Hyacinth, Scarlet - From the Ashes [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 7] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)

by Scarlet Hyacinth

  It wasn’t a phoenix’s power that had changed their lives. It wasn’t a phoenix’s magic that had allowed them to rebuild their destinies. It was love, the very same love which united Karein and Sari, a force that could move mountains but was a fragile flower that needed to be protected. That emotion had blossomed between the two of them, and its delicate strength exorcised all of Sari’s demons.

  Within him, Sari felt the glow of Karein’s affection and the shy light of his child’s soul as it reached out to both of them. It was like Sari had been plunged in a pool of pure love, and it cleansed his mind, heart, and soul.

  Even when the high of the climax began to fade, that feeling of peace lingered. Karein brushed a brief kiss over his forehead, his heart beating steadily, his pulse calm, his entire being emanating contented adoration. “We’re back,” Karein said. “We’re together again.”

  Sari just nodded. He was happy and grateful, almost impossibly so, given what had happened. Karein’s dick slipped out of his body, but in spite of it, their closeness didn’t vanish. Yes, Sari was more than happy.

  Karein left the tub and took Sari in his arms, pulling him out as well. He began to dry Sari with a fluffy towel, and Sari had the errant thought that his tears and worries had been washed away into the water. He was too exhausted to care about the fact that their problems hadn’t magically disappeared. And as Karein took him in his arms and carried him into the bedroom, Sari could only smile, because now, he had the certainty that love could defeat anything.

  * * * *

  When Hareem led his mate to their quarters, he knew something was wrong. A strange hollowness filled his chest, a dread encroaching on his senses and a darkness flooding his mind and his soul. He felt like any moment now, Taryn and Galyn would disappear on him.

  “What’s wrong, Hareem?” Taryn asked the moment they were behind closed doors. “I don’t understand any of this.”

  Hareem couldn’t explain it himself. He wished he could understand it, because as things stood, he was only scaring Taryn. His instincts told him that his brother had an answer, but he didn’t have the heart to leave the room now to try to find Karein.

  “Just…come here,” he told Taryn, pulling him toward the bed. “Come with me.”

  They sat together on the mattress, with Hareem still holding his son close. He glanced from Galyn to Taryn, over and over again, making sure he always touched the two persons who were most dear to him in this world.

  Taryn lay with his head on Hareem’s shoulder, his hand petting Hareem’s stomach almost absently. The familiar caress was like a balm for Hareem’s nerves. As he settled down, so did Galyn, who ended up falling asleep on Hareem’s chest.

  Hareem’s heart clenched as he watched his son slumber, sucking on his thumb and making small noises as he dreamt. Galyn was so small, so frail that sometimes it seemed to Hareem that anything would be able to break him. He didn’t appear to have any visible side effects because of his traumatic birth—and still, Hareem could too easily imagine both him and Taryn gone.

  He knew it was cruel to even think this when Taryn was right there. His thoughts affected Taryn as much as his actions did. But for some reason, he couldn’t help it, and he hated himself for putting Taryn through such a thing because of his own weakness.

  “You’re not weak,” Taryn said. “Don’t even think such things. You promised you would be there when I woke up, and you kept your word. I believe in you.”

  Hareem blinked. When had he said that? He couldn’t remember, but it seemed right to him, like he had indeed made that promise and had stuck to it. He took a deep breath, doing his utmost to calm down. He was just being paranoid. Taryn and Galyn were all right. They were next to him, and Hareem had no plans to let either of them out of his sight in the near future. Yes, he was just worrying for nothing.

  Just as he decided that, Taryn smiled at him and brushed a brief kiss over his lips. He pulled away from Hareem, and the loss of Taryn’s warmth made panic swell through Hareem. He would have reached for his mate again, except his son was still on top of him, and stirring would wake him up.

  His concerns turned out to be unjustified. Taryn picked up Galyn, somehow managing to do so without disturbing the child’s slumber. As his mate walked away from the bed, Hareem started to panic again, already seeing Taryn vanishing on him, but he needn’t have worried. Taryn just placed the still sleeping Galyn in his crib, carefully tucking him in. Then, he came back to the bed and said, “I know that something happened. I can’t figure out what it is, but we won’t get the answer to those questions now.” He gave Hareem a pleading look. “I need you to hold me, Hareem. I don’t want to think about losing you. It’s too painful to even consider.”

