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

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  “You didn’t, baby,” Rachen answered. “I got in the way before the flare could hit them.”

  Alwyn glanced over Rachen’s shoulder and saw Karein and Hareem were the only ones still present in the room. Everyone else must have been evacuated during Alwyn’s little fit.

  “I think it’s safe to say that you are, indeed, this mysterious phoenix,” Hareem said, “and apparently not too happy about what we’ve learned.”

  “Would you be if you’d spent centuries trapped in a tiny box?” Rachen inquired bitingly. Alwyn shuddered but managed to keep himself in check this time. When he was in Rachen’s arms, everything seemed better, safer. He could lock the dreadful memories somewhere at the corner of his mind where he would never touch them again.

  “Don’t let them do that to me again, Rachen,” he whispered, hating the weakness in his voice but unable to hide it. “I wouldn’t be able to survive it again.”

  “Not to worry, baby,” Rachen soothed him. “As long as I’m around, no one is going to hurt you ever again. And I don’t plan going anywhere anytime soon.”

  The fierce protectiveness in Rachen’s voice made Alwyn smile. He relaxed in the dragon’s arms. He was so tired, emotionally and physically drained. Apparently, that burst of magic had come with aftereffects.

  Fortunately, Rachen’s brothers noticed and respected that. “We’ll leave the two of you alone for a while,” Hareem said. “You look like you need it.”

  “Thank you,” Rachen replied. “We appreciate that.”

  The sound of the door opening and closing told Alwyn that the older Tersain brothers had left the room. Finally, Rachen got up and took Alwyn in his arms. It was a little embarrassing to be carried like this, since Alwyn would have liked to be strong for his mate. Even so he placed his head on Rachen’s shoulder, allowing the dragon’s strength to calm down all of his fears.

  Rachen carried him into the sleeping quarters and placed him on the bed. Alwyn looked up at Rachen, and their gazes locked and held. “Do you truly want to be my mate?” Alwyn asked softly.

  “Oh, baby,” Rachen replied. “I already am.”

  “You know what I mean. Not all matings work out. Do you really want to be with me?”

  Rachen didn’t immediately reply, but by now, Alwyn had learned to stop misinterpreting the draechen’s silences. Often, Alwyn had been predisposed to thinking the worst of Rachen, even if the man had never given him a real reason to doubt. But now…Now Alwyn didn’t want to be afraid of himself anymore. Rachen loved him. Alwyn could see it in his eyes. The rest didn’t matter.

  When Rachen answered, Alwyn’s guess was confirmed. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life,” the dragon said. “You have to understand, baby, I’m not exactly the easiest guy to be around. Overlords, I wasn’t even alive until this year. So I think that the two of us were really made for each other. I’m really an idiot for waiting so long in the first place. No illusion should have been powerful enough to fool me. But it’s crystal clear to me now, and I think it must be to you, too. To tell you the truth, the only thing I can think about is claiming you.”

  Rachen’s words pushed aside the lingering traces of Alwyn’s apprehension. He extended his arms and simply said, “Come to me.”

  The dragon didn’t wait for any further invitation. He joined Alwyn on the bed, crawling on top of him. Rachen’s eyes were hotter than any fire as he scanned Alwyn from head to toe. Just that glance felt like a caress on Alwyn’s sensitive skin, and he found that he couldn’t take it any longer.

  He pounced on Rachen, crushing their mouths together like he’d wanted to do for what felt like ages. With a growl, Rachen kissed him back. He expertly took control of the kiss, feasting on Alwyn’s mouth, practically devouring him.

  The time for talking was over. Alwyn now craved to finally be Rachen’s, to feel the dragon inside him. Their clothes were a hindrance for both of them, one Alwyn immediately got rid of. If he wanted to be perfectly honest, he wasn’t sure how he did it, but one moment both of them were dressed, and the next, the garments were torn away from their body by an unseen force.

  Alwyn might have actually been worried, but he was too aroused to focus on anything except touching, kissing, loving Rachen. Rachen was right there with him, releasing frantic, desperate noises as his hands traveled all over Alwyn’s body.

