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

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  Rachen felt Phoenix’s ascent toward climax, just like he did the moment when Phoenix couldn’t hold back anymore. With a cry of his own, Phoenix started to fuck Rachen’s mouth, thrusting his cock deep inside. He likely would have choked Rachen, except Rachen was used to it by now. In fact, he loved it when Phoenix unleashed his fiery nature and surrendered to his passions. It gave Rachen the freedom to do the same without fear.

  Soon, Phoenix was so very close to coming that Rachen could feel it sizzling over his own spine, in his balls. To give Phoenix that last nudge he needed, Rachen reached for his mate’s ass. The angle wasn’t great, but it wasn’t the first time they fucked in less conventional places. Without too much trouble, Rachen managed to thrust two fingers into his lover’s channel.

  Screaming, Phoenix came, sending hot streams of cum down Rachen’s throat. Rachen gulped it all down, barely managing to suppress his own climax. He took a couple of deep breaths, attempting to tame his pleasure. He only succeeded in inhaling more of his lover’s scent, which didn’t help in the slightest.

  Unable to withstand the burning need within him, Rachen removed his fingers from his mate’s ass and released Phoenix’s dick with a wet pop. He shot to his feet and flipped Phoenix against the door, making his mate face the wood. Phoenix spread his legs and pushed his ass back, offering himself for Rachen’s pleasure. “Yes,” he cried out. “Oh, please, yes.”

  His voice was pure music, and his still-enduring desire for Rachen the most potent aphrodisiac in existence. Nearly out of his mind with lust, Rachen spread his mate’s ass cheeks and rubbed the head of his dick over the tiny opening hidden between them. He found his lover’s hole already lubricated, yet another thing that Phoenix occasionally tended to do without thinking. It was very fortunate, because Rachen didn’t think he would have had the patience to do it in Phoenix’s stead. He needed his mate too much to linger with further foreplay.

  Holding onto Phoenix’s hips, Rachen steadied his mate and, in one single powerful thrust, buried his dick into Phoenix’s channel. Both of them hissed. It was a miracle that Rachen didn’t come on the spot, because the hot, tight grip of his lover’s body practically seduced him into it. He stilled inside his lover, and while he’d have like to say it was a completely selfless action—all for Phoenix’s comfort—it had a lot to do with the knowledge that, if he moved, it would be all over.

  Even that couldn’t hold him back when Phoenix released another loud moan. “Rachen…Gods, fuck me.”

  Rachen’s mind simply snapped. Going on pure instinct, he pulled out of Phoenix and thrust back inside. He was well accustomed to his mate’s body and erogenous zones, so he hit Phoenix’s prostate without even trying. A rush of pleasure sizzled over him, and Rachen started a nearly punishing rhythm, needing the friction, but most of all, craving to mark Phoenix as his and this moment as true.

  He moved in and out of his lover’s welcoming channel, harder and harder, faster and faster, going deeper with every thrust. And still, it didn’t seem to be enough. He could never get enough of the passion he and Phoenix shared, of the way their emotions combined so perfectly. Meanwhile, Phoenix raked his talons over the door as he shoved back against Rachen’s dick, impaling himself on his member. It was raw, carnal, desperate, and so very real that Rachen almost forgot to breathe.

  It was also far too perfect to last forever, like Rachen would have liked. All too soon, he felt his orgasm approach. As always, his mate was on the edge, right there with him. He tilted his head, providing Rachen with the opening for the last act in the symphony of their rapture. Tightening his hold on Phoenix’s hips, Rachen buried his fangs into Phoenix’s neck.

  Phoenix’s blood rushed into his mouth, the essence of a being created out of pure energy, but who was now so much more than that. In it, Rachen tasted love, power, pleasure, magic, and desire. Through their bond, he heard his mate’s every thought and felt Phoenix’s every emotion. Lost in the overwhelming cocktail of sensation, Rachen thrust his dick into Phoenix’s ass one more time and came. Phoenix joined him, and Rachen felt like he was thrust into a volcano of pure, ultimate nirvana.

  They shuddered through their shared orgasm, riding the waves of bliss together. But together was possibly a bad word, because they were no longer two people in a couple. They had become a single entity, merged through the fires of the most intense love in existence.

