Secret Fire Read online

  “What will you do, Sire?”

  Rarely were they so formal with one another but mayhap his many worries were slipping through. “I need to check on the others. It has been a while since I did site to site visits.”

  Their sect was small but many were spread out across a large mass of water that counted as his territory.

  Another questioning stare from Dairin. “Do you wish me to accompany you?”

  Konlan shook his head. “Not necessary.”

  He would check on the welfare of his people alone. Attempt to track how this madness was affecting them.

  “Very well. Goddess watch over you.” Dairin’s head ducked beneath the waves and Konlan waited to make sure he didn’t hit any trouble then dove beneath the surface to swim in the opposite direction.

  Under water, his vision was as clear as it was above, if not stronger. Sea creatures scattered at his approach while others swam closer and nudged his sides and legs with inquisitive touches.

  Usually Konlan would spend time playing or responding to the friendly invitation. It was how he maintained the balance and a non-threatening relationship with the natural inhabitants of the waters.

  Brightly colored plant life swayed about him, sentient and non-sentient. Unfortunately, the wonders of his home in the ocean didn’t soothe as it normally did. His focus remained on the problems at hand. Based on his last meeting with the other kings and the researched he’d done, it was clear that the madness would spread until they each bonded with a lira.

  A snort sent a rush of bubbles from his nostrils. He’d tried that once and had the battered heart to show for it. Breya had turned away from him without explanation and Kon could only wait to see how it would impact his sect. To think he could have accidently avoided all his sect suffered if she hadn’t turned from him.

  Kicking his heels, Konlan picked up his pace and swam farther and farther away from the caverns. He was a half day’s swim away from the home of the Purple when he crossed paths with the first traveling family pod.

  “Greetings, Sire,” the male signed as he came to a halt and balanced easily in the water.

  Travers, his lira, Tua and their son, Samsi, pulled to a stop at his side, grimaces on their faces. Their agitation flowed to Konlan via the mantle but their worried expressions conveyed trouble at a glance.

  “Are you returning to the caverns?” Konlan signed in return.

  “Yes, the shell will soon be ready”

  They were expecting another child and the shells resided in an isolated room watched over by a faithful guard appointed by Kon.

  “Congratulations again. How was your journey?” he asked.

  “Disturbing,” Travers fingers snapped back. He exchanged a look with his lira then continued. “The waters grow dangerous for us. It’s why we’re heading back home.”

  Konlan’s brows drew taut. “Tell me.”

  The news was as expected. When he finished listening, Kon hugged each of them, allowing the power of the mantle to flow through him as he sent reassurance like a steady throb toward them. When they pulled away, fear had been replaced with relief in the amber depths of their eyes.

  As he met more and more traveling and making their way to his residence in the caverns, the message was the same time after time. Concerned stories of others falling to madness. The deaths in the wake of the fighting and much more as parents turned against children and liras attacked one another in a never before witnessed display.

  It was only the beginning. When Konlan returned home that night he was pulled in every direction. Combined with the multiple trips to search out members of his sect to urge them to seek safety in their land based water dwellings, he was beyond worn.

  More and more of the Purple fell into the violent haze of madness without hint or sign something was wrong. It took all Konlan had to protect them and send the ones riddled with madness on their way to the Goddess of Fate.

  So busy was he that months went by and Konlan failed to reach out to the Black as he’d promised. In fact, there wasn’t a moment to spare and his nights without sleep accumulated until he wasn’t sure there’d ever be a break. Which was how he missed the numerous messages sent to him from the kings.

  As he staggered to his room and collapsed in a chair, his two guards who’d accompanied him started in.

  “You can’t keep going at this pace, sire.”

  Of course Marias would be the first to speak. He’d been at Konlan’s side without sleep as well, tirelessly trying to help.

  “You have to rest,” Julian’s tone was just as direct.