  Hareem couldn’t have refused his mate if he’d wanted to. He pulled Taryn close once again, instinctively knowing that his mate needed more than platonic touches. Slowly, he began to remove Taryn’s clothing, moving with excruciating care so that he wouldn’t accidentally startle Taryn.

  Taryn’s breathing sped up, but he didn’t protest. Even as his body trembled and the scent of arousal became thick in the air, the werewolf made no move to touch Hareem. Taryn was afraid, too, Hareem realized, afraid of a shadow that neither of them could see past.

  Hareem couldn’t allow himself to linger over it. He had to be brave for Taryn, to face this with an open heart. The terror of losing Taryn would never subside. It had plagued him ever since that day when Taryn had given birth to Galyn with such difficulty. However, right now, their present and their future were more important. Doubting and fearing would only taint it, taint the life they had managed to build together.

  As that decision took root inside Hareem, he pressed a kiss over Taryn’s mouth. Taryn gasped lightly, wrapping his arms around Hareem’s neck. Hareem took advantage of the offered chance to thrust his tongue into his mate’s wet cavern. The flavor of Taryn’s desire assaulted his taste buds, making his head spin. Hareem couldn’t help a groan, and he worked faster on Taryn’s garments. If some buttons tore and some seams ripped, Taryn didn’t seem to care. In fact, he arched his back, grinding against Hareem, their connection sizzling with his need for more.

  Hareem broke away only because of his need to breathe. He’d have actually disregarded oxygen altogether since he suspected that he could easily live on Taryn alone if he tried. However, one kiss couldn’t stem the flow of their shared desire. Hareem’s beast was already roaring, demanding that he claim Taryn. The ice around his heart had long ago melted into a river of lust, and Hareem simply couldn’t get enough of his beautiful mate.

  He removed Taryn’s shoes and pants, the last items of clothing that had kept him from Taryn’s body. When Taryn was naked, Hareem froze. Perhaps it was a strange action for an ice dragon, but Hareem simply couldn’t help it. Looking at Taryn’s flushed face, seeing his lips swollen from Hareem’s kisses—it was a vision of pure heaven, one he could have lost so easily.

  But no, he couldn’t think that. His soul was bound to Taryn’s, and that would never change. Hareem had to believe in it, in the love they shared, the bond that had endured in spite of all the hardships and had eventually created Galyn.

  Still, his hand trembled when he finally reached for Taryn’s cheek. As he touched his mate, Taryn leaned into the caress, a wide, peaceful smile on his face. “Touch me,” the werewolf said, his voice pure seduction. “Come to me.”

  Hareem instantly reacted to those sinfully beautiful words. In a heartbeat, he discarded his own clothing and shoes and threw them on the floor with even less care than he’d used on Taryn’s. After that, he climbed on top of his mate and proceeded to explore every inch of Taryn’s delectable body.

  He couldn’t resist brushing a brief kiss over Taryn’s lips, but this time, he didn’t stop there. Instead, he went lower down, sucking on Taryn’s sexy collarbone—because, yes, even Taryn’s collarbone was sexy. Taryn released a small, muffled cry, his pleasure rushing into Hareem through their mate bond. The young werewolf was s
o sensitive to Hareem’s touch that Hareem himself had next to no resistance and was very tempted to just go for the gold.

  Instead, he continued his slow mapping of Taryn’s body. He briefly lingered over Taryn’s nipples—he couldn’t not do it, after all—and then went lower down, to Taryn’s abdomen. He brushed kisses over his mate’s belly, remembering a time when it had held their son. Back then, Hareem hadn’t been there for Taryn as much as he should have, but he wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  The scent of Taryn’s pre-cum teased him and beckoned him closer, but Hareem forced himself to bypass his lover’s dick. He proceeded to kiss down Taryn’s legs, finding sensitive spots against Taryn’s knees, licking over his thighs, reveling in the way Taryn started to writhe under him. With worshipful caresses, Hareem wordlessly told his mate how much he was loved and valued. Hareem even sucked on Taryn’s toes, nearly earning himself a kick in the face for it due to Taryn’s frantic motions. It was all worth it, because every second he spent at Taryn’s side meant more to him than his own life.

