UPON CRIMSON WATERS: FATEFULLY YOURS, BOOK 2
M/M/M/M/M/M/M/M Paranormal Romance | Fated Mates | HFN
Approximately 43k Words
Approximately 43k Words
The test has come, and Eyce finds himself unprepared to deal with the churning crimson waters of the lakes and ponds. The Oracle warns that he must surrender in order to be victorious—a concept foreign to the big warrior. Surrender is not an option.
Echo still doesn’t understand his role in this war, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Eyce complete his task. First, he must find a way inside the demon’s heart and force him to accept the love he offers so freely.
While Echo and Eyce work to clear the lakes, the threat from the lab still hangs heavy in the air. More are coming. They will never stop coming. Though their troubles seem never ending, Echo knows they can face down their enemies if they stand together. Now, if he can only make Eyce see this before it’s too late.
NOTE! This is Book 2 of 9 in the Fatefully Yours series. These books are not stand alone. Each is a continuation of the previous book and must be read in order.
Echo still doesn’t understand his role in this war, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help Eyce complete his task. First, he must find a way inside the demon’s heart and force him to accept the love he offers so freely.
While Echo and Eyce work to clear the lakes, the threat from the lab still hangs heavy in the air. More are coming. They will never stop coming. Though their troubles seem never ending, Echo knows they can face down their enemies if they stand together. Now, if he can only make Eyce see this before it’s too late.
NOTE! This is Book 2 of 9 in the Fatefully Yours series. These books are not stand alone. Each is a continuation of the previous book and must be read in order.
EXCERPT
Eyce came awake with a gasp, pushing to a sitting position and scrubbing his hands over his face. His heart thundered inside his chest, and he panted for breath, his body cold and shuddering. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn’t as though that had been the first time the Oracle had slipped into his dreams.
A small hand glided over his thigh and patted lightly. Trying to pull himself together, Eyce looked down at Echo and did his best imitation of a smile. “Sorry I woke you, baby. Go back to sleep.”
“Wanna talk about it?” Echo wiggled closer, resting his head in Eyce’s lap. “I’m not so tired,” he slurred around a huge yawn.
Eyce gave him a genuine smile this time as he brushed the hair back from his mate’s face. “Let’s wait until the others wake up. We’ll have a meeting, and I’ll tell you everything then.”
“M’kay,” Echo mumbled, closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep almost immediately.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Syx moved closer to Eyce’s other side, curling around him and stroking his stomach as he rested his head on Eyce’s hip. “We’re all in this together.”
“I’ll tell everyone in the morning.” Eyce smoothed his knuckles down Syx’s cheek. “Go back to sleep.”
“You look like shit.” Syx pushed up to sit beside him, nudging him with his shoulder. “You’re pale and shaking, and you’re breathing like you just ran a mile. Spill it.”
“Nothing. It was just a dream. That’s all.”
“Look, I’m not really in the mood to play this game with you right now. It was more than a dream, or you wouldn’t be so upset.” He wrapped an arm around Eyce’s waist and kissed the side of his neck. “You can tell, or I can just look for myself.”
Eyce rested his head against Syx’s and sighed in resignation. With the warrior’s ability to see inside his head, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide. “It was the Oracle. The same dream we all had a few weeks ago, but…different. Everyone was there, but not there. Am I making any sense?”
“Not in the least.” Syx chuckled and kissed Eyce’s temple. “How about you start over?”
“It was the dream about the prophecy. We were all there, except Echo. There was this awful smell—like something rotting. I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, though.” Eyce took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he continued. “It was like I was the only one who could smell it. Everyone else just looked like they were in some kind of trance.”
“Then what happened?”
“That’s about it. Just before the Oracle finished the prophecy, I realized that I was having kind of a re-dreaming. I knew what she was going to say before she spoke. She told me the heart was coming, but she said something else after that.”
Syx rubbed his palm over Eyce’s bicep when he began to shudder. “What did she say?”
“She told me that the heart would be my shelter. Something about me needing it to win my struggle.”
