Fire's Embrace [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 6] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) (18 page)

Finally, Phoenix relented and melted into Rachen’s arms, much like he had before. “All right. I’ll believe you, although I must admit I’m still very confused. Now…I’m feeling a bit off. Can we go back to our nest?”

“Nest?” Rachen repeated, blinking in confusion.

Phoenix arched a brow at Rachen. “We do have a nest for the two of us, don’t we? I distinctly remember us mating…Surely, we couldn’t have done that without a nest. Where is it?”

Oh, Phoenix was referring to their home. “We live in a palace. It’s a good distance away from here, built—”

Phoenix interrupted him before he could finish the phrase. “In a building?” Phoenix shook his head, breaking away from Rachen and seeming horrified. “No…I can’t live in a building. I need to be free. I need to spread my wings, to be out into the wild.” He turned pleading eyes toward Rachen. “You understand, don’t you?”

“Yes, I understand,” Rachen replied. Apparently, Phoenix expected them to live in an actual nest. Rachen felt like he’d fallen into some sort of peculiar dream. “However, we do require some sort of shelter from the elements. I don’t want you to suffer from any discomfort.”

“I’m a phoenix. I’m not afraid of a little rain.” In spite of his words, though, Phoenix seemed to consider Rachen’s point. “But I suppose you’re right. A simple nest wouldn’t be safe enough from predators. We need something more secure, especially for our eggs.”

Wait, what? Eggs? Now, Rachen was the confused one. He needed to take a step back and get accustomed to this new side of his mate. It was all happening too fast, and Rachen couldn’t make heads or tails of what Phoenix was saying.

Their mate bond was still working perfectly fine, though. Phoenix looked hurt at Rachen’s less than enthusiastic reaction. “You don’t want to have hatchlings?”

“That’s not it,” Rachen said quickly. Images of small children with Phoenix’s blazing eyes popped into his head, and Overlords, Rachen wanted that so badly it hurt. But it would be irresponsible to bring a child into this entire mess. “I need you to listen closely. You have to remember what you were before.”

Phoenix looked away. “I remember. I don’t want to be that again. I don’t want to be used as a weapon anymore.”

Painful memories of a time when Phoenix had had no control over his fire flooded their bond. Rachen winced. The last thing he’d wanted was to make his mate remember that. “You were that, but also more. Do you remember how we met?”

The dark recollections started to fade as Phoenix tried to access the part of him that had once been Alwyn. It hurt. Rachen felt it, and he engulfed his mate in his arms. “I don’t know,” Phoenix said, sounding more confused than ever. “I can’t…I know we did. I know I fell in love with you, but I don’t remember the context.”

It was very difficult to watch his mate struggle with this and know that there was little he could do to help. “Just breathe, baby,” Rachen said. “Calm down. Don’t force yourself. You’ll remember. I’ll talk you through it, step by step.”

“That sounds good,” Phoenix replied, his voice trembling. “I don’t want to lose my memories. I get the feeling that they were very important to me. So…I take it we met in this palace?”

He was beginning to sound more like the man Rachen knew and less like a lost, confused little bird. He certainly no longer seemed so horrified of buildings. Rachen released a sigh of relief. All right. The first step had been taken. That was a good thing. Now, Rachen just needed a little time to work Phoenix through the information he’d need.

Sadly, it didn’t seem that he would be granted that time, at least not just yet. Rachen felt several familiar presences approach. Phoenix must have sensed them as well, because he tensed visibly.

“Someone’s coming,” he murmured.

“I know, baby. It’s just my family.”

“Your family?” Phoenix attached himself to Rachen’s side. Apparently, some part of him remembered that his relationship with the Tersain hadn’t been ideal. “Will they hate me?”

“Of course not,” Rachen answered. He had no idea how his brothers would react to this new development, but he could only hope they’d get accustomed to it eventually. “They’ll be surprised, to be sure. You’ve met them before, and now, you don’t remember, so it’s going to be a little strange. But I’m sure that together, we can figure out a way to fix that.”

