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threatened to emerge. He ached to claim his mate. And oddly, he
yearned to do so with Yane as well.
Calm down. Kani tried to soothe him. I know it seems bad, but
there must be some sort of explanation.
I would very much like to know it, Sassaki replied bitingly. He
sighed at the look of hurt on Kani s face. It wasn t the mer s fault for
his predicament. Sorry, my friend. I m just&
Kani nodded, his upset expression vanishing into a kind smile.
It s okay. I understand.
Their conversation ended as Sassaki sensed several presences
approach. His mate was coming, and with him, several others. Most
were familiar, and he recognized Yane, Hash, and Alcharr simply by
the feel of their power. But there was someone else, someone Sassaki
hadn t met before. He growled as he realized this must be the wizard,
the famous Kyllian who wanted Owen for himself.
Kani gave him a concerned look but didn t say anything else. At
last, the group appeared on the beach. The tension they radiated was
obvious, even in Owen. Sassaki looked over each man, wondering if
the others knew about Yane and Owen.
Hi, Sassaki, Owen greeted him, smiling. Sassaki surmised his
expression didn t look very happy, because the beam immediately
faded.
So you felt it, too, Hash said.
The fact that Hash knew about it unsettled Sassaki even further.
He began to understand, however, that even if Owen was his mate,
Hash might very well have the same right over the human as Sassaki
did.
Is this going to be a problem? Alcharr asked. He looked tired,
and he seemed to be avoiding Yane s gaze. We have more dangerous
things to talk about.
Craving Owen 105
Sassaki wondered what that comment meant. He d seen the
closeness between Alcharr and Yane and realized the night Owen and
Yane spent together bothered the eagle as well. But something more
serious seemed to be worrying the group or rather, something that
didn t involve their romantic entanglements.
What is it? What did you discover?
He almost wished he hadn t asked. Kyllian launched himself in a
complicated explanation over the crystal s necromantic powers and its
implications. By the time the wizard had finished, Sassaki was
horrified. He d always wondered why the waters around Tanarak had
never cleared, even with eons passing since the flood. He would have
much preferred to not believe the wizard, but everything made sense,
and somehow, Sassaki knew Kyllian was telling the truth. The fact
that Yane s wedding would be used as a recharge for the crystal
worsened the situation even more.
In the circumstances, it seemed clear that the crystal needed to be
destroyed. But if this happened, the plague lands would be under
attack by the wyrms.
What are you going to do? Kani asked, just as Sassaki readied
himself to inquire the same thing. Sassaki s people aren t going to
lose this opportunity to take control of the plague lands.
Kyllian opened his mouth, obviously intending to answer. But
before he could do so, he tensed and looked toward the waters.
Sassaki sensed the same thing Kyllian did. He pulled Kani away from
the ocean, waiting for what he knew would appear.
His mother and father emerged from the sea in their bonded
shifted form. Even if they could shift independently, they sometimes
chose to unite their powers. When this happened, they looked
extraordinary indeed, two heads emerging from the same reptilian
body, hissing and snarling threateningly. Sassaki had never thought to
see that threat directed at him, but here it was.
Thankfully, in that shape, his parents could not come on land.
They shifted into their legged form and made their way to the shore.
106 Scarlet Hyacinth
Sassaki, his father said, I do hope you have an explanation for
this.
Sassaki suppressed the urge to wince. He d been caught red-
handed, and there was no point to lie and pretend. It depends on what
kind of explanation you want to hear, he replied, surprised at his own
daring.
His mother glared at him. What s wrong with you? What is this
treachery? She gazed over Sassaki s shoulder. Is it your mate?
For a few moments, Sassaki s mind went completely blank. He
wondered how in the world his mother could have realized Owen was
his mate.
She continued, undeterred. Do you have any problems with that
mer of yours? I always feared mating outside our species would cause
trouble, but the mer seemed nice enough. Was I wrong?
Lota s words finally registered in Sassaki s consciousness, and he
realized his mother had been looking at Kani. He blurted out the first
thing that came to mind. You knew about Kani?
Arssan arched a brow. Of course. You didn t really think I
wouldn t notice your visits to the shipwreck, did you? And besides,
these waters are our territory. It is our duty to know about every
creature that lives here.
Sassaki found it shocking that his father, who was always so
adamant about keeping the waters under their control, would agree to
allow Kani inside. He felt horrible about betraying them, but at this
point, it couldn t be helped.
His mother continued to glower at him. We would not send your
mate away, even if the situation is less than ideal. We ve been waiting
for you to introduce us for ages now.
Sassaki had two choices to perpetuate the misunderstanding or
to tell the truth. His parents had been kinder to him than he d known.
Perhaps they might be able to help. Regardless of what happened with
the crystal, Sassaki didn t want the war to continue. And Sassaki had
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