  They broke away only because of their need to breathe, at which point Alwyn allowed himself the pleasure to gaze at the work of art that was his mate. He’d seen Rachen naked before, but for some reason, now that he’d truly acknowledged the bond between them, it seemed particularly important for Alwyn to simply look. It was a pleasure that he had been denied, one he had craved just like he did Rachen’s presence. Rachen was everything Alwyn had ever wanted even before he’d known he needed love in his life. From his full, kissable lips, to his muscular legs and everything in between, he was all man, built from divine cloth and just begging to be worshipped by Alwyn.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Rachen croaked out.

  For a few moments, Alwyn actually thought he’d been the one to say that, except he was completely tongue-tied. He wanted to laugh, because his beauty was not his own. However, he didn’t. He knew that Rachen wasn’t talking just about his looks. He’d met the real Alwyn and hadn’t strayed. Similarly, Alwyn wasn’t drawn to Karein, even if the older dragon was nearly identical to Rachen. They craved each other at a level that went beyond the physical. Alwyn simply didn’t know how he hadn’t figured it out before, why he’d even doubted it.

  “I love you,” he confessed.

  Rachen reached for him again, and they fell together on the bed, their mouths fused, their bodies tangled. This time, Alwyn wouldn’t have given up on the kiss to save his life. Nothing could be more important than tasting Rachen, sampling his passion. But even as their tongues dueled, Alwyn knew he needed more, so much more. He needed everything.

  He rubbed against Rachen, seeking friction, contact, his need soaring to nearly unbearable heights. Rachen obviously noticed his urgency, but frustratingly enough, he broke the kiss because of it. He said nothing, instead kissing down Alwyn’s neck, licking and nibbling his collarbone. Alwyn had the urge to just expose his throat and offer himself to Rachen so that the other man could claim him, but it wasn’t time for that just yet. Oh, no, they’d waited too long for them to rush into it.

  Rachen was obviously of the same mind, because he explored every inch of Alwyn. He licked and sucked his nipples while his hands trailed over Alwyn’s sides and hips. When his fist enclosed Alwyn’s dick, the rapture nearly became too much to bear. Alwyn almost came on the spot, and only the fact that Rachen had squeezed the base of his cock kept him from it.

  The draechen’s choice was both frustrating and arousing, keeping Alwyn on the edge of climax, so close and yet so far away from finding his peak. Then again, Alwyn very much doubted that he could find true satisfaction until he had Rachen inside him. Nothing else would be good enough.

  Of course, Rachen seemed intent on trying to prove him wrong. He licked down Alwyn’s chest and thrust his tongue into Alwyn’s belly button, awakening nerve endings that he hadn’t been aware of. And then, without giving Alwyn any warning, Rachen suddenly delved down and took Alwyn’s dick into his mouth.

  It wasn’t the first time Rachen did this for Alwyn. Throughout the draechen’s absence, Alwyn had relived those moments of pleasure more times than he’d have liked. And yet, even those memories paled in comparison to the actual feel of Rachen’s mouth around him.

  As volcanic heat surrounded Alwyn’s dick, whatever resistance he might have hoped to have faded into dust. He buried his hands in Rachen’s long hair and started to fuck the dragon’s mouth in earnest. The simple carnal pleasure of it nearly drove Alwyn insane with lust.

  It was sweet agony, and the build-up was almost too much for Alwyn to bear. He needed to give Rachen what the dragon was giving him. He needed to share everything he was and would ever be with his mate.
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  Alwyn tightened his hold on Rachen’s hair. “Here,” he gasped out. “Come here.”

  He couldn’t say anything else, but mercifully, he didn’t have to. Groaning, Rachen shifted positions, bringing his dick over Alwyn’s lips. Somehow, he managed to do so without even releasing Alwyn’s dick from his mouth. He never lost the rhythm on Alwyn’s dick, sucking the member for all he was worth, like he was a starving man faced with a feast. It was a performance that Alwyn couldn’t wait to mimic. With greedy hands, he reached for his mate and brought Rachen’s cock to his lips.

  Ecstasy exploded through him as he took the dragon’s dick into his mouth. The flavor of Rachen’s pre-cum tasted heavenly in his mouth. He focused on it, on pleasuring Rachen, so that he could distract himself from the ecstasy Rachen drew from him. It wasn’t exactly the best strategy in existence. In fact, it didn’t work at all. Feeling the weight of Rachen’s dick on his tongue, hearing Rachen’s grunts and knowing he was the one to bring Rachen such bliss was the most potent aphrodisiac in existence.

