Fire's Embrace [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (14 page)

Alwyn perked up, obviously eager to see Rachen, but in mere seconds, he deflated. In fact, Kael could have sworn he heard the man release a small sob. “You have to keep him away from me,” he said, clutching Kael’s arm.

When had he moved from the couch? Kael hadn’t even seen him approach. That, in itself, was a little mind-bending. “I’m not sure I can do that,” he said, trying to keep his dismay from showing.

Alwyn let out another inarticulate noise and released Kael’s arm. He turned on his heel and ran into the bedroom. Kael studied his arm and saw a bruise was forming where Alwyn had gripped him.

Talrasar reached out to him through their bond. “
Are you going to tell Rachen about what Sage learned?”
he inquired.

“We don’t have a choice, love,”
Kael answered. “
He needs to know. But maybe everything will be all right. Maybe this Alwyn was correct in saying that Rachen was mistaken when he thought the two of them were mates.”

And yet, even as he spoke, Alwyn’s words returned to his mind.
You have to keep him away from me.
That kind of selflessness and love couldn’t come from a mindless, soulless creature. Exactly what were they dealing with here and how were they going to stop it without making things worse?

* * * *

Alwyn felt like he was losing his mind. He dreamt of fire and destruction. He accidentally stole the powers of one of the most important magical creatures in the world, then injured his host and Ornozian Imperial Consul, Karein Tersain. He knew now that Caelyn had been right in saying he was dangerous, and he was terrified of what he would do next.

Still, when Sage brought news of Rachen’s imminent return, his first reaction was bliss and relief. At the very core of his being, Alwyn had missed Rachen so much it hurt. He realized that he should be clinging to his original resolve to keep Rachen from him, and his rational mind did remember that. And yet, what he truly wanted to do was to burst out of the room, run into the cliffside, and take off, to meet Rachen halfway, to see the dragon again.

That really made no sense to Alwyn. He couldn’t fly, so he had no way of doing that. But ever since he’d had that dream, random thoughts popped into his mind, suggesting that he might have once been able to do several things he couldn’t now.

Instead of investigating that, Alwyn retreated into his sleeping quarters. Imperial Consul Kael claimed that he couldn’t keep Rachen away from Alwyn. But what if Rachen had met the true Alwyn Cyraltin and realized the source of his true feelings? Just the idea made Alwyn so angry he could barely even breathe.

Next to him, a vase exploded. The smell of burnt material filled the room, and Alwyn realized that his steps were leaving burns in the carpet. Cursing, he stopped pacing and dropped to his knees. He buried his face in his palms, trying to calm down and failing.

How had he ever thought he would be able to give up Rachen? Rachen was the only thing that had remained consistently real for him, the only truth in his life that no one could question. Whatever he was, whatever powers he had, his feelings for Rachen would never change.

What did the real Alwyn have that was so special anyway? He had been more than an adequate replacement so far. Who said that he couldn’t continue to do so?

Something hot rose within him, and Alwyn whimpered as he clutched his chest. It didn’t work that way. This whole thing had started because Alwyn could no longer be…well, Alwyn. He couldn’t maintain the façade anymore. His real essence was coming out, and it had very little to do with Rachen’s true mate.

He didn’t know how long he sat there on the floor, lost in his thoughts and in his pain. At one point, he heard his visitors leave, which he surmised was a sign that Rachen would be arriving soon. Indeed, the sound of an approaching aircraft reached his ears, and before he could control himself, Alwyn shot to his feet.

He ran out of the bedroom, his steps carrying him toward the balcony. Halfway there, he remembered it had been locked and barred when Alwyn had been imprisoned here. Disappointed, he almost turned back, but then, he threw a glance toward the balcony door. At first, he thought that he’d remembered correctly and the access toward the terrace was still blocked. But then, he blinked, and his vision cleared. The door was open. How odd. Perhaps Kael had unlocked it before he’d left. Alwyn couldn’t imagine why Kael would have done that. Then again, it wasn’t like he could actually escape through the balcony if he even had any intention of going. From the terrace, it was a direct fall onto the ruthless mountains beneath. He very much doubted that even with his strange powers, he would manage to survive it.

