In turn, Taryn could get a glimpse of how Hareem felt about him. While normally Hareem kept up a façade of icy calm, this time, he made no attempt to hide the truths hidden deep within his heart. Together, they shuddered through their shared orgasm, one more powerful than anything Hareem had ever experienced. It went beyond the carnal, into something that Hareem couldn’t identify.
And there was another light between them, one that nearly brought tears to Hareem’s eyes. Even as the afterglow started to fade, that light still lingered, and for the first time in his life, Hareem experienced true happiness.
When he slid out of his lover, he could only ask himself why he’d waited so long to claim Taryn in the first place. And then, Taryn said something that almost managed what the orgasm hadn’t—to knock Hareem out.
“Hareem…I think I’m pregnant.”
* * * *
The memories were so strong that they nearly choked Hareem. At first, he hadn’t been able to believe Taryn’s words. They’d argued about it, and even if Taryn had explained that there was magical blood in his family, Hareem still hadn’t fully accepted it.
It had taken him a while to appreciate this amazing gift, the gift Taryn had given him. Too long, in fact. Truth be told, he’d never fully given Taryn his rightful place. Taryn had only ever been a shameful secret, and he deserved so much better than that.
Roaring in self-loathing, Hareem flew faster. He used all of his torturing memories to focus, seeking the beautiful werewolf starring in them. He had to find Taryn, to tell his mate how much he loved him.
Behind Hareem, several other draechen joined his expedition. This time, whoever stood in his way would pay, and if, in the process, Hareem caused an international incident… well, he could deal with that. Right now, the support of the Ornozian army aside, he was no longer an emperor, just a man, a mate, and a father, a desperate draechen in love. Right now, he realized all too well that Taryn should have long ago been granted the position of consort, no matter what it meant for Ornoz. If Taryn paid the price for Hareem’s hesitance, Hareem would never forgive himself.
Chapter Five
Taryn was running through the darkness. Behind him, footsteps followed, slow, barely distinguishable, but still so very close. “There’s nowhere to escape, little wolf,” a voice was saying. “I’ll make you pay. I’ll take your baby from you.”
Whimpering, Taryn ran faster, but his paws felt heavy, and he felt like he was fighting against a strong current. A huge, powerful hand grabbed his neck, and he found himself facing a giant man, easily the size of a skyscraper. Only, he wasn’t really a man, because his face was that of a bat and two large bat wings were attached to his back. He held Taryn up by his fur, baring his fangs. “An eye for an eye.”
Taryn screamed as the bat creature’s claws reached for his belly. He tried to fight back, but he was so small and insignificant. Suddenly, he was on the cold, wet floor, naked and in his human form. The bat still loomed ahead, not looking at him, holding something small in his claws.
Terrified, Taryn palmed his stomach. It was flat, all signs of the life that had been growing inside gone. “No!” Taryn screamed. “Give my baby back.”
The frightened wails of a child reached his ears, and Taryn tried to crawl forward, to reach his baby. But he wasn’t fast enough, and the darkness surrounded him, swallowing him whole. The bat creature disappeared into the darkness, the last echoes of its laughter and the whimpers of Taryn’s child soon fading away. Finally, all was silent, and Taryn screamed in agony as he realized what he’d lost.
“No!”
* * * *
“No!”
Taryn’s eyes shot open, and he struggled to breathe to escape. “Please, no!”
A hand landed on his shoulder, and Taryn blindly jumped forward, clawing at the creature that had stolen his baby. “Give him back! Give him back now.”
Strong hands caught his wrists, keeping him from making any progress. “Calm down,” an unfamiliar but composed voice said. “You’re going to hurt yourself. I don’t mean you any harm.”
Taryn wouldn’t have believed the strange voice. His wolf howled that it was all deception. But then, his connection with Hareem flared to life. “Taryn? Sweeting? Oh, thank the Overlords. I thought I’d lost you.”
The darkness of panic slowly faded under the warmth of Hareem’s love. Taryn blinked and found himself facing… well, a complete stranger, one he was trying to strangle and whose eyes he’d tried to claw out.
