Yves Read online

  Beyond the Veil 2

  Yves

  Yves is the second-born son of the Fire Kingdom. He has lived his life battling constant restlessness and depression. He has always felt as though there was more, that there was something out there for him. His art was the only way he escaped from his head.

  Greek god Apollo was promised a mate. He just never imagined how long he’d have to wait for that promise to be fulfilled. Centuries passed, but no mate showed up. Finally, he felt a spark, a difference, and he knew: his mate had finally been born.

  From afar, Apollo watched over his mate, saw the changes in the man and his struggles, until it became more than he could withstand. Apollo then relocated to the Fae world to draw away his repressed emotions from his mate.

  He never intended to meet his mate until the coming-out party, but a chance meeting changed all that, and soon they had to battle Yves’s doubts and insecurities before they could ever glean a bit of happiness.

  Genre: Alternative (M/M, Gay), Fantasy, Paranormal

  Length: 24,057 words

  YVES

  Beyond the Veil 2

  Toby Aden

  

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

  YVES

  Copyright © 2017 by Toby Aden

  ISBN: 978-1-64010-040-4

  First Publication: March 2017

  Cover design by Harris Channing

  All art and logo copyright © 2017 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

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  PUBLISHER

  Siren Publishing, Inc.

  www.SirenPublishing.com

  DEDICATION

  To my family and to all my fans. To all those who pick up this book to read.

  Thank you all so much.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Toby Aden has always had an overactive imagination. She is an avid reader who spends much of her time immersed in the world of romance novels. After discovering the world of M/M romance, she became irrevocably enthralled by it and decided to try her hand writing it.

  Blog:

  www.tobyaden.blogspot.com

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  www.facebook.com/toby.aden

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  @AdenToby

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  For all titles by Toby Aden, please visit

  www.bookstrand.com/toby-aden

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  About the Author

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Epilogue

  Landmarks

  Cover

  YVES

  Beyond the Veil 2

  TOBY ADEN

  Copyright © 2017

  Prologue

  In a world where only the Fae existed, hidden from all the other outside universes, the land was divided and ruled over by the four intertwined ruling bodies. The four ruling bodies were the Fire Kingdom, with its closest neighbor the Earth Kingdom, and the Water Kingdom, with its closest neighbor the Wind Kingdom.

  All lived in harmony and peace, needing the others to survive yet separate and unique in their attributes, beliefs, and inherent powers. Regardless of the kingdom, the general law to tour the four kingdoms, ordained and adhered to by each royal family on the hundredth year soon after the coming-out celebration of the Fae, kept their universe in balance and in check.

  For all Fae, a fated pair was deemed in reverence, with the bond perceived on sight during the period of the mating call, which lasts for a few months, once every hundred years. Mating could not be done should a Fae find their mate before the mating call arrived and thus a mated pair without the mating call could fall into disastrous issues arising from their bond. At worse, mating without the call could lead to death of the Fae. On a minimal basis, it could result in impotency as well as severe mental and body issues. For this reason, mating was only deemed legal and recognized after a ceremony was held to bind the two souls as one.

  Chapter One

  Yves walked idly down the brightly lit, empty tree-lined pavement, needing the peace and quiet the deserted street lent him. It was a place no one ever came through or passed. When he’d stumbled upon the deserted place, it had become his norm to stroll around, seeking the peace he felt whenever he passed through.

  His older brother, Aaeren, had taken a mate from the Water Kingdom, Prince Radisq, a shocking and unheard of news. Their kind had never mated with an outsider before, but upon meeting Radisq, Yves had taken an immediate liking to the prince. The prince was extremely beautiful, but more than that, he was everything his brother had needed.

  Aaeren had traveled to the Water Fae Kingdom, representing their clan for the hundredth celebration of the Water Fae prince when he had met his mate. The two had been on their matingmoon, touring the four kingdoms as was their law once every royal Fae hit the hundredth year, when news of the death of their father had reached them.

  At that time, Yves had been out of it, losing himself to his painting. Only his brother’s touch against his shoulder had brought him back to reality. It was only then that he had realized Aaeren had cut short his matingmoon/tour and immediately rushed to the Fire Kingdom. During the first few months, Yves had been unable to allow himself to think of all that was happening around him for fear that he would lose it and break down.

  His art had consumed him to the point that he ate, slept, and drank it, stopping only when Aaeren found him and forced him to have a few minutes of rest. That hadn’t been a long reprieve, though, as the restlessness soon besieged him once more. Their mother hadn’t fared so well, either, retreating into herself as she refused to talk and the will to live left her. They had all been worried about her health as she had seemed to be deteriorating at a very fast rate and there hadn’t been any way to stop it.

