Fire's Embrace [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Read online

  Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6

  Fire’s Embrace

  Draechen prince Rachen Tersain is desperately in love with sprite Alwyn Cyraltin, and is aware they share a bond. However, he still has trouble separating his identity from that of his twin brother. Thinking he doesn’t deserve a mate, he maintains an almost platonic relationship with Alwyn.

  That changes when Alwyn comes to him, revealing his greatest fears and doubts. Rachen attempts to help his mate, but a vision from his brother-in-law, Sari, throws the Tersain into chaos. Now, Rachen has to fight to prove Alwyn’s innocence in front of his loved ones.

  As the sexual tension between Alwyn and Rachen increases, so does the apprehension of the imperial family. With Alwyn’s powers growing and the Tersain struggling between their affection toward Rachen and their fears of the unknown, Rachen is the only one who can find a solution. Can he give his mate the love they both need, or will the fire of their passion be extinguished by Alwyn’s secrets?

  NOTE! You are purchasing Siren's newest imprint, the Siren Epic Romance collection. This is Book 6 of 7 in the Chronicles of the Shifter Directive series. The series shares an overall story arc with many crossover characters playing major roles in each book. These books are not stand-alone and should be read in their numbered order.

  Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Fantasy, Paranormal, Shape-shifter

  Length: 77,969 words

  FIRE’S EMBRACE

  Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6

  Scarlet Hyacinth

  SIREN EPIC ROMANCE,

  MANLOVE

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

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  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  IMPRINT: Siren Epic Romance, ManLove

  FIRE’S EMBRACE

  First E-book Publication: September 2013

  Cover design by Siren Publishing

  All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  Letter to Readers

  Dear Readers,

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  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  About the Author

  FIRE’S EMBRACE

  Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6

  SCARLET HYACINTH

  Copyright © 2013

  Prologue

  Ever since the Directive of the Shifter Castes came into being, magical creatures occupied a complex place in the hierarchy of the paranormal world. Unlike shape-shifters, they didn’t actually have a piece of legislation to govern them as a whole, so it was up to each species to decide how to approach matters both foreign and domestic. As a rule, this was a good thing, but it also made for a very complicated world dynamics.

  Most magical creatures acknowledged how dangerous the Ornozian Empire had become, and for that reason, preferred not to get involved in shifter matters. In time, both elves and fae grew more reclusive than ever. Sprites, on the other hand, were a different matter entirely.

  The Elusian sprites were unique, in that, unlike others of their kind, they managed to establish a balance between their belonging to the magical world and their cooperation with the draechen. They remained very close to their sister nation, Ivenia, but at the same time, courted the favor of Ornoz and were in the rare and privileged position to enjoy the goodwill of both factions of the paranormal world.

  It was by the wise leadership of the Elusian Krites that all of this was possible. Renowned for their lack of self-interest and their ability to create incredibly realistic illusions, the High Judges forewent their own private lives, willingly devoting themselves to Elusia instead of seeking their true mates. Their judgment was never impaired by emotion, and their ideas always pursued true justice.

  Or at least, this was how it was supposed to work. In reality, the Krites were people like any other, with as many fears and regrets as the common, everyday sprite. But they were entrusted with such power that, sometimes, they themselves forgot this and ended up justifying their own desires through their ideas of righteousness.

  This was, unfortunately, a recipe for disaster. The road to inferno was paved with good intentions. And as the Elusians, and everyone else would soon learn, it was a single sprite’s choice that would change the world as they all knew it.

  Chapter One

  “To tell you the truth, Rachen, I don’t think I’m a sprite. In fact…I don’t think I’m Alwyn Cyraltin at all. And she knew it. Elina knew it, and she died for it.”

  Alwyn bit his lip as he stared at the draechen in front of him, waiting for a response. Rachen didn’t speak. He didn�
��t even seem to breathe anymore. That wasn’t exactly the answer Alwyn had been hoping for. Then again, Alwyn himself didn’t know what he’d expected Rachen would say. His words sounded insane to his own ears, let alone someone else’s.

  It was just that he didn’t know what to believe anymore. Sometimes, he looked in the mirror and the reflection seemed familiar, but other times, the recollections he had as Alwyn Cyraltin seemed artificial, like those events had happened to someone else.

