Karein shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that. Breeding outside your caste is forbidden. You can mate him, but if you do, he will be forced into a concubine position. You’ll have to marry someone else, a draechen.” Not to mention that nagas were chimeras. But Karein didn’t say that since he had a feeling Sage might not appreciate hearing it.
“He’s royalty.” Sage’s nostrils flared. “He’s my mate. I can’t humiliate him like that.”
Karein’s mind whirled as he tried to come up with a solution to this new problem. He could easily understand being kept apart from his mate, especially now. He didn’t want that to happen to anyone, let alone Sage, who had been so loyal to him. “No, you can’t. We’ll think of something.”
Sari’s voice popped into Karein’s mind. “Tell him to speak to Prince Camden. I’m sure there wasn’t time for him to do so since Sage has been with me. He needs to find out what Camden wants.”
“Talk to him,” Karein told Sage, just like Sari had asked him to. “He must have realized he is your mate as well. Maybe he has an idea.”
“He didn’t show any reaction to me at all,” Sage argued. “Perhaps nagas don’t recognize their other halves on sight, like we do.”
Karein couldn’t be sure one way or the other. There wasn’t much information on naga mating habits. Karein was fairly certain about one thing, though. Nagas didn’t mate in pairs. In fact, the nagas didn’t have a royal couple at all—but a royal triad, currently made up out of two men and a woman.
A draechen would never accept that. Draechen were, by their nature, very possessive, and wouldn’t allow anyone to touch their mates. “Should I tell him?” he asked Sari. “It will break his heart.”
“He’ll find out eventually,” Sari answered. “It’s better for him to know ahead of time.”
Karein groaned and rubbed his eyes. He didn’t want to do this. He was horrible at handling emotional situations, which was why he always had to follow Sari’s lead in situations like this. “I’m not sure about whether he realizes you’re his mate or not, but… Well, nagas don’t mate in pairs. They usually have three or more people involved in a relationship.”
Sage’s eyes widened, then filled with cold fire. “No,” he said. “Not for him. He belongs to me. Highness, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go.”
Karein stepped out of Sage’s way and let him pass. He couldn’t ask for Sage’s help now, not when Sage had his own problems to handle.
As soon as his lieutenant was gone, Karein left the room and headed toward his meeting once again. Ironically, his conversation with Sage had calmed him down a little. Perhaps it wasn’t its topic per se that had helped, but rather the realization that nothing had truly changed between him and Sari. They had to hide their love, yes, but they could still speak through their mind bond. In time, he’d figure out a way to free them both of this frustrating problem.
When he reached Hareem’s office, though, his improving mood faltered a little. As soon as he stepped into the room, he saw his mother had already received the news and was waiting for him. The fact that she’d deigned to come here and not summoned him to the throne room was actually quite worrisome. More importantly, she looked very displeased.
“I’m told that your fae threw you out of your apartment,” she said without preamble. “Shtamakarein, we cannot allow this to continue. The month you had at your disposal has expired. You have to force your way into his mind.”
“Now is a horrible time,” Karein replied. “He will fight me and likely shut me out. If I push, I will fracture his mind, and likely, whatever information he has will be lost.”
She glowered at him. “Are you saying you can’t do it?”
“I am a draechen, Your Majesty. As you well know, our specialty doesn’t lie in reading minds. So far, the fae has proven to be quite impressively powerful as my energy draining magic hasn’t harmed him.” Karein allowed himself a frustrated noise. “I was making good progress. Any day now, he would have opened his mind to me. What happened? Who told him?”
The best strategy to escape his parents’ anger was to divert it on someone else. “Apparently, your sister.” Impossibly, Rowenasheb’s expression grew even darker. “She will be dealt with separately for her indiscretion.”
“If I may,” Hareem piped up, speaking for the first time, “I have an idea about how to fix this. As you know, I’m leaving to the States soon. Perhaps Karein could come with me for a few days. It would allow the fae to calm down.”
