Far From Home Two: The Monster's Heir-- a M/M/M fantasy romance

3-- Try

SAGE—

We waited almost five hours, for the sun to set, the sky to darken to black, and the castle we were camped outside of to quiet. Only then did Ember motion for me to follow him, Brin, and her two mates. Aron had argued with me, trying to get me to allow him to go with us, but I refused.

I refused to force Brin's mates to be on guard. They had enough on their plates to protect her from enemies— they shouldn't have to be wary of their allies too, and he had set them on edge.

It had been a long few hours. Ember's men had camped on the outskirts of our camp, and I could see a few men trying to mingle, but the air was mostly stale and the conversations stilted.

Ember had been silent, staring me down the entire time we ate. I ignored him, tended to my armor and weapons, and conversed with Brin.

She was a stunning woman. Not quite beautiful, but unique in a way that drew the eye. Her eyes were large and pure yellow. Not hazel, but pure, almost sickly yellow. She was a full head shorter than me, but taller than most women, and her hair hung freely around her head— and was a color that you would more likely see in El'kahr. It was reddish brown, and looked dichotomic against her smooth brown skin.

The woman explained a bit about the legends of Akaran wild magic, and after I watched her mates exchange a kiss and a few other gentle, affectionate touches, between the two men, she was quick to laugh and try to explain her relationship with her men.

I had known Akarans had relationships with more than two, but I had always thought it was like the harems of the west— one man and many women who served him. Brin explained that her and her two mates were in a relationship with each other. They loved each other as much as each of them loved her, and vice versa.

I wasn't sure if it was something I could do. I had never been in a relationship. I had fucked willing men who could also be discreet, of course, but it had never been more than scratching a physical itch with them. But at my age, I knew myself, and I knew I would be a jealous, possessive bastard if I did find a man I could spend my life with. So to share my man with someone else?

No. I couldn't even picture it.

When Ember stood and announced it was time, I followed him, Brin, and her mates, until we were on the border of the camp. The woman turned to her mates, softly murmuring a few words in Akari, kissing each gently, before there was a strange shuffling, then cracking, and she was gone.

And standing in a pile of leathers and cotton was a small coyote. Reddish brown fur, long, sharp muzzle, heavy paws.

I jerked back, my entire body tense as the animal met my eyes, her flashing yellow eyes the same as they had been when she had been a woman.

"Dear gods," I whispered, a shiver running down my spine.

The coyote yipped before she pounced back and into the darkness in the shadows of the castle's walls.

Fern lifted her clothes into his arms, and the two men moved back into the camp, as if nothing had happened. As if their wife hadn't just turned into a fucking coyote.

Ember laughed as he met my eyes, and motioned back to the camp.

"We need to get our men ready. She'll be quick. The gate will be open within ten minutes."

I nodded stupidly, then shook my head.

"We never had a chance, did we?" I muttered, not really expecting an answer.

But Ember's dark eyes flashed as he met mine.

"Brin's the least of the power my people wield, El'kahrian. Yours are lucky Geir was chosen as Warlord. If it had been me, there would have been no mercy, no surrender, no peace, no Warprize. I would have left none alive."

EMBER—

Sage's shudder as my words coated his skin, digging into his mind, brought me both vindication and shame. I didn't want to feel respect for this El'kahrian, but I was beginning to. Not only had he held his man back from his harsh words towards Brin, he had stayed calm and polite in the face of my antagonism, had spent the last few hours deep in conversation with Brin, learning of things he was ignorant of, and then had been faced with something his mind must have been telling him was impossible. And through it all, he seemed unflappable. He was still calm, stoic, warm. Despite my angry words, he still watched me with curiosity and heat— as if he understood my anger, and was allowing me to strike out against him.

As if he was letting himself be the patsy for my anger at his people.

I tried to shake the thoughts off, but when we reached the middle of the camp, and he began issuing orders, my own men already prepared by Count and Fern, who had left just ahead of us, I couldn't keep my eyes off him. I refused to let myself feel attraction to the El'kahrian, despite how damn sexy he was. Gods, even watching him walk, his thick, muscled thighs, his taut ass, made my groin hot, my stomach clenching. I wanted to see if he would submit to me. I wanted him on his knees beneath me, his stern mouth wide, my fingers digging into those long waves of hair as I led his mouth where it belonged. I wanted to see his eyes filling with wet as he gagged on my length, all of that power and strength contained beneath my fingers.

I shook my head to clear it, cursing under my breath, and turned to a very amused Fern, who watched me with laughter all but bubbling from his eyes.

"You alright there, Chief?" he asked in Akari, his eyes dipping down to my crotch, where I knew my interest in the damn captain was clear.

"Shut up," I growled in answer. Fern's laughter drew Sage's attention, and I quickly mounted my horse and turned away so the man wouldn't see my flushed face.

"No one would blame you for showing the giant El'kahrian the pleasures that can be had between men. He looks like he needs a good, hard pounding... Or that he would be great at giving one."

I grunted and rolled my eyes as a few of my men around us chuckled, and with Sage's glance from Fern to me, and then the men around me, I knew he guessed we spoke of him. His frown was slight, the hurt in his eyes, however, shot a pang of guilt through my chest.

"Stop it, Fern," Count murmured, his hand on his mate's knee. "The giant thinks you're mocking him."

"The giant has probably killed dozens, if not hundreds of our people," Fern growled back. "A little mockery is his due."

I grunted in agreement, but that hurt I had seen, the way he refused to meet my eyes now, bothered me.

And that I would not bear.

"My men are amused by my sexual attraction to you," I said, my voice loud enough for the captain to hear, but quiet enough that none other would. "We all know how stunted you El'kahrians are sexually, so they think it would be entertaining to watch me seduce you."

My words had been meant to be truthful, honest only. I didn't like him thinking we were making fun of him.

His reaction was not one I expected.

He blushed in a way that had the hairs on my thighs standing on end, but finally met my eyes fully. And with his words so quiet I may not have heard them if they weren't also so firm, he leaned towards me with a smirk lighting up those soft looking, fucking bitable lips.

"You'll never know how I'll react unless you try."

*****Poor Llyric is still just hangin' there, waiting.... *wind blows a tumbleweed through an abandoned town * *****