Authors: Scarlet Hyacinth
Tags: #Romance
The pain in Selbrian’s voice nearly choked Sari. He desperately wanted to tell his father the truth, to soothe the guilt he saw in Selbrian’s eyes. Obviously hearing his thoughts, Karein whispered in his mind,
“Tell him. You trust him to do what’s right for us, so share your news with him.”
“But do you think it’s safe?”
he asked.
“It’s only fair,”
Karein replied.
“Hareem and Sage know on my side. Your parents love you. They deserve to be informed.”
He was right, of course. By keeping this from his mother and father, Sari was hurting them. Taking Selbrian’s hand, he smiled. “I have no regrets, Father. In fact, I’m very happy.”
Selbrian took a deep breath, as if struggling to control a great pain. “Sari, you’ve been speaking in riddles. What is it about this situation that can make you happy?”
“Karein is a good man,” Sari replied. “And he’s my mate. My true mate.”
For a few moments, Selbrian just stared at him. “Are you certain, son?”
“I would stake my life on the truth of it,” Sari replied without hesitation.
“And Ivenia?” Selbrian’s posture straightened, and from father, he became king. “You would risk that, too, by trusting this…good man?”
“There is no risk,” Sari answered. “Karein is on our side. He is aware of everything. He sees into my mind, and he wants to protect me. It goes both ways, Father. I have faith in Karein for good reason.”
“So you’ve allowed him to claim you,” Selbrian said. “I hope you’re right about Prince Shtamakarein. I know he helped your friend, but that isn’t enough to qualify him as trustworthy in my book.”
“You don’t know him like I do,” Sari replied. Likely, Selbrian never would, because Karein had told Sari private things that he would never share with another soul. “But I don’t expect you to. Just…trust me, all right? You know how much I love Ivenia. My true mate wouldn’t be someone who would harm it.”
Selbrian didn’t look convinced, but eventually he nodded. “I suppose there’s nothing I can do but believe.” His tone changed, growing almost ominous. “There’s something I have to tell you. Charlize and Misael have started asking questions. They’re surprised you’re so affectionate to Prince Shtamakarein given that he was supposed to have killed Caelyn.”
Oh. It had never occurred to Sari that Karein’s scheme would come back to bite them in the ass in that particular way, which, in hindsight, had been stupid of him. “Likely, they won’t be the only people to notice.”
“You have to pretend you don’t know about it. The news spread in limited circles, but the draechen are aware you were very sheltered. They would believe it if you told them your mother and I kept it from you.”
“He’s right,”
Karein said in Sari’s mind.
“Father hasn’t brought it up, but he will undoubtedly do so at one point.”
Sari’s heart fell. This automatically meant that, when someone from Draechenburg came to him with the information, he’d have to pretend to be grieved, broken-hearted, and more importantly, furious with Karein. He’d have to renege of his bond with Karein. Just the thought made him sick to his stomach.
“Karein and I will handle it,” he told his father with far more conviction that he felt.
“Very well. I will be leaving with Onyerre, Misael, and Charlize. If I’m right, they won’t rest until they figure out what’s going on. I want to at least have them on Ivenian soil when that happens.”
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.
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 history 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.