  However, their shared desire soon became too much to bear. Hareem finally returned to Taryn’s dick and took it into his mouth. A small plea escaped Taryn’s lips. “Hareem… Please…”

  Hareem started to bob his head up and down Taryn’s cock. He could have easily teased Taryn and kept his mate on the edge for a while longer, but his instincts screamed with Taryn’s need to come and Hareem couldn’t deny his sweeting release. Not to mention that Taryn was already very close from their foreplay. For Hareem’s part, just Taryn’s taste and his proximity had him dazed and wild with arousal and could have made him climax. With the added layer of Taryn’s pleasure, he was close, too, so close that he deliberately held back from touching himself. He didn’t want to find his peak, not just yet, not before coupling with Taryn.

  Of course, that idea kind of clashed with his desire to suck Taryn’s dick until his mate orgasmed. He realized all too well that if Taryn came, the same thing could easily happen for him, but still, he craved the taste of Taryn’s seed. As such, Hareem hastened the pace, increasing the speed of his suction. Finally, he took Taryn’s prick all the way into his throat and swallowed.

  Just like that, Taryn’s climax exploded through him and through Hareem as well. His mate’s cock pulsed, releasing hot streams of cum into his mouth. Hareem groaned and shivered as the waves of Taryn’s orgasm threatened to engulf him. His own dick throbbed, begging to be let in on the action. Hareem rode it out, clinging to his desire to be one with Taryn to protect the last remnants of his control.

  It worked, at least to some extent. He did manage to keep his orgasm in check, but his urgency increased to near-maddening highs. As Taryn finally slumped against the pillows, Hareem released his dick and gathered the last remnants of his spunk on his fingers. He used it to slick up his cock, and then, without allowing his mate to even draw a breath, he flipped Taryn on all fours.

  Taryn yelped, but Hareem didn’t give his lover the chance to even say one single word. He spread Taryn’s ass cheeks, exposing the hole hidden between those tantalizing globes. He thrust his tongue into Taryn’s ass, using it like a little cock to stretch the young werewolf’s channel. Taryn’s body was already relaxed from the orgasm, but his arousal awoke again at Hareem’s touch, just like Hareem had known it would. Soon, Hareem had Taryn pushing back against him, fucking his face and biting down on the pillow to keep himself from crying out.

  Once he deemed Taryn ready, Hareem lifted his head and positioned his dick at Taryn’s opening. Taking a deep breath, he slowly sank into Taryn’s silken depths. The tight heat that engulfed him nearly made him come on the spot, since he’d already been on the edge. By some miracle, Hareem endured and fully impaled Taryn on his prick. He stilled, half to give Taryn time to adjust, and half for his own benefit, to muster at least some degree of composure.

  When he thought that he could move without losing it, Hareem finally started a slow pace. They had to be quiet so that Galyn wouldn’t wake up, but that was all right. Hareem liked this slow lovemaking as much as he enjoyed their faster, more violent romps. Every morning, when he woke up, he slid into Taryn’s welcoming body, enjoying the closeness as much as he did the tight hold of Taryn’s ass. It was the same way now. He rocked inside Taryn gently, barely moving at all. Taryn met his every motion, whimpering into the pillow whenever Hareem brushed his dick over his prostate.

  It was by no means the most complicated encounter they’d ever had, but that didn’t mean it lacked passion or intensity. On the contrary, that wild desire to claim and be claimed, to kiss, love, protect, and take, all of it had escalated to proportions that couldn’t be defined by the boundaries of a carnal act. Like this, or in any other way, their coming together satisfied Hareem at a level that others couldn’t even hope to understand.