  Konlan slumped in his seat. He knew they were right. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d closed his eyes and the gritty burn at the back of his lids attested to that. His muscles ached and his skin felt tight and uncomfortable from too much time in the water. A rarity.

  Raking his hand through his tangled hair, he spoke. “You are both right. I can’t continue like this.”

  Relief crossed their faces. After a few more words of assurance they left him alone. With an exhausted sigh, Konlan made his way to the communal baths. The room was a natural creation in the underwater cavern they’d turned into a home. Steam billowed from the pool at the center, calling to him.

  He ripped off his dirty pants and trudged toward the edge of the water. Soft sighs escaped his lips as he sat then braced his hands on the sides, then slid into the heated depths and braced his elbows on the ledge behind him.

  Konlan closed his eyes for what felt like the first time in ages and relaxed. As always, relaxing meant his mind teased with thoughts of the female who had meant everything to him. Instead of battling the images like usual, he let himself drift into the memories of those stolen moments and the joy.

  Breya. It always came back to Breya. Her quick smile, laughing gold eyes and mischievous nature enchanted him from the first time they’d met during a visit to the Black sect under Rylin’s rule.

  Sleep teased at his senses and Konlan drifted willingly into the haze. Breya placing a hand to his jaw the first time they were alone as she joked with him. Breya kneeling beside his brother as she showed him a rare flower found on the land of the Black.

  He and Breya had grown close during his visits to Rylin. At his age, Konlan had eschewed finding a lira. His First Fire had been a fierce burning time of frantic sex and discovery. All relationships after had paled until the dark-haired Breya caught his eyes.

  Breya. Breya. Breya.

  His head twisted back and forth on the rim of the heated pool as the dreams shifted. Became sultry. The initial kiss he’d shared with Breya. Her tentative smile, fingers hesitant as she touched him. The passion which had grown dull in his life sparked with a return force that had stunned.

  Emotions squeezed his chest and his breath caught. Konlan hadn’t resisted at all, so caught up in finally finding a reason to be happy again. In the years prior, his parents’ deaths had hit him hard. The role of king had grown weary as he fought to focus on his people and raise his distraught younger brother left behind.

  Initially, his time with Breya had been brief but the love growing between them had caused Konlan to increase his visits and extend his stays time after time. His inner Dracol had craved her presence and he found it hard to resist the demand to be around her.

  He stroked a hand down his wet torso, recalling her fascination with his chest. His cock twitched in his lap and Konlan sunk deeper until the water lapped at his jaw.

  There had been no shyness the first time he and Breya slept together. She’d responded to his desire with an equal level of passion and arousal. His hand cupped his sac and squeezed. The jolt caused a gasp to slip through his parted lips as Konlan lost himself to the tide of memories.

  The roundness of Breya’s full breasts, the pale pink of her nipples. His fingers eased to his growing length as he stroked it to full hardness. Another gasp from his parted lips.

  He imagined the tightness of her channel, the wet clenching of her core when they had sex.
Kon arched then settled back on the ledge. Water swished about but he was lost to the fantasy of remembrance.

  Kon tightened his fingers and worked his frilled cock. Every up and down stroke sent a flash of heat racing through his gut. His skin heated and sweat beaded his temple but he kept up the frantic motion as he held firm the image of Breya’s nude body hovering over his.

  The way her breasts would sway. The rosy flush that would fill her cheeks and the way she’d absently lick her lips with desperate hunger in her gaze as she rode him hard.

  “Yes,” Kon muttered, the moment as real to him as it had been in the past.

  His breathing grew heavy, every pant a rough exhalation. Sensations rolled up his spine and his skin sizzled. His brain was steeped so far in the fantasy, Kon would have sworn he felt Breya’s skin brush along his chest and thighs.

  Frantic now, he increased his stroking, his thighs quivering and feet planted firmly on the flooring of the large bathing pool.

  A few more tugs and twist and his climax charged through him. His shout echoed on the hollowed walls as he spilled his release and slowed his hand down to a lingering caress then dropped his arm to his side.

