Fire's Embrace [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (26 page)

Phoenix hadn’t expected the Tersain to address politics out of all things during this conversation, although, from what Rachen had told him, this had been discussed before. “If you’re certain and you deem me worthy,” Rachen replied, “you honor me through your trust.”

“There is no one else worthier than you,” Hareem replied, “and no one I’d like to see take my place should the need arise.”

“It won’t,” Rachen said quickly. That would imply one of the consuls dying, and neither Rachen nor Phoenix wanted that. Nevertheless, Phoenix was very proud of his mate.

Of course, he didn’t miss the chance to tease his mate
. “I just love a man in a position of authority,”
he whispered through their bond.
“Tell me…what commands will you give me?”

He imagined himself on his knees, servicing Rachen with his mouth, or perhaps on all fours, his legs stretched as he lay at Rachen’s mercy. Rachen shot him a pained glance and adjusted himself in his pants.
“Baby…”

The action didn’t go unnoticed from the part of Rachen’s family. The formality of the meeting was thrown aside as Karein started to chuckle. “Oh, Phoenix…You never grow tired of torturing my brother, do you?”

“The important thing is that he doesn’t,” Phoenix replied cheekily.

He should have been a little more embarrassed that Rachen’s brother had figured it out, but lately, he found that, as a phoenix, his nature was one of fire and passion and didn’t allow him to be too shy about natural things like sex and coupling with his mate. An interesting and kind of funny side effect was that his arousal always ended up drawing the attention of Sari and Talrasar, who of course made demands of their own mates. Just like Phoenix had known would happen, Karein’s laugh suddenly died down and his face flushed. He shot a glance toward his mate, who sat next to him at the large table. Phoenix couldn’t see Sari’s hands because of the size of the table, but he would have bet money that at least one of them was kneading Karein’s dick. Meanwhile, Krysta and Arlen Isaiat looked obviously amused, exchanging knowing looks with their brother. Camden actually appeared to be a little put out, obviously feeling his mate’s absence.

“Right,” Karein said, clearing his throat. The strain in his voice was obvious, as was the smirk on Sari’s lips. “We’ll…Uh…What were we saying?”

“You were saying that you wanted Rachen to be the heir of the consulate,” Sari happily provided.

It was probably fortunate that Sari had replied, because Hareem and Kael seemed pretty engrossed in whatever their own mates were doing. Sari and Talrasar had an excuse, but what was Taryn’s?
“He’s an imperial consort,”
Rachen replied.
“He doesn’t need an excuse, just like you don’t.”

The entire situation was escalating too much, though. In the end, they weren’t in private, and their other guests were likely uncomfortable with this blatant display. The three consorts obviously realized that, because they stopped teasing their respective mates. Karein finally looked like he could breathe again. “Okay,” he continued, “We’ll make the announcement at dinner tonight. We would love to make it a little more festive, but the last time we went all out with foreign guests, things didn’t go over so well.”

Karein’s words reminded Phoenix of something very distant. He could feel the memory, right there, at the corner of his mind, and yet, he couldn’t fully access it. It frustrated him a great deal, because his life as Alwyn Cyraltin had also determined who he was now. Those recollections were as true as the ones he had from his past as Phoenix. His mate might have managed to unveil some of them, but there were still large gaps in his past, moments that Rachen hadn’t been present for, but that still seemed important for Phoenix’s development.

Naturally, he knew that the memory Karein had nudged was that of the dinner with the naga people. It was also during a previous announcement that Elina had been murdered. It was something else that he couldn’t quite recall. He knew he should have been able to remember that night, but he couldn’t, as if there was a mental block between the two sides of him that didn’t allow him to become one single, cohesive person.

Rachen obviously sensed his changed in mood. “I agree,” he told Karein. All the while, he wrapped an arm around Phoenix’s shoulder and pulled him close. Phoenix’s reaction soured the excitement of the rest of the Tersain, too. Kael broke the now-awkward silence by addressing another matter. “On a somewhat different note, our naga guests will be leaving tomorrow.”

