Draechen's Mate [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 2] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (24 page)

When his vision focused, he pulled Sari closer, more thankful than ever that he had the fae by his side. He still didn’t have any answers regarding his mysterious nightmares, or the voices in his past, but he didn’t care. Right now, he was happy.

Sari beamed at him. “Happy birthday, Karein,” he said.

Karein smiled back at his mate, the feeling of dread that had settled over him the day before completely gone now. “It is happy,” he replied, kissing Sari’s temple. “Thanks to you.”

A few days later

“I don’t know, Hareem.” Akara hummed thoughtfully, tapping her fingers against Hareem’s desk in a rhythmic manner. “I find it all very suspicious. I thought Prince Sareltae was supposed to have been good friends with Caelyn Sutharlainn. Why is he so close to Karein?”

Hareem had to admit the dynamics of the couple had him puzzled, too. He had been genuinely concerned when he’d guessed the extent of the bond between Karein and Sareltae—insofar as he could be worried about anything that didn’t involve Taryn. In any case, he’d feared that upon mating, Sareltae would see what Karein had done in Karein’s mind and would end up rejecting him. The results could have been disastrous. Karein could finally lose control over his dragon, and Overlords only knew what would happen then.

So far, none of Hareem’s scenarios of destruction had come true. The relationship between the young couple seemed to be progressing nicely. To everyone else, Karein appeared to be unchanged, but Hareem saw his brother was less likely to snap, and had even caught him crack a smile once or twice. That expression hadn’t lasted, but its existence, however brief it had been, pointed out that Sareltae was the anchor Karein had hoped for.

This was one of the reasons why his sister coming to visit him today had Hareem out of sorts. Getting up from his seat behind the desk, Hareem faced Akara. “Karein is appealing in his own way,” he answered. He had to find something that would keep her from digging too deeply. If she found out about Karein and Sareltae’s mate bond, their parents would, too, and that was at the top of the list of the futures Karein dreaded. “As I understand it, Sareltae was very sheltered before coming to Draechenburg, so Karein is likely the only relationship he’s ever been allowed to have.”

Sadly, he had to be very careful, because as his twin sister, Akara was one of the few people who could get information out of Hareem. Once, they had been very close, but their bond had lost its power as time passed. It was strange and somewhat painful for him to realize that the person in his family who should have cared about him most—if not loved him unconditionally—had become his enemy.

“You have a point,” his twin admitted. “And if he was so kept apart from the world, he might not even know about that whore’s death in the first place.”

Her words were agreeable, but her tone clearly illustrated that she didn’t plan to let this go anytime soon. “You’re not convinced.”

“Of course not,” Akara replied. “For crying out loud, Hareem, Karein just passed his two hundredth birthday without a hitch. And the fae was there with him. Don’t you thing that’s strange?”

Hareem shrugged. “I hardly believe Prince Sareltae’s presence made it possible for Karein to do this. You know he’s always been strong.”

It was the widespread belief in Draechenburg that Karein had managed to defeat the deadline on his own. Of course, Hareem had done his best to encourage the rumor since he didn’t want anyone to actually guess the truth. Fortunately, the draechen as a whole respected Karein very much and were far more inclined to believe in him than to be grateful to a strange fae in any way.

Akara wasn’t likely to be deceived so easily, though. “Not strong enough for this,” she mused.

Hareem didn’t insist on convincing her since it would make her even more suspicious. “What do you want to do?” he asked instead.

“Do?” Akara repeated, almost sounding shocked. “Why, nothing of course. I wouldn’t dare to get involved with my brother’s mating, especially when it’s so important for Sareltae to remain besotted with Karein.” She paused, her lips twisted into a smirk. “But you know how many people make their way through Draechenburg every day. Most of them know about Caelyn Sutharlainn’s death. That tidbit of information is so interesting. Any one of them could slip up.”

“So, what then?” Hareem inquired. “How will it even be connected with our brother’s birthday? What reaction are you hoping for?”

“I’ll know that when I see it,” Akara replied, that strange smile still on her face. Her eyes widened as if she’d suddenly remembered something. “Oh, I completely forgot. Father is expecting some second caste guests today. I have to be off. Bye, Hareem.”

