Hyacinth, Scarlet - Fire of the Four Seasons (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove)

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  Ohsyn gritted his teeth at Lyetah’s unreasonable accusation. “And what would you have me do? Die? Do you think Alexei would want us to do that?”

  “No,” a sudden voice said. “I wouldn’t want it.”

  Ohsyn turned toward the pyre once more. The dying flames seemed to materialize into a figure until finally, they revealed Alexei’s shape. He looked like an avenging angel, his entire body ablaze, yet still so very beautiful.

  Alexei stepped down from the pyre, his eyes burning coals fixed on them. “Thank you for having the strength to save me. I don’t think I could’ve done this in your place.” The flames began to melt until at last, they revealed skin. “Thank you for everything,” Alexei whispered.

  Ohsyn lunged forward, saving Alexei from collapsing to the ground. Instinctively, he pressed his lips to Alexei’s forehead, just wanting to feel the other man was there, safe. As he did so, he realized Alexei’s skin temperature had normalized. Strikingly, even if he’d come out of a pyre, Alexei seemed all right.

  But beneath the appearance of normality, Ohsyn did feel the change. Alexei’s mortality had been traded for a higher level of existence. Ohsyn couldn’t identify it, not yet, but he sent a prayer of thanks and apology to the Goddess. They never should have doubted. The Goddess wouldn’t have given them Alexei if She intended to take the youth away.

  Alexei gave him an exhausted look. “Please, don’t fight,” he said. After a short pause, he asked, “Eva?”

  Ohsyn’s heart fell. How would they tell Alexei they’d frozen his sister alive? He saw no easy way to do it, so he gently took Alexei in his arms and carried him there. Alexei tensed when he saw his sister inside the icy coffin. “Is she dead?” he asked, his voice trembling.

  Ohsyn didn’t know the answer to that question. For a few terrible minutes, he’d been convinced of Alexei’s death. To his surprise, an image flashed through his mind, giving him the requested answer. A princess, trapped in a prison of ice, to be rescued by her fated soul mate.

  “Her spirit is sleeping,” he told Alexei. “But she can and will be awakened. We just need to find the right person to do it.”

  “Her true love,” Lyetah explained. He seemed to have recovered from his earlier distress. Together with the others, he joined Ohsyn and Alexei next to the coffin.

  In Lyetah’s eyes, Ohsyn read the same desire to feel Alexei he himself had experienced. Ohsyn handed Alexei to Lyetah. “I’ll make some arrangements for her to be taken care of. Worry not. All will be well.”

  Lyetah seated Alexei against one of the trees with Zimah and Visnah joining him. They all gave him troubled looks, obviously reluctant to let him go. Ohsyn smiled at them. “I will be back soon. Miliy moi, get some rest. You need it.”

  Alexei nodded, his eyes already closing. As the young man dozed off, Ohsyn lifted Eva’s coffin in his arms. It was heavy, but Ohsyn had no real trouble carrying it. He wished he could have used magic to transport it, but alas, it was too risky with her inside.

  He chose a spot at the outer edge of the grove for her resting place. There, he summoned the forces of the earth and used his magic to create a pedestal. He placed the icy coffin on the pedestal.

  When he finished, he sensed his lovers approach. “Alexei is sleeping,” Visnah whispered. “We figured you could use some help.”

  Ohsyn turned toward then. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt,” he answered. In truth, their mere presence helped, just like it always did. However, Eva’s icy sanctuary needed a few final touches. First, Visnah placed his hands over the coffin and threads of ivy emerged, shielding it in a beautiful cocoon. Zimah then took a step forward and blew over the vegetation. Instantly, it turned to solid ice. Beyond, Eva remained visible, shining like a priceless gem, but the outer shield would keep her safe. Finally, Lyetah joined them as well. He placed the sleeping Alexei down and, together, they created a circle around Eva. Their joined magic swirled around them, beautiful and intense, making Eva’s sanctuary impervious to all forces. Only true love could break through now.

  With the spell in place, one task remained. They needed to tell Elga and Igor of their children’s fate. None of them looked forward to it.