Karein threw a glare at his brother over his mother’s shoulder. His brother was just using this chance to get Karein’s help for the Taryn issue. The last thing Karein wanted was to leave Draechenburg and abandon Sari in such a bad situation. Not to mention that Sari seemed to be getting sick.
“I’ll be fine,” Sari whispered in Karein’s mind. “Your brother’s idea is good, and he does need your help. If you stay now, your parents will only push you to force-claim me, and it would be worse.”
Karein gritted his teeth in anger. “I should just take you from Draechenburg. We could escape together. No one would ever find us.”
“And then what?” Sari asked quietly. “Without you here, there would be no one trying to stop the war, no one to temper the Emperor. We have to stay and fight, Karein.”
“Kael and Talrasar stood and fought, and they died for it. I refuse to allow the past to repeat itself.”
“It won’t,” Sari answered. “Have faith in Jenarra and the Overlords. Help your brother and return to me.”
Karein was still musing over his mate’s words when his mother turned toward him. “Do you think that would work, Shtamakarein? Would a brief departure help?”
In her eyes, Karein saw his only possible course of action. “It might,” he answered. “The fae is furious now, but once I come back, he’ll be exhausted by his grief. I’ll be able to tame him.”
“Then go.” Rowenasheb crossed her arms over her chest. “You have two days. After that, you will return and get what you need from the fae. We’re tired of playing games. Break the whore’s mind if you have to. After all, he insulted you today. You have every right to take whatever measure you wish. And if it doesn’t work… Well, wars have been started for less. We’ll suffer more losses, but it’s something your father and I are willing to accept.”
Karein said nothing. There was nothing left to discuss. It seemed clear to him that his parents had made his decision. War seemed to be approaching, no matter how much he and Sari wanted to fight against it. At this point, whatever information Karein could provide would be insufficient. His parents no longer cared about the death of the draechen. They never had, but now, finding a pretext to start the war had lost its importance.
When his mother stalked out of the room, Karein turned toward his brother. “We need to hurry. There’s not much time left.”
Hareem nodded. “What will you do?”
Karein took a deep breath, swallowing around the sudden knot in his throat. “Whatever I have to.”
* * * *
As a lieutenant of the Wyverns and Prince Karein’s right hand, Sage had quite a lot of influence in the palace. Under normal circumstances, he only ever used it for Karein’s benefit, but today, things were different. He unashamedly took advantage of his rank and reputation to slip into the guest wing and past the countless guards who had manifested in the area upon the arrival of the naga delegation.
The naga were a mystery to most draechen, not only Sage, but then, most second-caste shifters were. They’d been deemed rare for a good reason. Compared to the overwhelming population of other types of shifters, nagas, gryphons, basilisks, and others like them were impossibly few. Before the Great Sacrifice, draechen had been one of these rare shifters, but their subsequent rise to power had encouraged unprecedented growth in numbers.
However, the naga hadn’t changed, and information on them was scarce. Sage desperately hoped that this lack of knowledge had been behind Karein’s earlier words, but somehow he dou
bted it. Either way, he wanted to speak to Camden Isaiat. He needed to make sure the naga understood the two of them were mates.
He found Camden’s quarters with ease as his dragon guided him there. The naga were apparently a suspicious bunch as they had their own people keeping watch. Still, they let him pass without giving him too much trouble, something which made Sage suspect his arrival had been anticipated. Indeed, he didn’t even get the chance to knock at the door. It opened before he even got the chance, revealing Camden standing in the doorway. “Well, you certainly took your time,” he said, narrowing his eyes at Sage. The effect looked quite striking in Camden’s slitted gaze.
“You gave me no sign that I’d be welcome here at all,” Sage pointed out.
Camden snorted and stepped back inside, but left the door open, a silent invitation for Sage to follow him. Sage did, a little taken aback by the reception, but pleased that Camden had, at least, recognized their bond. He quietly shut the door behind himself, ensuring their privacy. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Sage allowed himself the luxury to admire his beautiful mate. He’d seen many handsome men in his lifetime, and shifters weren’t shy so to speak. Karein, for example, had many times been naked in front of him. Prince Sareltae wasn’t quite so audacious, but he was very lovely regardless, in a different way.