“Are you feeling better now?” the stranger asked.
“I attacked you,” Taryn pointed out blankly.
“So you did,” the other man answered. “You seemed to be having a nightmare.”
Those words triggered a flashback in Taryn’s mind, and he started to struggle, pulling back from the guy’s hold. Fortunately, he was released without much fuss. As he fell back, Taryn touched his stomach and almost sobbed in relief when he still felt the bump.
“Sweeting,” Hareem whispered in his mind, “you’re fine. Our child is fine. I…I almost can’t believe it.”
Taryn focused on his mate bond with the draechen. Their arguments, their mistakes and differences didn’t matter. He could still feel the nearly insane terror Hareem had experienced, the lingering doubt that existed in Hareem’s mind that he’d truly lost it and this was only a beautiful dream.
“It’s not a dream,” Taryn said. “If it had been, we’d be together right now.”
“You have a point,” Hareem mused. “But don’t worry. That’s going to change soon enough. I’m coming your way.”
“Do you know where I am?”
“My dragon can pinpoint your location now,” Hareem answered. “I knew you were close, but I couldn’t quite find you.”
That reminded Taryn that he himself had no idea where he’d ended up. “Where am I?” Taryn asked the stranger.
“You’re in my home,” the other man answered, getting up. “My name is Jude Murdock. I found you injured while on my way back from work and brought you here.”
The name resonated in Taryn’s mind. He’d never had much contact with elves, as this magical race was usually quite dismissive of ninth-caste members. However, through some information that slipped into his mind from Hareem’s, connecting the man in front of him with his real identity, elven prince Jud’enealh Murdokain. The elf had been behind some of the weapons crafted specifically against draechen, but now, he had a tentative truce with the Tersain.
Taryn wouldn’t have been inclined to trust him, except the elf had helped him in his hour of need. He’d been quite injured after the confrontation with the vampires, and while his shifter abilities would have helped him heal eventually, the sanctuary the elf had provided kept Taryn’s baby safe. In the end, that was what mattered most.
“Thank you, Prince Jud’enealh,” he said softly. “You didn’t have to help me, but you did, and that means a lot to me.”
The elf arched a brow. “I don’t know why I keep trying to maintain anonymity. Lately, everyone seems to know who I used to be. But please, call me Jude.”
Taryn smiled slightly. “I don’t think you should worry about secrecy, Jude. But I suppose I’m forgetting my manners. My name is Taryn. Taryn Lovington.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Taryn,” Jude replied, stepping closer to the bed. “I admit your appearance surprised me, especially given your…condition. Did the draechen do something to you?”
A low growl sounded in Taryn’s mind, Hareem’s jealousy and protectiveness rearing their ugly head. “You don’t have to answer that,” Hareem said. “You don’t owe him any explanations.”
Taryn hesitated. For the first time, he realized Jude had a wicked-looking crossbow strapped to his back. He wasn’t afraid, but neither did he know how to explain his story to a man who was likely predisposed to believe the worst of draechen.
He opened his mouth to mention the vampires, when suddenly, the feeling of a familiar presence reached out to him, warm a
nd protective. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Hareem, but someone else entirely.
With a gasp, Taryn turned on his heel and rushed out of the room. Finally, he would see the man whose affection had anchored him all throughout his youth. Finally, he would be with his brother again.
* * * *
Monroe Lovington watched the small cabin from behind one of the trees. He sniffed the air and closed his eyes as a mix of relief and misery swamped him. Yes, definitely his little brother was in there. At last, after all the search, they’d found Taryn.
The draechen always made it their business to make the rebel werewolves suffer when one of them was caught. Unfortunately, after an incursion a few months back, Taryn had been captured. Since then, Monroe had continuously been trying to find and rescue him. However, the blasted draechen kept moving him. At one point, Taryn had even been in Draechenburg, and according to what Monroe had been told, he’d been the slave of the current emperor.
