Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) (20 page)

His balls ached with the need to come, but he kept a tight leash on himself, wanting to make his lovers climax first. Thrusting one more time inside Alcharr, he whispered, “Come.”

Alcharr bit down on Yane’s shoulder, and his ass tightened around Kyllian’s cock as his body instantly responded to Kyllian’s command. Seconds later, Yane cried out, and Kyllian registered the beautiful sound through a slight haze, the haze of his own imminent orgasm. It was too much, and even if he’d have liked to prolong the moment, he could no longer hold back. With another thrust, he came, filling Alcharr’s channel with his cream.

Somehow, he found the strength to pull out of Alcharr and roll off them, not wishing to squash the two under his bulk. Seconds later, they collapsed together on Yane’s bed. Thankfully, it was large enough to hold them all, although Kyllian wouldn’t have minded a smaller bed either.

For a few moments, none of them spoke. As the afterglow began to dwindle, he took it upon himself to find out if he hadn’t fucked up their struggling friendship. “You all right?” he asked the two men.

Yane cracked his eyes open, still panting. “I will be. Thank you.”

Kyllian hummed, not entirely convinced. Alcharr’s silence didn’t encourage him at all. “Are
we
all right?”

At his new question, the eagle finally reacted. He looked straight at Kyllian and smiled. “I believe I said so before. I’ve only ever loved Yane, but I think that, from now on, I might be able to love others as well.” His smile turned into a grin. “And if you’re wondering if we enjoyed that, we certainly did.”

Yane nodded and cuddled by Alcharr’s side. At their answer, Kyllian no longer needed any further reassurance. Spooning Yane, he closed his eyes and swore he would not allow any sentient crystal to hurt these men.

Chapter Eight

Owen looked around the house, finding it strangely familiar-looking. It reminded him so much of home, well, of Earth, that it shocked him. “Are you sure we’re still on Uli?” he asked Fayre.

The young wizard nodded, offering him a weak smile. “In our part of Uli, at least. I know it feels strange, but Kyllian is just like that. He does what he wants.”

“Do you live here?” Owen asked, half to keep the conversation, half out of interest.

Fayre shook his head. “Usually, I don’t stay on this realm. It’s too…surreal. That’s how I met Hash, actually, two magic users randomly bumping into each other on Almareya.” Fayre sighed. “I suppose I’m not old enough to appreciate the astral plane.”

“I don’t think it has anything to do with age,” Kani commented. “Perhaps you haven’t felt the need for its sanctuary.” He smiled, looking out the huge windows and toward the clear seas. “I would stay here forever if I could.”

Owen didn’t have a reply to that. The realm of the wizards was, indeed, beautiful, but it seemed wasted on him. There was still so much he didn’t know, so much that scared him. He didn’t like what was happening around him. He didn’t understand half of it. He felt helpless and useless, like a burden for the men he’d come to care for.

The décor of Kyllian’s home brought back memories to him of Earth and of Connor. He wondered why the wizard had gone to Earth—because he’d clearly been there—and it kept him busy for about half a minute before darker thoughts intruded, from where Connor was to what the other men were doing.

Sassaki and Hash had left shortly after their arrival here, much to Owen’s silent dismay. Fayre insisted to be taken along, arguing that they needed him to navigate, but the shape-shifters refused. Secretly, Owen knew Sassaki and Hash meant to keep Owen, Fayre, and Kani safe, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating.

Now, Owen, Fayre, and Kani were all alone and trying to pretend they weren’t counting each passing second. Owen liked the two young men, but he simply couldn’t focus on anything else but his concern.

Finally, Fayre broke and cursed to himself. He took their hands and dragged them outside. “Let’s just go look around. It will distract us.”

Kani looked doubtful. “I’ll have trouble shifting back,” he said. But Owen could easily see how much the young mer wanted to jump into the clear waters. He shared a look with Fayre, and, smirking, pushed Kani straight into the ocean.

Seconds later, Kani emerged, red tail having appeared in place of his legs. “That was mean,” he shouted at Owen, laughing.

Owen couldn’t help but smile a little, too. “Come on,” Kani said, splashing water at them. “I dare you to join me.”

Owen couldn’t resist the challenge. He took off his shirt, pants, and shoes, remaining only in his underwear. It wasn’t very decent, but he didn’t have a bathing suit, so it would have to do. Without dwelling on it further, he jumped straight into the water, barely missing a painful collide with Kani. Seconds later, Fayre joined them.

For a while, the three of them swam around, enjoying the water and the beautiful day. The dark thoughts still lingered in Owen’s mind, but he tried to be cheerful and patient. Even so, many times he found himself staring in the direction Hash and Sassaki had disappeared.

His persistence was rewarded when he spotted a dot approaching in the sky. He directed his new friends to look, and Fayre confirmed that it was, indeed, Hash. As a few more moments flew by, Owen realized Hash held Sassaki in his arms.

In no time, the two shape-shifters reached them. Hash dropped Sassaki into the water and landed on the balcony above them. Sassaki swam toward them, a frown on his face. “What are you doing outside?”

“Just wasting time,” Owen answered. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“We received a message from Kyllian,” Sassaki said. “We are to leave the astral realm at once. Apparently, it’s too dangerous to try to approach the crystal.”

Owen’s eyes widened. “Did he say why?”

“It seems the damn thing is sentient,” Hash answered. “I can’t believe no one saw this coming. Why did the dryads agree to it in the first place?”

