Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (10 page)

“Stand still, little human, or else I might fuck you right here in front of your men.”

Owen’s face flushed, and Kyllian read both shame and arousal in his blue eyes. Owen wanted what Kyllian promised, but he felt guilty for doing so. Kyllian could not push any further today without wrecking the whole thing.

As such, Kyllian released Owen from his hold. “They want you, but they’re afraid,” he told Owen. “Remember that.” Surprise flashed on the human’s face, but Kyllian didn’t give him time to ask any questions. He allowed the shield around them to fall. Almost immediately, the three men attempted to attack him. To Kyllian’s surprise, Owen stepped in front of him. “We have a deal now,” he said softly. “Don’t get angry on my behalf. There’s no going back.”

Hash’s nostrils flared, his eyes burning coals of anger. The water around them swirled, Yane’s power threatening to push them over the edge of the boat. Alcharr spread his wings out threateningly. Still, none of them moved, and life seemed to drain out of them. Their shoulders slumped, and Hash pulled Owen close. “Okay,” he said, while caressing Owen’s hair. “Okay. We’ll see what happens.”

Judging by Hash’s tone, the man didn’t intend to allow Kyllian to set another finger on Owen. For the moment, Kyllian was satisfied with that. Time would decide how this little project would end up.

“If you’ve made your decision, we should go,” Fayre said softly. “There’s not much time.”

Kyllian mentally sighed. His brother was clearly upset with him for his request. He’d have to talk to Fayre soon, sometime when the other men weren’t around.

“Okay, then,” he said, trying to sound cheerful. “Here we go.”

Since he was older and stronger than Fayre, he created a larger boat that allowed them to have a reasonable amount of space between each other. He knew the four men needed some time to process what they, or rather, what Owen had agreed upon. The trip continued in silence while Kyllian led them to the rift through which they’d come.

The men jumped out of the boat and climbed into the corridor that would lead them back to Uli. “What about you?” Owen asked. “Aren’t you coming?”

Kyllian shook his head. “The crystal is here, in the astral plane,” he explained. “It’s here where I need to work.”

Owen’s companions frowned at him in nearly identical expressions. “How do we know you won’t cheat us?” Yane asked.

“I’ll stay behind,” Hash said. “I’m knowledgeable with magic.”

Hash hugged Owen and the other men, then jumped in the boat. Kyllian would have been pissed at the blatant distrust, but he supposed he hadn’t made a very good impression on the men by demanding Owen for himself.

As Fayre and the remaining three disappeared into the corridor, Kyllian turned toward the shape-shifter. “Brace yourself. It’s going to be a wild ride.”

“What do you mean you agreed on giving Owen to some wizard?” Sassaki snarled at Yane. “I told you to look after him. Can’t you at least do that?”

Night had fallen over Tanarak, the sky clouded like always, hiding the stars. He’d waited for one week, one endless week for the four men to return. Every day, he’d watched Tanarak, yearning to see Owen once again. Finally, this evening, he’d noticed Yane and Owen return. He’d been puzzled by the absence of Hash and Alcharr, and even then, he’d sensed something was wrong. Even so, the last thing he’d expected was for Yane to tell him about the deal they’d made, a trade-off between Owen’s happiness and the plague lands’ safety.

The nymph opened his mouth to answer, but Owen stopped him. “It’s my fault.” He gave Sassaki a pleading look. “Please understand. Yane had nothing to do with this decision.”

Sassaki looked away from his mate. The beach was silent and lonely, and all of a sudden, Sassaki felt like he couldn’t breathe. For the first time in his life, he wanted to shift and kill. He would not accept this. He would rather die.

Yane scowled back. “I assure you, I’m not very happy with the situation either.”

It was easy for Yane to say that. After all, no matter what choice was made, he won. His people would continue to be protected. But the very point of Sassaki’s involvement in this had been to keep Owen away from all harm.

“No.” He shook his head furiously. “I refuse.”

“There’s no going back now,” Owen answered. “The wizard is already in the plague lands, studying the enchantment.”

“I don’t care.” Sassaki fumed. “I’ve only ever cared about keeping you safe. I don’t want any part of this war.”

Owen seemed disappointed. “Sassaki, you’re part of it, whether you like it or not. You told me that your people are banished into the polluted waters. Maybe we can work things out with Kyllian’s help.”

Yane didn’t comment, so Sassaki surmised this wasn’t the first time the topic had come up. Unfortunately, Owen’s view was idealistic. If a war could be ended just by the involvement of one wizard, there would be very little conflicts on Uli, or any other world.

But Owen looked so eager and so hopeful that Sassaki didn’t have it in him to say no. He tried to squelch his anger and said, “All right. So where is this Kyllian?” He looked around the beach and considered. “Then again, where are Alcharr and Hash?”

He had to admit that in the short time he’d spent with the men, he’d become fond of them, even of Yane, his longtime enemy. To see Alcharr and Hash gone disconcerted him. “Hash went with Kyllian to deal with the crystal,” Owen answered. “As for Alcharr, he just said he had trouble at home.”

Yane looked uncomfortable, and Sassaki detected a story there, a lie, something Owen didn’t know of. He recalled the famous alliance between the eagles and the dryads. With everything that was going on, he’d completely forgotten about Yane’s wedding.

He narrowed his eyes at Yane, silently telling the other man to speak to Owen. He’d noticed Owen’s fondness for Yane—how could he not?—and he knew keeping Owen in the dark was unfair, to all of them. So far, Sassaki had been very accepting about this odd situation, but he refused to allow anyone to use Owen. On that note, he’d have a little word with this Kyllian. Perhaps he could convince the wizard to change his mind. The liberal application of fang always did the trick.

