Fire's Embrace [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (5 page)

He looked in the mirror to scan his outfit and nodded, pleased with his choice. Out of the blue, his reflection blurred. Something else appeared instead, like a burning shadow Alwyn tried to identify, but couldn’t.

A hidden knowledge nudged at the back of Alwyn’s consciousness. Alwyn stared at the figure, but he couldn’t understand what it meant. The only thing he knew was that suddenly, he was screaming.

The door burst open, and Rachen rushed into the room. He grabbed Alwyn’s shoulder and shook him. In the process, he pulled Alwyn away from the mirror. When Alwyn saw Rachen’s face, his mind cleared of some of the panic.

Clutching the draechen’s shoulders, he buried his fingernails into Rachen’s flesh and asked, “Rachen, what’s happening to me?”

Rachen just held him, murmuring soothing noises and petting his hair. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t have to. Just his presence anchored Alwyn, making him feel…right again.

Still, when Rachen pulled away, Alwyn knew he couldn’t go through with what Karein had requested. He also realized that there had to be some truth to Sari’s vision. His heart heavy, he said, “I can’t go to see him. I don’t want to hurt anyone. You have to prevent it. You have to keep it from happening.”

Mercifully, Rachen didn’t try to argue against that. Alwyn didn’t think he could have withstood another argument with the man. “Just tell me what I can do to help.”

“Speak to them in my stead. Tell them about my doubts. I need to know who I am, Rachen, and they deserve to be made aware of it. I’m afraid of what might happen, so afraid.”

Rachen brushed a kiss over his forehead. “I’ll see what my brothers say. Try to get some sleep. Things will look better in the morning.”

Alwyn very much doubted that, but even so, he nodded. Rachen helped him up and just glanced at him again, as if wondering if he truly should go. Perhaps Alwyn would have asked him to stay, but Sage appeared in the doorway of his sleeping quarters. “Is everything all right?” the lieutenant inquired.

Rachen glared at the ice dragon. “Alwyn isn’t feeling well. He can’t come, but I will.”

Sage didn’t question them. Perhaps he’d heard some of what Alwyn had told Rachen, or maybe he’d simply noticed Alwyn’s little fit. Regardless, he simply agreed without question and led Rachen out.

As the two dragons abandoned Alwyn’s room, he plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. At this point, he truly had no idea what would happen, but he did know one thing. It was very likely that he was, indeed, as dangerous as the fae’s vision had made him out to be.When he fell asleep, he dreamed of a burning shadow, consuming him whole.

* * * *

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“I’m fine, Karein. We need to talk about this with Alwyn. I have to see him.”

The voices reached Rachen’s ears, filling him with both apprehension and hope. Compared to his earlier condition, Sari sounded much stronger, but his insistence to see Alwyn obviously pissed Karein off. Rachen suspected his twin was inclined to blame Alwyn for it. Perhaps it was fortunate that Alwyn had decided not to join them, although the reasons behind that decision concerned Rachen a great deal.

The moment Rachen and Sage stepped into the room, all conversation ceased. Everyone was here, apparently gathered for a meeting. The three Imperial Consuls—Hareem, Karein, and Kaelezrin—together with their mates and Prince Camden Isaiat formed the gathering. All of them looked straight at Rachen. Karein arched a brow, obviously noticing Alwyn’s conspicuous absence. “Where is Lord Cyraltin?” he inquired.

“He didn’t feel well,” Rachen explained again. “I’m here to speak on his behalf.”

Talrasar frowned. “I hope you didn’t scare him with horror stories. No one here means him any harm.”

Sari nodded earnestly. “We just want to figure out the meaning of my vision. It could be anything. My best guess is that the entire thing is symbolic and not necessarily a direct depiction of what might happen in the future. It could be that Alwyn is just accidentally involved in some way in something that will harm all of us.”

Actually, that sounded less disheartening than what Rachen had expected. He was kind of reluctant to reveal what Alwyn had told him, given that his brothers were obviously doing their best not to throw around wild accusations.

In fact, in spite of what Sari had seen, Hareem and Karein joined him and patted Rachen’s shoulder. “Give me some credit,” Hareem said. “Alwyn saved my life. I wouldn’t forget it just like that.”

“Besides, he’s your mate,” Karein pointed out. “He’s practically family.”

