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  Fire Princes’ Bride

  Rebecca Airies

  One thing is universal in all the Elemental Realms—women are told when to seek a mate. Because of the power she holds, Karissa knows she will have to embark on that journey far earlier than most women in the Ice Court. But she does not expect to find her betrothed—especially not before her search has even begun. And she certainly does not expect to have two mates—let alone for those mates to be the Princes of the Fire Court.

  Twin brothers Tyral and Callan know Karissa is their mate as soon as they see her. They greet her with a carefree playfulness, wanting to give her time, but things quickly heat up between them. The Princes’ biggest challenge, however, proves not to be their opposing Elemental Spirits, but convincing Karissa to submit to their rules.

  As Fire and Ice clash in the bedroom, an enemy moves in, plotting to destroy the Fire Princes’ future with their new bride.

  Fire Princes’ Bride

  Rebecca Airies

  Chapter One

  Volirian Realm, City of Tasinic

  Tyral Forain, Prince of the Volirian Realm, sat in the large cushioned wooden chair at the end of a cavernous empty room. His brother Callan drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair next to him.

  Tyral smiled. All this time and that was the first sign of his brother’s impatience. Tyral had begun pacing shortly after they’d arrived in the small room. Their escort had tensed every time he’d stalked past him. Tyral had only returned to his chair a few moments ago.

  “Is there a reason the petitioners aren’t being led into the room?” Tyral tilted his head, a strand of purple hair falling over his shoulder.

  The nervous man who’d led them to the room stiffened and then smiled widely. “There aren’t any petitioners. No one has any complaints on Vinganis.”

  The very absence of any petitioners only reinforced the fact that something wasn’t right on Vinganis. On their way through the hallways of the High Lord’s hold, there had been a few clues. Gleaming walls and floors were something they expected, but this hold seemed devoid of life. He hadn’t even seen servants hurrying to do their duties. The calm quiet hallways and the distinct lack of activity didn’t assure them that all was well as the High Lord probably hoped it had. It only made them more curious.

  It was an ancient custom in the Volirian Realm for the people to be able to appeal to the Kings. The custom covered everything from complaints to the perceived injustice of a Lord’s judgment. Although their fathers still ruled the Realm, he and Callan had been attending to the more tedious of the duties, such as this round of visits to the various worlds in the Fire Realm.

  This duty involved visiting each world in the Realm once a year. On the last two worlds they’d visited, they’d spent days hearing the petitions. There had been lines of people waiting for their chance to speak with them. The lack of any complaints—even personal ones—bore a deeper look than they normally gave the chore.

  But they had known Vinganis would probably be a little different from the others. There had been rumors flowing through the court that the High Lord on Vinganis had been abusing his power. It appeared there was more to the story than just that.

  As had been custom since the first two Sobrin Kings had held the Volirian throne, Tyral and Callan waited throughout the day for petitioners to make an appearance. And not one person came through the doors to talk to them about even a minor complaint. The only people who did come into the room brought food and drink for them.

  We are definitely going to have to see what is happening here. Callan remained as he was, looking forward and drumming his fingers on the arm of the chair. His voice boomed into Tyral’s head on the link they’d shared even before they’d begun using words.

  Yes, we are. Tyral rubbed at his temples.

  His patience had been at a low point even before coming here. Not that he had an abundance of patience in the first place. The nonstop schedule of petitions had stretched it to the breaking point. This blatant tampering pushed him too close to finding High Lord Bellor of Vinganis and getting the answers out of him by any means necessary. As angry as he was, he’d enjoy a fight.

  He took a deep breath. This wasn’t the wild time of their ancestors. They weren’t savages. They didn’t attack without proof of the crimes. Now they got their proof first and then they dealt with their enemy.

  * * * * *

  The next morning they left the hold. Tyral frowned as they strolled down the street. Four guards had tried to accompany them, but they had stopped when ordered to stay. This little walk around the city might not answer all of the questions about just what High Lord Bellor had done, but they already knew one thing. The people were scared.

  He’d seen the fear on the faces of the men and women as they passed. It became clearer when they approached anyone. Without introduction, they all knew he and Callan were the Princes. It wasn’t all that strange. The petitioning day would have been announced. In addition, these people probably didn’t see too many Sobrin males.

  If he hadn’t wanted to talk to the people, he might have found their rush to get away funny. Everywhere they’d gone, it had been the same. They turned onto a street and everyone left it.

  He shook his head. They’d have to slip someone into the area to actually find out what was happening here. Whatever was being done here, it needed to be stopped. No one should have to live in fear.

  He followed his brother into a dark brown brick building. A sign hung over the door marking it as a tavern. For the most part it was just one huge room with tables scattered around the open area. A wide, scarred bar ran in front of one wall lined with shelves full of bottles. High wooden stools had been placed on one side of it. At first glance, the room appeared empty, but then he saw a young woman wiping down a table in a shadowy corner. They took a few more steps into the room.

  A door near the end of the bar swung open and a short, gaunt man strode through it into the main room, carrying a box of bottles. He’d gone behind the bar before he noticed the strangers in the room. The box crashed to the floor and a puddle of amber-colored liquid began to spread around his feet.

