Hyacinth, Scarlet - Fire of the Four Seasons (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) Read Free Page A

looking forward, but with each passing second, his heart became heavier. He found he did n’t want to leave the grove. He wanted to stay here, know these men, talk to them, and find out how they knew Alexei, and why they’d helped him. Perhaps there would even be more kisses.
    Alexei turned around and threw a gaze in the direction of the grove. He saw the large four stones, silent, and no sign of the four men.
    Alexei would have thought it had all been a dream if not for the bouquet of violets he still clutched against his chest. Even so, he remained rooted on the spot, staring at the grove in hopes that he’d see the men reemerge. They never did , and when night began to fall, Alexei had no choice but to leave.
    He did n’t even know how he managed to make the trip back. It must’ve been the horse’s instinct that kept him from losing his way. When at last he reached their home, he’d begun to doubt his own sanity. He kept an almost punishing grip on the flowers, expecting them to disappear into thin air any moment now.
    The front door of their house burst open, and his father rushed out. “Come inside, Alexei. Hurry. I was just about to go looking for you.”
    Igor pulled Alexei into the warmth of their home. Almost instant ly , Alexei felt better, the fire in the hearth calling out to him. Sometimes, he thought he could hear the fire speaking to him, whispering words of comfort and praise. “Welcome home, Alexei,” it said this time. Once, the cheerful greeting would have been enough. Now, Alexei would have preferred an explanation.
    He took off his heavy jacket, careful ly handling the violets as he did so. “Where’s Eva?” he asked his father.
    Igor’s expression darkened. “In her room with your mother.”
    He seemed to want to say something else, but then, Eva burst in, bouncing toward him. “Well? Did you find them?”
    “I did ,” Alexei answered. He gripped the violets in his hand, caressing the buds gent ly .
    “Oh, they’re so beautiful,” Eva said. “Come, give them to me.”
    Alexei took in his twin’s demanding expression. He realized he did n’t want to give her the flowers. Sure, she’d been the one to demand them in the first place, but Alexei had witnessed the magical act through which they’d been created. He did n’t want to let them go. He wanted to keep the tiny piece of the dream he’d experienced for himself.
    But his mother came into the room, and Alexei knew he would not be allowed to keep the flowers. It would look odd anyway. Men were not supposed to get clingy over a bunch of violets. Then again, men did n’t kiss other men either.
    Eva’s voice snapped him out of his trance. “Why are your lips swollen?” she asked, peering at him.
    On impulse, Alexei covered his mouth with his hand. The action mere ly made Eva arch a brow and Elga frown. Alexei did his best to cover his suspicious demeanor with a nonchalant shrug. “Must be because of the cold.”
    Elga did n’t look very convinced, but obvious ly , she couldn’t find another explanation. “Give the violets to Eva,” she said without preamble.
    Helpless, Alexei handed the flowers to his sister. Eva squeezed them to her chest, making Alexei wince when the action hurt the violets. Elga, however, just kissed Eva’s cheek. “Beautiful flowers, darling. Now run along. You should go place them in water.”
    With one graceful twirl, Eva took off in a cloud of perfume. Elga final ly directed her gaze toward Alexei. “Well, it seems you managed to find them in the end. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
    Alexei bit his lip, bare ly managing to keep himself from crying out at the injustice. At least she could show some concern, given that he’d have frozen to death in the wild if not for the four men he’d run into. “Where did you get them?” Igor asked. “It’s not the season for such beautiful flowers.”
    “Mama said there’s a grove at the edge of the forest where they grow in spite of the