The inquiry seemed to snap Hareem out of his trance. “You don’t have to worry about that,” he said as he got up, still holding Taryn in his arms. “I’ll protect Taryn.”
Monroe stared at him. “You will return him to me,” he answered, “and then I’ll make you pay for what you did. I’ll kill you for hurting Taryn.”
“You must be mistaken,” Hareem replied calmly. “I would never harm him. In fact, I’m taking my mate back to Draechenburg, and I will explain to everyone that he is my mate and not to be touched.”
As he spoke, he smiled slightly, petting Taryn’s hair. When Caelyn looked at him, he realized Hareem wasn’t even lying or pretending. He truly believed his own words. He couldn’t accept that Taryn was dead, so he had buried that knowledge somewhere deep inside, so that he wouldn’t have to process it.
Monroe didn’t seem to care about that. Roaring, he leapt toward Hareem, anger and pain in his every motion. “You killed him!”
Every syllable was a growl, and he seemed seconds away from shifting and attacking. Likely, the only thing holding him back was the fact that Hareem still held Taryn’s body, and even if Taryn was no longer alive, Monroe still didn’t want any harm to come to his body. It was all so awful, and it seemed like a cruel joke that, only hours before, Hareem had been the one to encourage Caelyn. Now, the ice dragon had his hopes and dreams crushed, and Caelyn was helpless to do anything about it.
In spite of Monroe’s angry words, Hareem scoffed. “Taryn is just resting. He was sleepy, and he needed to close his eyes for a bit. That’s all. He’ll wake up by the time we get to Draechenburg.”
Caelyn’s heart broke a little more, and he simply couldn’t bring himself to say that Taryn would never wake up again. Hareem glanced his way and said, “Come on. We have what we came here for. The plane is waiting, and Karein will be happy to learn our trip was a huge success.”
The phrase reminded Caelyn of a problem they hadn’t even gotten the chance to discuss. Caelyn had focused on the idea of finding Graham, but hadn’t really paid much attention to what they’d do after that. Clearly, Graham had a pack and a family here. Caelyn couldn’t ask him to abandon them, not to mention that it made no sense whatsoever for a werewolf to live in Draechenburg. What role would he even have? Would he be Caelyn’s lover? Where would he fit into Caelyn’s life?
At the same time, Caelyn didn’t think he was welcome here. He remained a sprite, and the draechen emperor’s consort. Also, he couldn’t simply leave Hareem on his own with his dead mate while he ran off with Graham. It would just be too cruel.
Torn, Caelyn took Graham’s hand and squeezed it. He needed to know Graham’s opinion, and he would act accordingly. He’d have to make a choice between what was more important to him, and if he needed to pick, Graham would always be the winner. But first, he had to acknowledge Graham’s point of view.
Much to his surprise, Graham nodded. “Very well. I will go with you. My beta will care for my pack in my absence.”
“Excellent,” Hareem answered. “Oh, and I believe I didn’t introduce myself. My name is Hareematek Tersain. I’d like to thank you for your help in finding in my mate. I don’t think we could have rescued Taryn without you.”
Predictably, Monroe didn’t take that well. His human form at last shifted into his wolf. His eyes seemed to hold no reason at all as he lunged toward Hareem. Hareem put up a wall of ice between them, keeping the werewolf from advancing. But Taryn’s death appeared to have pushed Monroe over the edge. He ran straight into the barrier, once, twice, wildly ramming into it until it finally cracked. Splinters of ice flew everywhere, and Graham covered Caelyn’s body with his own, protecting him from the strange hail.
When he was safe again, Caelyn saw Hareem place Taryn down and face Monroe. “Taryn is mine,” he said. “He wanted me to be there when he woke up, and I will. Always. I won’t break my promise.”
Out of thin air, Hareem created a spear of ice. Time seemed to slow, and all Caelyn knew was that he simply couldn’t bear the thought of more death. Monroe had already lost a brother. It wasn’t fair for him to have to die, too.
Breaking free from Graham’s embrace, Caelyn threw himself between the two shifters. “Stop!” he shouted.