  When the rapture finally began to fade, Rachen was still left with that satisfaction, the contentment of the knowledge that Phoenix was his. Even as he pulled out and kissed his mate’s shoulder, he felt his dragon release a roar of possessiveness. Phoenix turned toward him and slumped in his arms. By some miracle, Rachen’s legs didn’t give out and he managed to hold his lover up.

  “We didn’t make it to the bed,” Phoenix mumbled. “You really have very poor self-control.”

  “Well, can you blame me?” Rachen smirked as he took his lover in his arms. His body felt heavy and the lassitude of orgasm was settling over him, but he felt a special pleasure at carrying his mate like this.

  Phoenix snorted, obviously intercepting the thought but still allowing Rachen to do what he wanted. Finally, they entered the bedroom, and Rachen placed his mate on the mattress. He didn’t delay in joining his lover there and drew the blanket over both of their naked bodies. Enveloping his lover into his embrace, he closed his eyes. He fully intended to get some sleep and maybe wake up later or in the morning for another sex session, but then, Phoenix suddenly said, “You know…it occurs to me that we never did finish eating. I’m feeling kind of hungry.”

  Just like that, Rachen’s eyes shot open. He could only watch in helpless lust as his mate pulled away from him and positioned himself over Rachen’s dick, his anus hovering right over Rachen’s jutting prick. In one single motion, Phoenix impaled himself on that hard dick, making Rachen hiss. It was clear. Phoenix would likely be the death of him. Oh, but what a way to go. As he started to thrust into his mate’s ass, Rachen could only think that anything he did for Phoenix’s sake would be worth it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Up into the sky, the sun shone brightly, its rays beckoning Phoenix to fly higher and higher. His mate followed him, very close to Phoenix but unable to catch him. If he’d been in his human form, Phoenix would have laughed. As it was, he just did a little whirl through the air, dancing just outside Rachen’s reach. He was faster than the draechen and they both knew it, but he didn’t tease Rachen about it out of arrogance or gods knew what else. In fact, Rachen enjoyed the chase as much as Phoenix did. It only made the moment when Phoenix eventually got caught far more pleasurable.

  At one point, Phoenix started flying a little slower, allowing his mate to catch up. Rachen joined him, but didn’t push him to land. It was amazing that the dragon enjoyed these moments as much as Phoenix did. Unable to contain his glee, Phoenix started to sing.

  He didn’t remember singing before he’d met Rachen. His masters hadn’t been interested in beauty or melodies, just in his abilities for destruction. But now, it was different. Now, Phoenix had a family and a mate who not only accepted him, but loved him. They just fit. Rachen’s fire fueled Phoenix’s, but at the same time, tempered it. At last, Phoenix felt at peace.

  As he sang, Phoenix could sense the bliss, awe, and rapture that gripped Rachen upon hearing him. Phoenix rarely did this when they were in the palace. He didn’t want to share this part of himself with anyone but Rachen. However, here and now, he could truly be himself without worrying about what other people would hear or do.

  Sadly, they couldn’t continue flying forever. Phoenix didn’t want to leave just yet, but they had to be careful, just in case some random human decided it was a good idea to trek to this height on private property. Phoenix would have liked to land a little and enjoy the forest, but sadly, they didn’t have time, and the weather didn’t encourage naked walks either. The light of the sun was somewhat deceptive, because the warm days of summer had passed long ago. Even if Phoenix was aligned
to the fire element, he didn’t look forward to braving the mountain chill with all of his bits hanging.

  With a mental sigh, Phoenix headed back toward the palace. In the end, he and Rachen had to be present for a certain important event that would soon happen. Missing it would be rude and would increase the unavoidable tension that would exist between Phoenix and the new arrivals.

  “You need to stop dwelling on it,” Rachen said through their bond. “They’re not coming here to see you. If they are concerned, well, that’s too bad. You’re a member of the Tersain now, and they can’t do anything about it.”

  “That doesn’t mean they don’t still think I’m dangerous,” Phoenix replied.

  “Maybe they do,” Rachen answered. “But that’s their problem. I won’t let them disrespect you in any way. Trust me, all right?”

