How easy it would be for Ezra to lose himself in Segreti and the pleasures the handsome Orso brought him, but pleasure alone was not enough. It would do him well to keep his heart carefully guarded. He’d been through enough similar situations in the past to know how quickly affection turned to polite distance when his power and connection to the Eye came into play. For now, he’d enjoy this moment. He’d been so comfortable, sleep threatened to overtake him, when the pounding on his door startled him awake.
Goddess above! Now what? “Yes?” he asked, not meaning to sound so disgruntled.
The door opened, and Rayner rushed in, the concern in his eyes waking Ezra as if he’d been pushed into a lake of icy water.
“Come quick.”
“What’s happened?” Ezra asked, hurrying over to his dear friend. For it to have upset Rayner in such a fashion meant it was dreadfully important.
“Riley is having a vision.”
A chill went through Ezra. If the Saugur had a vision, it meant only one thing.
Death.
Chapter Four
“What happened?” Ezra asked as he and Segreti ran into the king and prince’s bedchamber. Khalon sat on the floor with the prince cradled in his arms, concern and heartache written all over his face. Segreti could only imagine the pain in Khalon’s heart. As Saugur, his mate didn’t simply “see” what would come to pass should events not be altered—he lived through the horror of it. Segreti should have waited outside, but propriety be damned. Whatever the prince saw would affect them all.
Riley’s eyes glowed a bluish white, his pupils and irises gone. He appeared awake, but his body moved as if in the midst of a terrible fit.
“No!” Riley gasped before he made a choked sound and held his stomach. He shook his head, his voice hoarse as he cried out, tears streaking down his cheeks. “Khalon!” He arched his back violently, his mouth opening to release the light of his Soldati soul. Segreti quickly covered his eye, or he risked blindness. It was similar to the light Ezra had let out while in his arms, but more intense. From what he’d heard, this was merely a sliver of the power the prince possessed.
The light faded, and Segreti moved his hand away in time to see Riley’s eyes return to their usual hue. He buried his face against Khalon’s neck, his sobs wracking his body as Khalon held him close and murmured words of comfort. Ezra crouched beside his prince and placed a hand to his head. All at once, the prince stilled and fell heavily against his mate.
Khalon stood with Riley in his arms. He laid his mate’s slumbering form on the bed.
“Will he be all right?” Segreti asked. The king sat on the edge of the bed next to his prince and held his hand.
“He will be. Ezra has him sleep after a vision. It eases some of the emotional turmoil. Riley is still very much a human at heart. The Saugur visions upset him greatly. When he wakes, he’ll be better equipped to share his vision with us.”
Segreti’s only knowledge of the Saugur came from legend, their kind so rare few had met one in their lifetime. The Saugur’s visions, along with the Eye, protected the Soldati. It was part of why they’d flourished for so long. Any peril to their king or their realm would be revealed, allowing them time to vanquish the threat. A Soldati Saugur was revered and cherished, though judging by the way Khalon gazed lovingly at his mate, it was clear Riley was adored no matter his title or gifts.
For centuries, Segreti had wondered if he’d be blessed with a mate to treasure. He’d all but given up hope until…
“He won’t sleep for long.” Ezra laid a hand on Segreti’s arm, as if seeking his touch. “Our prince is quite headstrong.”
“Like his mate,” Segreti whispered with a wink. “A perfect pairing, if you ask me.”
“I heard that,” Khalon muttered, his gaze still on his prince, though a smile tugged at his lips.
Segreti chuckled. He took a seat in the wingback chair offered by Rayner, his heart happy when Ezra stood at his side. The door opened, and a pretty young foxling with bright red hair hurried in. He placed a quick kiss to Rayner’s cheek before rushing over to the prince’s bedside.
“I came as soon as I could.” He placed a smokey-colored hand to the prince’s brow, his amber eyes filled with affection and sadness. Segreti remembered the foxling quite well. A war had almost been fought over him. Rayner had made himself an enemy of Pavoni quite some time ago, and after a visit to the Soldati kingdom, which had included a dastardly plot against Rayner, Pavoni discovered Rayner’s weakness: his love for a foxling servant. The whole ordeal almost destroyed the Soldati kingdom, and in the end, Khalon, Rayner, the rest of the Soldati council, and their army marched into the Orso realm. Segreti had faced Khalon, seen the devastation his dishonorable and abhorrent king had brought to a noble race, and did something he’d never done in the whole of his immortal life.
That day, Segreti stood down.
Rayner brought home his mate, and Toka became the first foxling Soldati. From what Segreti heard, Toka and the prince were inseparable. They also got up to all sorts of mischief when their mates were off in the human realm battling demons.
“How is he?” Toka asked softly as he brushed Riley’s hair away from his face. Toka’s loyalty to his prince was admirable and well warranted. Next to Rayner, no one had fought as fiercely to protect the foxling.
“He’ll be all right,” Khalon replied with a sigh. “These visions exhaust him, but you know as well as I do that he’ll be fighting to not stay asleep and be up in a matter of—”
A quiet groan made Khalon chuckle.
“What happened?” Riley’s voice was laced with sleep, but he struggled to sit regardless. Toka helped him up and propped several pillows behind him. “Thanks, Toka.” Riley smiled warmly at his friend. “What are you doing here? I thought you were refilling our stash of—”
Toka cleared his throat and motioned to the room. Seeming to realize they weren’t alone, Riley coughed into his hand.
“Oh, wow. I’m so parched,” he said through a forced hoarse whisper.
Khalon eyed them both as Rayner brought Riley some water. “What have you two been up to?”
Toka blinked innocently at his king while Riley held a finger up and took his time drinking. Segreti managed to stifle a laugh. The prince took so long sipping his water that Khalon released a heavy sigh.
“Very well. Just… whatever you’re doing, be safe.”
Riley beamed at him. “Always.”
“Now. Do you remember what happened?”
Riley gazed around the room. “I’m guessing I had a vision. Give me a second.” He closed his eyes, seeming to focus. “I can see it.”
“What?” Khalon asked gently.
“Your death.”
Khalon sucked in a sharp breath, and Segreti slowly stood. It was true, then. Someone was plotting to kill the Soldati king.
“I was in the garden, but I couldn’t tell which one. It was so dark. Like this dark fog had moved in and sucked all the light out of everything. I was talking to someone, but I couldn’t see their face for some reason. I must have known them because I wasn’t scared or upset. Then I heard you calling out someone’s name, but I don’t think it was my name.”