But it was too late. Hareem had already tossed the spear. Caelyn found himself staggering, but he didn’t really know why, not at first. And then, pain rushed through Caelyn, and he crumbled to the ground. Graham was instantly by his side, reaching for his hand. “Oh, Gods… Angel!”
Caelyn tried to smile and squeeze Graham’s fingers, but he found that he couldn’t move his arm. The pain was replaced by a dull numbness that slowly progressed over his body, making him unable to move.
Graham roared at Hareem. “Draechen! Fix him. What the fuck did you do?”
That was kind of a silly question, since Graham had seen the whole thing. Truly, it was Caelyn’s own fault for trying to stop the conflict. At most, it had been an accident. “Please… Don’t… Don’t fight.”
He met Hareem’s gaze and found the ice dragon staring at Caelyn with a blank expression. Caelyn wanted to say a million things. He wished he could have explained everything to Graham, told him about what the world truly should have been like. But the ice spell paralyzed his vocal cords, and all he could do was wish that somehow, his mate would find a way to fix what had been broken—without him.
Chapter Twelve
Camden leaned against his mate, musing over the news they had just received. He hadn’t really known what to expect when the Myrthylar had gone to meet with the draechen. Lord Selbrian had returned with the suggestion of an alliance, and Camden was still pretty confused. Even so, he’d leapt at the chance to go to Draechenburg. So here he was, on a plane with Selbrian, Philip Strange, Raleigh Connors, and of course, Sage.
His parents hadn’t wanted to allow it, but Camden had insisted to go. It would have been too risky for them to come, so Camden had taken it up on himself to be the messenger of the Isaiat. Of course, he’d had the ulterior motive of wanting Sage to return to his people. Even if Sage had never shown regret with regard to his decision to leave the draechen, Camden knew that it hadn’t been easy. He had faith that, with this, Sage would manage to make his peace with the past.
“I just hope I don’t fuck things up for the alliance,” Sage said through their bond. “The emperor is unlikely to trust me.”
“The whole point of this meeting was to leave behind the battles of the past,” Camden argued. “We have to believe it will work.”
Truth be told, Camden wasn’t sure if he did want this alliance in the first place. He would never be able to forget the pain he had experienced when his brother and sister had been killed. While he didn’t blame Sage for it, the same thing didn’t apply to draechen as a whole. But they had all agreed to get over their personal differences with their foes for the greater good—as long as Ornoz was honest about the entire thing, at least.
That didn’t mean any of Camden’s companions were happy about it. In fact, even now, Philip Strange was having an argument with Lord Selbrian.
“For the record, I don’t like this,” he said. “I just don’t trust Ornoz.”
“I can understand that,” the fae answered, “but this might be our best and only chance for peace.”
“Peace? You must be joking. After everything that happened? After everyone who died, you would have us make nice with the draechen, just because your son is suddenly hot for dragon cock?”
Selbrian’s nostrils flared at the vulgar words. The situation would have undoubtedly escalated to further unpleasantness had Philip’s mate Raleigh not intervened. He took Philip’s hand and squeezed it tightly. Instantly, Philip began to settle down, although Camden still watched him warily.
“In the end, this is what we have been working for, the cessation of hostilities,” Raleigh said. “It’s a good thing in whatever way it will come about.”
Coming from Raleigh, that was incredibly supportive. Like Camden, Ral
eigh had lost so much in this war. His entire family—both his birth parents and his adoptive ones—had been practically decimated. But he obviously knew that there was nothing to be gained from continuing the conflict. At the very least, a truce would prevent any more deaths.
Philip’s anger seemed to deflate, too. “I just can’t imagine it will work,” he admitted. “We’re talking about Emperor Shtamakarein Tersain here. He’s notorious for his cruelty. For crying out loud, he already has a mate. What is your son thinking?”
“I’m aware of all those issues, and so is Sari,” Selbrian answered, tension thick in his voice. “Believe me, this isn’t at all what I would choose for my only child. But it’s not my decision to make, and I’m afraid it’s not yours either.” He smiled bitterly. “Ironically, if I hadn’t mentioned Sari truly thinks Shtamakarein is his mate, you probably wouldn’t have reacted so violently, right? If you’d thought he planned to simply offer himself to the emperor in exchange for peace, you’d have been okay with it.”
