Read Online Hyacinth, Scarlet - Craving Owen [Tides of Love 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever ManLove) by Scarlet Hyacinth - Free Book Online

Owen’s past now, and something Alcharr couldn’t change, as much as he wanted to.
    He could, however, change the here and now. On impulse, he wrapped his arm around Owen’s shoulder. He kept the touch as friendly as possible without going into lustful, even if his muscles strained to pull the other man close. “Then we won’t fight.”
    “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Yane said from in front of them in the dryad language. “You know how wyrms are. He must have just been playing with Owen.”
    Hash didn’t say anything, but his stance seemed tense. To Alcharr, it almost looked like the other man knew something they didn’t. But Hash didn’t comment, and Alcharr eventually answered in his stead. “Wyrms are what they are. But he did reach out first. We need to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
    Neither Hash nor Yane looked too excited about the idea, not that Alcharr himself felt very optimistic. But someone had to keep this from becoming a disaster, and it seemed it would have to be him.
    “Look,” Hash said. “If things don’t work out, I’ll take Owen to my coven. He’ll be safe there until the next energy storm.”
    “That’s a good idea,” Yane answered. “The dragons would be able to keep him safe.”
    Owen remained silent, but he didn’t look very pleased with the concept of being stashed away. Alcharr agreed with them, though. If push came to shove, he could even take Owen to his city. Valderr would love talking to Owen. Of course, Alcharr would prefer to avoid that. No matter what, his father still disliked humans.
    They slipped out of Tanarak without being heard or seen. They’d decided of common accord to keep the meeting from everyone, except Lyole. Soon, the meeting spot was in sight, a good thing, too, because Alcharr hated the awkward silence that had fallen.
    Alcharr returned to his position, leaving Owen to walk behind them. In truth, he himself didn’t like wyrms. They never had found out who’d kidnapped Valderr, but the only one with an interest would be the wyrms. The mere thought of what his little brother had gone through in Almareya made him furious, but he tried to contain himself. If he lost his temper, too, this meeting might very well turn into a disaster.

    “What if they don’t come?” Sassaki did his own version of pacing underwater. “I don’t think I can protect Owen without their cooperation.”
    “They’ll come,” Kani said soothingly. The merman had joined him in a show of support, even if it meant taking quite a chance. On one hand, Sassaki would have preferred to know Kani was safe, but on the other, he valued Kani’s presence. It calmed him down and stopped him from retreating to the deep waters or going in search of Owen on land.
    Kani kept him busy and talking until the hour of the meeting finally came. Sassaki spotted a small group of people approaching the beach. He’d set the time and place, but he had given his longtime enemy enough leeway to bring whomever he liked. He was curious who Yane had chosen for this little endeavor. After all, not all the nymphs would be open to idea of chatting it up with a wyrm.
    The group stopped and Sassaki took a few moments to analyze them. There was a Golden Eagle and another man he didn’t know. His bulk and stance made Sassaki think he might be a shape-shifter, too. Together with Yane, they formed a barricade in front the much smaller Owen.
    Truth be told, Sassaki felt a bit relieved at the sight of their protectiveness. He feared what would happen should the enchantment fail completely. For the moment, the spell might be keeping the weaker wyrms at bay, but after the nymphs’ defenses failed, Owen would need all the support he could get.
    He swam toward the beach with his merman friend close behind him. “Perhaps you should remain in the water, just in case,” he told Kani.
    “No way,” Kani answered. “I know how much this means to you. I won’t let you stand against them