Shrugging off the odd occurrence, Alwyn slipped outside. Just in time, too, because he could watch Rachen’s plane approach. First, its image was small, like a sparrow, but then it grew into a dove, an eagle, and then bigger and bigger. It was so easy for Alwyn to imagine himself flying next to it, next to Rachen.

He only realized he was doing exactly that, flying, when he started to move too fast for him to miss it. He gasped when he looked back and realized the balcony was way behind him. The motion broke his concentration, and he started to fall. At the last moment, he managed to grab a rocky outcropping and held on for dear life.

For a few moments, Alwyn actually contemplated letting go. It would be so easy. He would just fall, fly for a little, like he’d wanted, and then it would all be over. With him gone, everyone would be free to live out their happiness. Rachen would eventually forget all about him, since he had the real Alwyn Cyraltin. Of course, it would be painful at first, but time healed all wounds.

Deep inside Alwyn, the trapped beast whom he felt closer and closer with every passing second released a pained screech. He didn’t want to let go. He didn’t want to lose Rachen. It simply wasn’t fair. He hadn’t even had a chance to live yet. All his existence, he’d only been a weapon, a tool for other people to use, but now, he’d found his true purpose. How could he possibly give it up?

Alwyn had no idea where that thought was coming from, but he felt the truth of it, echoing deep inside him. He surmised he must be remembering bits and pieces of his past, or maybe connecting with his true self in some way. In any case, the beast, however dangerous it might be, was right. If nothing else, he had to speak to Rachen one more time, to know what the dragon wanted.

Nodding to himself, Alwyn released his hold on the stone. However, he didn’t fall. Instead, he continued to float, slowly, somewhat clumsily, but at a steady pace. No one saw him, which was perhaps fortunate, since he had no idea how the dragons would react to it. Finally, he reached the cliffside and landed onto the edge, far enough from the crowd that he wasn’t immediately noticed.

He had enough time to draw his breath before someone finally spotted him. Karein emerged from the crowd and walked to his side, a frown on his handsome face. Oh, he looked so much like Rachen that Alwyn could have kissed him.

Alwyn reminded himself that Rachen would be home soon and forced a smile. It obviously wasn’t as convincing as Alwyn would have liked, because Karein’s glare grew fiercer. “How did you get here?” Karein asked when he reached Alwyn’s side.

Alwyn wanted to say he wasn’t really sure, but he had a feeling the dragons were getting tired of that. Besides, this time, it wasn’t exactly true. “I flew,” he replied.

Karein just blinked at him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, and Alwyn’s attention was captured by the deep red scratches still on his hand. Alwyn winced. He’d done that, and he hadn’t even been trying. They were right to be concerned. In truth, he knew he should have stayed in his room. If not for his connection to Rachen, they’d have probably treated him in an entirely different way.

“I didn’t mean to,” he said sedately. “It just kind of happened. I just wanted to see him so badly.”

Karein groaned. “You know, I should resent you because of what happened with Eanera. Sari is furious with you, so I should be, too. But a part of me can’t be, because you love Rachen so much. Damn it, I’m in so much trouble.”

Alwyn bit his lower lip. He didn’t want to stir up things more than he already had, and he truly didn’t know what to say or do that would help in such a fucked-up situation. He could only hope that once he got a better grip on his powers, he could fix what he’d done to Eanera. But he couldn’t promise that. Nothing was certain at this moment, not when half the time, Alwyn had no idea what he even felt.

He realized all too well that the entire Tersain family was here, and they were avoiding him. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand why they were acting like this. Of course he did. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t have liked to be a part of them, to belong.

Thankfully, he was saved from the awkwardness when at last, Rachen’s plane landed. Naturally, he couldn’t burst forward to joyfully greet his mate like he wanted to, but that was only a temporary setback.

The door of the plane opened, and at last, Rachen emerged from within. Instantly, his gaze met Alwyn’s. He greeted everyone in passing but didn’t stop to speak to them. In fact, he didn’t stop at all, until he reached Alwyn’s side.