Philip fell silent, perhaps uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation and with the accusation in Selbrian’s tone. Camden wondered if he and Sage should intervene, at least to point out that the emperor was unlikely to treat Prince Sareltae badly. According to Sage, Shtamakarein Tersain wasn’t quite as bad as others believed. But whenever Sage tried to explain that, he always became the focus of the hostility of the entire group, and Camden had had enough of it. He wished that one day, he and Sage could find a place of peace, where their love wouldn’t be taboo and frowned upon.
Thankfully, Camden and Sage were rescued from having to draw attention onto themselves, because Selbrian let the matter go. “Mr. Strange, this isn’t just about Sari,” he said. “I told you before. Something far more powerful is going on, and it is in all of our interests to come up with a solution. Have some faith. Jenarra will guide our steps.”
“I’m going to trust in you, Lord Selbrian,” Philip said, “because so far, the Myrthylar have never failed us. I just hope this promise for peace doesn’t blow up in our faces.”
“Believe me, Mr. Strange. I’m the one who has most to lose in this whole affair.”
“We’ve all lost a great deal,” Camden finally said. “That’s why we’re going to Draechenburg in the first place—to prevent it from happening again, and maybe, to get it all back.”
Silence fell over the plane after Camden said that. They all realized the high stakes of this meeting. There was another issue here which had to be taken into account, a matter Selbrian had mentioned but hadn’t clarified too much. According to him, another reality existed in which the war had never happened. That meant Camden’s loved ones had never died. Camden was reluctant to believe such an outlandish tale, but he suspected that the hope it could be true had been the only reason for which his parents had agreed to this in the first place.
“Do you truly think there’s a second, better reality which we can find, Lord Selbrian?” he inquired.
“I’m not sure,” Selbrian replied. “It seems to be the case. Although it makes no sense when we say it out loud, there have been countless visions sent to my mate that point to it. I suppose we’ll finally find out now.”
“Ah, yes… We’re meeting the famous Phoenix.” Raleigh hummed thoughtfully. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with leaving my destiny in the hands of someone who is known to be volatile and dangerous, but…we have to try.”
In the end, that was the crux of the issue. It could be all an elaborate deception, but there were also chances of it being true. In that case, all of them could get back what they had lost—children, siblings, parents. This was the promise which had urged them all to come, not the elusive peace which Philip had scorned.
Still, by the time the plane entered draechen airspace, Camden had become very anxious. He was actually a little relieved when the pilot announced they would soon be reaching Draechenburg. It wouldn’t be easy, but anything was an improvement when compared to this uncertainty.
Finally, the jet began to descend. As he looked outside the window, Camden could see the large draechen citadel, so very close now. Camden had seen it in Sage’s memories, but it was very different to finally be here himself. He wondered how many outsiders had ever stepped on Draechenburg soil. Not many, he would bet.
Finally, the plane landed on the cliffside that served as a runway. Once the jet stopped, Camden unbuckled his seatbelt and left his chair, his mate by his side. He didn’t abandon the aircraft immediately. Instead, he and Sage headed in the adjoining cabin and opened the door.
Prince Akarawem glared at them from her enclosure. A fae-built shield still surrounded her, making it next to impossible for her to use her fire-wielding abilities. “You traitor!” she spat at Sage. “I’ll have my brother skin you alive for this.”
“Remain calm, Princess Akarawem,” Sage answered. “Your presence here is a sign of our goodwill and a first step in a treaty with the draechen. You would do well to remember that.”
“A treaty?” Akarawem laughed. “You have to be kidding. Do you truly believe that’s going to happen? You must have forgotten more than just our ways while becoming the slave of the chimeras.”
Lord Selbrian appeared behind them and stepped into the room. He grabbed Akarawem’s arm and began to pull her toward the exit of the aircraft. Fortunately, the draechen female didn’t try to fight him in any way, but Camden still hated having to free her.