“So what now?” he asked, feeling a bit more reassured.

“We have to pretend nothing’s wrong, at least until we hear from Kyllian,” the nymph answered in a low voice. His deep blue eyes seemed to send Sassaki a message.
I’ll tell him.

Mentally sighing, Sassaki caressed Owen’s cheek. On impulse, he hugged Yane. The nymph’s warmth felt strangely familiar, but Sassaki didn’t allow himself to dwell too much on it. It would be disturbing.

“I’m going back,” he told the two men. “If I find anything else, I’ll let you know.”

Owen and Yane waved at him as Sassaki returned to the dark waters. When he felt certain they couldn’t see him, he shifted into his wyrm form. He wanted everyone to leave him alone, and the best way to ensure that was to stay like this.

Upset, he curled at the bottom of the ocean, wondering and remembering. Could Owen be right? Could they have a chance at peace?

The sound of a familiar voice drew him out of his musings. “What are you doing, son?”

His mother’s figure appeared in front of him. Great, just great. She was probably among the few who dared to approach him while he stayed in wyrm form. She’d opted to be discreet and chose her legged form, but that didn’t make her any less intimidating.

“You’ve been odd lately,” she commented when he didn’t answer. Sassaki gave her a look, and Lota added, “Well, son, speak. What’s on your mind?”

For a brief second, Sassaki considered telling her everything. He disliked keeping secrets from his mother. She was the only one who’d always stood by his side. But then, he’d have to tell her about his odd relationship with Yane, about Alcharr, and Hash, and Kyllian. It would be a mess.

Turning into his normal form, he shook his head and answered, “Nothing, Mother. Just feeling out of sorts.”

She reached for him and took his hand. Her palm felt strikingly warm, something he found strange given their reptilian blood. But then again, his mother always seemed warm to him. Perhaps it wasn’t even a physical thing, but rather the affection she lavished upon him. Did he dare tell her about Owen? He wanted to. He wanted to share this with the person who’d always been by his side, but he was scared.

“You’re hiding something from me,” she said, her expression closing off. “You’ve never done so before.”

“Mother, I—”

“Enough,” his mother interrupted him. “We’ve been pretending nothing is wrong for far too long. I’m willing to accept that you do not wish to act like your brothers. But these secrets you keep…What is it that you want to hide?”

She sounded stern, but behind her chilly demeanor, Sassaki sensed hurt. Still, he feared for his mate, and for Yane, as well. He didn’t know how he could possibly make someone of his own kind understand the situation.

“It’s nothing, Mother,” he repeated. “I just need some time alone.”

Saying goodbye to Lota, Sassaki swam away. His entire being screamed for him to return to the surface and to Owen, but he knew better. His mother already suspected something. If he wasn’t careful, she could find out about Owen. Would he ever be able to be with his mate? He didn’t know the answer, and he was afraid of it.

After Sassaki disappeared into the water, Owen turned toward Yane, still puzzled. He felt there were many things they weren’t telling him. Yane looked very thoughtful, and there seemed to have been a silent exchange between him and Sassaki that Owen couldn’t quite grasp.

“What is it, Yane? What’s bothering you?”

At first, Yane didn’t answer. It occurred to Owen that it could be any of the things happening lately, from the sudden threat to the plague lands to Kyllian’s appearance. But somehow, Owen thought it was more than that.

Frustrated, he moved into Yane’s personal space and pressed their bodies close. He was sick of dancing around the subject. If Yane and the others didn’t intend to do anything about it, he would.

Yes, it seemed crazy. For all Owen knew, it might even be an elaborate hallucination, a dream his fucked-up imagination had come up with. But Owen had taken a lot of risk throughout his life, mostly with all the wrong men. He’d take a chance again. He had a feeling Yane was worth it.

Without allowing himself to change his mind, Owen pressed his lips to Yane’s. Because of the difference in heights, Owen found himself forced to stand on his tiptoes to reach Yane’s lips. But he did take the other man by surprise. Their kiss was gentle, close-mouthed, and with restrained passion. Owen wanted more, but instead of yielding, Yane pushed away from him.

“Owen, stop,” he panted out. “I need to tell you something. But not here.”

Owen gave Yane a curious look but didn’t get the chance to ask. The other man started dragging him away from the beach and in the direction of Tanarak. Owen could do nothing but follow, even if he still felt confused and hurt over the obvious rejection. What could Yane possibly want to tell him? What was he hiding?

Yane took them to his living space, the small home he owned in the port town. Owen had also received a spot here, since sleeping anyplace else would have been even more awkward. As soon as the door of the house shut behind them, Owen reached for Yane again. “Wait. What’s going on? Please tell me.”

He hated the trembling of his own voice, but he couldn’t keep it in check. Yane gave him a pained look.

“Owen, I…I’m engaged.”

“To Alcharr?” Owen asked. He’d suspected something was going on between the two. Oddly, he didn’t mind. He liked Alcharr, and he thought the eagle could make Yane happy. But that didn’t explain the connection between them. Could it be just in his mind? “I’m sorry if I was out of line. I don’t mean to get between you two. I just want to understand what’s going on.”

Yane shook his head. “I…It’s not Alcharr.” He paused, as if he were having trouble speaking. “It’s his brother, Valderr, an arranged marriage for the benefit of our nations. But you’re right about one thing. Alcharr is my lover.”