  Both his body and Taryn’s craved friction, and Hareem provided it, increasing the pace just a little. They moved together fluidly, the dams keeping their emotions at bay left behind to release the full extent of their love for each other. With every thrust, Hareem’s desire for his mate increased, as did his need to go deeper still inside Taryn. He could already sense his orgasm gathering in his balls, sizzling at the back of his spine and over every inch of his flesh. But he didn’t want to let go. He never wanted to let go.

  Taryn provided the solution when he tilted his head and whispered, “Claim me.”

  The words came through their bond, or maybe Taryn had said them out loud. Maybe Taryn hadn’t spoken them at all, neither normally nor by using the mental connection. It didn’t matter, because Hareem still heard it, and in a flash, bit down on Taryn’s neck.

  Sweet blood invaded his mouth, and his connection with Taryn glowed with rapture and love. Thrusting one last time inside Taryn, Hareem came. As he pumped his mate’s body full of his seed, Taryn’s orgasm swept over him, numbing him to everything else that wasn’t his mate. Their minds, souls, and bodies united into one single entity, a universe of affection and desire built just for them.

  It seemed to go on and on, and yet, it ended far too soon. Before he knew it, the haze of pleasure began to fade into an afterglow that, while beautiful and perfect in itself, couldn’t keep him from reality.

  In the end, Hareem wouldn’t have had it any other way, because no sooner had he come to than Galyn stirred in his crib and started to wail. Taryn immediately pulled away, and Hareem’s own concern kept him from wincing when his dick left Taryn’s body. His mate scrambled off the bed, tripping in his haste to get to their son. Hareem helped his mate up, and together, they made their way to the crib.

  The moment Galyn saw them, he stopped weeping. His different-colored eyes fixed on their faces, and he extended his small hands toward them. Hareem chuckled. His nose had already detected the problem, even before he spotted it in Galyn’s diaper.

  As he started to change Galyn, Hareem found himself the object of Taryn’s attention. “You know,” Taryn said, “you’re a great father, even if you do spoil him.”

  “You spoil him, too,” Hareem replied with a fond smile. “But I think he has no objections.”

  In response, a now-clean Galyn cooed and giggled. For some reason, this simple and strikingly domestic episode cast away the lingering shadows on Hareem’s heart. He still had a lot of questions, but like Taryn had said, they could wait. For now, Hareem would just seize the moment and enjoy it with his family. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve Taryn and Galyn, but he would certainly never fail to show his love for both of them.

  * * * *

  When Kael had offered to handle the chaos in Draechenburg in his descendants’ stead, he had meant every word. He had known that no matter how brave Sari was trying to seem, he’d actually been very affected by what had happened. Similarly, Hareem had practically had his mate die in his arms and he didn’t even know about it.

  Kael himself wouldn’t have known, except Talrasar had remembered the other world, and through him, so had Kael. It was exceedingl
y strange to be here now, when a few moments ago, he remembered reuniting with his lover, planning to start a new life. Those dreams were part of him now, as were the memories of the person he could have been had he made other choices.

  But now was not the time to worry about such things. No matter how much he wanted to be by Talrasar’s side, too, the fact remained that at least one of the Imperial Consuls needed to get a grip.

  “I wish I could help you,” Talrasar said through their bond, his frustration as real and sweet as his love for Kael. “I hate having to wait around twiddling my thumbs.”

  “I know that, love,” Kael replied, “but I’m selfish enough to focus on my own need to feel you’re safe. I’d prefer being there to protect you, but since I can’t, at the very least, I want you out of harm’s way. Besides, you’ve already helped me. You showed me what’s going on. I know what I have to do now.”

  It was true. Kael should have been confused because of the sudden attack on Draechenburg, but for him, life hadn’t simply continued from the point it had left off. Oddly, Talrasar had the knowledge of everything that had happened to Phoenix, which was why Kael had come to offer his assistance in the first place.

  They had yet to figure out the whys behind it, but it was certainly very useful. Naturally, Kael’s mate wanted to provide more of a contribution. Talrasar released a mental sigh, but didn’t argue. Normally, he would have, but their priority was the safety of their unborn child. Sure, Kael would eventually bear the brunt of Talrasar’s irritation, but he was more than all right with that.