They didn’t have much choice, however, since she was still the emperor’s sister and her release had been a prerequisite for this meeting. With a deep sigh, Camden steeled himself for what was to come and followed Selbrian out of the aircraft.
Evening had fallen over the mountains now, but Camden’s keen eyesight and the artificial lighting illuminating the cliffside still allowed him to see in the increasing gloom. There were quite a lot of people waiting for them, including Prince Sareltae and his mother, Eanera. But what surprised Camden was the presence of Emperor Shtamakarein himself. Camden had never actually met the emperor in battle, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out who the tall, dark-haired man next to Sareltae was. The possessive hold he had on the fae’s waist, as well as the dark glare he received from the Selbrian, clarified any confusion Camden might have had.
It also became pretty obvious that both Sareltae and the emperor were serious regarding their supposed connection, because they didn’t even flinch when faced with Selbrian’s anger. Then again, Eanera couldn’t have been happy about it either, but there they were, nevertheless. The mysterious prince Talrasar whom Camden had just met was, however, nowhere to be seen.
“Greetings,” the emperor said. “Ornoz is honored to have you here. Sister, I am happy to see you are well.”
Akarawem finally shook off Selbrian’s hold. “I have no idea how you managed this, but I’m free now. You can get rid of them.”
Shtamakarein scowled. “You’re not in any position to give me orders. Refrain from doing so, or from thinking that you have any say in what I think or do.”
“But… Your Imperial Majesty… They kidnapped me. You can’t possibly…”
“Guards, lead the princess to her quarters,” the emperor ordered, interrupting Akarawem’s protests. “She is fatigued after her ordeal.”
Several draechen soldiers complied with his command and led Akarawem inside. She seemed so shocked at the emperor’s attitude that Camden couldn’t help but experience a pang of satisfaction. It didn’t last, because the emperor’s gaze then turned to Sage. He showed no sign of surprise at his presence, and instead smiled. “Welcome back, Lieutenant Zager.”
The way the emperor said that suggested that he had known about Sage’s defection all along. Camden wrapped his arm around Sage’s waist, protectiveness swelling through him. He didn’t know if Shtamakarein had done it on purpose, but it only made everyone distrust Sage’s intentions.
“I can actually understand that,” Sage said through their bond. “It wouldn’t do for everyone to figure ou
t that I fooled him.”
That made sense, but Camden still hated to accept it. He hated it even more when Sage saluted militarily. “Greetings, Your Imperial Majesty,” Sage said. “I’m very happy to be on draechen soil once more.”
“Perhaps we should head inside then,” the emperor said. “You must be tired after your trip, and you likely need to rest.”
Selbrian waved a hand. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. We should focus directly on what needs to be done.”
“Very well.” Shtamakarein gestured them toward the palace entrance. “Please, follow me.”
Without another word, the emperor turned and entered the citadel, taking Prince Sareltae along with him. Eanera and Selbrian rushed after them, so Sage and Camden did so as well. Camden was aware of the other draechen staring at Sage, probably wondering exactly where he fit in this entire affair. However, Sage ignored them. He just held onto Camden’s hand like he always did and focused on guiding them through the corridors.
They ended up in the throne room, a large, cavernous area that for some reason felt very chilly to Camden. Two other men had already been waiting there, one of whom looked very much like the emperor. They didn’t speak, simply watching the entire scene from the side.
“We’ll get right to the point,” Shtamakarein said. “As I mentioned earlier, there is a second reality which the war between species didn’t ravage. Even if it seems an unlikely scenario, it is a chance for us to start over.”
“Do you truly expect us to believe that?” Philip asked. “Doesn’t the absence of the war mean that in this reality, you aren’t the all-powerful leader of the world?”
Shtamakarein sat down on the throne and pulled Sareltae in his lap. “Contrary to popular belief,” he said, “my priorities aren’t focused on expanding Ornoz’s domination—at least, not right now.”
“It’s a strange thing to say from your throne,” Selbrian pointed out. It was exactly what Camden had been thinking, but it seemed that the emperor might have done it on purpose.
Hyacinth, Scarlet - From the Ashes [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 7] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Page 22