Phoenix didn’t look convinced, and Rachen didn’t blame him. He couldn’t even convince himself, let alone his mate. It was very hard to come up with exactly what he needed to say to prepare his mate for the upcoming confrontation without upsetting him too much. “I won’t lie,” he continued. “Your abilities have given us some trouble in the past. You couldn’t seem to control them, and it made them wary of you. But they don’t hate you, far from it.”

Well, maybe Sari did, given what had happened with Eanera. An image of Sari popped into his mind, and Phoenix shot him a disgruntled look. “Sari? Who’s that?”

“My brother-in-law,” Rachen replied quickly. “You’ll meet him soon…again.”

He desperately wished Phoenix wouldn’t see his earlier memories, the one he had from the time he’d shared Karein’s body. Unfortunately, exactly that wish made the recollections more preeminent in his mind. Phoenix cursed. “What in the world…You were sleeping with this Sari person, too?”

Overlords, what a mess. Rachen took Phoenix’s hands and squeezed them. If he didn’t make things a little clearer for Phoenix, his mate was liable to go into a jealous rage when he saw Sari or Talrasar.

“Talrasar?” Phoenix inquired right on cue. “What…”

He trailed off when Rachen started to feed his memories through their bond, earlier recollections, before he had even met his mate. Rachen had never allowed himself to dwell too much on them. Some of it was still very much a blur. He could only remember bits and pieces of the time he’d spent within his brother. His mind was fragmented, like a puzzle that had lost half of its pieces. Sometimes, his soul had been kept away from Karein’s consciousness through his brother’s powerful will, but more often than not, he’d gotten glimpses of what was happening. The memories were particularly vivid in moments when Karein’s discipline had faltered. He’d seen Karein fall in love with Sari, almost experienced it himself, like a voyeur who was sharing into something sweet and secret without being allowed to. It had made him bitter, angry, and confused. He had thought Sari belonged to him, and that his brother had stolen him, just like he had with his life.

And then, Kael had absorbed his soul into the black obelisk and a similar thing had happened with Talrasar. It hadn’t been quite so powerful, but because of his fragile state, he’d still gotten unnaturally attached to Talrasar. It was only when he’d met Alwyn—or rather, Phoenix—that he’d managed to truly understand the true meaning of a mate bond.

“Do you see now?” Rachen asked.

Phoenix nodded, his eyes wide and filled with tears. The anger had drained out of him now, replaced by poor sorrow. “I thought I sensed death on you,” he whispered quietly, “but I told myself I was only imagining it because it’s such a faint trace. I’m sorry, Rachen. I should have been there for you.”

It was Rachen who had failed Phoenix. He should have been stronger, powerful enough to withstand his brother’s abilities. If he’d truly come into the world centuries sooner, like he should have, he might have been able to find Phoenix earlier and release him from his prison.

Then again, blaming themselves for the past would solve nothing. They had to focus on the future, on getting accustomed to each other and bringing Phoenix’s memories back. Their bond helped, although Rachen didn’t want to push things any further right now.

It was one of the reasons why he resented the fact that his family had found them. Sadly, they had to deal with it, because far sooner than Rachen would have liked, a group of draechen landed in front of them. Two black dragons led the company, followed by a large number of soldiers. Obviously, they’d come here looking for a battle.

“It’s all right,” he said. “It’s safe. The problem has been dealt with.”

Kael and Karein shifted into their human forms. “Oh?” Karein arched a dark brow. “The humans in charge of the forest would disagree.”

Phoenix looked around, having obviously not noticed the destruction he’d wrought. “Oh…Oh, no, I didn’t mean to do that.”

He looked crushed at the sight of the burnt forest. Rachen wished he could find words to comfort him, but unfortunately, there were things he couldn’t fix, no matter how much he’d have wanted to. Phoenix was a being created out of the earth, and the fact that, in his anguish, he’d caused damage to it pained him greatly.

Once again, Rachen wrapped his arms around Phoenix, wishing he could wipe all that away. In a sense, it was kind of strange that he’d grown accustomed to thinking of his mate as Phoenix so quickly. Perhaps, in his heart, he had been waiting for this to happen. Perhaps he had known all along that it wasn’t Alwyn Cyraltin whom he’d fallen in love with.