  He wasn’t sure how he could explain that, how to make Rachen understand. In his heart, the only one he trusted with this was Rachen, because of reasons he hadn’t dared to fully explore. He was aware of the true extent of the bond between them, but Rachen had made no attempt to approach him and now…Well, now Alwyn couldn’t be selfish enough so as to tie Rachen down to him if he was, indeed, a murderer.

  “You know what, just forget about it,” he said. “I shouldn’t be burdening you with—”

  Rachen’s lips landed on his, interrupting the phrase. It wasn’t the first time they had kissed, but usually, it wasn’t like this, so savage, so desperate, so wanton. Rachen licked over the seam of Alwyn’s lips, demanding entrance, and Alwyn gladly gave it. He melted into Rachen’s embrace, forgetting all about his doubts and fears.

  Rachen thrust his tongue into Alwyn’s mouth, tasting him, devouring him. Alwyn responded to the kiss with just as much passion, needing Rachen more than he did his next breath. The draechen was the only thing that kept him going. He didn’t just kiss Alwyn. He made love to Alwyn’s mouth, like he couldn’t get enough of him, like nothing was more important than him.

  When they broke apart, Alwyn couldn’t even remember where he was and what they had been talking about. “Don’t you ever say something like that again,” Rachen said. “You’re not a burden to me, and you never will be. If anything, you’re the one who saved me.”

  Alwyn didn’t really know what to say to that. Ever since he’d met Rachen, he’d felt like there was something that connected them on a level others couldn’t possibly understand. It was all so very strange, and Alwyn couldn’t hope to make any sense of it. “I…I just don’t know what to do,” he told Rachen. He struggled to express his feelings, to make the dragon grasp what he meant. “It just feels like I’m a stranger in my own body. I don’t understand anything anymore.”

  “It’s okay, baby,” Rachen said. “I get what you’re saying. Believe me, I do.” He licked his lips, as if he was very nervous. “I still have trouble separating my identity from Karein’s,” he finally confessed. “You’re the only one that makes me feel like me, not him.”

  He would have probably said something more, but instead, he tensed, squeezing Alwyn even tighter in his arms. Alwyn instantly realized what was wrong. Someone was coming.

  “Don’t tell anyone about what you told me,” Rachen whispered in his ear. “We’ll find a way to figure out what’s behind this, but in the meantime, I don’t want my brothers to know about your doubts.”

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out the reasons for Rachen’s request. If Alwyn came out and revealed this to the Tersain, they’d all blame him for Elina Eretar’s death. They seemed to like him well enough, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t imprison him if they thought he’d been the one behind it.

  Then again, perhaps that would be for the best. As things stood, Alwyn couldn’t guarantee that he wasn’t dangerous for himself and others. “Maybe…” he started to say.

  Rachen just gave him a telling look, and Alwyn shut up. Something in that glance gave him hope that they’d get to the bottom of this without involving anyone else.

  Behind them, Alwyn saw Rachen’s twin, Karein, appear on the cliffside. He looked worried for about ten seconds, until he spotted Alwyn and Rachen together. For a few moments, he just watched him, with an expression that could have meant anything at all. He said nothing, just nodded at Alwyn and returned to the palace.

  “You gotta love my brother,” Rachen said. “He certainly knows where he’s not wanted.”

  “Will you tell him about this?” Alwyn couldn’t help but ask. Rachen had a strange relationship with his brother. On one side, he still held a degree of resentment toward Karein, one he only allowed Alwyn to see. Even so, he was very close to Karein. Alwyn couldn’t imagine him not wanting to share something like this with his twin.

  “We don’t know what this is just yet,” Rachen replied. “I want us to look into it a little first.”

  Alwyn just gaped at him. “You mean you believe me? I don’t even believe myself.”

  “I admit that I’m not sure what to make of what you said,” Rachen replied. “But I do know one thing. Whatever doubt lingers in your heart, it’s hurting you. We’ll find out the truth, whatever it might be. On my part, I know you wouldn’t do such a thing. Someone hurt Elina, and you have some sort of connection to it. We just have to find out what it is.”

  In his heart, Alwyn knew where to start. It wasn’t even difficult at all. “I think I can guess where to begin looking for answers. With my…” He hesitated and stopped himself before uttering the word father. “With Ferradul Cyraltin.”