“Your struggle?” Syx stopped rubbing his arm and leaned away to look in his eyes. “Just you?”
“That’s what she said.” Eyce pushed a hand through his shoulder-length black hair and sighed. “I don’t know what it means.”
“She told you to seek the heart or seek shelter?”
“Both, I guess. She said to seek the heart’s shelter.”
“Well, we know Echo is our heart—the one that binds us together.” Syx looked down at the little man sleeping beside them.
Eyce followed his gaze, and a soft smile spread over his lips. Only six weeks since Echo had practically landed in their laps, and he already couldn’t picture his life without him. Reaching out slowly, he combed his fingers through Echo’s dark hair, loving the feel of the silky strands sliding over his hand. “I know,” Eyce whispered. “Look at him, though. What shelter is he going to offer? He’s so…fragile.”
Syx snorted and elbowed him in the ribs. “Don’t let him hear you say that.”
A small hand glided over his thigh and patted lightly. Trying to pull himself together, Eyce looked down at Echo and did his best imitation of a smile. “Sorry I woke you, baby. Go back to sleep.”
“Wanna talk about it?” Echo wiggled closer, resting his head in Eyce’s lap. “I’m not so tired,” he slurred around a huge yawn.
Eyce gave him a genuine smile this time as he brushed the hair back from his mate’s face. “Let’s wait until the others wake up. We’ll have a meeting, and I’ll tell you everything then.”
“M’kay,” Echo mumbled, closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep almost immediately.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” Syx moved closer to Eyce’s other side, curling around him and stroking his stomach as he rested his head on Eyce’s hip. “We’re all in this together.”
“I’ll tell everyone in the morning.” Eyce smoothed his knuckles down Syx’s cheek. “Go back to sleep.”
“You look like shit.” Syx pushed up to sit beside him, nudging him with his shoulder. “You’re pale and shaking, and you’re breathing like you just ran a mile. Spill it.”
“Nothing. It was just a dream. That’s all.”
“Look, I’m not really in the mood to play this game with you right now. It was more than a dream, or you wouldn’t be so upset.” He wrapped an arm around Eyce’s waist and kissed the side of his neck. “You can tell, or I can just look for myself.”
Eyce rested his head against Syx’s and sighed in resignation. With the warrior’s ability to see inside his head, he knew he wouldn’t be able to hide. “It was the Oracle. The same dream we all had a few weeks ago, but…different. Everyone was there, but not there. Am I making any sense?”
“Not in the least.” Syx chuckled and kissed Eyce’s temple. “How about you start over?”
“It was the dream about the prophecy. We were all there, except Echo. There was this awful smell—like something rotting. I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from, though.” Eyce took a deep breath and let it out slowly before he continued. “It was like I was the only one who could smell it. Everyone else just looked like they were in some kind of trance.”
“Then what happened?”
“That’s about it. Just before the Oracle finished the prophecy, I realized that I was having kind of a re-dreaming. I knew what she was going to say before she spoke. She told me the heart was coming, but she said something else after that.”
Syx rubbed his palm over Eyce’s bicep when he began to shudder. “What did she say?”
“She told me that the heart would be my shelter. Something about me needing it to win my struggle.”
“Your struggle?” Syx stopped rubbing his arm and leaned away to look in his eyes. “Just you?”
“That’s what she said.” Eyce pushed a hand through his shoulder-length black hair and sighed. “I don’t know what it means.”
“She told you to seek the heart or seek shelter?”
“Both, I guess. She said to seek the heart’s shelter.”
“Well, we know Echo is our heart—the one that binds us together.” Syx looked down at the little man sleeping beside them.
Eyce followed his gaze, and a soft smile spread over his lips. Only six weeks since Echo had practically landed in their laps, and he already couldn’t picture his life without him. Reaching out slowly, he combed his fingers through Echo’s dark hair, loving the feel of the silky strands sliding over his hand. “I know,” Eyce whispered. “Look at him, though. What shelter is he going to offer? He’s so…fragile.”
Syx snorted and elbowed him in the ribs. “Don’t let him hear you say that.”