  Impossibly soon, Alwyn was on the edge of orgasm. He groaned around Rachen’s dick, trying to tell his mate what he needed, but unable to for obvious reasons. Rachen understood anyway. He took Alwyn’s dick all the way into his throat and swallowed around the head. Then, he inserted one dry finger into Alwyn’s passage.

  At that point, the last barriers keeping Alwyn’s climax in check melted down. With a muffled cry, Alwyn came, filling the other man’s wet cavern with jets of spunk. Seconds later, Rachen followed him into rapture. Hot cum flooded Alwyn’s mouth, and just the taste of the dragon’s seed prolonged Alwyn’s rapture.

  At the last moment, Rachen pulled back, not allowing Alwyn to gulp down all of his offering. Alwyn felt completely bereft when his mate moved away from him. Even so, the fact that in the process, some of the spunk landed on his face did a lot to soothe him. He felt like Rachen had wanted to mark him in this way, and really, he couldn’t complain about that.

  As it turned out, Rachen had an ulterior motive for his choice. He gathered the leftover spunk both from his own face and from Alwyn’s and used it to slick up his fingers and his dick. Alwyn took his cue and bent himself in half, exposing his nether opening to his mate.

  Rachen’s hands trembled as he supported Alwyn’s legs on his shoulders and reached for his hole. His now-slick fingers rubbed Alwyn’s opening, making him moan in bliss.

  One single digit wormed its way into Alwyn’s body. Even if Alwyn had just come, his libido flared to life again, unsatisfied. The great fire bird he could now feel within him screeched in delight, while Alwyn pushed back against the invasion. It felt so good, and when Rachen brushed his fingers over Alwyn’s prostate, it became even better, impossibly so. A second finger followed the first, and Rachen scissored them inside Alwyn, stretching him. He moved carefully, monitoring Alwyn’s every reaction, at a seductive, almost excruciating pace. His touch flooded Alwyn with sensation. He dissolved into incoherence, distantly aware that he was screaming a litany of needy pleas. Because as good as it felt, it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough.

  Thankfully, Rachen didn’t torment him for much longer. He removed his fingers from Alwyn’s ass and positioned his cock at his hole. Alwyn was almost afraid that they would be interrupted, just like they had before, just like Rachen had anticipated. This time, though, no one knocked at the door. There were no more doubts that would make Alwyn ask Rachen to stop. This time, the two of them could come together like they should have a long time ago.

  Slowly, ever so slowly, Rachen pushed his dick into Alwyn’s body. Alwyn hissed at the unfamiliar feeling, but it wasn’t because of pain. The burn of the invasion, the heat of Rachen’s cock inside, and the way Rachen branded him so sensually fueled the lustful fire inside him. He had expected it to feel good, since just the feel of Rachen’s fingers had brought him such rapture, and yet, he hadn’t been prepared for this.

  He couldn’t take the slow torture any longer. With a growl, he impaled himself on Rachen’s prick, taking the draechen all the way into his body. It was Rachen’s turn to hiss. He clutched Alwyn’s hips in an obvious attempt to keep him from moving. But Alwyn would have none of it. By some miracle, he managed to muster the ability to speak. “Come on, Rachen,” he said. “Fuck me. I won’t break.”

  Each syllable was punctuated by a gasp, but that was all right, because the words did the job anyway. Something inside Rachen seemed to snap. Snarling, he pulled out of Alwyn and thrust back inside again. In the process, he managed to hit Alwyn’s prostate. Stars exploded in Alwyn’s vision. He wanted to cry out, to beg for more, but he wasn’t even given the chance to do that. Rachen started a nearly punishing rhythm, making the bed creak and driving Alwyn wild with pleasure.

  Alwyn’s talons dug into Rachen’s shoulders, drawing blood, but Rachen didn’t seem to mind. He grunted, thrusting harder inside Alwyn, baring his teeth in a grimace that Alwyn might have interpreted as caused by pain if he hadn’t known better. As it was, he could feel Rachen’s pleasure and smell it all around him. He could read it in Rachen’s every gesture, in the tightness at the corner of the draechen’s mouth, in the sweat beading his brow, and most of all, in his hot, blazing eyes. They might not have the mate bond yet, but those eyes made Rachen an open book for Alwyn. Of course, Alwyn suspected that the same thing applied in his case, and that Rachen could read him just as well. But that was all right. Alwyn didn’t want to hide anything from Rachen, not anymore.