  * * * *

  Rachen couldn’t say he was exactly surprised by Alwyn’s suggestion. He knew Ferradul Cyraltin could inflict severe mental trauma on people. In fact, he had already done so once, with Rachen’s own sister, Akara.

  Even so, he barely suppressed a wince upon hearing the phrase from Alwyn’s mouth. It wasn’t that he feared Ferradul. He didn’t. However, if the Great Krite had indeed been the one to murder Elina Eretar, he’d basically gone against the treaty with Ornoz. His actions would reflect upon Alwyn.

  Unless…Rachen mused over what Alwyn had said. He had no idea how he was supposed to take his mate’s claim that he wasn’t really Alwyn. It might be just a feeling, but if there was any way to persuade his family that the claim held some truth, it could sway them when Ferradul’s deeds were revealed. Because Rachen had no doubt that they would be. In fact, he suspected his brother might have wanted to approach him for exactly that reason.

  “Don’t mention that either,” he told Alwyn, “not just yet. Let me speak to Karein first. Perhaps I can get buy us some time to investigate your gut feeling.”

  His mind was already working a million miles an hour. All he had to do was to convince his brothers to allow him and Alwyn to leave Draechenburg. He would try approaching them normally first, and, if all else failed, he would just take Alwyn and go.

  Alwyn met his gaze with dark, fathomless eyes. “Are you sure about this, Rachen? I don’t want you to be hurt because of me.”

  Rachen strongly suspected that Alwyn wasn’t referring to any potential danger from Rachen’s brothers, but rather, to Alwyn himself. “I’m more than sure,” he said. “Now come on. Let’s go inside. If we stay here for much longer, people will start getting suspicious.”

  Alwyn nodded, although he still didn’t look convinced. If anything, he seemed frustrated. Nevertheless, he released Rachen from his arms and pulled away.

  The gesture wasn’t purely physical. In fact, Alwyn appeared to become increasingly uncomfortable, fidgeting like he wanted to run. It was so very strange. Toward the beginning of their relationship, Alwyn had been the one to approach Rachen. His overtures might have been shy, but he’d sought Rachen out. Rachen had kind of gotten used to the thought that Alwyn would always be there for him. It had never occurred to him that Alwyn’s behavior would make a complete one-eighty.

  This feeling was clearly more serious than Alwyn had let on. Perhaps that was the gist of it, the fact that Alwyn couldn’t convey the full extent of his fears. Following his instincts, Rachen took Alwyn’s hand and kissed the other man’s knuckles. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Whether you’re a sprite or not, whether you’re Alwyn or not, I don’t care. You’re still my mate.”

  Alwyn stared at him. It was the first time Rachen had said those words to him. He’d always felt undeserving of claiming Alwyn, and had hesitat
ed innumerable times before he could approach his mate with his confession.

  The beautiful young man looked at him with such longing that Rachen’s heart threatened to burst into flames. Alwyn’s eyes conjured countless images in Rachen’s mind, and he could so clearly see their bodies entwined, writhing together, sweaty, hot, lustful, and oh, so good. Alwyn licked his lips, his gaze going from Rachen’s own eyes, to his mouth and lower down. Rachen’s element—his original one, not the powers he’d stolen from Karein—responded to it as if it was a physical caress. A small blaze erupted in Rachen’s palm, engulfing both their hands into fire.

  Both of them yelped at the same time. Rachen quickly let go, in a panic. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “You didn’t,” Alwyn rushed to assure him. Indeed, when Rachen looked at Alwyn’s hand, he found the skin there unmarred and unblemished. He heaved a sigh of relief. If that didn’t prove they were mates, nothing did.

  Nevertheless, Alwyn’s voice was husky and pained. Rachen would have thought that he’d hurt the sprite in some other way, except his senses took in Alwyn’s arousal. Alwyn smelled like hibiscus, cinnamon, and desire. The scent engulfed him like an intoxicating perfume, an opiate Rachen couldn’t hope to free himself from. He inhaled deeply, wishing he could bottle up the aroma for those nights he was forced to spend all alone.

  Then again, if he had it his way, he would never have to do that again. He could draw Alwyn into his bed. Overlords only knew they’d waited long enough. The more Rachen thought about it, the more convinced he became that he needed to claim his mate.