Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) by Scarlet Hyacinth Page B

thankful for it. He bowed in front of his father, mumbled a formal goodbye, and dragged his little brother out of the palace. They flew off the terrace and into the clouds. Alcharr wordlessly led Valderr out of the city but didn’t go too far before he stopped. He didn’t know if there were still hostiles watching Valderr, waiting to strike.
    They descended toward the surface and found a small patch of land that, according to Alcharr’s history lessons, had once been a small hill. There were similar spots all throughout Uli, like scars reminding them their world hadn’t always been like this.
    They landed on the ground, and Valderr sat on a rock, biting his lip in the endearing way that reminded Alcharr of their childhood years. “Do you remember when you found me on Connor’s boat and Father saw into my mind?”
    Alcharr nodded. How could he forget? He’d gone on a hunt for supposed Imperium offenders, and he’d been reunited with his brother instead.
    “Well, our minds touched then—mine and Father’s,” Valderr continued. “And it felt so odd. For a minute there, it seemed he was hiding something.”
    He gave Alcharr a desperate look. “I might have thought it was just me, but now he’s acting like this with you, too. He’s become a stranger, and I just don’t know what to believe. You’re the only one I can trust.”
    Alcharr felt awful. His brother’s words were like a dagger piercing his heart. After all, he’d betrayed Valderr more than anyone else. For several years, he’d been fucking Valderr’s fiancé.
    Alcharr knelt at his brother’s feet and took his hand. “I’m not sure I’m worthy of that trust,” he whispered.
    Valderr gave him a wide-eyed look. “W–What do you mean?”
    “I have a confession to make.” Alcharr gulped, anxiety coursing through him. “I’m in love.”
    His sibling’s expression of anxiety disappeared in a wide smile. “That’s wonderful. Who is she? Do I know her?”
    Of course, Valderr assumed Alcharr would want to wed a woman, since he was expected to sire heirs. It only made Alcharr’s next words even more difficult. “His name is Yane and he is a nymph.”
    Silence. Total and utter silence. Alcharr suppressed a wince. Finally, Valderr whispered, “Yanentah? My fiancé?”
    Alcharr nodded and dared to speak again. “I know I shouldn’t have lied, but the circumstances are just so awful.”
    He looked into Valderr’s blue eyes, for the first time uncertain of what his little brother thought. In many ways, Valderr was so much braver than him, but the kidnapping had affected him greatly. Alcharr hated adding another thing on top of this mess, but if he continued to hide this secret, it would just grow in a hideous, purulent wound that could never be healed.
    All of a sudden, Valderr threw his arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “If it weren’t for me, you’d be able to be with your loved one.”
    That was, indeed, the case, but the fault didn’t stand with Valderr. Alcharr hugged his sibling. “Don’t ever say that. I love both you and Yane. We’ll find a way to make things work.”
    For the longest time, they sat there, embracing, finding comfort in each other’s presence. Alcharr found himself telling his brother about Owen, and his brother showed quite a lot of enthusiasm in hearing about it. He didn’t speak of the crystal or the plan involving the damn wizard, but he still felt a bit more relieved that his brother had taken the news of his relationship with Yane well.
    He didn’t know how long they remained there, but their chat abruptly came to an end when Alcharr sensed someone approach. Above them, a couple of guards loomed. “Your Highnesses, His Majesty requires your presence,” one of them said.
    Mentally sighing, Alcharr nodded. He needed to come up with a plan. If Valderr was right, something was amiss in their kingdom, too, not only in the plague lands. And for Alcharr’s part, he didn’t believe in