  Phoenix did trust Rachen, so the tension within him eased. He and Rachen flew back to the citadel and landed on the cliff side. A group of soldiers was already waiting there, with Sage Zager in the lead. “Welcome back,” the lieutenant said. “Imperial Consul Shtamakarein said he wanted to see you in the throne room.”

  “Did the sprites arrive?” Rachen inquired.

  Sage shook his head. “I’m here to meet them and guide them through Draechenburg. They’ll have a brief visit with the Imperial Consuls, and then they’ll go to see Caelyn. At all times, I or someone of my trust will be watching them.”

  It seemed that all precautions had been taken to ensure the sprites didn’t inconvenience or upset anyone in Draechenburg in any way. Rachen was actually quite relieved that Sage was in charge of it. It meant that Phoenix wouldn’t have to get too involved, and that the Sutharlainn would be closely watched. Any sign of mischief would undoubtedly trigger a reaction from the part of the draechen.A small part of Phoenix had feared that, in their zeal to find some evidence of Ferradul Cyraltin’s involvement in Elina Eretar’s murder, the Imperial Consuls would be too accommodating of the Sutharlainn, but apparently, he’d been mistaken.

  “Thank you, Lieutenant,” he replied. “We’ll go see Their Graces right now.”

  Phoenix and Rachen headed back into the palace and toward their quarters. They hadn’t officially mated, but Phoenix had moved into Rachen’s quarters just the same—once it had been fixed, of course, and no longer had a hole in the wall. Most everyone recognized him as Rachen’s mate, and even if they’d been wary of his true form at first, they realized that he was on their side and were kind of beginning to grow appreciative of him. Rachen had many times told him that draechen responded to power. For once, that was turning out to be a good thing.

  They reached their chambers without being stopped and quickly got dressed. In truth, it was a real shame to cover up Rachen’s gorgeous body before Phoenix had the chance to lick it all over, but he knew that if they started having sex now, they’d just get carried away. In the end, Rachen might be a prince, but he could ignore a summons from his brothers, or the fact that they had guests coming in. That didn’t stop Phoenix from imagining himself dropping to his knees and taking Rachen’s dick in his mouth.

  Rachen shot him a hot glance. The mate bond really had a lot of perks, and one of them was that Rachen often caught glimpses of Phoenix’s kinky fantasies. Since half the time, Phoenix was daydreaming about his mate’s naked body, that made for very interesting dinners and meetings. At this point, their family had gotten used to it, especially since the others did it, too. Apparently, pregnancy made Sari and Talrasar easily aroused. It kind of scared Phoenix, but it also made him look forward to the moment when he’d get pregnant, too.

  His mate licked his lips. “As soon as they’re gone, baby, we’ll start working on that again.”

  “As soon as we can make our escape, you mean,” Phoenix retorted. He had no intentions to wait gods knew how many days, because he doubted Caelyn’s family would just visit for fifteen minutes and depart.

  “Of course,” Rachen shot back. “I must have had a slip of tongue.”

  “Well, I can’t wait to train that tongue of yours so that it doesn’t slip again.”

  Rachen burst into laughter. “I can’t wait either.”

  He hooked his arm through Phoenix’s and guided him out of the room. Phoenix studiously didn’t think too much about where they were going and instead focused on his mate. They truly did need to put a little more effort into making sure they had some hatchlings on the way. Phoenix loved his new nest, well, his new home, even if it was a building, but he wanted his own children to hold and care for, too. He wondered why he hadn’t managed to do so already. What was holding him back? It wasn’t Rachen. He was sure of that. Phoenix would have been able to tell. Perhaps it was simply too soon for it to happen. Phoenix had to stop overthinking it. He couldn’t control everything, and he was better off going with the flow and enjoying his gorgeous mate and the new peace he’d earned with so much effort. Of course, that peace would be shattered or, at least, interrupted today, but Phoenix still maintained a spark of hope that the Sutharlainn would just leave him be and focus on Caelyn.

  All too soon, Phoenix and Rachen reached the throne room. The guards just waved them in without announcing them, but that wasn’t surprising. The Tersain brothers often forewent formalities where family was concerned. Phoenix liked that. It encouraged him to get even closer to Rachen’s siblings and their respective mates.

  He found everyone already gathered in the throne room, from the Imperial Consuls and their other halves to the Isaiat. “You wanted to see us, Your Graces?”