She headed toward the door of his office, but stopped before exiting. Throwing a gaze over her shoulder, she asked, “Before I forget, when are
you
leaving?”

“The day after tomorrow,” Hareem replied neutrally. He had a perfectly good excuse for his absence that in no way related to Taryn.

His sister nodded and left the room without another word. Hareem watched her go, suddenly feeling exhausted. There was only one remaining advantage about having shared a womb with Akara. She might know him well, but it went both ways. For that reason, Hareem would have staked his title on the suspicion that she had guessed something wasn’t right in Karein’s relationship with Sareltae. She hadn’t figured it out yet, but she was predisposed to doubting everyone, especially Karein, whom she’d never been able to bend to her will. The birthday thing certainly hadn’t helped, and while she couldn’t exploit that angle, she’d certainly use Caelyn Sutharlainn’s death for her own purposes.

Worse, that last question suggested that she might have been informed about Hareem’s own secret. Hareem had to do some damage control, and fast. But likely, Akara expected that and would exploit any panicked knee-jerk reaction from Hareem’s part.

So, for the moment, Hareem did nothing. He sat back down on his chair and waited.
“Be careful,”
a soft voice came in his mind.
“Your sister is a dangerous woman.”

“I know, sweeting,”
Hareem replied.
“She’s also very determined, and she will try to sabotage Karein’s mating. In the end, I can’t stop her. Right now, you’re my priority, and I don’t want anything drawing her attention onto you.”

His situation with Taryn was complicated to say the least, so Hareem couldn’t afford making risky decisions. At this point, there was only one step he could take, and he needed to see Karein for that.

“Just be safe,”
he told his mate.
“I’ll be there soon.”

“And I’ll be waiting,”
Taryn answered.

Distantly, Hareem wondered exactly how much longer Taryn would be willing to say that. He pushed the thought away, not wanting to dwell on it. He’d find a way for him and Taryn to be together. The important thing now was to keep Taryn a secret, for his own safety, and that of their child.

* * * *

Sari retrieved a book from the shelf and added it to the growing pile he intended to take to his quarters. Since Karein couldn’t stay with him at all times, he’d taken to reading a lot, trying to learn more about draechen culture, and simply enjoying the literature available. Sometimes, he stayed here, in the library, but he really preferred to just retreat to his and Karein’s room.

When he finished selecting the books for today’s reading session, Sari left the library and stepped out into the corridor. Sage was waiting for him and took most of the tomes from Sari. Sari would have rolled his eyes—he was perfectly capable of carrying the books himself—but he knew Sage was under strict orders from Karein to protect Sari at all times. Besides, in the past month, Sari had actually grown to like the quiet draechen lieutenant. He might not say much, but he was clearly very loyal to Karein, which meant the world to Sari.

Neither of them spoke, but it was a comfortable silence. Together, they headed toward the imperial wing. Karein was at the barracks now, and after that, he had to go to a meeting with his brother, but Sari thought that he could get time to pass a little faster by reading the books he’d plundered from the library.

As he walked, though, he ran into Princess Akarawem, who seemed to be leading a group of guests around the palace. “We could try to slip past them,” Sage whispered in his ear.

Sari shook his head. His duty as a prince’s mate meant that he needed to make himself available for guests whenever he was required to. This happened very rarely, but when it did, like now, he couldn’t just turn tail and run away. He handed the rest of the books to Sage and answered, “We will stay.”

Sage didn’t protest again. In fact, out of the blue, a strange look came over his face, one Sari had never seen in him. But he didn’t have time to dwell on that. Akarawem saw him and came forward, followed by the group. She took the arm of the man who must have been the most important guest, a slender, dark-haired young man. “Your Highness, I’d like you to meet Prince Sareltae Norrenddare Myrthylar
lea
Tersain. Prince Sareltae, meet His Highness, Prince Camden Isaiat.”

“It’s an honor,” Sari answered as the other man watched him with slitted eyes. The way Akarawem had presented him still echoed in his ears. Sareltae Norrenddare Myrthylar
lea
Tersain. He belonged to the Tersain family now, and he had to remember it.

