Hyacinth, Scarlet - Fire of the Four Seasons (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) (6 page)

“You’re thinking too hard again,” Visnah whispered. “Don’t doubt what you know to be true.”

Alexei nodded. He clung to Visnah’s reassuring words, forcing himself to stop dwelling over glum predictions. “And on
that
note, Alexei, you need to pick your apples,” Ohsyn said.

Alexei gasped as he realized the reason why he’d been sent here in the first place. He’d forgotten about Eva and her fruit entire
ly
. Sure, his fami
ly
did
n’t know how long the trip to the grove took. Alexei could spend some more time here with his men. “I don’t want to go,” he said. “I just want to be here with you.”

“I know,”
Ly
etah answered. “
That
time will come. You have to be patient.”

Sighing, Alexei picked a couple of apples and placed them in his saddlebag. Afterwards, he turned to his men. “When will I see you again?”

“Soon,” Visnah answered. “For now, go on home. And remember, we’ll miss you.”

On impulse, Alexei stole another kiss from each of his men. He hated saying goodbye, especial
ly
now, when it meant being separated from his lovers. But he forced himself to be strong and break away from them. “I’ll miss you, too.”

He got on his horse and rode off. Behind him, he felt a slight whisper of the wind and knew his men
had
vanished. His mind and heart in turmoil, he headed home.

Predictab
ly
, upon his arrival, Eva snatched the apples without even a thank you. Yet again, she commented on his swollen lips, and he ignored her. Huffing, Eva took her apples to her room while Alexei sat in front of the crackling fire. What would happen tomorrow? Would he real
ly
see his lovers again, or
had
it all been a weird hallucination? What were these newly emerging feelings in his heart? So many questions, so few answers. For once, the fire
did
n’t speak to him, leaving Alexei alone and lost in his dilemmas.

Chapter Four

The following day
had
Alexei still dwelling on the memories of the incredible orgasm he’d experienced at the four men’s hands and clever mouths. He’d slept poor
ly
, tormented by sensual dreams, and now, his mind kept drifting off to ice-blue or amber eyes, gentle voices, and sweet, wine-tasting lips.

Even Igor noticed the change in him. Concerned, he urged Alexei to get some rest. “You’ve run around too much these days. Perhaps you’re coming down with something.” Alexei’s father shook his head. “I knew I shouldn’t have allowed you to leave in such weather.”

Alexei accepted his father’s kindness shameless
ly
. He knew
that
if he tried to get some work done today, he’d just be in the way. He simp
ly
couldn’t focus on chores when his entire being ached to just feel his men close. Even hearing their voices would have sufficed.

Sitting by the fire helped, however, the flame singing a low chant to him.
“You’ll be with them,”
it said.
“Don’t fret and be patient.”

Unfortunate
ly
, Eva intruded on his moment of peace and quiet. “Alexei? Oh, Alexei, would you come over here for a moment?”

Alexei gave his sister a bored look. “You come if you want to.”

He knew she would not do it. Eva never sat down in front of the fire. In fact, excessive heat made her violent
ly
ill.

Eva frowned at him. “Stop being such a jerk. I asked you nice
ly
.”

“If you want something, just say it from there,” he said. Whatever urged her to approach him couldn’t be good, Alexei just knew it.

Eva crossed her hands over her chest and huffed. “Fine. Since you’re clear
ly
not busy today, I want you to go get me more apples. The ones you brought yesterday dried up already.”

Alexei couldn’t bring himself to be surprised by her request. She seemed to be getting more and more spoiled by the second, and indulging her whims
did
n’t help. “Like I said yesterday,” he answered, “I’m not doing it again.”

“Right,” Eva drawled, “you’re afraid of a little winter wind. Poor little Alexei.” She laughed, and Alexei forced himself to remain calm.

“And how many times
did
you leave the house last summer, hmm?” he asked. “At least I don’t hide in my room like you.”

Unfortunate
ly
, Elga chose this particular moment to come inside. “Don’t talk to your sister like
that
,” she said. “If she wants apples, you’ll get her apples.”

Alexei shot to his feet. “I said no more after yesterday, and I haven’t changed my mind.”

Eva let out a sigh of theatrical exasperation. “Fine. Then can you just show me the way? From now on, I’ll get my own fruit.”

Alexei’s mind went blank. He started to come up with an argument, but knew he’d been defeated. “You can’t be serious,” he tried to say. “What’s the point of going trekking through the forest? You ate apples yesterday. Just drop it.”

“I don’t want to,” Eva answered stubborn
ly
. “And if you won’t do it, I will.”

Elga looked like she doubted the success of this plan. “Darling, I don’t know if it’s wise. The road is too long and dangerous.”

Pain coursed through Alexei at the sight of their mother fussing over Eva so visib
ly
. She
had
n’t shown a trickle of concern for him. Granted, Alexei
was
male and could take care of himself better, but she knew his vulnerability to the cold. She could have at least acknowledged it.

“Mama is right, Eva. It is too risky for you,” he said tired
ly
.

“No, it’s not.” His sister shook her head. “I’ll be just fine. You just need to show me the way, and I’ll stop bothering you.”

A few hours later, Alexei and Eva left their house on his horse. Alexei still couldn’t figure out how she’d managed to convince them all, their parents included. But he felt terrified she would discover the truth about his four lovers. What would she do if she saw them? Would they ask her for kisses, just like they
had
with him? Jealousy and fear swelled inside him, terrible and hurtful. For the first time, he hoped his men would not make their appearance, or he would not manage to find the grove.

