Embrace the Dark

9

Parin clasped a hand on his little brother’s shoulder. “I’m relieved you were chosen too. I know you’ve always cared for Sora.”

Erroh shrugged off his touch. “I have, yes. As have Carth and Zain. But what about you?”

Parin stiffened. “I cared for her too, of course.”

“Not in the same way!”

This was getting very uncomfortable. Mostly for me. I stepped between them. “Enough. You’re both my mates, and you’ll both have to accept that.”

Erroh grumbled something, but reluctantly nodded. Parin just sighed. I could tell this was going to be a problem. What were the Gods even thinking?

Chapter Five

W

hile servants moved Parin’s belongings into his room, Erroh stood to the side with his arms crossed and watched with a scowl. I was on my way to see my mother, but stopped to nudge him in the side.

“I thought you’d be more excited to have your brother return home safely,” I said.

Erroh dropped his arms and sighed. “You’re right. I should be happy to see him. I’m just not sure about sharing you with him. The others, fine. But my own brother?”

“I know what you mean.” I swallowed, but for me it was because the thought made my heart race. “The gods must know it'll work out."

Erroh gave me a flat stare. "You can't tell me you're excited about this. We've always avoided Parin. He's such a bore!"

I had to bite back a laugh. Was that what Erroh thought? The truth was that I’d avoided Parin because I hadn’t wanted anyone to know about my silly crush. But there was no hiding such things from the Gods, it seemed.

I gave Erroh a kiss on the cheek. “Be kind to your brother. He’s just as shocked by this as you are.”

He huffed. “I’ll try.”

My mother came down the hallway on the heels of a man carrying a big box. "You wanted to see me?"

I nodded. We stepped into my private quarters, and I shut the door behind us. “I was just about to come to your study. I thought you were in a meeting.”

“I decided to come to you instead.” She pushed back a strand of red hair with a smile. “Truthfully, I couldn't wait to get out of there. As soon as I got your note, I used it as an excuse to cut the meeting short.”

I laughed as we headed over to the siting area beside an enormous window looking out over my mother’s garden. “Was it that bad?”

Kira sank into one of the chairs and poured herself a cup of tea. “Just wait ‘til you’re the one who has to listen to noblemen whine about their problems all day long. Now, what did you want to talk about? Is it your mates? It’s certainly odd that they’re all men you already knew, but it must be nice for you too. Or at least a lot easier than mating with four strangers.”

“That’s not it. Not exactly.” I sat across from her and twisted my hands nervously in my lap. "Did you ever dream about any men that weren't your mates?"

"No, never. Why?" She furrowed her brow and gave me her full attention.

"I've been having dreams like you did, but only of one man, and he's... He's terrifying." It was hard to say the word out loud. I wasn't scared of anything. Few people could best me at combat, and soon I would have the powers of the elements and a dragon form of my own, and then I'd be unstoppable. Possibly stronger than my mother, thanks to my lifetime of training. Yet somehow the man in my dreams unnerved me. He made me feel…vulnerable.

Mom leaned forward and studied me. “A man who isn’t one of your mates?”

I nodded. “I thought he would be my fourth one, but then Parin arrived. Now I’m more confused than ever.”

"You're sure he's not one of your mates? Perhaps it's a dream from the future and he has a different appearance?"

"No. I'm absolutely sure he's a different man." His appearance haunted me even while awake. Not just his appearance. His ruthlessness. His cruelty. His darkness.

I described the things he'd done in my dreams to her in a halting voice, and when I was done, Mom sat back and sighed.

“This is very unusual. I'll have your fathers look into it. I would help too, but there have been reports of missing elementals in the area and I want to investigate them immediately. I’m sure Auric or Reven will find something about your dreams though.” She reached across and took my hand. “Don't worry. We'll figure this out."

“I can’t help but be worried. The Death Goddess must be involved somehow.”

“If she is, we’ll confront her together. I defeated her once before, after all. She has no chance against the two of us and all our mates.”

I let out a long breath, hoping she was right. “They’re not my true mates yet. Not until we go to the temples and bond. I’d like to get started on that right away, especially if we’ll need to face the Death Goddess. We can head to the Air Temple tomorrow even.”

Mom frowned and studied my face. “You don’t need to rush into this. Focus on your mates. Get to know them.”

“I already know them. I grew up with them, after all.”

“It’s different now that they’re your mates, and not just your childhood friends. Your relationship with them needs time to flourish and grow.”

“We might not have time,” I grumbled.

“You have plenty of time. Your fathers and I are in no hurry to step down. We’ll only do so when we’re sure you and your mates are ready for the responsibility.” She ruffled my curls a little. “Patience, my love.”

I sighed. Patience never was one of my strong suits.