Draechen's Mate [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 2] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (33 page)

Sari’s voice drifted into Karein’s mind, full of honest concern.
“Surely there must be something we can do.”

“The only option is for me to take over in Hareem’s stead. The draechen don’t trust me, Sari, and they don’t trust you. I don’t even want to imagine what will happen when our child is born.”

Even as he spoke, Karein knew he had to make the offer to his brother. “Look, Hareem…I can take up the throne. Sari is a prince. He’s perfectly capable of leading by my side.”

“And then your child—whom most people doubt is even yours—will be heir,” Hareem answered. “No, Karein. That’s a horrible idea, and you know it. The old laws forbidding black dragons to lead Ornoz have been abolished, yes, but this is still my duty. It always has been.”

This was hopeless. Karein didn’t want to be emperor, but it was his responsibility since he had taken out Kavehquader. Hareem was much better for it, but stubbornly insisted that he couldn’t serve his people adequately if he didn’t have an official mate. “You don’t need to make a decision right now,” Karein finally said. “You have all the time in the world to choose an empress if that’s what you want to do. There are a million options, Hareem. Don’t be rash about this.”

“The nobles are restless, Karein, as is the army. The eyes of the world are upon us. What would you have me do?”

“The obvious,” Karein answered. “Focus on your people, not your marital state. They can accept you as emperor without you having an empress by your side.”

Hareem didn’t answer, and Karein forced himself to shelf this conversation until another time. This wasn’t the reason he’d approached his brother today, or rather, the only one. “On a different note, there’s an issue of grave importance I need to discuss with you.”

“Oh?” Hareem arched a brow, looking a little more interested. “What is it?”

“I’ve learned of the existence of weaponry that can hurt the draechen.”

Since he’d been under the constant scrutiny of his father after his mating, Karein hadn’t managed to look into the matter more closely, but now that they were free of that, the problem needed to be approached. As it turned out, Sari didn’t know anything about it, which had puzzled Karein quite a bit.

“You’re joking,” Hareem said. “How bad?”

“Several bolts pierced my skin while I was in human form,” Karein replied. “After that, I tested the tips on my scales. The results weren’t encouraging. With enough momentum, it can bypass our defenses even in dragon shape.”

All the blood drained out of Hareem’s face. “When was this? Why did you never mention it?”

“Why do you think?” Karein glowered at his brother. “It would have been the perfect reason for Father to begin a war that could have killed us all.”

“So this is a fae thing,” Hareem concluded. “Look, Karein, I know you care about your mate, but if the fae are plotting something against us—”

“Don’t start,” Karein shot back, interrupting him. “I will be looking into it, but you have to realize the last thing we need is a war.”

Hareem rolled his eyes. “You don’t have to tell me that. I’m not Father. Make this your priority, Karein. With the change in leadership, we’ll be considered vulnerable. Having weapons that can hurt us out there is the last thing we need.”

For once, Karein agreed with his brother. “I will,” he promised. “And you keep in mind what I said about your bride.”

Predictably, Hareem ignored him. With a frustrated huff, Karein turned on his heel and stalked out of the throne room. He knew already that, with regard to Hareem’s personal life, his words had fallen to deaf ears.

Outside, the palace was in an uproar. They were all getting ready for Hareem’s crowning, the most important event of the shifter world in centuries. The ceremony would take place in only a couple of days, so everyone was becoming quite frantic. A huge crowd had gathered for Karein’s wedding, but it would be nothing compared to those who’d visit Draechenburg this time. Even so, all the servants who ran and rushed for various tasks stopped and bowed as Karein passed. Karein wondered if he and Hareem would ever find a solution to their problem.

“You could both lead,”
Sari suggested,
“kind of like the sprite judges.”

“The draechen would never accept a kritarchy, baby,”
Karein replied.
“All we’ve ever known, since the time of the Great Sacrifice, is an empire. We can no longer give that up.”

They were in quite a quandary, indeed, and the situation bothered both of them a great deal. There were a million things to handle and prepare for the crowning. And yet, Karein headed toward Sari’s location, drawn to his mate’s light like a moth to the flame.