  Rachen’s dick filled him so perfectly, and with every plunge of the thick shaft, the ecstasy soared higher and higher. Sensual energy buzzed all over Alwyn’s skin. Alwyn felt in every atom of his body, from each individual strand of hair to his toes. And still, Rachen moved faster, harder, like he couldn’t get deep enough, like he needed more, always more.

  Alwyn understood exactly why that was. He himself felt like he was on the edge of a precipice, staring at the abyss and knowing that if he jumped, he’d never be the same again. But he couldn’t hold on to his present. It was already fading away, slipping away from him, and he truly didn’t want it in the first place.

  It was kind of like the way he had felt earlier, when he’d accidentally flown off the balcony. He wanted to fly that way now, and he knew that he could do it. Both of them could. He just had to trust the bond he already shared with Rachen.

  Clinging to that thought, Alwyn exposed his neck and offered himself to Rachen. The dragon roared and buried his fangs into Alwyn’s neck. Their mate bond flared to brilliant life, a pyre of sensation, emotion, and need, fed by their desires and passions.

  For a few moments, Alwyn lived the bliss of knowing just how much Rachen loved him. It was such a powerful emotion that Alwyn was shamed he’d ever doubted it. Their memories came together, some painful, some lovely, all of them contributing to the magic of the moment.

  It was awe inspiring to realize that Alwyn finally had the man he’d craved so much was at last, his mate. He sought out the bond that now existed between them and sent one brief message to his lover. “I love you.”

  “Oh, baby,” Rachen replied, “I love you, too.”

  Alwyn would have liked to say something else, but as his mate released his hold on his throat, he knew that he’d made a gross miscalculation. Alwyn had wanted to let go of his past, but in the process, he was banishing the illusion that had made him look like this, the enchantment that had allowed them to come together in the first place.

  Alwyn felt it when the spell collapsed under the weight of the mate bond. Suddenly, the phoenix could no longer be contained. Empowered by the new link with Rachen, it screeched and burst out.

  In a flash, Alwyn pushed Rachen off him. Just in time, too, because a few instants later, he exploded into a hot, bright flame. And then, he stopped existing, or rather, he wasn’t Alwyn anymore. He was just…Phoenix.

  Chapter Nine

  Draechenburg had been built as a citadel and home for shape-shifters. Therefore, one would have thought that its th
ick stone walls would provide enough of a sound barrier and would keep bedroom activities the way they should be, private.

  Sadly, things didn’t always work out that way. Karein had known it before, since he’d been told that other dragons often heard Sari in the throes of passion. It hadn’t really bothered him, since sexuality was such a natural, beautiful thing for a shifter.

  Even so, when clear sounds of sex started coming from his brother’s room, he really didn’t know how he felt about it. Under any other circumstances, he’d have been ecstatic for Rachen. If anyone deserved having a mate, it was Karein’s twin. But Karein dreaded what would happen once the illusion collapsed. Already, Rachen was so emotionally invested in Alwyn, and Karein had a very bad feeling about how all of this would turn out. Rachen had already been unstable before Alwyn had appeared, something for which Karein still blamed himself. If Alwyn left…Karein didn’t even want to imagine the consequences.

  “You need to calm down,”Sari told him through their bond as they headed toward their quarters. “You can’t change your brother’s choices. Besides, we don’t know what will happen. It’s too soon to say that Alwyn will definitely leave Rachen.”

  “Perhaps not willingly,” Karein replied, “but what if something happens to him? What then?”

  He remembered all too well how he’d felt when he’d feared for Sari’s life, and he didn’t wish that experience onto anyone, least of all his twin. Sari didn’t answer, although he obviously overheard the thought. The truth was no one knew what would happen. Nothing was certain, which, perhaps taking into account Sari’s vision, wasn’t such a bad thing.

  Karein released a heavy sigh. He wished he could just retreat to his quarters with Sari, maybe follow his twin’s example and make love to his mate. They hadn’t spent some real time together in what felt like ages, too burdened by their problems to be able to focus on themselves. It was all wrong, and not at all like the existence Karein had wanted to give his mate.