Rachen gaped. “But you said—”

“I know what I said,” Karein replied, interrupting him. “We never meant to actually accuse him of anything. But the entire attack reeks of sprite involvement. We have to find a way to steer him clear of it, in spite of the treaty with Elusia.”

Rachen couldn’t believe his ears. He had not expected such unconditional support, not after Sari’s vision. “So you’re sure that it was a sprite? It could have been the Ancient Horror. We aren’t completely sure he’s gone.”

“No, we aren’t,” Talrasar agreed, “but both Sari and Kael are very familiar with the feel of sprite magic. During the war, they provided a lot of assistance for our forces. Sari has practically grown up with a sprite, so he’s well aware of what I’m talking about.”

“It’s true that this magic felt different somehow,” Kael explained, “but it nevertheless had a sprite signature.”

“Perhaps it truly was Alwyn’s father,” Hareem said. “He would certainly have the power to do that.”

For the first time since Rachen had entered the room, Taryn spoke out. “But that still doesn’t explain the reason for it.”

Even as he spoke, Taryn was rocking his son to his chest, holding him protectively. Rachen remembered what Sari had said happened in the vision. He recalled the desperate look on Alwyn’s face. No matter how much he wanted to keep his family from turning against his mate, it was safe to say that Alwyn wasn’t exactly well. Rachen’s dragon could feel it, like something was unraveling within Alwyn, taking bits and pieces of Rachen’s soul with it. Whatever it was, it needed to be stopped, and Rachen couldn’t fail Alwyn by hiding this.

Taking a deep breath, Rachen said, “Alwyn shared something with me that he thinks all of you should know. He’s having doubts about his real identity. He suspects Elina might have known about it, and planned to exploit this knowledge because of Alwyn’s connection to me.”

Silence. Absolute silence. Obviously no one had expected him to say that. Hareem released a curse, and Taryn groaned. “Of course,” Hareem said. “How could I have been such an idiot?”

“Ferradul is a powerful sprite,” Karein said softly. “He would be able to create an illusion that would make us believe he’d handed in his son to us.”

“Our investigation was thorough,” Sage piped up. “We knew what Alwyn looked like, so he couldn’t just replace him with someone else. It had to be a strong illusion.”

Talrasar shook his head. “That can’t be right. No enchantment, no matter how powerful, would hold for several months. Even if it is unraveling now, Alwyn has been here for quite a while. We should have seen a sign earlier.”

“It might have worked if Alwyn himself was holding up the illusion,” Kael offered.

Rachen glared at the older draechen. “He’s a victim in all of this. Do I have to remind you that we wouldn’t even be considering the possibility if he hadn’t said something?”

His tone came out biting and accusing, and while Rachen didn’t regret it, Kael obviously didn’t like it. He opened his mouth to answer, but Talrasar elbowed him in the stomach. “We’re just throwing around ideas for now,” the fae said, smiling at Rachen. “Stay calm.”

“How can I when everyone seems intent on believing the worst of my mate?” That wasn’t exactly true, but Rachen was getting so angry it was seriously hard to think straight. He’d have probably said something even more scathing, but Sari stopped him before he could continue his rant.

“Wait a second,” the fae offered. “If he’s right…if this is all a huge illusion…then who did I see in the vision? Was it our Alwyn or someone else entirely?”

That was an option Rachen hadn’t considered, but certainly made sense. The Alwyn he knew would never go against Rachen’s family. “That’s actually very possible. I know my mate. He wouldn’t hurt any of us.”

There were nods all around, and Karein actually looked a little relieved, having obviously been uncomfortable with the idea of having to fight Rachen’s mate to protect his own mate and child. Oh, Rachen had no doubt that Karein would have done it if need be. In the end, Rachen himself would have shed all loyalties for Alwyn, just like Karein would for Sari. Nevertheless, the idea that they wouldn’t have to, that the man Sari had seen in the vision was not Rachen’s Alwyn at all, lifted a great weight off his chest.

“So let me get this straight,” Camden Isaiat said. “The Alwyn in Draechenburg isn’t the real one. There’s another Alwyn running around out there, and he’s the one who’s guilty of whatever Imperial Consort Sareltae saw. Then this brings us to several problems. How did Elina find out about it? Was it truly Ferradul Cyraltin who killed her? Where is the real Alwyn and how are we supposed to stop him?”