He found Sari in a newly prepared room in the imperial wing. Sari greeted him at the door with a kiss, and together, they slipped inside. “I’m sorry I can’t help more,” he said.

“It’s not your fault,” Karein said. “It’s centuries of frustratingly mistaken tradition that brought us to this point.”

“I’ll speak with Father about the weapons,” Sari promised. “He must know something. I’d have asked Mother when I saw her in Eternelle, but you know how things were.”

Unfortunately, Karein did know. It had slipped his mind, too. He could have approached Eanera about it since she had been in Eternelle briefly during his stay there. But he’d been too focused on his mate to worry about that. In any case, the fae royal family would be flying in for the crowning. They could inquire into it then.

Not wanting to think about politics any longer, Karein looked around the nursery. It was done in shades of blue, as per Eanera’s advice. According to Sari’s mother, the child would be a boy. Already, several presents from their friends and family filled the room. Eanera herself had provided them with some of Sari’s old clothes and toys, mementos from Sari’s childhood. Her assistance of Sari hadn’t come without a price since she was more watched than ever, but the king had covered for her, claiming he’d given his approval for her departure beforehand. Eanera couldn’t join them for the crowning, but she was safe.

In a more surprising development, Graham had made them a crib, which Karein appreciated a great deal, even if he couldn’t say so. He hoped that one day, they’d be able to change the Directive so that Graham and Caelyn wouldn’t have to be stuck in Eternelle.

As he thought that, memories of the obelisk returned to his mind. For some reason, he simply couldn’t forget what had happened that day. “Don’t think about it,” Sari said. “You left something dark in Eternelle, but you’re free now. We’re free.”

At that, Karein shared a smile with Sari. Yes, they were free to enjoy their love and their family. But Karein had every intention to use this freedom so that everyone else could have what he did.

Now that he had his mate, he anticipated the future with renewed hope. He would build a better world, one where no one had to live in fear and hide their bond. For Hareem, for Sari, but also for Kael and Talrasar, Karein would do it. It was his solemn vow, and with Sari’s help, he had no doubt that he could succeed.

* * * *

Caelyn glanced at the obelisk, holding Graham’s hand tightly. Its shifting surface made him shiver and want to run, but he and Graham were doing what Eanera had asked them to. “I wonder what happened to it,” he mused.

Graham pressed a kiss to Caelyn’s forehead, then released his palm. As he approached the monument, the obelisk seemed to vibrate, as if reaching out for Graham. It nearly knocked Graham over, or it would have had Graham not been very steady on his feet. Caelyn bit the inside of his cheek, suppressing the urge to run to his mate’s side. He needed to keep his distance since his magic was, apparently, dangerous to have around the obelisk.

Meanwhile, Graham ignored all the vibrating and started to snap photos of the monument and film the occurrences. They did this every day, keeping their visit as short as possible, as per Eanera’s specific instructions. The rest of the time, the obelisk was kept completely isolated, all other people forbidden to come here by the express order of the High Priestess.

When Graham was finished, he rushed to Caelyn’s side and quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulders, squeezing him tightly. As they hastened away, the werewolf said, “I don’t know what happened, angel, but there’s something evil here now. I have no idea when and how it happened, but it needs to be kept contained at all costs.”

Caelyn couldn’t have agreed more, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be so easy. Already the obelisk was straining under whatever power was trying to get out. Caelyn suspected that soon, they would learn what was hiding behind the black surface of the obelisk, and they wouldn’t like it.

End of Book 2: DRAECHEN’S MATE

To be continued in

Book 3: WARRIORS’ DREAM

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A native Romanian, Scarlet was born in 1986 and grew up an avid fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and adventure. Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she delved into her mother’s collection of books and, of course, stumbled onto romance.

As a writer though, Scarlet Hyacinth was born one sunny summer day, when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her to GLBT fiction—proposed they start writing a story of their own. As it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story, but Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up starting to write individually. And so, between working on her dissertation, studying for exams, and reading yaoi manga, she started writing the Kaldor Saga. Along the way, Scarlet met a lot of wonderful people who supported her, and in the end, she found her story a home and, in the process, fulfilled a beautiful dream.

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