  “Let’s take Alexei home,” Zimah said at last. “We’ll see what we can do about the rest later.”

  It didn’t surprise Ohsyn when Zimah’s reference of home turned out to be their world. Now, Alexei would no longer be able to fit in with the humans. Ohsyn wondered how Alexei would take the news when he woke. He only hoped Alexei would agree to stay with them.

  Chapter Six

  Alexei opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room. He blinked to clear the dizziness and focus his vision. The chamber held a surreal quality Alexei had encountered a few times before in the past days. Airy, yet hot, it was decorated in light, sunny colors, the distinctly masculine furniture complemented by the tall windows that let in cheerful rays from outside. He didn’t have to think too much to realize he’d somehow ended up in his four men’s home.

  Memories flashed through his mind at the thought—Eva’s new idea, the wolf attack, his men’s appearance, and the fire consuming him whole. After one point, he only recalled shifting shadows, a blaze within him and outside him, a peculiar, unexplainable sensation of turning into something else. The pain slowly dwindled until at last, Alexei awoke on a still burning pyre with the sudden knowledge of what his lovers had been forced to do to save him. Even if he hadn’t actually been awake through it, he strangely understood Lyetah had been forced to push Alexei into the fire.

  And then Alexei remembered Eva’s icy coffin. He couldn’t help but fear for her, but in his heart, he knew all would be well. There were so many things in heaven and earth that he still didn’t understand, but for whatever reason, the Goddess protected him and Eva. Alexei hoped his men would at least be able to answer some of his questions.

  A warm presence materialized at his side. “You’re awake,” Lyetah said. “How do you feel?”

  Alexei smiled at the other man. He knew the entire experience had been hardest on Lyetah. Alexei couldn’t even fathom how Lyetah found the courage to do what was needed. He took his lover’s hand and squeezed it. “Never better,” he answered, even if some fatigue still lingered. “What about you?”

  Lyetah gave him a surprised look that soon turned into bemusement. “It’s so like you to worry about others when you’ve just barely avoided death.” Lyetah’s expression changed, and he seemed to close off. “Sorry about that,” he finished. “I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”

  Alexei shook his head. “It’s all right. I think you suffered more than me.”

  And truly, he didn’t have a doubt it had been so. Half the time, Alexei remained out of it while his men had been forced to acknowledge the imminence of his demise. Death was always hardest on those left behind.

  Lyetah lay next to him on the bed, his warmth familiar for Alexei. As he did so, Zimah, Visnah, and Ohsyn appeared as well. With his lovers there, Alexei allowed himself to ask the questions weighing on his mind.

  “Where are we?”

  “This is our home,” Ohsyn answered. “But I suppose we should begin at the top.”

  “We are earth spirits, Alexei,” Visnah said. “We watch over the land wherever we are needed. In spring, we bring renewed life. In summer, heat to make the crops thrive. In autumn, bountiful harvests. In winter, we grant the earth peace to sleep and rest for the year to come. And this—where we are now—is the spirit realm. Our world.”

  Alexei opened his mouth and closed it back again. What did one say to such a thing? He’d expected something odd, but for some reason, it still surprised him.

  It occurred to him then that he himself had done something otherworldly. He recalled summoning the weird flame that burned him so severely. What did it mean? “What about me?” he asked. “What am I?”

  “You are, well, you were human,” Lyetah answered hesitantly, “but both you and your sister were special.”

  “Let me tell you a little st
ory so that you’ll understand better,” Zimah said. “Once upon a time, there were four earth spirits. For convenience’s sake, we’ll call them Zimah, Visnah, Lyetah, and Ohsyn. One winter night, these spirits went out to do their job when they ran into a human couple, a man and woman we will refer to as Igor and Elga.”

  Alexei’s mind whirled as Zimah spoke. He knew this was no story, but reality, as it had been twenty-five years back, before his birth. He and Eva had been unexpected children, appearing at an age when women rarely gave birth, a fact that many considered a miracle in the village.

  Zimah spoke of the snow angel, of how through magic Alexei and Eva had been conceived. His voice became lower when he mentioned the cool heart of the ice child shadowing the warmth of the human family, and the spirits wanting to help the fire child.