Monroe hadn’t been able to do anything about that, since individual packs of werewolves weren’t strong enough to attack Draechenburg. But now, his wolves were all clustered around him, and his little brother was in the building ahead. Today, Monroe would get Taryn back.
“He’s close,” Monroe’s beta, Thomas, whispered.
Monroe nodded. “Let’s hope it’s not a trap.”
Thomas hummed, sounding deep in thought. “Do you really think the elf would play the draechen’s games?”
Monroe shrugged. He had heard of the famous prince Jud’enealh, exiled by his people for supposedly wanting to fight for the rights of the lower castes. Honestly, he’d have liked to believe that the elf genuinely had good intentions and for that reason, had helped Taryn in his hour of need. Even on a regular day, he was disinclined to trust anyone not a werewolf, and lately, recent rumors spoke of serious problems in the underground paranormal world.
As for elves, whatever aid they could have provided for werewolves, they’d long decided to withhold for their own benefit. To a certain extent, Monroe understood the reasoning. Anyone who helped his kind drew the anger of the draechen onto them. But from Monroe’s point of view, that just made everyone else untrustworthy. Prince Jud’enealh was no different. In fact, rumor had reached Monroe’s ears that the man had grown far more reluctant to cooperate with opponents of the draechen regime. Monroe didn’t know why that was, but whatever the reason behind the elf’s actions, Monroe knew he had to free Taryn.
“Come on,” he said to his wolves. “We’re going in, getting him, and leaving this damn place as soon as possible. Just watch yourselves. Remember the draechen have a residence nearby and they might show up at any moment.”
“If that doesn’t clearly point out this is all a trap, I don’t know what does,” Thomas’s sister, Elena, said, curling her lip in disgust.
“They certainly must know that he’s here,” Elena’s mate, Johnny, added.
Personally, Monroe didn’t much care about anything else the draechen had planned, but he couldn’t abandon caution. He was Alpha, and at all times, he needed to be careful. Of course, he hadn’t taken his entire pack on this expedition, but each and every member mattered. He needed to keep all of them safe, not only his brother.
Holding onto that thought, he melted into his wolf form. Behind him, Thomas and the others followed his example, turning into their animal shapes as well. Swift and quiet like shadows, Monroe and his companions slipped through the night, heading toward the elf’s cabin.
Monroe did his best to stay downwind so that he and his pack members would avoid detection, just in case draechen patrols were nearby. He and his pack were close to their target now. Soon, if all went well, he’d be reunited with Taryn.
But as he approached the cabin, a sense of profound restlessness burst to life within him. His wolf grew impatient, almost giddy. Monroe might have blamed it on the enthusiasm of finally having his brother so close, but something told him it was not the case.
He stole a look at the other wolves, searching for any sign that they sensed the same thing he did, but as far as he could tell, there was no difference. Thomas gave him an inquiring glance, and Monroe nudged his beta with his snout. “It’s all right,” he sent to Thomas through his mental abilities. “Go.”
Thomas couldn’t answer, since Monroe’s power was a prerogative of Alphas. Perhaps if he’d been able to, he’d have called Monroe up on his lie. As it was, he continued on his way, while Monroe struggled with his confusing emotions.
This strange excitement bubbled inside Monroe, almost making him want to wag his tail and yip like a carefree pup. Monroe had never actually been carefree. He’d grown up in the chokehold and under the threat of the draechen, and he’d never had time to be happy or in any way joyful. The only one who’d ever managed to stir glee in his heart had been Taryn. But he’d never experienced this peculiar sensation before, not even around his little brother.
Still, he was so distracted by the strange feeling that he almost missed the presence of the sensors until it was too late. Only when Thomas nipped his shoulder did he realize that, in his eagerness to get closer, he’d nearly stepped in the range of what must have been some top notch security systems.
All right, so the elf had safety measures in place. This was a factor Monroe hadn’t expected, although, in hindsight, he probably should have. Nevertheless, it didn’t mean Monroe couldn’t break through. Likely, it would take a little more time, but he’d manage.
