Authors: Scarlet Hyacinth
Tags: #Romance
“I’ve found my mate,” he blurted out. “He’s a werewolf, and he’s a prisoner of the draechen.”
Sari released a soft gasp, his eyes widening in something like… realization. “Did you already know?” Caelyn asked.
“No…” Sari replied. “My mother mentioned you yesterday, but you know how she is. You can never make heads or tails of what she says.”
Caelyn did understand what Sari meant. Sari’s mother wasn’t the Ivenian queen, but the High Priestess of Jenarra, Eanera. From time to time, the goddess granted her strong visions, although Caelyn had never understood how it worked. He’d only met her once, when he’d been a child. She struck him as beautiful, kind, and mysterious, and even then, she spoke in riddles that had puzzled him a great deal.
The fact that she knew about him and his mate surprised him, but he supposed it shouldn’t have. Jenarra saw all. Maybe it was a good sign that Eanera had warned Sari of it ahead of time.
“Well, it’s like this. Prince Shtamakarein asked me for my hand in marriage. Meanwhile, I met my mate here, and I’m trying to free him. I don’t have much time before Karein returns from whatever expedition he’s on.”
Sari looked concerned. “I hear he’s very intelligent and fierce. He’ll figure out something is wrong.”
“He might already suspect.” Caelyn couldn’t forget what the guards had mentioned earlier, that his mate had done something to piss Karein off. It could have just been the werewolf’s defiant attitude, but for some reason, Caelyn doubted it.
“That’s bad news,” Sari replied. “Look, I’ll speak with my mother. You know I can’t leave here—the queen would have my head—but maybe I can get Mother to make some arrangements and send someone to help.”
It was a tremendous risk to take. Helping a werewolf would be tantamount to declaring war on the draechen. Caelyn realized that, and he hadn’t actually considered such a powerful reaction from Sari’s part.
“Sari, that’s too risky. Your people—”
“I know what you’re thinking, but I don’t like the Directive either. I understand why it was created, but I’ve always hated it, and so does Mother. Don’t worry. We’ll find a way to intervene without being discovered.” Sari smiled slightly. “If there’s anyone who can do it, it’s Mother.”
Caelyn supposed Sari was correct. Although he didn’t know the full extent of Sari’s affairs, from some comments his friend had made, he realized that Sari’s stepmother, Queen Onyerre, was forever jockeying to get rid of Sari and Eanera. It was a precarious position to be in, and yet, the Priestess remained highly respected all throughout Ivenia and the magical world in general.
“Thank you,” he answered. Outside, the sound of an approaching jet reminded him of the imminent arrival of his fiancé. “Look, I have to go. Karein is coming back, and I need to keep up appearances.” He remembered what Hareematek had said earlier. “Oh, before I forget. There’ll be a party to celebrate my engagement to the draechen prince.”
“Excellent. We can use that.” Sari’s smile melted into a concerned expression. “One more thing, Lyni… Do you plan to go with this wolf when he escapes?”
Caelyn liked that Sari said
when
, not
if
. The actual question had him puzzled, though. “Of course.”
“You’ll be lost to your family, to the upper castes. The draechen will be furious with the sprites.” Sari bit his lower lip. “I don’t mean to discourage you. I want you to be happy. But…this werewolf…what do you really know about him?”
Caelyn would have bristled at the inquiry, except Sari was right. He hadn’t even managed to learn his mate’s name. Everyone just called him “the mutt” or something else equally as insulting. And of course, he realized the implications of his actions. If he abandoned his family after agreeing to wed Karein… Jenarra above, it was a disaster in the making.
“What else can I do, Sari?” he asked. “I can’t marry the draechen, and I can’t allow this abuse to continue.” Tears blurred his vision as he recalled what he’d seen in the prisons. “You should have seen it, Sari. They’re treating the lower caste rebels like animals. It can’t be condoned. No matter what happened in the past, it has to stop.”