  No sooner had Aaeren taken the throne with his mate becoming the king’s consort, than they uncovered the conspiracy behind their father’s death and the several attempts made on Radisq’s life. The most shocking news of all had been the person behind all the attacks, and it had been none other than their uncle, Rasputin.

  Aaeren had handled the situation, killing Rasputin for his treachery, especially when their uncle still boldly tried to kill a pregnant Radisq. However, the echo of the betrayal was still with them. That a member of their family had felt such dissatisfaction and hidden it so well, allowing hatred to fester until it finally exploded into such evil deeds, left them all saddened.

  With the threat finally over, they had all been able to relax, but even still, Yves was ever restless. All his life, he had always felt that he was meant for something else. That there was more, and that restlessness of not knowing but waiting made him seek an outlet for all the emotions squeezed
tightly within him.

  Deep down, he knew that he was different from everyone, as though this was not all he was but try as he might to figure out why, it led to nothing but mounting frustration, causing his inherent powers to become out of control.

  “What has you in such deep thoughts, beloved?”

  A voice from behind Yves startled him out of his head, causing him to lose his balance as he swirled rapidly to face the newcomer. A hand shot out faster than he could track and pulled him into a rock-hard chest, securing him from losing his balance.

  The smell of jasmine and a scent so masculine—they were indescribable but fitting for the stranger—calmed and soothed his troubled thoughts. It was as if he were inhaling an addictive substance, for he felt looser and more relaxed than he ever had since before he was an infant. The arms around him made him feel safe, and the heartbeat underneath his ears lulled him to a state where he felt like he could fall straight to sleep just listening to the soothing sound.

  In all, just the presence of the stranger appealed to him more than anything ever had, and the restlessness he was constantly besieged with disappeared as though it were an emotion foreign to him. Raising his head slowly, Yves peeked through orange-red lashes, staring up into a face so handsome, he felt his heart stutter and his breath catch. A whimper released from him without his knowledge, and instinctively, he knew he could forever stare into this face and never grow tired of it.

  Something was happening to him, and he didn’t know what or understand it. For the first time ever in his life, he felt a part of himself—that he had never paid any mind to before—awaken with such vigor. His cock was rock-hard to the point of painful and his face flushed, red lips slightly parted and golden eyes dilated to the point that they were almost slits.

  His mind blanked out only to the point of chanting want, want, and want in a mantra.

  “Are you all right, youngling?” a deep timbre voice, so silky and raspy, questioned.

  Yves heard none of the words the man said, only the tenor, sinking into a haze he did not wish to shake himself from.

  The man was beauty personified. Golden all over, the man’s eyes matched Yves’s in color but slightly different in shape. Long golden hair flowed down the man’s back in a braid, stopping abruptly at the man’s back, and Yves suddenly felt the urge to take it out of its braid and run his fingers through it. The man was six feet four inches of delicious muscles, towering over his own lanky six feet height.

  “Youngling?”

  “Kiss me,” Yves demanded, uncaring about anything else other than what he wanted, no, needed.

  The man trailed his knuckles down Yves’s high cheekbones, enthralled. He leaned forward as though to grant Yves his desire but stopped short of a hairsbreadth from Yves’s red lips. Physically shaking himself, the man leaned back and then stood to his full height.

  “Not yet, beloved. Soon but not yet.” The man pulled Yves to him, hugging him tightly so that they were touching all over.

  A shudder ran through Yves’s body, but he was still enthralled in the haze of wanting this beautiful specimen holding him tightly. His body itched with desire to climb into the man’s body, to hold on tight and never let go. And all through what was happening to him, soothing hands trailed all over his body, from his orange-red hair hanging loosely down his back to his spine.

  The man held him through the shudders racking his body as need made him vibrate.

  “Calm down, love. Deep breaths,” the lulling voice soothed.

  Gradually, Yves felt himself gaining back control. The mating call singing through his body was unlike anything he had ever felt before, powerful and frightening in its intensity. Hanging on to the stranger like a lifeline, Yves felt the call recede to a dull roar underneath his skin.

  He had heard several stories from his parents—well, eavesdropped on the conversation his parents had had with his older brother, Aaeren, when they had been explaining the call to him. In all that was said, he could not recall ever hearing about the call reacting like it had to him, nor had he heard about it diminishing just enough for him to function properly without some sort of release.