But nothing had prepared him for the sight of Camden Isaiat. Camden moved sinuously, elegantly, his long, dark hair swaying in an almost hypnotic way. He was tall and slender, and in many ways, he looked very young, but something about the way he walked screamed predator. Sage had to admit that he had become a more than willing prey, a strange position to be in for a draechen.
Camden went to the bar and poured himself a glass of scotch. When he turned toward Sage, he said, “So, here we are. What now?”
Everything inside Sage screamed to say, “Now, I claim you,” but he had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well. He met his mate’s gaze without flinching, wondering what was hiding behind those mysterious snake-like eyes. Camden might be trying to unbalance him for some obscure reason, but Sage wouldn’t allow it. He could play the game with the best of them, even with a naga.
“First of all,” he said calmly, “I want to make sure we’re on the same page. The two of us are mates.”
“We are,” Camden confirmed. “In a way.”
Sage frowned. “You mean I haven’t claimed you yet. That’s easily fixed.”
He regretted his dismissive words seconds later when Camden’s eyes flashed angrily. “Is that right? How does it work for draechen? Meet in a hallway, run off with another man, then come back to fuck?”
“That isn’t what I meant,” Sage answered. “Look, I’m sorry. I just… Things are hard enough as it is. You’re right that we barely know each other, and I’d never push you into anything. But I need to know how you want to deal with this.”
“What you need to do is to introduce yourself,” Camden answered and took another sip of scotch.
Sage’s mind simply went blank. Hadn’t he…? No, he hadn’t. He’d heard Camden’s name, but before he could introduce himself, Prince Sareltae had gotten that strange dizzy spell. Fuck, he was making such a mess of things. But he’d never been one to dwell on his failures. He preferred to fix them. “Lieutenant Sagenamadeen Zager, at your disposal,” he replied.
“Prince Camden Isaiat,” his mate said. “And now that we’ve made that clear, a man in your position must realize that we can’t possibly take this further or expose it. I’m not willing to become a concubine, and the Directive forbids anything different.”
“Exceptions can be made,” Sage argued. “Nothing is set in stone.”
Camden grimaced. “Perhaps if I’d been a different type of shifter, I would be inclined to hope. But I am a chimera, Lieutenant, a half, like your people call me. That makes us twice incompatible. To tell you the truth, I’m surprised they still consider us second caste.”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Sage answered furiously. “That description is idiotic anyway. You’re a shifter, just like me.”
“Well, some people don’t agree,” Camden answered. “Do yourself a favor and forget about me. Fate played a trick on us, but draechen and naga are about as right for each other as…well, draechen and werewolves.”
That was hardly a fair comparison. Yes, chimeras—half-shifters like naga and mermaids—weren’t well viewed in some circles, but official law still had them in the second caste. Nevertheless, the fact remained that, according to the Directive, Camden was still very much below Sage. The entire situation made no sense. Camden was the prince, and Sage’s rank meant nothing compared to that. But Sage was a draechen, and Camden only a naga, so they couldn’t be together. And Camden didn’t even want to try. He seemed completely convinced that there was no point in making the attempt.
“Do you even care at all?” he asked. “Do you feel the mate bond like I do?”
Camden didn’t reply. Well, he just looked away from Sage, and that was reply enough. “I see,” Sage said at last, the bitter taste of rejection and heartbreak filling his mouth. “Farewell then, Prince Isaiat. I wish you the best in your further endeavors.”
Yes, it was much better this way. It hurt to leave, but he didn’t know Camden yet. He instinctively realized how good it could be between them, but the true potential of a mate-bond relationship only became fulfilled once the people involved spent some time together. Sage could only hope that if that didn’t happen, the seed of desire that had been planted in his heart would wither and die. He didn’t bet on it, though, or rather, he suspected that once that happened, his soul might just go with it.