For a few moments, they just looked at each other. Oddly, Alwyn didn’t know what to do. He wanted to jump into Rachen’s arms, but at the same time, to run in the other direction and make sure that his mate wouldn’t have to suffer because of him. Conflicting emotions burned through him, and tears pooled at the corner of his eyes.

In the end, Rachen made the choice for him. He pulled Alwyn into his arms and crushed their mouths together. Alwyn melted into his mate’s arms, kissing Rachen with all the passion and despair that had gathered during the dragon’s absence.

Rachen groaned, his tongue greedily tasting Alwyn, awakening pure need inside of him. Alwyn forgot about everything that wasn’t Rachen, even the fact that his own name didn’t belong to him. When he was in Rachen’s arms, it didn’t seem to matter.

It was beautiful, sweet, hot, and it ended too soon. Still, when Rachen broke the kiss, he held onto the embrace, so Alwyn couldn’t exactly complain. He leaned against his mate, feeling happy and safe for the first time since Rachen had left.

Rachen turned toward Karein and smiled. “Thank you, Karein,” he said. “I knew I could count on you to protect my mate.”

It occurred to him then that there was no sign of the real Alwyn Cyraltin. Surely, during his stay in Britain, Karein had met the sprite. Or hadn’t he? Was that why he remained so obviously drawn to him?

“How did it go?” he asked, unable to keep the tremor from his voice. “How was your visit?”

“It was…informative,” Rachen replied. He kissed Alwyn’s temple, all the while gesturing his brother inside. “But perhaps we should discuss this someplace else.”

“Indeed,” Karein said, his voice glum. “We have some news, too.”

The rest of the Tersain family joined them, as did Lieutenant Zager and his mate Camden. The mood grew awkward, or rather, more awkward. No one spoke, obviously noticing Rachen’s protectiveness toward Alwyn. It was Alwyn’s guess that once they were in private, that would no longer be enough. If he wanted to be perfectly honest, he was a little relieved. He just couldn’t help but feel that the draechen knew something they weren’t telling him.

They entered the palace and walked toward the imperial wing. The silence was so oppressive that Alwyn had the urge to start screaming.

Rachen couldn’t have missed it, because his hold on Alwyn’s waist tightened. He finally stopped when the atmosphere became too much to withstand. “All right. Can anyone tell me what the fuck is going on?”

“In a minute,” Hareem replied. “We don’t want anyone to overhear.”

It was fortunate that they were close to their destination, because otherwise, Alwyn didn’t know what he’d have done. The room that was picked for their little conversation was, coincidentally, Rachen’s.

The moment they stepped inside, Rachen turned and glared at his family. “Okay. We’re here. Now I really want an explanation.”

“We will be brief,” Karein said. “As it turns out, our guest can inflict injuries on draechen, injuries that don’t heal even with assistance from fae.” He showed off his own hand as evidence. “Apparently, he can also fly without even having to shift forms.”

“So, he’s a shifter then,” Rachen said.

Alwyn couldn’t help but note that Rachen didn’t seem awfully surprised upon hearing of his strange abilities. “Rachen? What exactly did you learn when you were in London? Did you meet…”

He trailed off, unable to mention the real Alwyn, still wary of his rival. Surprisingly, Rachen just smiled, as if he knew what Alwyn was thinking. “He looked just like you…but he wasn’t my mate. You are.”

A great weight lifted off Alwyn’s chest, and he smiled brightly. “Of course I am. We knew that already.”

Rachen chuckled, but then, his expression sobered. “At first they weren’t cooperative in the slightest, but earlier today, Ferradul Cyraltin and his son finally showed up. I think they knew about my interest in you and guessed that it absolutely had to be related to the original Alwyn. At any rate, they believe that you are dangerous and requested my assistance in neutralizing the threat. Naturally, I refused.”

There was something Rachen wasn’t saying. Alwyn could tell, and he suspected Rachen’s brothers could, too. Karein was frowning in visible displeasure. “So that’s the only thing they told you?” he asked. “That he’s dangerous? Nothing else?”