  “So, when chance came, the spirits approached the fire child,” Zimah went on. “Only, they did not realize they would begin to feel affection for this young man.” He gave Alexei an unreadable look. “I think you know what happened after that.”

  Alexei nodded. Now it all made sense, his vulnerability to the cold, Eva’s fear of the heat, their mother’s aloofness, and the voice of the fire. But he also acknowledged the undertone of Lyetah’s words. He’d been a special human, but no longer. “So now what am I?”

  “The Goddess tells us you are now a fire elemental,” Ohsyn answered, “also a spirit, but born out of fire and with the ability to materialize in the real world.”

  Alexei stared at Ohsyn. He wondered if he should reply. A fire elemental? What did Alexei know about such things? He’d used the fire inside him only once, and it hadn’t ended well.

  Obviously guessing his misgivings, Visnah piped in, “Don’t worry. It will be different than before. Last time, the flame hurt you because your mortal body couldn’t contain such power. Your mortality was purged in the grove.”

  So that had been the purpose of the pyre. “What about Eva?”

  “She remains in her sanctuary,” Zimah answered. “The ice embedded with our magic prevents her spirit from slipping away. In her case, she needs someone to complete her, to fully warm her heart. A part of the chill is gone because of her connection with you, but it’s not enough. She will sleep there until her fated one will find her. But, of course, we will work to help him.”

  “There’s one more thing,” Visnah added. “We still haven’t notified your parents of your and Eva’s situation. If you have thoughts or preferences…”

  Alexei would have liked never to have to go through this, but he thanked the Goddess. She had saved them. Still, he would need his men’s support. “I’d prefer it if you came with me.”

  Ohsyn scratched his head. “Well, actually, we’d been thinking something along the line of us going alone.”

  Alexei arched a brow. “You know as well as I do that doesn’t make any sense. Now, help me up. They’re probably worried about us by now.”

  Lyetah got to his feet and took Alexei in his arms. Alexei sighed. “You can put me down, you know. I’m not going to fall. I’m a… what did you say? Fire elemental, right?”

  “I suppose,” Lyetah murmured. He set Alexei on the floor and, together, they made their way out of the room. As his men directed him left, Alexei snuck peeks around him. He realized he must’ve been in Lyetah’s room, since he spotted chambers that must’ve belonged to the other three men.

  A curiosity niggled at his brain, and he couldn’t help but ask, “Why do you have separate rooms?”

  Visnah laughed. “Well, we weren’t always lovers. In the beginning, we couldn’t stand each other. Especially Zimah and Lyetah, you should have seen how they fought.”

  “We weren’t that bad,” Zimah muttered.

  Visnah wrapped an arm around Alexei’s waist and whispered conspiratorially, “Yes, they were.”

  “Now, we keep the rooms mostly for climate purposes. Like you and Eva, we have different preferences in that regard,” Ohsyn explained. “But we do have a common room with a big bed. We’ll show it to you later.”

  Alexei’s face heated at the innuendo in Ohsyn’s voice, and his cock hardened. He shook himself and struggled to focus on his task. Remembering where they were headed served to cool his ardor completely.

  As it turned out, his men led him out of a door made out of sheer light. They emerged at the other side in the grove, between the standing stones. “This place holds a portal between the worlds,” Visnah said.

  Alexei bit his lip as he considered the new information. Another dilemma appeared in his mind. “How are we going to get to the house?”

  Visnah chuckled. “Even earth spirits need means of transportation.” He whistled and out of the blue, a green horse materialized next to Visnah. Threads of leaves and flowers entwined with its mane, and wherever it stepped, green grass sprouted. “This is a spirit horse, each of them bred for the specific purpose of taking us where we need to go.”

  The others followed Visnah’s example, and more equines appeared, all of them modeled after their owner. Unfortunately, Alexei didn’t have one, so Lyetah pulled him up on his bronze stallion.

  Night engulfed them fully as they left the forest. They went so fast, that in no time, Alexei saw his parents’ house ahead. As they dismounted, Zimah said, “There’s something I haven’t mentioned, Alexei. Your mother knows about your and Eva’s origin, lyubimiy moi.”

