Awakenings
Awakenings
Scarlet Hyacinth
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Cover Artist: Reese Dante
Editor: Monti Shalosky
Awakenings © 2011 Scarlet Hyacinth
ISBN # 9780986981920
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This book uses US English. Thank you.
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Dedication
For all the great people at Silver Publishing
who made it possible for me to share this story with my wonderful readers.
Prologue
Chrys laughed as he rolled among the corals with Jaden. His twin gave him a disgruntled look. "Damn it, Chrys. You always cheat."
Chrys shrugged and flipped his tail at his sibling. "Not my fault you suck at everything."
A flash of hurt swept over Jaden's face and Chrys immediately became alarmed. His emotionally fragile twin often let random words hurt him. He hurried to wrap his arms around Jaden, trying to comfort his brother. "Hey, I'm kidding. Just kidding."
A wicked grin appeared on Jaden's face, the only warning Chrys had before Jaden pushed him down in the sand. Jaden landed on top of Chrys and rubbed a fist of sand against his skin. "Who's the sucker now?"
Chrys wanted to get angry, but instead he started to giggle. They both dissolved into laughter when they found each other's ticklish spots. Sand caught in their hair and rubbed against their tails as they rolled around in a merciless battle for dominance.
The impromptu game ended when Chrys felt someone's eyes on them. He stopped teasing and looked up toward the palace columns. A tall, golden-haired boy stood there, watching them with wide eyes.
"Hello," the boy offered. He seemed older than them, maybe by a few summers. His body had started to fill out, offering a view of what he'd soon become.
Chrys stared at the boy, uncertain. His eyes went to the pendant hanging at the older mer's neck. He felt his brother tense, realization striking both. This wasn't just any boy, but the crown prince of Atlantis, Aurus.
In a flash, Chrys leapt off the ground and faced Aurus in a defensive stance. Another mer approaching them, a high-ranking noble heir at that, spelled trouble with a capital "T". Chrys didn't even want to imagine what mayhem a prince could cause in their lives. They had already enough problems without Aurus involved, too.
Neither he nor Jaden replied. Aurus just stood there, his tail moving leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world. "I'm Aurus," he said. "I didn't know anyone else knew about this place."
Chrys understood what the prince was getting at. A few years back they'd discovered a private spot in the gardens, hidden from the sight of anyone else. They liked to come here. No one insulted them when they were all alone. They could be themselves, play, and have fun. "Well, nobody's been here in forever, so we kind of claimed it as our own." It came out more belligerent than Chrys would have liked. After all, the garden belonged to the king, and by extension, the prince. Chrys and Jaden didn't have any right to be here.
"Oh," Aurus said. The confidence of his stance faded into hidden awkwardness.
"We'll go," Jaden said. "Sorry for intruding."
They grabbed the few items they'd brought and went around Aurus, prepared to leave their hiding spot behind. Chrys wanted to cry. Where would they go now? They didn't have anyone but each other here at the castle. They weren't allowed anywhere. Even servants shied away from them.
"Wait," Aurus suddenly said. "You don't have to go."
Chrys turned toward Aurus and gave the prince a confused look. "Are you sure?"
Aurus shrugged. "If you want to, you can stay with me, or come here later. I don't mind." He paused then spoke again. "I've been away from Atlantis and don't really know a lot of people around here."
Chrys gaped at Aurus. "You do know who we are?" He half wished he hadn't asked, but really, there was no point in trying to make a friend if that person later abandoned them.
Aurus nodded. "You're the sons of Lord Malach."
"And you don't mind?" Jaden asked.
"Why would I?" Aurus replied. "I think the way they treat you is foolish and cruel."
Aurus sounded so serious and decided, it warmed Chrys's heart. For the first time in many years, Chrys smiled at someone other than his brother. "Okay," he replied. "We'll stay."
Chapter One
A few years later
Aurus snuck through the palace, rapidly swimming toward the garden. Impatience swelled inside of him at the knowledge of who waited for him. He needed to get to his sweet love as quickly as possible.
Being inconspicuous wasn't easy when one had a gold tail, but he managed to do it. Some of the soldiers turned a blind eye when young men made their escape for a night of debauchery, but going to see Chrys was a different thing entirely.
Anger and shame filled Aurus and he berated himself for his cowardice. He shouldn't have to hide his friendship with Chrys. They weren't doing anything wrong. He hadn't even touched Chrys sexually. Then again, if the king had a say in things, Aurus would never even get the chance. All because of some illusionary curse. How could anyone think someone as pure and perfect as Chrys could bring the wrath of the gods upon them?