  He was confused, and turning his head up to gaze at the man holding him, he let his confusion show.

  The man smiled tenderly. “I know, love. I have waited a long time for you, and I would not have come, but I felt a pull unlike any I have felt in the past. You needed me, and I had to come.”

  Still confused, Yves frowned. “Who are you?”

  “I am known as Apollo, and you are my beloved, my true mate.”

  Yves sucked his bottom lip into his mouth, worrying it with his teeth as he absorbed the information the man was telling him.

  “Apollo?” Yves blushed and smiled crookedly. “A very unusual name. Are your parents a fan of Greek mythology?”

  Apollo laughed, the sound like music playing on a harp and refreshing. “I guess you could say that, love.”

  Taking Yves by the shoulder, Apollo held the young man away from him and smiled down into the blushing face. “Come.” Apollo took Yves by the arm and pulled him along, taking him deeper into the one-lane road, through the open field at the end of the lane until they came across a cottage Yves had never seen before.

  “Where are we?” Yves asked, curious about the modest building.

  “My temporary residence. Come, love, you have nothing to fear.”

  Trustingly, Yves allowed Apollo to lead him into the cottage, which looked vastly different from the exterior. The first thing he noted about it was the stark cleanness. Everything gleamed.

  “Your home is beautiful.”

  “Thank you. Come in and make yourself at home.”

  Yves tilted his head in acknowledgment then walked to the sofa, settling himself into the comfortable seat. “You live alone?”

  “I prefer it when I am here. Would you care for some fruit?”

  Yves nodded but didn’t say a word, his eyes taking in everything surrounding him.

  “I will be a few minutes. Take a tour of the place if you like.”

  Yves bounded to his feet, eager to do just that. The exterior had looked like nothing special, but the inside of the house was totally and completely breathtaking. He would have thought with how small the cottage looked from the outside that it would be just the minimal, but upon entering, it felt as though he was in an extremely large house.

  The house was very spacious and big, even the living room, and it was all decorated with the height of fashion. Pretty but comfortable. The flooring was made of polished wood, and the windows were large enough that the twin suns located only in the Fire Kingdom could be seen clearly.

  One part of the living room was occupied by a tall bookshelf, housing a lot of books. The cottage was a one-floor building with doors leading toward the two master bedrooms. And the kitchen was an open floor plan clearly visible from the living room.

  The master bedroom took most of the appeal of the house, with the king-size bed situated in one corner of the room with the sheets in black, contrasting with the light gray of the surrounding walls. The two master bedrooms were identical down to the beds with the exception that one looked lived in and the other not.

  The bedroom not in use, though, had more empty space than the other with its large, floor-length plain glass windows allowing light from the twin suns to pour into the room.

  Chapter Two

  Yves turned away from examining the room. While hovering at the door of the bedroom, he stood, peering at Apollo. He was uncertain whether to keep the man company, and he absentmindedly traced a pattern on the wall he was reclining against for balance. His fingers twitched with the effort it took him to resist finding a sort of medium to draw out a likeness of Apollo.

  He burned the image of Apollo into his mind, taking in every inch of lines and strong curves, for he knew that the moment he got his hands on his supplies, he would not be able to stop himself from doing what his fingers wanted.

  “Be at ease, yo
ungling. I can feel your discomfort all the way from here,” Apollo said.

  “Yves.”

  Absentmindedly, Apollo continued with his task, arranging the different collections of fruits and peeling them before placing them onto a plate and setting it on the breakfast bar. “Hm?”

  “Yves. My name. It’s Yves,” Yves said, his attention reverted to those long, lean, masculine hands.

  Amused, Apollo looked up and flashed the young Fae a disarming grin. “I know.”

  “How long have you lived here?”

  “Two years now,” Apollo said with a shrug of his big shoulders.

  Yves moved forward and parked his butt onto a high stool, resting his chin on his palm, his elbow on the bar as he watched Apollo. The man pulled out a bottle of some kind and placed it on the counter along with glasses before struggling to pull open the cover.

  “What is that?”

  Apollo looked to the bottle, then to his beloved, and then back to the bottle. “Oh. It’s a bottle of wine. Just different packaging.”

  “Oh.” Yves barked out a nervous laugh, sweeping a hand through his hair and then settling it on his lap.

  “I’m quite sure a lot of people have not seen this type of packaging before. It’s imported,” Apollo explained, trying to ease his mate’s sudden embarrassment.

  Well, technically, the wine was imported. If one counted Mount Olympus, home of the gods and goddess.

  “Let me pour you a glass. I am sure you would love it.”