The news snapped Phoenix out of his morose thoughts. “Oh?” he asked, turning his attention toward Krysta and Arlen. “How so?”

“Well, we miss Patala, and we’re needed there, to make further arrangements with the gryphons and the other rare shifters,” Arlen replied.

“We’d like to return later on, to watch over Camden, but we feel that right now, he’s safe,” Krysta added.

It was another vote of confidence for Phoenix. In many ways, they’d come here for the exact purpose of watching him and making sure he wouldn’t cause any mischief. They must have figured out that he truly had no intentions of doing so. In fact, the only thing he wanted was to focus on his own family, on getting his memories back, and preferably finding a way to have his own hatchlings.

Still, Phoenix found that he regretted their departure. He liked and respected the Isaiat siblings. They were warriors, and it showed, but they’d been open toward Phoenix and given him a chance to prove himself. “Of course your brother will be well cared for,” he answered. “I’m sure you’ll manage to convince the rest of your caste that draechen mean well and that this Directive needs to be changed.”

When Phoenix had first started living in Draechenburg—had it really been only a few weeks ago?— he hadn’t known much about the Directive of the Shifter Castes. It had been this nebulous thing that he’d occasionally caught a glimpse of in Rachen’s thoughts and memories. However, during his stay, he’d grown to understand how this law affected the paranormal world and was just as determined to change it as the draechen.

For him, the Directive was a lot like the box he’d once been trapped in. It took away the freedom and choices of people. It enslaved them and turned them into toys or tools. While Phoenix understood that the law had originally been meant to serve a very specific purpose, it had now turned into pure and simple abuse. Phoenix wanted nothing more than to have it abolished. But it wasn’t possible, not just yet. The mentalities were too engrained in the fabric of their society after centuries of following the law’s provisions. And so, the Imperial Consuls had to be careful and patient, and approach this task with as much diplomacy as possible.

Fortunately, the naga were on their side. “We think so, too,” Arlen said. “It has burdened the paranormal world for too long.”

“We must point out that it will not be easy to make the rare shifters see that you mean well,” Krysta explained. “We ourselves had a lot of doubts. However, in light of our previous experience with Camden and Lieutenant Zager, we decided to be more open-minded, and I think it has served us well.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Camden said softly. “I do miss Mother, Father, and Sire a lot. I wish I could see them soon, too.”

“It’ll happen. I’m sure they’ll want to come visit.”

“Of course they will,” Phoenix heard himself say. “After all, they will likely want to witness the birth of their first grandchildren.”

Arlen and Krysta turned toward him, gaping. “Grandchildren?” Arlen repeated.

Phoenix stared at Camden. He hadn’t realized Camden’s pregnancy was a secret within the family. “Oh, dear. I apologize. I didn’t mean to blurt this out like that.”

Camden winced. “Not your fault. I shouldn’t have kept it from them in the first place.” He bit his lip and gave Phoenix an inquiring look. “So…It’s truly going to be a multiple birth? I’m having the occasional blood test, but the benandanti couldn’t tell me for sure.”

“Oh, yes,” Phoenix confirmed, happy that he could at least provide Camden with some information in exchange for his gaffe. “I can definitely distinguish at least two distinct energies, other than yours, within you.”

Camden smiled, his slitted eyes shining like twin suns. “I almost can’t believe it. And now that everyone is working on the Directive…It’s not even dangerous anymore.”

“Wait, back up,” Arlen said. “You’re pregnant? When in Varuna’s name did that happen? I thought you were using protection.”

Phoenix was distracted from the conversation when, on his seat next to Karein, Sari fidgeted and rubbed his temple. He frowned, wondering if there was something wrong with Sari. Karein turned toward his mate, a scowl on his face. Sari just shook his head and smiled, but it looked obviously fake.

Before Phoenix could figure out what that was all about, a knock sounded at the door. Kael stole a glance at Karein, who just nodded. “Yes?” Kael called out.

The usher entered the room and bowed lowly. “Announcing Lords Pádraig, Iasan, and Cormac Sutharlainn and Ladies Britanni and Deidre Sutharlainn.”