  Chest billowing, Kon stared at the ceiling. Shame poked at him. What he was going to do? Relief and sensual pleasure gave way to worry. The others were right. The strain was taking its toll on him. The loneliness. The fear of not being able to save the Purple. Not having Breya.

  As king he needed to be an example for his people—a guiding light of strength. Instead he was mired in the past and unable to move past a female who’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with him.

  The thought was as maddening now as it had always been. Kon surged to his feet, water pouring down his body as he climbed out and slicked back the wet length of his hair.

  “King Konlan.”

  He spun on his heels. Brilliant gold eyes met his, a teasing smile curving the full pouty lips as Fatine approached him. He’d been so lost in thought, he’d missed her arrival. Her clothes were in a discarded pile by her feet. Body slender and graceful, the blonde female walked toward him with a confident glide.

  When had she entered? How much had she seen? Once again embarrassment heated his face. Sexuality was nothing to hide for the Dracol but the idea of being caught reliving a fantasy of Breya left him off kilter.

  “I didn’t expect to see you, sire.”

  Narrow of hip and full breasts swinging, she was the epitome of pleasing to the eye for many males. Not for Kon. There was only one female his body awakened for. “No worries. I was just leaving.”

  Kon waved his hand in front of his loins and manifested a strip of purple cloth to tie about his hips. For some reason being bare before her struck him as wrong.

  Fatine frowned and stopped inches from him. “You don’t have to leave on my account. I was going to join you.”

  It wouldn’t be the first time the lithe female had come on to him but Kon had never taken her up on the offer. Still wasn’t interested. He kept his tone respectful as he gestured at the steaming water behind him. “I have things to do. Enjoy yourself.”

  Her gaze narrowed but he sidestepped around her and left before she could attempt to engage him in further conversation.

  Chapter 4

  Tyen, the Green Dracol, who ported Breya to this location had been hesitant to leave her. “Are you sure you don’t wish me to take you closer?”

  “I’ll be fine,” Breya assured him.

  From here it was a short trip to the water and she needed the time to gather her thoughts before seeing Kon.

  After another reluctant glance, Tyen nodded briskly and ported away. Breya took a deep breath and started her trek across the sandy turf and grass. As the sun beamed down on her head she was regretting her insistence on being dropped so far away. It didn’t help that she had the eerie sensation of being followed.

  In her defense, Kon had always sworn she was safe in his territory. Breya cast furtive glances behind her. Now she wasn’t so sure and there was no one around to come to her aid if danger lurked behind a bush.

  She was certain she was being followed but unsure by who or what. All that mattered was her task. She couldn’t fail in her mission. Rylin had been adamant as he pressed upon her the seriousness of the situation. Konlan had stopped responding to messages. There could be several reasons for that—foremost being severe injury to the king.

  Worry for Kon was at the forefront of her mind. She was well acquainted with the madness going through the sects. Her lira, the one who was supposed to love and care for her, had fallen to the violent force. Although, Breya believed Ranald had been evil long before a curse from the Goddess of Fate fell upon him. She’d learned that up close and personal when he’d made her forge a sacred bond with him. One she’d promised to Kon prior and had to forsake.

  Her former lira had been vicious and thinking of the forced intimacy with him left her short of breath. Madness had played a small part in his behavior but he had not been kind prior to that. Their mating was proof of that.

  Something crackled behind her. The snap of twigs beneath a foot. Her heart skipped a beat, the sense of being tracked increasing. Giving up stealth for speed, Breya raced ahead.

  As she struggled through another thicket of branches, she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth and appraised her surroundings. Lush and rolling hills settled between stretches of flat plains of foliage for as far as the eye could see.

  The smell of the sea drew her forward. Breya just needed to reach the water. The Purple were of the water. Dracol who claimed no land as home. It had taken special permission from King Varyk to King Rylin for Breya to be allowed to cross over his territory.