One would think that his people would have more enlightened views. Atlantis had once been the academic center for the entire world, its libraries famous for the wealth of knowledge within. In many ways, it still was, as the Atlantean University received students from all over their world. How could his people be so wise, yet so arrogant at the same time?
Even Lord Malach, Jaden and Chrys's father, seemed to believe the same awful thing about his two sons. It made seeing Chrys very difficult, but thankfully, Jaden helped out, distracting his father.
Since the fateful day they'd met, the three of them had become inseparable. Aurus had been taken with the two young mer, and they'd instantly become friends. Jaden, the quiet, reserved twin, and Chrys, the impulsive brother with a temper that could scare a shark away. Aurus loved both deeply, but somewhere along the way, his affection for them had changed.
He still looked upon Jaden as his little brother, but he wanted Chrys as a lover.
Jaden had seen through his feelings. He'd agreed to help him and give him some alone time with Chrys. It wasn't a great arrangement, and Aurus missed seeing more of Jaden, but at least he got some privacy with Chrys.
When he reached the garden, a slender figure swam toward him. "Aurus? Is that you?"
Aurus's heart clenched at the sight of Chrys. Gods, Chrys was beautiful. His long, azure tresses seemed to flow like the very waves of the sea. Deep turquoise eyes reminded Aurus of the starlit sky on the surface. And that tail… hundreds of nuances of blue-green glittered on those beautiful scales and Aurus ached to touch them, to see if they felt as smooth and soft as they looked.
Aurus pushed back his arousal and swam toward Chrys. His friend was too young for things like that. He needed to wait a bit longer. "Hi, Chrys."
Chrys's beautiful lips twisted into a wide smile. He pounced on Aurus and wrapped slender arms around Aurus's torso. "I was worried you wouldn't be able to come," he mumbled against Aurus's skin.
Aurus swallowed at the feel of Chrys's skin making contact with his own. "I had some trouble, yes," he replied, breaking away from Chrys. Even if Chrys kept their tails apart, the position conjured too many ideas in Aurus's mind.
At least he hadn't lied to Chrys. 'Trouble' didn't even cut it. Aurus needed to stop thinking about licking every inch of Chrys's skin and find a solution to get them out of there. Any idea he'd come up with had been sabotaged by either Lord Malach or the king. The men seemed to have a sixth sense and, with the increase in guards in the palace premises, Aurus had been unable to secure them a way out.
Unfortunately, Chrys interpreted Aurus's tense stance in the wrong way. He gave Aurus a hurt look, his blue eyes begging for an explanation. "What is it? Why are you shying away from me? Is it… is it the curse?"
Aurus reached out to his friend and winced when Chrys quickly swam off. "It's not like that. Chrys, come back here."
Chrys shook his head and, before Aurus knew it, he disappeared behind a large purple coral. Aurus cursed under his breath and followed. As he ventured into the labyrinthine garden, he saw a flash of blue tail to his right. A red sea whip blocked his vision and Aurus lost sight of Chrys again. He called out, knowing their time together was limited. He couldn't bear the thought of hurting Chrys.
To his surprise, he found Chrys waiting just a few feet farther, gently caressing the flowery tubes of a sun coral.
"There you are."
"Do you hate me?" Chrys asked.
"Of course not," Aurus replied. He joined Chrys by the coral, hesitating slightly. The gods only knew how much he wanted to touch Chrys. But Chrys was so young, damn it, just seventeen summers. The very idea of pushing Chrys into something he wasn't ready for made Aurus's stomach turn.
"You do," Chrys whispered. "Otherwise you wouldn't be acting like this. I can tell."
The defeat in Chrys's voice made Aurus's decision for him. His body moved, as if of its own accord, and his arms went around Chrys. "You have it all wrong."
This time, he didn't even try to control himself. His tail touched Chrys's, as gently as possible so as not to scare the younger mer. Chrys tensed but didn't move away. "A-Aurus? What are you doing?"
Aurus buried his face in Chrys's hair, rejoicing in its scent. Chrys smelled like the sea at night, like life and a warm breeze on sandy beaches. "You really don't realize how beautiful you are, do you?" he whispered in Chrys's ear.
Chrys didn't reply. Instead, he shifted in Aurus's embrace and turned to face him. Their eyes met and Aurus's heart did a little flip at the sight of the green flecks in those beautiful blue orbs. His reluctance vanished and he wrapped his tail around Chrys's. Chrys gasped when their scales rubbed against each other. The delicate sound aroused Aurus even more and he pressed his lips to Chrys's, taking possession of the other mer's mouth.