Halfway to their destination, Eva complained she could no longer withstand riding. She
was
not used to it, so Alexei
did
n’t hold it against her. However, he couldn’t refrain from pointing out that she should have expected such difficulties. “How easy
did
you think it would be?” he asked as he helped her dismount.

She frowned at him. “It’s just an animal. I
did
n’t think mounting it would actual
ly
hurt me. Let’s just walk for a while.”

Of course, Eva’s proposed method ended up taking more out of Alexei than out of her. As the cold wind intensified, Eva seemed to gain more and more strength, and Alexei weakened. After a while, Alexei suggested riding the horse again, arguing
that
it would be faster, but Eva declined. “What point is there to be fast if I’m going to be in pain? Come on, lazy bones. Move it.”

And so, Alexei resigned himself to accepting the cold trek. In the end, walking
did
n’t prove to be quite so bad, since the effort heated Alexei up. Eva soon seemed to show signs of fatigue, and Alexei guessed it must be happening to her as well.

The trip seemed to take forever. Several times, Alexei considered just forcing Eva onto the horse and heading back home, but something stopped him. The blaze inside him rebelled at the thought of giving up in front of a challenge. So onward they went until they at last spotted the woods in the distance.

They stopped to catch their breath at the very edge of the forest. “Here we are,” Alexei said, “but there’s still quite a way to go to reach the grove.”

Eva nodded, scanning the area thoughtful
ly
. “The shrubbery seems very thick.”

“I suppose,” Alexei answered, not real
ly
understanding what she meant to say by
that
.

“It’s going to be difficult to move with this big, useless beast behind us,” she said. Before Alexei could stop her, she stole the reins of the horse from him and kicked the poor animal hard. The horse neighed in protest and took off in a heavy gallop.

Alexei rushed after the animal and called out, but, predictab
ly
, it ignored him. Furious, he stalked back to his sister. “Are you mad? How are we going to get home?”

Eva arched a brow at him. “Walking, of course, just like we came.”

“You idiot!” Alexei shouted. “Can’t you see it will be getting dark soon? When night falls, the woods will be teeming with wolves and the road with bandits. And what about your many apples? How do you intend to carry them?”

Eva’s eyes widened. Obvious
ly
, she
had
n’t considered those aspects. She’d always disliked animals since she considered them dirty and disgusting. It
was
just like her to disregard their safety for something so trivial.

In
that
moment, she looked so very young Alexei
did
n’t have the heart to continue a shouting match. “Look, let’s just head on home, and we should be fine. If we keep a good pace, we’ll reach the house before dusk.”

To his surprise and dismay, Eva shook her head. “No. We’ve come this far already. We’re not going back.”

“Eva, be reasonable,” he started to say.

He shouldn’t have bothered with trying to convince her. She took off, running straight into the forest. Alexei cursed and rushed after her. The foolish girl would get herself killed. Even if the cold
did
n’t hurt her, the wolves certain
ly
would.

Desperate, he tried to find his sister, calling out her name. On and on he searched, acute
ly
aware of every second
that
passed. Even if they
did
n’t get along, Eva
was
his twin and he loved her. In his heart, he’d always hoped they’d get over their differences one day. They wouldn’t have this chance if something happened to Eva.

He tried to follow the footsteps in the snow, but Eva moved on light feet, bare
ly
leaving any trace at all. Darkness began to creep into the forest, ominous and threatening. A feeling of decision invaded him, a hidden warmth fueling his body from deep inside. He would not allow any harm to come to his sister.

As his mind cleared, he could sense the way she’d gone. He rushed in
that
direction when, out of the blue, a bloodcurdling scream sounded straight ahead. “Alexei!”

It
was
Eva’s voice, and the terror in it turned Alexei’s blood into ice. He moved as quick
ly
as he could, and at last, saw his sister ahead. She lay still on the ground, her eyes fixed somewhere in front of her.

Alexei reached her side and realized why she’d screamed. In the pale light of dusk, he spotted the wolves approach. Oh, Goddess. This couldn’t be happening.

Trying to keep his composure, he knelt at Eva’s side. “Are you all right, Eva?”

“I tripped against a root,” Eva whispered back. She showed him her bloody hand. “I scratched myself when I fell.”

The wolves must have scented Eva’s blood in the air then and come hunting before they usual
ly
did
. “Can you walk?” he asked. The beasts were approaching now, and it would on
ly
be a matter of seconds for them to attack.

She nodded. “I can walk. I
did
n’t twist my ankle.”

Alexei gent
ly
helped her up, careful so as not to make any sudden movements. “When I say go, run back as fast as you can. Try to find your way to the road using my footsteps.”

“But Alexei…” she protested. Her eyes filled with tears, and for once, they looked genuine.

“Shh,
sestrichka
,” Alexei murmured. “It will be fine.”

They’d never used terms of endearment with each other, not even as children, but somehow, in this moment, it fit. Eva seemed to think the same. “
Bratishka
,” she murmured, “I don’t want to leave you.”

Eva’s words meant the world to Alexei, but he couldn’t allow her to stay. “You have to go. Our parents are going to need you.”

They
did
n’t have time to continue the debate. The wolves lunged, their wild eyes shining with hunger. Alexei pushed Eva onto the path and positioned himself strategical
ly
between her way out and the wolves. One of the animals pounced on Alexei, embedding its fangs in his flesh and sending him crashing into the cool ground. Alexei knew he
was
going to die here. He wished he could have seen his men one last time. But at least his sister would escape.

Unfortunate
ly
, the wolves were more numerous than Alexei had original
ly
thought. He heard Eva scream and realized they’d been surrounded by a whole pack of the beasts.