Draechen's Mate [Chronicles of the Shifter Directive 2] (Siren Publishing Epic Romance, ManLove) Read Online Free PDF Page B

looking like he wanted to lunge at Sari. “Why you little whore.” He took a threatening step forward, clenching and unclenching his fists. “I’ll make you swallow your words.”
    And he’d have undoubtedly tried had their brother, Misael, not intervened. Misael stepped between them, releasing a heavy sigh. “Oh, would you give it a rest, Dar? This is hard enough for everyone without you adding fuel to the fire. Sareltae, please stop. That was uncalled for.”
    Misael was forever trying to referee the arguments between the two halves of their family. Out of his half siblings, he was the only one who even attempted to be civil to Sari. They weren’t in any way friends, not that Sari expected it. After all, Onyerre had been very careful to raise her children into complete and utter hatred of Sari and his mother. Misael’s attempts to temper the hostility were never well received by the queen or the rest of her children.
    Right on cue, their sister Charlize piped up, “I think you should stop trying to win the Nobel Prize for idiocy, brother. Mother is completely correct. For all we know, sending him there will just cause the draechen to attack.”
    As she spoke, the doors to the throne room opened, and Sari’s breath caught as his mother walked in. “Then perhaps you would like to take his place, Princess Charlize,” she suggested coldly. “After all, you are older, and far more experienced in the bedroom than my son. I’m sure the draechen prince would consider you an acceptable replacement.”
    Charlize spluttered, her face going red with anger, but it was Onyerre who answered. She turned toward Eanera and sneered. “How dare you show your face here?”
    “I dare because I was invited,” Eanera said. “I belong by my son’s side, as always.”
    Sari walked to her, already feeling a little better about things. He knew that, as a High Priestess, her time was not her own. She was also forbidden to leave the Temple, which was also the main source of why Sari himself had never been allowed to mingle with other children and get to know the world. It was even worse for her, and the exceptions to the rule that governed her life were few and far in between. Today, however, by the king’s decree, she had been allowed to abandon her usual routine, and the fact that she’d done so meant a lot to Sari.
    “You belong in a brothel,” Onyerre shot back. “You and your spawn have no place in—”
    “Enough!” Selbrian shouted, interrupting her. “Onyerre, remove yourself. Until you learn more awareness of your position, and mine, you’re banished from my sight. You’ve gone too far in your pettiness. You are disrespecting your throne and your king. Eanera was chosen by Jenarra to be High Priestess. Remember that.”
    Onyerre’s eyes widened. Selbrian had never gone quite so far in his attempts to tame Onyerre’s temper. Usually, he tried to cultivate peace between the two sides of his family, a fool’s errand given their current circumstances. It seemed that Sari’s imminent wedding had him on the edge, though, as he continued, “The matter I wanted to discuss today is very serious, for the future of Ivenia. Since it seems you don’t have the slightest ability to concentrate on anything else but your own frustrations, leave us.”
    It was a royal command and one that not even Onyerre could deny. Gritting her teeth, she bowed, and without another word, stalked out of the throne room.
    After a brief moment of hesitation, Darian spoke out, “With all due respect, Father, we all know that Sareltae is the only reason why this is happening in the first place. Had he not assisted the rogue sprite, we wouldn’t have drawn the hostility of the draechen onto us.”
    Unfortunately, all of the royal family were aware of the accusations addressed to Sari and his mother, accusations he couldn’t exactly deny. When the entire debacle had started, a few months back, the draechen had been quite vocal about it. Of course,