“Ugh, I’m getting a headache,” Taryn muttered. “I almost wish I’d never suggested we use Ferradul Cyraltin’s family at all.” He looked at Rachen and smiled slightly. “Almost.”

Rachen hadn’t realized that bringing Alwyn here had originally been Taryn’s idea. He supposed he should be very thankful to the werewolf, because otherwise, Rachen and his mate might not have met at all.

But now was not the time for such things. He had to come up with a solution to answer Camden’s and his own questions. His mate was relying on him.

It occurred to Rachen in that moment that his brother had made grandiose plans for Ornoz, plans that included cooperation in the paranormal world as a whole. An idea sparked in his mind. “We’ll keep the sprite’s involvement a secret,” he suggested. “We’ll explain that Elina’s death is being investigated, but in the meantime, we won’t put Hareem’s original idea on hold. So as we advance with that, we can send envoys to the rest of the paranormal community, including in Elusia.”

“Do we truly need such subterfuge to spy on them?” Sage inquired.

“I don’t think Rachen just means to spy,” Karein answered. “You want to go yourself and take Alwyn with you. You aim to see Ferradul’s reaction, and perhaps to kick-start your mate’s memory. Is that it?”

As always, Karein had pinned down Rachen’s idea perfectly. Of course, what Karein wasn’t saying—although Rachen had no doubt his twin realized it—was that Rachen also aimed to use this chance to get his mate out of Draechenburg. If by any chance, his Alwyn was the one Sari had seen in the vision, the best thing to do would be to put distance between them. Naturally, if Rachen wanted to be perfectly honest, his main interest was to keep Alwyn safe in case this entire Elina Eretar business exploded in their faces, but he wasn’t about to point that out.

“That’s actually not a bad plan,” Hareem said. “After all, we can’t stop the process we started because of what happened. We set the basis of a new Ornoz today, and we have to continue it.”

Hareem was right. Elina’s death needed to be investigated, and if it had been a murder, the perpetrator had to be punished. At the same time, though, they still had to push for changing the Directive. If they hesitated or backed out now, all the effort they’d put in the preparations would be for naught. For all they knew, Ferradul Cyraltin hadn’t been the one behind the killing. She might have truly died of natural causes, or someone else might have used magic against her. It was simply too soon to tell.

“So we’re all agreed then.” Hareem nodded in satisfaction. “Good. We’ll start at once. For the moment, here is what we’ll do…”

A few days later

The throne room was abuzz with the murmurs of the draechen nobles attending court. Once again, they’d been invited to attend a momentous occasion for Ornoz, and they were all very nervous regarding about what that would entail.

Alwyn couldn’t exactly blame them. He actually knew what was going to happen, and was actively attempting not to show how nervous he was. He probably failed, because Rachen wrapped his arm around his waist. “Stop worrying,” his mate said. “You look amazing. You’ll be the perfect host, and they’ll all just love you.”

Alwyn forced himself to smile. “I hope you’re right, but I’m not really holding my breath.”

Rachen kissed his cheek, and Alwyn’s heart swelled at the open affection the draechen showered him with. He didn’t seem to care that the nobles could see him, nor that it was probably unwise to show him such favor. If anything, he acted exactly like a protective mate would, and Alwyn truly wished he could let go of all of his misgivings so that they could become exactly that—mates.

He couldn’t linger too much on his frustration with himself, because the throne room door opened. Caelyn Sutharlainn and Graham Powers entered the room, with Eanera Myrthylar by their side. Instantly, everyone fell into stunned silence. For all they knew, Caelyn and Graham had been killed months ago.

Until now, Alwyn hadn’t met them, but they certainly didn’t disappoint. To their credit, they didn’t look at all afraid. Oh, Graham was visibly tense, holding onto Caelyn so tightly that the young sprite almost had trouble walking. But then, who could blame him? Alwyn hadn’t been here for the entire debacle, but he’d heard that the previous emperor had ordered the two of them to perform sexually in front of the entire court, then had commanded for Karein to kill them. It was only Karein’s unexpectedly merciful aid—perhaps connected to Caelyn’s slight resemblance to Sari—that had allowed the two of them to escape. And now, here they were, back again. Only now, Caelyn was very visibly pregnant.