“I know.” Sari’s eyes grew a little distant, as if he wasn’t thinking about Caelyn anymore. Quickly enough, though, he recovered, his expression clearing. “Just think on it. I’ll speak with Mother like I said. Good luck.”
Murmuring another thank-you, Caelyn ended the call. Sari had a point in that the situation was far more complicated than Caelyn had dared to even think. He’d wanted to free his mate and the rest of the prisoners, but what did he know about them really? What if some of them were truly dangerous? Was it fair for him to make rushed judgments just based on what little he had seen?
Shaking himself, Caelyn abandoned his cell phone on his bed and stalked to his wardrobe. As he started to change clothes in preparation for his meeting with Karein, he went over everything he knew and didn’t know. In the end, none of this was fair, not really. The werewolves and vampires had been trialed and sentenced just based on the species they belonged to, a war that had ended a long time ago, and a law that should have never been allowed in the first place.
The question wasn’t what would happen if Caelyn left. His family would disown him, of course, and they would lose favor with the draechen. However, he wasn’t royalty, no matter how important his connections in the paranormal world had become. The Tersain wouldn’t start a war over his elopement.
The real dilemma lay in what would occur if he stayed. He’d have to give up everything he’d ever dreamed of and agree to share his life with someone he practically despised. He might not have been sure what to think of Karein now, but he was sure the two of them would end up hating each other if they became mates. But most importantly, the image of one lone man flashed through Caelyn’s mind. Bound in silver chains, he’d still been as proud and strong as ever. No one had been able to defeat or crush his will or dignity.
Caelyn couldn’t abandon that man. He couldn’t
not
have faith that Jenarra had given him the right mate. Already, he’d seen so many remarkable things in the werewolf, and they didn’t even know each other.
He might be going on instinct with regard to detecting his mate. He might be following his heart. But was that such a bad thing to do?
As he finished changing and redid his makeup, Caelyn decided that questioning it further would solve nothing. There was only one path in front of him now, one he could walk with his mate.
But even then, one final doubt lingered in Caelyn’s heart. He might be accepting this, agreeing to sacrifice everything for a dream and a man only his soul knew. But what of the werewolf? What if the differences between them were too great to be surpassed?
Suddenly feeling very cold inside, Caelyn abandoned the kohl and picked up his phone from the bed. There was nothing he could do about it now but hope and work to fulfill his plan to save his mate. Beyond that, it was out of his hands. The werewolf would trust him or he wouldn’t. But Caelyn didn’t need to have visions of the future like Eanera to know that if his mate refused him, he’d never be the same.
A few days later
“And then, he ran after me and forced me to admit that I’d been the one to break the vase. Even then, he was scary.”
There were chuckles all around as Prince Hareematek finished the story. Of course, Karein didn’t seem amused. He studied his brother impassively and took a sip from his drink, completely silent.
Caelyn watched him as unobtrusively as possible. It seemed to him that, since his return, Karein had become more cold and calculating than ever. The brief flash of desire Caelyn had seen the night before his departure was gone without a trace. More unsettlingly, the draechen prince always appeared to be watching Caelyn, and Caelyn had the feeling that, if he’d been a book, Karein would have already flipped through all the pages.
As if guessing his thoughts, Karein suddenly pinned him with an inscrutable glance. Caelyn quickly looked away, scanning the crowd of dancers swirling in the ballroom. There were so many colors, dresses, jewelry, and elegant outfits creating a display of ostentation that honestly tired Caelyn. In spite of it, he remained very much aware of Karein watching him.
And then, the draechen prince was suddenly by his side. “Would you like to dance, my lord?” he asked.
Caelyn jumped, startled. “It would be an honor,” he replied automatically.
Karein took Caelyn’s hand, and together, they joined all the other couples. There was some whispering from those present. The engagement hadn’t actually been announced as they were all waiting for the emperor and empress to arrive. The Krites had been invited, but likely, they’d only be able to make an appearance at the wedding, if it happened. Nevertheless, it was likely that a lot of people suspected the real reason behind this new celebration.