  And the surprises went on and on.

  “She does?” Alexei asked.

  Zimah nodded. “It came to her in a dream, and after seeing the particularities that differentiate you from other children, she grasped the reality. But she hasn’t told your father. We might have some difficulty in getting him to accept it.”

  As if summoned by their conversation, Alexei’s father suddenly appeared on the path, riding his horse. He was no longer at an age where he could brave such weather and dangers, but the concern must have prompted him to go anyway. Thankfully, they’d come here in time.

  “We’ll fade from his sight until it’s the right time,” Zimah said. “Now go. Speak to him.”

  Alexei obeyed and dismounted. He waved at Igor and called out. “Papa! Over here.”

  Even from the distance, Alexei sensed his father’s shock. Igor pushed his horse to go faster and soon reached Alexei’s side.

  Igor dismounted and practically pounced on Alexei, hugging him tight. “Oh, my boy, we were so worried when the horse came back without you. Are you all right?”

  Alexei’s eyes filled with tears at the clear evidence of his father’s affection. He nodded and managed to muster an answer. “I’m fine.”

  Igor broke their embrace. “Where’s your sister?” he asked, his eyes scanning the darkness in a desperate attempt to find Eva.

  “Not here,” Alexei answered. He didn’t know how to say this, how to explain.

  His father’s expression darkened. “What do you mean? Where did you leave her?”

  “Papa… I assure you there is a good reason for this.” He paused and decided the best thing to do would be to take his parents to Eva. “We should go back to the house and get Mama. I have something to show you.”

  “Alexei, this is no time for riddles. Tell me, where is your sister?”

  Alexei didn’t look at his father when he replied. “I will take you to her. Please, just trust me.”

  “All right, son,” Igor answered. He mounted the horse and gestured Alexei up. “Come, get on.”

  Alexei joined his father in the saddle, and they rode back the way Igor had come. Behind them, Alexei sensed his lovers following, unseen by any human eye.

  It seemed to take forever for them to reach the house, but at last, they entered the courtyard, dismounted and took the animal to the stable. The door to their home burst open, and Elga rushed out. She wore thick clothing, and Alexei guessed she must have been considering leaving after them as well.

  At first, she didn’t spot Alexei, and she ran toward her husband. “Where are they? Where are the children?”
<
br />   Alexei felt surprised she seemed concerned about him as well. “The heart of a mother is always true,” Visnah said. “Her worry for you shines through the ice it’s covered in now.”

  Alexei remembered the times when Elga’s behavior would turn from cold to loving and back in mere instants. Now, he understood it. For whatever reason, the circumstances had made it so. In a sense, it brought relief to his heart, even if he’d have liked this realization to come in different circumstances.

  “I’m here, Mama,” he said.

  Elga turned toward him. Like Igor, she rushed to hug him, but then tensed and abandoned her hold on him. “Where is Eva?” she asked, her voice cold once more.

  Alexei ignored her question. He gestured them inside the stable where the temperature remained more bearable. “I think you should tell Papa about how Eva and I came to be,” he finally told his mother.

  Elga’s eyes widened. “W–What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Yes, you do,” Alexei insisted. “Please, Mama. There’s no sense in hiding it any longer.”

  “Alexei, what is this?” Igor asked. “Why are you disrespecting your mother? And how does this have anything to do with your sister?”

  Elga remained as silent as the grave, while Zimah began to speak. “We have no choice then,” he said. Together with the other three men, he emerged out of thin air. Igor jumped, turning to see who had spoken. He looked like he was going to faint, not that Alexei blamed him. “Who are you?” Igor asked them.

  “We are friends,” Visnah answered, “and your son speaks the truth. Come, Elga, tell him. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

  When faced with their appearance, Elga broke down. “It was only a dream,” she whispered, “a dream and nothing more. My children are just that, children.”

  “Don’t lie to yourself. You didn’t keep Eva in a cool room for no reason,” Zimah shot back. “And you, Igor. Surely you saw and wondered. How can a young girl go out in the freezing cold with nothing but a cotton dress on? Or how could Alexei stay out in the sun all day without being bothered by it?”