  The barkeep shook his head after a moment and managed to smile at them. “Hello, Princes. How can I help you?”

  Tyral stepped forward and leaned against the bar. “We were just walking around the city. Is it always this quiet?”

  The barkeep’s mouth opened and then closed. He cleared his throat. “There’s little excitement here. This is a peaceful province, Prince.”

  “So you have no complaints?” Callan moved closer and looked down at the man.

  “No, Prince, I have no com-complaints against the High Lord or the way things are done here.” The man went gray as he stammered his reply.

  Tyral nodded. No change here, brother. He’s too afraid to tell us anything.

  “Have you been threatened?” Callan narrowed his eyes as he loomed over the man.

  “No, Your Majesty.” The barkeep shook his head vigorously.

  Tyral noticed that the woman who’d been wiping down the tables was leaving the room. He nodded to the barkeep. “Thank you for answering our questions.”

  He and Callan left the tavern. They began wandering through the city. He knew they probably wouldn’t find anyone who would be willing to talk to them honestly. But they might spot something while they walked that could give them some clue as to what exactly was going on in the city.

  He felt the muscles in his stomach tighten and an electric thrill run up his spine. Something just didn’t feel right here. He couldn’t see anything out of place in the area. This quiet, deserted street seemed exactly the same as all the others they’d walked. It was too silent and looked desolate, with more than a few buildings in need of r
epair.

  They turned down a narrow street. Two shadowy figures appeared at the end of the street when they were almost halfway down the shadowed, dingy corridor. Tyral straightened, narrowing his eyes as the obscured forms simply stood there. He summoned an energy arc. He saw his brother stumble forward a moment before he felt heat surrounding him. He caught a glimpse of a whirling tunnel and then he was surrounded by the dark walls.

  Bright light slammed into his eyes as he was tossed from the magic portal. He landed hard on his shoulder and rolled across rocky unforgiving ground. Pain slashed into him, stealing his breath. As he came to rest, he groaned and clutched at his hurt shoulder.

  His anger rose, only increased by the pain. He felt Ahvin, his Elemental Spirit, stirring and rising. His mind focused. They had to get off this planet and find the Volirian Royalists who’d attacked them. He knew it was very likely the same group that had targeted their mother years before. Since failing, they’d quietly worked to stir dissent. Apparently, they’d decided to try something new.

  We’ll find the traitors. Ahvin’s voice almost thundered into Tyral’s head.

  The pain in his head increased. His Elemental was furious, he could tell. Only the thought of actually confronting those men kept him from materializing at that moment.

  “That was a trip I could have lived without taking. When we get back, I’m going to enjoy serving those men a taste of justice.” Callan levered himself into a sitting position and groaned as he looked around the area.

  Tyral froze as the words seemed to reverberate in his thoughts. Could live without taking that trip. The voice he heard in the echoing litany wasn’t his brother’s. It belonged to Advisor Nacain.

  The man was an advisor to their fathers and was known both for his wisdom and the accuracy of his sometimes eerily prophetic advice. He’d warned them that their trip wouldn’t go smoothly, but when they unexpectedly visited a planet to stay there. If they did, they’d find something valuable.

  They’d smiled and nodded and continued to get ready to begin the round of petition visits. They normally spent three to four days on each planet, two at a minimum. Even on worlds where the people were happy, people lined up to ask exemption from rules or for a judgment to be overturned. There wasn’t time for many diversions.

  We’re not staying here, Ahvin stated flatly. We’re going back and we’re going to find the men who did this to us.

  I didn’t come up with the idea on my own, Ahvin. Nacain suggested it. I’m personally not ready to walk away from what I think he expects us to find here. Tyral sensed the Elemental’s frustration and determination. Most of the time, the Fire Spirit’s straight, fast approach suited Tyral perfectly, but now he was focused on a far more important goal.

  Tyral propped himself on his elbows and grimaced. Patchy light streamed through the clouds almost covering the green sky above him. To his right, he saw a flat plain patched with thick groups of trees and stretches of grasses. To the left, he saw a wall of trees. The lush vegetation prevented him from seeing anything beyond it.

  He closed his eyes. “Callan, do you remember what Advisor Nacain said to us two days before we left Baezid?”

  Callan’s head swung around sharply. “What does anything Advisor Nacain had to say have to do with this?” He frowned at his brother.

  “This is an unexpected visit on our strict schedule.” Tyral rubbed his shoulder. It hadn’t been broken, but it was certainly bruised.

  “Damn, Tyral, do you really want to wait on this prison planet, to waste our time here? When we don’t make it to the next world on our list, our fathers will be notified. I for one am not willing to be ‘rescued’ by the Royal Guard when we can get off of the planet on our own.” Callan’s hand swept through the air as he leaned forward and glared.

  Tyral smiled. Usually, Callan was the patient one, ready to wait as long as necessary. Tyral readily admitted that. Most of the time, Callan wanted to wait while Tyral tended to rush through things.

  “And the something valuable, are you willing to let it go?” Tyral raised a brow and ignored Callan’s frown, totally unintimidated.