Karein really didn’t seem to care about it. He pulled Caelyn so close that not even a needle could have gotten between them. It would have been erotic, and perhaps Caelyn might have thought that was Karein’s intention. But Karein’s hold on Caelyn’s waist tightened, actually becoming painful. At first, Caelyn wanted to keep his mouth shut about it, but the strange behavior couldn’t go unnoticed.
“Your Highness?” he asked, frustrated to find that his voice was shaking.
“Don’t play games with me, Caelyn,” Karein whispered in his ear, so lowly that Caelyn almost thought he was imagining it. “I know you’re planning something. Whatever it is, don’t do it. You’re going to regret it.”
Caelyn’s blood turned to ice. So he had been right in believing that Karein suspected something. “Highness, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you don’t.” Karein chuckled, but the sound held no amusement. “You don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into, period. You’re a child, a pretty doll your family is using to make themselves look good.”
The harsh words threatened to cut Caelyn’s breath, but he still didn’t understand why Karein was saying all of this. “You might not realize it now,” Karein continued, “but whatever you think you saw in that wolf is a lie. Remember your position. If you don’t, your life will be forfeit.”
They were done dancing around each other then, which was quite ironic really, given that they were still engaged in a waltz among the other couples. “Are you threatening me, Your Highness?” Caelyn asked.
He really couldn’t believe that Karein had dared to say such things, especially in public. Granted, the rest of the dancers likely couldn’t hear, but it was still a daring, perhaps even reckless move.
“It’s not a threat,” Karein replied. “I’m not the one you need to fear.”
“I imagine not,” Caelyn said calmly. “You don’t want to marry me, not really.”
“What I want is irrelevant,” Karein answered. “It’s what I have to do that matters. Whether you know it or not, you’re in the same situation.”
Caelyn bristled. “Maybe I am. Given the circumstances, I don’t know how you can even suggest I have something to do with a wolf. If you think so badly of me, I’m sure there’s a better mate for you out there.”
“That would be very convenient.” Karein bit on Caelyn’s earlobe hard, and Caelyn hissed in pain. “But you’re not getting out of this so easily.”
Panic rose through Caelyn. He was in so much trouble. It seemed obvious that Karein had some sort of knowledge on what Caelyn felt for his mate and his somewhat uncertain plan. He was almost relieved that Sari hadn’t given him details on the actual operation. They’d only spoken once since Caelyn’s first phone call to his friend, and Sari had assured Caelyn that everything was in order. They were ready to proceed, and Sari had asked for Caelyn’s final okay and a few more details. Caelyn had gladly given both, and he was now waiting to see what his friend had come up with.
If it wasn’t good enough… Caelyn didn’t even want to think about the consequences. Nevertheless, he tried to keep up a brave stance. “I think I’ve heard enough,” he told the draechen. “For the record, I had no plans of breaking my word.”
He wasn’t even lying, with regard to the promise he’d made to his mate, at least. Naturally, Karein wasn’t convinced in the slightest, but Caelyn didn’t have to withstand the draechen prince’s disbelief for much longer. The dance ended, and Caelyn extracted himself from Karein’s grip.
As he headed back toward his family, however, an explosion shook the mansion, so intense that Caelyn lost his balance and nearly fell to the floor. Behind him, he heard Karein swear and rush after him. Likely, he remained very much convinced of Caelyn’s involvement in this and intended to stop it in some way.
Caelyn scampered away, doing his best to put distance between himself and Karein. He probably wouldn’t have succeeded, but as the lights in the ballroom flickered and died, panic began to settle in. The other guests started to scream, having obviously considered themselves perfectly safe here with the draechen. They provided a very useful distraction, allowing Caelyn to escape Karein.
He overheard his mother shouting his name, looking for him. “Caelyn,” she cried. “Where are you, honey?”
A fist clenched around his heart, and he knew that this might likely be the last time his mother even acknowledged him. He’d have liked to explain it all to them, especially to his siblings, who’d resent him most for his decision. But there was no time, and he could not hesitate.