you don’t anymore, do you?” that same voice asked, now behind him. “You’re nothing.”

  Phoenix pivoted on his heel, but he still didn’t find his target. “Who are you?” Phoenix asked, scanning the desert with feverish eyes.

  “I am you,” the voice said. Out of nowhere, a great fire bird appeared, landing right in front of him. “Or…rather, you are me.”

  Phoenix gaped at the bird in front of him. He knew he’d been that creature once, but through Rachen’s love, he’d become so much more. He hadn’t expected to ever have to face his past, at least, not quite like this.

  “You’ve forgotten,” the bird told him. “You think you’re a person, but you’re not. You’re only a killer, and a weapon. You are me, and there’s only room for one in this world.”

  “I don’t understand,” Phoenix answered. “One of what? Why are you here? Where did you take me? What do you want?”

  The phoenix didn’t answer. Instead, it just screeched and lunged at Phoenix. Instinctively, Phoenix shielded his face with his arms. He hissed as sharp talons came into contact with his skin. But the great bird wasn’t done, not by a long shot. He came rushing at Phoenix, its bulk sending him falling to the ground.

  At first, Phoenix tried to push it back, to fight it with whatever power he had left. But in this world, his magic was gone. He felt completely helpless, unable to oppose his unexpected enemy.

  Then again, maybe that was the whole point. He was more than just the sum of his abilities, more than just a creature summoned out of the energies of the
earth to be used for other people’s selfish aims.

  He was a man in love, a mate, a person with his own hopes and dreams. The phoenix might claim that wasn’t true, but Phoenix—he, as an individual—knew it was a lie. He just had to show it to the fire bird, make it understand the truth.

  Taking a huge leap of faith, Phoenix opened his heart and dropped his arms. Pain exploded over him as the bird’s talons raked over his face and chest, narrowly missing his eyes. But still, Phoenix didn’t try to oppose it. Instead, he called the creature to him, reaching out to it like he once had to the energies of the earth.

  Much to Phoenix’s surprise and relief, it worked. The fire bird stopped attacking him, instead hovering over him, its great wings sending a hot breeze Phoenix’s way. It didn’t speak, so Phoenix dared to address it. “You haven’t given me an answer,” he said. “What do you want from me?”

  In response, the phoenix charged him again, but this time, it wasn’t like the first attack. Fire exploded in Phoenix’s chest, expanding all throughout his body. The pain disappeared, and for a brief instant, Phoenix could get a glimpse of the earth’s energies, just like before.

  That same voice—sounding eerily as his own—echoed in his mind. “There’s only room for one phoenix,” it said, now sounding sad, “and it’s not you.”

  The blaze drained out of Phoenix, and the voice disappeared without giving him any further explanation. Suddenly, the desert was gone, and Phoenix found himself in the middle of a hurricane, with the wild winds throwing him around like they would a pathetic little leaf.

  Phoenix braced himself for it, enduring it with as much stoicism as possible. And then… he opened his eyes.

  At first, Phoenix couldn’t understand what had happened. He half expected the wind to return to sweep him away, but it didn’t. Instead, his vision focused, and he found himself glancing up at an unfamiliar ceiling.

  He brought his hand to his forehead, and immediately, unsettled whispers started all around him. “He’s awake,” someone said by his side. “Get the emperor.”

  Phoenix was beginning to remember. Karein and Rachen had argued, and Phoenix had jumped into keep his mate from being injured. After that, he’d blacked out, and he’d ended up in that strange desert. Had that been real, or merely a figment of his feverish mind?

  He couldn’t figure it out, and then it momentarily ceased to matter. The door opened and Rachen, Karein, and Hareem stepped into the room. Rachen pushed past the rest of the people around the bed—draechen doctors, if Phoenix had to guess—and knelt next to him.

  He took Phoenix’s hand and kissed it. “Thank the Overlords you’re back.”

  Behind him, Karein asked, “How are you feeling? The medics claimed you were in a very serious condition.”

  “I…I suppose I was.” Phoenix frowned, and reached out to his mate through their bond. “The strangest thing happened, Rachen. When I was out of it, I saw the phoenix.”

  Confusion mingled with relief in Rachen’s eyes. “What do you mean?”

  Phoenix fed the memory of the encounter into Rachen’s mind. “Does that mean you have your powers back?” Rachen inquired.

  It was a good question. Phoenix searched for the strength he knew should be inside him. Much to his shock, though, he couldn’t find anything, not even the light thread of magic that he’d sensed before the attack. His connection with the energies of the earth seemed completely gone.

  Phoenix remembered what the great fire bird had said and finally understood. He didn’t know how he hadn’t realized it in the beginning. It made so much sense. Perhaps he’d willingly blinded himself to it, because it was just too painful.

  His powers would never return, for one very simple reason. He wasn’t this world’s phoenix. The energy of the earth might be limitless, but they could only focus in one creature. Phoenix had lost his connection with the power that had birthed him. It now belonged to his equivalent in this reality.

  As he attempted to process this, Karein snapped him out of his trance. “Get out,” he said.

  Phoenix was taken aback, before he realized Karein wasn’t talking to him. The rest of the draechen fled the room and closed the door behind them. Hareem was the only one who stayed, a silent, expressionless guardian of his emperor.