Out of the blue, Phoenix’s small sobs stopped. A warm glow enveloped Rachen, a burst of happiness and affection filling their bond. Phoenix was relieved and blissful because that one stray thought that had gone through Rachen’s mind. Perhaps it was all the more important because it hadn’t been something Rachen had actively forced into his mind, but rather, a natural progression of ideas and events.

When he broke the embrace, he found Phoenix smiling. “Better now?”

“Yes,” Phoenix answered almost shyly. “Much better. Thank you.”

As he finished the phrase, he released a small gasp. At first, Rachen couldn’t figure out what was the reason for Phoenix’s reaction, but then, he stole a look around and realized it. The previously destroyed trees had been completely restored. The grass was greener than before, and flowers bloomed everywhere in an explosion of life and color.

It was beautiful, pure, like a slice of heaven unmarred by human touch, but at the same time, so much more than that. Looking at the bright colors, Rachen felt like he was getting a glimpse of his mate’s soul.

When he turned toward the rest of the draechen, he found them gaping in shock. Rachen grinned, feeling impossibly proud of his mate. “Like I said,” he repeated, “the problem has been dealt with. Everything is under control.”

“So I see,” Kael replied. Even he sounded a little shaken, which kind of took Rachen aback. Given the extent of his abilities and his experience as a warrior, Rachen would have thought him to be the one least inclined to question Phoenix’s powers.

Glancing from Kael to Karein, Rachen again wished they could have left, gone somewhere no one could find them. Even so, somewhere deep inside, he found it in himself to hope that things would be better now. Perhaps Phoenix would manage to heal Eanera. Maybe it wasn’t too late for them to begin a life together, just like Rachen had always dreamed.

“We will,”
Phoenix said through their bond. It was the first time Phoenix actively used their mind link, and it made that spark of optimism bloom inside Rachen just like the flowers around them had.
“We will because we love each other.”

Phoenix was right. Their love was strong enough to defeat anything. Rachen just had to believe in that and everything would be all right. And then, surprisingly, Karein asked him something else, “What in the world happened to your hair?”

Rachen blinked, not immediately understanding what his twin meant. He instinctively reached for his locks when an image of himself flashed through his mind, courtesy of his connection with his mate. He couldn’t help a gasp of shock when he saw his hair had gone completely red.

“Everyone, I’d like to introduce to you my mate, Phoenix.”

Rachen’s voice echoed through the cavernous throne room, anchoring Phoenix. He forced a smile as he glanced to every figure in the room. Most, he recognized from the recollections he’d gotten from Rachen, but it was all jumbled, very distant, and confusing. He hadn’t gotten the chance to untangle the threads of his consciousness, and he was guiding himself through this strange world through the one thing that remained stable, the shining cord of his mate bond with Rachen.

“It’s an honor and a pleasure,” he said. “Thank you for receiving me in your wonderful home.”

A man Phoenix recognized as Sareltae Norrenddare Myrthylar
lea
Tersain—or better said, Sari—frowned at him. “I’m told you don’t remember anything from the time you spent here in Draechenburg. Is that right?”

“Partially,” Phoenix answered. “My bond with Rachen provides me with information I wouldn’t otherwise have.”

“So…you don’t remember my mother?”

Sari’s mother? No, Phoenix couldn’t say he could…Oh, wait. Rachen squeezed his hand, showing him the person Sari was talking about. Phoenix winced as he saw himself with a woman who looked a lot like Sari. He felt the flare of power and the damage he’d accidentally done to her.

“High Priestess Eanera Myrthylar,” he replied. “I remember now.”

It wasn’t actually his memory, but that really didn’t matter. He could understand Sari’s resentment of him, given what he’d done.

“Do you think you can help her now?” Rachen’s twin, Karein, inquired.

Phoenix mused over the question. “I’d have to see her to know for sure. I can’t really tell right now.”

“I’ll speak to her,” Sari replied, not sounding very optimistic about the prospect. “For the moment, she’s with my father, but if you’ll excuse me, I’ll visit her now.”