Unfortunately, one of the wolves in his pack wasn’t so cautious and accidentally triggered a sensor. Alarms started to screech all around the house, weapons emerging out of nowhere and pointed in the direction of Monroe and his men.
Monroe didn’t even have the time to signal evasive maneuvers, because the alarms were quickly silenced and the weapons disappeared. Apparently, this was the elf’s way of telling them it was safe to approach.
It might have still been a trap, but Monroe didn’t care anymore. He didn’t hesitate for a second further and burst forward, running toward the cabin. He reached the house without too much trouble and burst inside. The first person he saw upon entering the house was his little brother. Taryn stood just a few feet away from him now, dressed in clothes that were obviously not his own, his eyes swimming in tears.
“Oh, Monroe,” he said.
Instantly, Monroe changed into his human form and hastened toward his brother. Taryn met him halfway, and for the moment, as they embraced, Monroe was gripped by a sensation of peace and relief he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
It didn’t last. Two things shattered the illusion. The first was the distinctive feel of a bump against his brother’s belly, and the second the lingering excitement that seemed to have had nothing to do with Taryn.
When he felt someone watching him, he broke away from his brother. As he turned, Monroe found himself facing the handsomest man he’d ever seen in his life. But no, not simply a man, an elf.
Jud’enealh Murdokain, for he was undoubtedly the person in question, took Monroe’s breath away. A bright golden gaze met Monroe’s, shining with curiosity and a dash of unrestrained desire, and Monroe allowed himself to look his fill as well. The elf’s human style clothing did nothing to disguise his toned physique. His full lips seemed to have been made for kissing, and the sharp tips of his ears drew Monroe in, making him wonder how Jud’enealh would react if Monroe bit them. The elf’s cheekbones looked so sharp they could have cut glass, and his aristocratic bearing and the flawless elegant features screamed of his royal origins.
But this was no pampered and harmless prince, as the crossbow he held clearly illustrated.
Monroe tensed and struggled to shake off the haze of lust. It probably didn’t work, and judging by the way the elf’s gaze traveled up and down his body, the other man clearly appreciated the view. Taking a deep breath, Monroe struggled to ignore the throbbing of his more-than-interested cock, and asked, “What in the world is going on in here?” His own inquiry reminded him of what he’d se
nsed earlier from Taryn. “Are you…pregnant, Taryn?”
He had to struggle with the word, because the entire thing was completely unexpected. Intellectually, Monroe knew there was a perfectly rational explanation for it. Few people knew that the Lovingtons had sprite blood coursing through their veins, as Monroe had never thought he’d be confronted with a clear proof of it. His own magical abilities were poor at best, and Taryn’s practically nonexistent. But apparently, Taryn had inherited something else from his Elusian blood.
“Obviously,” Taryn replied blandly. “I won’t get into how it happened, since you can probably guess for yourself.”
Monroe’s heart fell at the words. Yes, he could guess, because he knew where Taryn had been. Undoubtedly, this child had been fathered by the emperor. A forbidden baby, one who would be killed if his existence became common knowledge. “Taryn…”
“No, don’t,” his brother said. “Don’t you blame yourself for this. Don’t you dare.” He glanced at the other wolves, obviously uncomfortable. “We’ll talk about it later. For the moment, stop giving Jude the evil eye. He’s only trying to help.” Turning toward the elf, he added, “And on this note, let me introduce you. Prince Jud’enealh Murdokain, this is my brother Monroe Lovington. His companions are Thomas Palmer and Elena and Johnny Barton.”
“It’s an honor,” Jude said. “I found Taryn while I was heading home. He was injured, and I couldn’t just leave him.”
As Jude related the tale of how he’d met Taryn, his voice flowed over Monroe like hot chocolate, and it was all Monroe could do not to shiver or, preferably, to pounce on Jude and bury his dick in the snug hold of the elf’s body. Gods, what was wrong with him? He’d never had such a strong reaction to anyone before. He should be focusing on his brother, for fuck’s sake, not on the strange elf who’d somehow ended up tangled in their mess.
Emperor's Consort [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 5] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 9