  Karein sat on the edge of the bed, keeping a respectful distance to Phoenix. “First of all, I want to tell you that I never meant to hurt you. The fact that I did so, even if it was an accident, pains me deeply.” He frowned. “That in itself is peculiar. I’m not in any way connected to Alwyn Cyraltin. I know that. So I’m still waiting for the explanation your supposed mate has refused to give me.”

  Phoenix didn’t miss the way Karein stressed that word. He also noticed the strain in Karein’s shoulders, the way his pupils were red-rimmed ever so slightly. In that tension, Phoenix saw Rachen’s and he knew that Karein was fighting with the urge to touch Phoenix like a mate would.

  Phoenix hated having to face that. A part of him still wanted to soothe the second Rachen, but he had to think clearly. Just like he wasn’t the phoenix of this world, the Rachen inside Karein wasn’t the same man Phoenix had fallen in love with.

  What was he to do now? What answers could he provide? “Should we tell him the truth?” he asked Rachen through their bond.

  “He’ll never believe it,” Rachen replied. “I know I wouldn’t.”

  He had a point. It was such an outlandish tale that Phoenix himself still doubted it was true. It was the only explanation for what had happened—and yet, on some level, he still didn’t fully grasp it. How could he expect Karein to do it?

  Karein’s piercing eyes fixed on Phoenix’s face, and Phoenix understood that he at least had to make the attempt. What else could he say? That he was Alwyn Cyraltin and Rachen an illusion? That he and Rachen couldn’t remember anything? Yeah, that would go over well.

  “I suppose you’re right,” Rachen told him, “but try to leave aside the phoenix’s power. I have a feeling Karein doesn’t like it. He heard me calling you Phoenix, and he practically jumped at my throat, asking why.”

  Dread filled Phoenix at the realization that there was far more to his circumstances than he’d originally expected. The phoenix had originally been created as a weapon. Therefore, in this world of warmongery, it would likely have been used for that very same purpose. It was no wonder that Karein had hinted to a reluctant truce between draechen and sprites. In this reality, sprites still controlled the power of the phoenix. If Karein found out the truth now, the gods only knew how he’d react.

  “You’re trying to come up with a lie,” Karein said, glaring. “Don’t. Don’t you dare. I deserve to know the truth. You owe me that much.”

  Phoenix winced, since that comment hit strikingly close to home. He had basically destroyed Karein’s entire world, torn apart his mating, and eliminated the existence of his child. Karein might not realize it, but hell, yes, Phoenix owed him, a lot. And the worst thing was that Phoenix didn’t even want to go back to that reality, because it would mean Rachen’s death.

  It occurred to him then that Sari still existed in this world, and that, technically speaking, he and Karein were still mates. All Phoenix had to do was to bring them together. Of course, it wouldn’t be so easy for Hareem, if werewolves were truly extinct. And even if, by some miracle, Taryn was still alive—which seemed doubtful under the circumstances—there were countless other people who had lost friends, family, and loved ones because of what Phoenix had done.

  Phoenix pushed that thought from his mind. There was no point in dwelling on it. He didn’t have his powers, so he couldn’t have restored the original reality even if he’d wanted to. Besides, things might not be as bad as they seemed. Phoenix had drawn some conclusions based on what he’d seen and heard so far, but for all he knew, he was completely in the wrong.

  “We do need to know the extent of what you changed, if that is, indeed, what happened,” Rachen admitted. “But will he tell us?”

  “We ha
ve to try,” Phoenix said. Taking a deep breath, he dared to address Karein. “I will tell you the truth, but I need you to answer a few questions first.”

  Karein snorted. “Why should I have to do that?”

  Phoenix mentally crossed his fingers and gave Karein a pleading look. “Because I need to know,” he whispered.

  It was kind of a low blow. This expression never failed to get Rachen to do whatever Phoenix wanted. As a rule, Phoenix didn’t wield this weapon outside the bedroom, and it felt like a betrayal to even direct it at someone else. Karein blinked at him, and once more, his hair and eyes grew red. “Of course,” he said, staring at Phoenix as if hypnotized. “What do you want to ask me?”

  Now that he’d gotten Karein—or the second Rachen—to agree, Phoenix didn’t really know how to approach this. “I’m just so confused,” he finally said. “What exactly happened here? Are draechen at war?”

  His mate’s copy frowned and moved closer. By Phoenix’s side, his Rachen tensed and wrapped an arm around Phoenix’s waist, holding him close. The action didn’t go unnoticed, and the other Rachen released a low growl. Nevertheless, he didn’t attack or even point out the closeness between Phoenix and his mate in any way. Instead, he said, “You must be joking. We’ve been constantly at war for centuries. Fortunately, we won.”

  “And who lost?”

  “Well, you have to understand our goal was to restore order and eliminate the threat of the vampires and the werewolves,” the second Rachen replied. He frowned slightly, looking very puzzled. “But surely you know all of this? There’s no reason for me to repeat it.”

  “Indulge me,” Phoenix insisted, “just this once, and then I’ll explain everything.”

  For the first time since they’d started the entire conversation, Hareem spoke out, “Your Imperial Majesty, if I may be so bold, perhaps we should just go with this. I would not dare to tell you what to do, but this information is common knowledge after all.”