  Karein arched a brow, but for once, he didn’t ask Rachen to stop being so formal. “Actually, yes. We wanted to have this conversation with you before the sprites arrived. We believe it’s time to make an announcement regarding the heir of the consulate.”

  Phoenix hadn’t expected the Tersain to address politics out of all things during this conversation, although, from what Rachen had told him, this had been discussed before. “If you’re certain and you deem me worthy,” Rachen replied, “you honor me through your trust.”

  “There is no one else worthier than you,” Hareem replied, “and no one I’d like to see take my place should the need arise.”

  “It won’t,” Rachen said quickly. That would imply one of the consuls dying, and neither Rachen nor Phoenix wanted that. Nevertheless, Phoenix was very proud of his mate.

  Of course, he didn’t miss the chance to tease his mate. “I just love a man in a position of authority,” he whispered through their bond. “Tell me…what commands will you give me?”

  He imagined himself on his knees, servicing Rachen with his mouth, or perhaps on all fours, his legs stretched as he lay at Rachen’s mercy. Rachen shot him a pained glance and adjusted himself in his pants. “Baby…”

  The action didn’t go unnoticed from the part of Rachen’s family. The formality of the meeting was thrown aside as Karein started to chuckle. “Oh, Phoenix…You never grow tired of torturing my brother, do you?”

  “The important thing is that he doesn’t,” Phoenix replied cheekily.

  He should have been a little more embarrassed that Rachen’s brother had figured it out, but lately, he found that, as a phoenix, his nature was one of fire and passion and didn’t allow him to be too shy about natural things like sex and coupling with his mate. An interesting and kind of funny side effect was that his arousal always ended up drawing the attention of Sari and Talrasar, who of course made demands of their own mates. Just like Phoenix had known would happen, Karein’s laugh suddenly died down and his face flushed. He shot a glance toward his mate, who sat next to him at the large table. Phoenix couldn’t see Sari’s hands because of the size of the table, but he would have bet money that at least one of them was kneading Karein’s dick. Meanwhile, Krysta and Arlen Isaiat looked obviously amused, exchanging knowing looks with their brother. Camden actually appeared to be a little put out, obviously feeling his mate’s absence.

  “Right,” Karein said, clearing his throat. The strain in his vo
ice was obvious, as was the smirk on Sari’s lips. “We’ll…Uh…What were we saying?”

  “You were saying that you wanted Rachen to be the heir of the consulate,” Sari happily provided.

  It was probably fortunate that Sari had replied, because Hareem and Kael seemed pretty engrossed in whatever their own mates were doing. Sari and Talrasar had an excuse, but what was Taryn’s? “He’s an imperial consort,” Rachen replied. “He doesn’t need an excuse, just like you don’t.”

  The entire situation was escalating too much, though. In the end, they weren’t in private, and their other guests were likely uncomfortable with this blatant display. The three consorts obviously realized that, because they stopped teasing their respective mates. Karein finally looked like he could breathe again. “Okay,” he continued, “We’ll make the announcement at dinner tonight. We would love to make it a little more festive, but the last time we went all out with foreign guests, things didn’t go over so well.”

  Karein’s words reminded Phoenix of something very distant. He could feel the memory, right there, at the corner of his mind, and yet, he couldn’t fully access it. It frustrated him a great deal, because his life as Alwyn Cyraltin had also determined who he was now. Those recollections were as true as the ones he had from his past as Phoenix. His mate might have managed to unveil some of them, but there were still large gaps in his past, moments that Rachen hadn’t been present for, but that still seemed important for Phoenix’s development.

  Naturally, he knew that the memory Karein had nudged was that of the dinner with the naga people. It was also during a previous announcement that Elina had been murdered. It was something else that he couldn’t quite recall. He knew he should have been able to remember that night, but he couldn’t, as if there was a mental block between the two sides of him that didn’t allow him to become one single, cohesive person.

  Rachen obviously sensed his changed in mood. “I agree,” he told Karein. All the while, he wrapped an arm around Phoenix’s shoulder and pulled him close. Phoenix’s reaction soured the excitement of the rest of the Tersain, too. Kael broke the now-awkward silence by addressing another matter. “On a somewhat different note, our naga guests will be leaving tomorrow.”