“The honor is all mine, Prince Sareltae,” Camden replied slowly. His tongue lingered over the first syllable of Sari’s name, making it come out in a hiss. When they shook hands, Sari was not surprised to note Prince Camden’s hand was cool.

“We are very happy to have you in Draechenburg,” Sari commented. He managed to extract Prince Camden from Akarawem’s grip and hooked his arm through that of his guest. At the corner of his mind, he felt his mate watching the entire scene through their bond. “Your people weren’t at the wedding. You were missed.”

Camden arched a perfectly defined brow. Perhaps he thought Sari couldn’t have heard of the Isaiat since they weren’t as well known as the Norrenddare, let alone the Tersain. He paused, as if wanting to argue against Sari’s words, but instead, he said, “Unfortunately, it was impossible for my parents to make the trip, for…personal reasons. I hope you were not offended.”

“Of course not,” Sari said soothingly. “I hope their Majesties are all right.”

Camden just nodded, but didn’t give any details, which didn’t surprise Sari at all. The naga were very private people. While not the most reclusive shifters in the world, they certainly came very close. The only reason Sari even knew about their existence was that he’d studied the nine castes extensively and had documented himself on the most preeminent families out of each of them.

Princess Akarawem cleared her throat, drawing Sari’s attention to her. “I’m told Prince Camden has been visiting the most important paranormal families.”

Something in her voice put Sari on the edge. “Oh?”

“In fact, he was just at the Great Krites’ court,” Akarawem added. Her eyes widened as if she’d realized she’d committed some unpardonable gaffe. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned Elusia. You must still be so…crushed after what happened.”

Sari froze. “Crushed?” he repeated. “I don’t understand.”

The naga prince didn’t speak, looking completely unreadable, and that seemed to frustrate Akarawem. After a brief pause, she elaborated, “Well… This isn’t appropriate for me to mention… I was just referring to your friend Caelyn Sutharlainn, may he rest in peace.”

“Rest in peace?” Sari knew he sounded like a broken record, but he hadn’t been ready to put on a performance today. “Caelyn is dead?”

“I’m sorry,” Akarawem said with obviously fake regret. “I thought you knew.”

“Stay calm, Sari,”
Karein said through their bond.
“Ask her how it happened. I’m heading your way now. Don’t lose your head.”

“H–how did he die?” Sari stammered, following his mate’s instructions to the letter.

This time, the princess didn’t answer, at least not through words. However, the look she gave Sari clearly illustrated what she meant to say.

“That bitch,”
Karein snarled in Sari’s mind.
“She clearly suspects something is amiss and wants to get information out of us.”

Karein was completely correct, and Sari’s father had anticipated this as well. At this point, Sari had to react as if he felt betrayed by Karein, but he really didn’t know how to do that. Caelyn was still alive, and Karein had been instrumental to his escape. Sari could lie if need be, but the elaborate deception required in this regard left him stumped. Not to mention that his mother’s warning still rang out clearly in his mind. Sari’s stepmother had no interest to reveal Caelyn’s whereabouts, but just the fact that she knew made Sari feel a little sick to his stomach.

And then, Sari realized that the strange sensation wasn’t caused by his apprehension. Nausea and dizziness flooded him, and Sari swooned, losing his balance. He would have fallen had someone not caught him before he hit the ground. He wished the person in question had been Karein, but even through his haze, he knew this was not the case.

“Highness, are you all right?” a voice called out to him. “Prince Sareltae?”

Sari blinked, his vision a little fuzzy at first. At last, it cleared up, and he realized the man who’d caught him was Sage. “Fine,” he replied. “I don’t feel well, Lieutenant. Can you help me to my room?”

“Of course,” Sage replied.

Before they left, Sari threw another look toward Camden and Akarawem. He noticed the princess’s smug look, but ignored it. “I’m afraid I must go now, Prince Camden. It was very nice to meet you.”

For a few moments, Camden was quiet, as if he hadn’t even heard Sari at all. Finally, he snapped out of his trance and said, “You do me a great honor. I hope you’ll feel better soon.”