  If anyone other than Advisor Nacain had told him of an unexpected meeting, he wouldn’t have hesitated to leave, but Nacain had been right too many times. The thought of missing that special treasure, even though he still had no idea of exactly what it was, kept him from agreeing to leave immediately. That something valuable probably wouldn’t be gems or coins. It would be something much harder to find, much more precious than a material treasure.

  “We don’t even know what it is. And we could come back here for it.” Callan shook his head.

  “I can only think of one reason he’d tell us to stay here and wait. The something valuable must not be here yet. If we leave, when we return, it might not be here.” Tyral stood and then leaned down, offering a hand to his brother.

  Callan clasped his hand and came to his feet. “You think our finding it depends on letting the rest of the Realm believe we’re missing.”

  Tyral nodded. “As much as I don’t want to see the Royal Guards and be escorted back to Baezid like a strayed child, I’ll take the chance. As to letting them believe it, Nacain should make sure that our fathers don’t worry too much, especially since he gave us the advice.”

  Callan frowned and turned in a slow circle. “We’ll wait for a while, but not just here. This is too open.”

  Tyral nodded in agreement.

  “You do know that when we get back we’ll have to finish this round of visits at some point, especially when we explain our delay in returning.” Callan slanted a look at him.

  “I know, but I’m not going to anticipate the torture.” Tyral shook his head and began walking toward the forest.

  * * * * *

  Karissa Moshen of Tengan House pushed open the door and stepped onto the cobbled path outside the little tavern. She had taken four steps when a blast of sorcery slammed into her back. Magic sizzled over her skin with an almost blistering heat. Her Ice Spirit reacted immediately, sending a wave of cold energy through her and almost encasing her in a shell of ice to protect her from the burning wave.

  The impact of the magic hit her with the force of an avalanche. It stole her breath and threw her forward into a whirling vortex of enchantment. The feel of displacement as she careened through the whirling black and gray spatial tunnel was unmistakable and thrilling.

  The wild ride ended without warning and she was hurled from the tunnel. There was only an instant to realize the tunnel opened horizontal to the ground and then she dropped. She fell, landing hard on rocky unforgiving soil. Her bag slammed into her hip and then dropped to the ground beside her.

  She lay still for a moment, groaning as she felt the stone beneath her hip. That was going to bruise. She moved her arms and legs cautiously to check for injuries. Once she was sure she hadn’t broken anything, she sat up to get a better look at the area. She looked around and then up at the pale, green sky. She’d been thrown onto a rocky barren patch of ground near the edge of a forest. The two moons that hung in the sky verified that she was no longer on Vinganis.

  She ran her eyes around the area and felt momentary relief as she recognized some of the flora on this planet. The trees were a mixture of the silver- and green-leafed, conical meshan and the green-leafed, round-topped recal. Wild marose and telasion flowers grew near the edge of the forest. Well, at least I won’t starve. With all the familiar vegetation, she should be able to find food she recognized here.

  This is what I get for going after missing Fire Princes, she thought, eyeing the forest before her. She saw no sign of habitation and little sign of animal life.

  Karissa gathered the spilled contents of her bag. There wasn’t much in it—a change of clothing, a few small personal items and a small bag of food. She hadn’t rented a room on Vinganis. She hadn’t wanted to waste the time if the men had already left the planet for another world.

  It should have been a simple mission, even a little ro
utine. Track down the two missing men who, she’d supposed, had been having too much fun to remember they’d been expected back some time ago. Princes and Princesses could sometimes be very egocentric. She’d begun her search where she knew they should be—in their own Realm, the Volirian Realm.

  Everyone knew them. She’d had no trouble finding information on the Princes’ journeys. They’d last been seen traveling to the world of Vinganis. That had been all the information she’d been given and all she’d thought she’d need.

  A young woman from the High Lord’s hold had caught her as she’d walked along the quiet streets. She’d whispered that the Princes had made it to Vinganis, but she didn’t know what had happened to them. Karissa had decided to walk around the city and see if she could find some more information. A few questions in that little tavern had seemed to gain her nothing and then right as she was leaving, she’d been blasted.

  Apparently someone didn’t want the Princes found.

  She had had her own reasons for taking this mission. She’d been desperate to get out of the Frejan Court. The King and the advisors of the Ice Court had been getting nervous. She knew that it wouldn’t be too long until they sent her on her Ra’Asien. By rights, she should have another two hundred years to play with before she even thought of taking a mate. She was only twenty-five, but she wasn’t going to get the extra time that other women had. She held too much power for that.

  She was just thankful that she’d been born in the Frejan Realm. She’d had far more opportunities than women in most Realms did. One thing was universal in the Elemental Realms. Women were always told when to search for their mate.

  She sighed. Now she had a bigger problem to handle than being sent to search for her mate.

  She’d landed herself on a prison planet. She could feel the spell working. A magical shield surrounded the planet, preventing her from merely creating her own spatial tunnel right back to Vinganis. That shield would allow the tunnel to bring other victims here, but would let nothing out. She’d have to have some help to leave this planet.