  The Green king was possessive bordering on unhinged when it came to infringing on the lands he claimed.

  Running steps began to pound at the ground harder. Her pursuers must have realized where she was going. They gave up any pretense of subterfuge and had increased their pace as well.

  To her relief, the trees gave way to an open stretch of land. Pulse pounding, her feet kicked up clumps of grass as she dug her heels in for an added burst of speed.

  Breya wasn’t sure what she’d do when she got to the sea but she hoped being closer to the source of where Konlan called home would allow them to connect in some way. She blinked as the sun shifted in the purple sky, the clouds darkening to give the evening the first hazy glow.

  Konlan could be anywhere beneath the water’s surface and even she admitted to an unquestionable fear due to his lack of a response to the repeated messages from the other kings.

  Konlan had his ways. He was stubborn, sometimes intractable but never negligent in his duty to those he ruled. The fact he was aware of the danger facing the sects and still chose to make himself scarce was more than unnerving. It was shattering and weakened the place inside which Breya relied on to maintain her sanity.

  A sanity that frayed around the edges a little more each day with his silence. Not because of the madness. So far no other in her sect showed signs of that uncontrollable rage after Rylin handled Ranald. Breya flinched thinking his name and bolstered her shoulders. She’d sacrificed a lot on the day she turned her back on Konlan and accepted another to be her mate. Instead of his temper, Konlan had reacted with hurt and confusion.

  Breya shook away the past. Thudding steps and the vibration of the ground had her spinning around. Relief brought a smile to her face at the three males running toward her. Dark hair slicked back from their foreheads and water dripped down their chests to pool at the waist of knee length dun colored pants. They’d clearly come from the sea recently which meant they were of Kon’s sect.

  “I’m searching for your king. The Black have an important message for him.”

  Their amber gazes settled on Breya with an unerring intensity. Surely they wouldn’t harm her. Those under Kon’s rule well knew of Breya. She’d been to their central dwelling known only as the cavern numerous times.

  When Kon annou
nced his and Breya’s intent to mate, his sect had been joyous, the celebration going on long into the night.

  “The king is not available,” the one in the middle stated in a cold voice.

  The two beside him glared at Breya until she grew distinctly uncomfortable. Taking a step back, she steadied her voice and said, “It is urgent that I get a message to him.”

  Again, it was the one in the middle who chose to speak to her. “We will carry what you say to him.”

  The other two spread out, never taking their gazes from her. Breya remained relaxed but shifted to keep them in her line of sight. “I want to see Kon.”

  “Perhaps, you should have thought about that before you abandoned him for another.”

  Flinching at the harsh criticism she hadn’t expected, Breya licked her lips. “Are you saying Kon’s avoiding the others because of me?”

  They’d managed to circle around her. One stood to her right, one was slightly on her left and this one stood directly in front of her.

  “I am saying your actions have proven you to be unworthy,” he growled.

  A knot formed in Breya’s throat. Did Kon feel the same way? Her feelings for him hadn’t changed. She’d done what she had to do and would do it again if put in the same circumstances. None of that negated her pain at the time. Or now.

  “As such, you must be eliminated,” he continued.

  What? Breya studied his gaze and realized something was off about his glittering gold stare. An evilness she’d fail to take note of prior. A quick check and she confirmed the others watched her with the same eerie stare, sending chills rolling down her spine.

  They closed in, feet silent now on the grass. No matter what occurred between her and Kon, to harm a female went against Dracol instinct. Unless there was another reason for the behavior.

  Madness.

  Breya made a split second decision and took off running. Shouts roared behind her but she didn’t slow. Not even when she reached the sea. Her feet skidded over the sandy edges, water lapping at her toes as she entered.

  Without hesitation, Breya pushed against the incoming waves and dove beneath. Instantly sound was muffled, the world became a muted swirl of blue and green as her arms stroked and her legs kicked. Strands of hair whipped about her face, partially obscuring her vision.