Regardless, Sage had told Camden the truth in that he would in no way force the young naga prince to accept a relationship with him. So without another word, Sage turned away from Camden and headed toward the door. But before he could step out, a delicate, but strong hand landed on his shoulder. “Don’t go,” Camden whispered.
Sage glanced toward Camden once more. “Don’t play games with me, naga. I…”
The rest of the words died in his throat when he saw the naked vulnerability on Camden’s face. “Don’t go,” Camden repeated. “Nothing about this is a game, but… If you leave, I don’t think I’d ever be able to bear it.”
Sage didn’t say anything else. He couldn’t think he could have spoken to save his life. Instead, he pulled Camden close and crushed their mouths together. The glass Camden had been holding clattered to the ground, shattering with a sound both of them ignored. At first, Camden went rigid and almost seemed like he wanted to pull back, but in the end, he relaxed against Sage, parting his lips in a strikingly shy way. Sage took the hint and slid his slick muscle into Camden’s wet cavern slowly, not rushing, simply giving Camden—and himself—a taste of what it could be like between them.
As a rule, ice dragons weren’t known for their passionate natures, especially when, like Sage, they came from a full line of draechen aligned with this element. But as Camden’s forked tongue made contact with Sage’s, lust exploded through Sage, so potent it melted away the icy control he’d been desperately hanging on. Flipping them around, he pinned the naga against the door, delving deep into Camden’s mouth, needing more.
He’d have liked for the kiss to go on forever, but the need to breathe forced them apart. As he broke the lip-lock, Sage met Camden’s serpentine gaze, fascinated with it. He could so easily imagine glancing into those slitted eyes as he thrust his dick in and out of Camden’s body. Oh, and Camden’s tongue… It would feel so good as it danced over Sage’s prick. “Is your tongue always forked?” he asked huskily.
Camden chuckled and nodded. “Just another thing that we can’t change when we shift. You know, legend has it that the gods once spilled the essence of immortality into the grass and my ancestors licked it up, therefore getting forked tongues.”
Sage couldn’t believe they were talking about mythology. “And is that true?”
His mate snorted. “It depends on who y
ou ask.” Camden slid out of Sage’s embrace and groaned. “We really shouldn’t be doing this. I can’t stay in Draechenburg. I have to return to Patala. And even if I did stay, we can’t be together.”
Reason dictated that Camden was correct, but Sage refused to accept it. “There has to be a way. I’m sure of it.”
Camden sighed. “You know why I’m here, Lieutenant. Your people are dangerous for mine. Even if the Directive and our societies hadn’t been against it, the fact remains that draechen are a danger for all castes.”
Sage studied his mate in shock. Did that mean the naga knew about the war the emperor was planning? It wouldn’t be too farfetched, and it would certainly explain why Camden had been sent to Draechenburg in the first place. The naga shot him a disapproving look. “I never should have said that. Lieutenant, you have to promise that whatever the two of us discuss, you will not share with your superiors.”
“And what will you promise back if I do so?” Sage asked. As loyal as he was to Karein, he wouldn’t betray his mate’s confidence, but he wanted to see the same openness from Camden.
The naga took a deep breath. “I will make a solemn oath to you. Right now, we don’t even know each other. I would be inclined to bond with you, but it would be irresponsible and disrespectful of such an important thing. Sadly, my duty summons me back to Patala, but I will return to your side. That, I vow.”
Everything inside Sage screamed to keep Camden here with him, to claim him like the ways of their people demanded. But Camden wasn’t a draechen, and Sage couldn’t force his mate into something the naga wasn’t ready for. He just needed to know one simple thing. “Before you say that, I’d like to ask you a single question. I know your people… You don’t mate like draechen. Is there someone else, in Patala?”
Camden shook his head. “No one. There never has been.”
A heavy weight lifted off Sage’s chest. “Then we’re agreed. Whatever we speak of will remain strictly between the two of us.” Sage paused. “On one condition. Call me Sage.”
Draechen's Mate [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 2] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 20