Fire's Embrace [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove)
Authors: Scarlet Hyacinth
Tags: #Romance
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
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.
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PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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Fire’s Embrace
by Scarlet Hyacinth from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.
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FIRE’S EMBRACE
Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6
SCARLET HYACINTH
Copyright © 2013
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.
“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.