“We will see them now,” Hareem said.

Draechen guards showed the group of sprites in. The Sutharlainn were accompanied by Sage Zager, who saluted respectfully and stepped back. Phoenix decided the ice dragon had the right idea and did the same, moving as faraway from the approaching magical creatures as possible. In spite of it, though, their gazes were immediately drawn to him. Mercifully, they didn’t comment on his presence, although judging by their expressions, they weren’t very happy about it.

They bowed lowly when they faced the three Imperial Consuls. “Thank you for receiving us here,” Pádraig said. “You honor us through your invitation.”

“Caelyn is like a member of our family, Lord Sutharlainn,” Karein replied. “We couldn’t have possibly refused him such a simple request. He wishes to speak to you.”

“So we can see him in private?” Deidre inquired.

Hareem shook his head. “I must point out that Caelyn is still in a delicate condition after having given birth. Naturally, his mate will not leave his side. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Zager will accompany you and be your guide through Draechenburg.”

“I suppose that’s understandable,” Britanni said. “We appreciate your hospitality and generosity.”

Phoenix wasn’t really inclined to believe in their kind and humble demeanor. His guess was confirmed a few moments later when Iasan suddenly piped up, “I might be out of line by saying this, but are you aware that the man you believe to be Alwyn Cyraltin is actually a very dangerous shifter?”

Rachen released a low growl and took a step forward, ready to jump to Phoenix’s defense. Phoenix held him back, well aware that any intervention from Rachen’s part would just make things worse and possibly forfeit the consuls’ plans to investigate Ferradul. The other Tersain brothers didn’t seem inclined to just sit back and let anyone speak ill of Phoenix. “You’re absolutely right,” Karein said. He paused briefly, and a smile appeared on Iasan’s face. It vanished instantly when Karein clarified what he meant. “You’re completely out of line. You’ve come here to handle an issue that concerns your family. Stay out of ours, or you’ll find that I can be very unpleasant.”

He smiled, and the expression reminded Phoenix of the way Rachen would grin when he had a particularly wicked thing in mind. “But then, I don’t have to tell you that. You’re already well aware. In fact, if I were you, Lord Sutharlainn, I would tread lightly. I haven’t forgotten your previous visit in Draechenburg.”

He got up and went around the table, his eyes fixed on Pádraig and Britanni. “You know, I always wondered what you were thinking when you found out what supposedly happened to Caelyn. Did you blame yourselves even a little? Did you hate me? I know Iasan cares about his sibling, and that’s the only reason why he’s even alive today. But what about you two? Did you care about him at all? Why did you even come here?”

“Karein,” Sari said, “calm down.”

It was a testament to the extent of Karein’s agitation that Sari had actually chosen to speak out loud. Nevertheless, it worked. Karein took a deep breath and sat down once more. He didn’t speak again, but Hareem did so in his stead. “You are here as our guests,” he said. “Do not think that you can be anything else. We wish to start anew for the purpose of working on the Directive, but no slight against a member of our family will be accepted.”

The Sutharlainn seemed in awe that the draechen imperial family considered Phoenix so important. Iasan in particular appeared to be taken aback. It was strange, but Phoenix realized now that something felt off about the sprite. He couldn’t quite put his finger on his, but his energy seemed unbalanced somehow.

For his part, he was surprised that Karein felt so strongly about this that he would risk jeopardizing their connection with the rest of Elusia. Perhaps the consuls were getting a little tired of treading lightly where sprites were concerned. If so, if Karein and the others forewent peace because of what Ferradul had possibly done…Phoenix didn’t even want to think what would happen.

He half expected the sprites to insist on how impossibly dangerous he was, but they didn’t. Instead, Pádraig nodded jerkily. “Of course. We completely understand. I assure you, we mean well. In fact, we’d like to warn you to be wary.”

“Wary?” Rachen repeated. “Of Phoenix?”

“No.” The sprite shook his head. “The avians who originally created Phoenix are after him and believe to have found a way to control him.”