“Perhaps they didn’t know,” Kani suggested. “Or perhaps they didn’t care, as long as they kept everyone else at bay.”

“I think they truly didn’t realize,” Sassaki replied. “Dryads may be my enemies, but I do not believe they would knowingly hurt Uli.”

“Any chance of finding out who was behind the original spell?” Kani asked.

Fayre shook his head. He murmured an incantation, and they floated out of the water and onto the balcony next to Hash. “There are no records of that time left, and necromancers were never under official control in the first place,” he said. “It’s entirely possible the wizard who placed the spell is dead and the crystal is sustaining itself.”

Another spell from Fayre dried Kani’s tail and also helped Owen, Sassaki, and Fayre himself. Owen turned toward the two shape-shifters and asked, “What do we do?”

“For the moment, there’s little we
can
do,” Hash answered. “If Kyllian is right, this place is no longer safe. We have to return to the other realm.”

Sassaki looked just as upset. “In the circumstances, I would love to go help Yane, but at this point, we might just interfere and complicate things further.”

Sassaki didn’t say it, but he clearly believed it was his own fault for this inability to be by Yane, Alcharr, and Kyllian’s side. Owen wasn’t thrilled about the situation either, but he forced himself to trust the other men. He pulled his clothes on and hugged Sassaki. “I’m sure they know what they’re doing.”

Hash nodded, squeezing the wyrm’s shoulder. “They’ll contact us again tomorrow. Now, let’s go.”

Nothing more was said as they packed up the few bags they hadn’t really bothered to empty out and departed. The trip to Almareya seemed to take far too long, yet far too little. Before Owen knew it, they’d passed through the passageway again and reached the intimidating town.

Nothing had changed in the past few days, guards still quite prevalent in the busy streets of Almareya. Truth be told, he himself would have very much liked joining Yane, Alcharr, and Kyllian, but Sassaki was right. A human, a wyrm, and a dragon would just draw unwanted attention.

Kani seemed just as nervous as him, and in a trembling whisper explained he wasn’t supposed to be anywhere near mer-controlled waters.

“Don’t worry.” Fayre tried to soothe him. “With everything going on here, the mer are most likely staying down below where it’s safe.”

As it turned out, Fayre seemed to be mistaken. The inns where they went were all booked to capacity. It looked like everyone was trying to take advantage of the chaos and the occasional lapses in security caused by the political instability of Almareya. With great difficulty, they found two rooms in a more discreet, less fancy establishment. The owner didn’t ask any questions. He just directed them to the two rooms, whereupon a new problem appeared—accommodation distribution. Who would stay in which room?

Before Owen could even voice his question, Kani took Fayre’s hand and grinned. “We’re turning in,” he said. “Have a nice rest.”

Without further ado, he pulled the young wizard to the smaller of the rooms, leaving Owen, Sassaki, and Hash staring after him. Owen surmised Kani knew something he didn’t but refrained from commenting. Self-awareness began to grip him as he realized he would be alone with the two shape-shifters. It shouldn’t have made any difference. He’d been close to Sassaki and Hash before. And yet, it did. Did he feel more sexually aware of them after the night he spent with Yane? Or had their acceptance of it given him a renewed sense of their connection? He didn’t know, and yet again, he found himself confused and apprehensive.

“Come on,” Sassaki said. “Let’s get some sleep. I have a feeling we’re going to need it.”

Owen followed behind the two shape-shifters and into the larger room. On first impression, it didn’t seem like much, two single beds with nightstands, one table with two chairs, a lamp, some shelves, and a sink. But the few items there were stylish in a discreet way, and the muted coloring, complemented by two paintings, created a pleasant ambiance. For a rented room, it felt homey.

For a brief moment, Owen wondered who would get the beds before he realized how stupid he was being. There was no sense in anyone sleeping on the floor. If they pushed the two singles together, they would be able to crowd together on the joint mattresses.

Hash seemed to have the same thought. He started to move the nightstands around, then hesitated, giving Owen a look. “Is this okay with you?”

Owen nodded. “Sure. It makes sense to join the beds.”

The two shape-shifters made no comment, although Sassaki did lend a hand to Hash in preparing their sleeping arrangements. In no time, they had a reasonable double bed for them to rest in. They also fixed the sheets and pillows so that it would fit the new shape.

In the meantime, Owen did his best to keep busy by taking care of their bags. They didn’t have much luggage, but they had bought some outfits before leaving for the astral realm. He couldn’t run around dressed only in the clothing Yane provided in Tanarak, and Sassaki’s clothing habits were poor at best. The man only ever wore the occasional pants, although Owen surmised even those were chosen for the purpose of their meetings.

As soon as Hash and Sassaki finished with their own task, however, they gestured for him to come closer. “Sit down, Owen,” Hash said, patting the bed. “What is it? Are you worried about them, or is it something else?”

Owen would have thought the man was a mind reader, and he almost wished he was, too. He couldn’t exactly put into words what he wanted and what concerned him. “I just…I don’t understand.”

Sassaki let out a deep sigh. “Come here, Owen. I think Hash and I need to explain something to you.”

Owen saw the two shape-shifters share a look. He made his way to their side. “Does this have something to do with why Kani and Fayre left so quickly?”

Sassaki smiled. “In a way.” When Owen sat on the bed, the wyrm joined him and reach for his hand. “I know this is hard for you, but there’s something you have to know. It’s probably a terrible time to say it, but it might shed some light on some of what’s going on.”