Tani gasped, tears flooding his eyes when a well that had run empty for centuries filled with everything—everything. Dante’s fire flooded into the missing half of Tani’s soul, sealing the emptiness and restoring what Tani had once given away, making him whole again.
The power locked away inside Tani broke the boundaries of the cuffs, and he tightened his arms around Dante as it flooded his veins with the force of a jet engine. Tani grunted softly, feeling like he might break apart from the pressure. But Dante’s arms wrapped around him, holding him tight and grounding him to their bed.
Tani breathed easier as the invisible chains—his clan’s ancient restraints—shattered, energy restoring and healing the hurt and pain he had carried inside him for so long. The seal inside him loosened, and he closed his eyes, his entire world filling with nothing but Dante.
Tani felt no restraints on his true self for the first time in centuries—only sweet freedom. The power in Kinon’s cuffs faded to a soft hum, and Tani smiled as he met Dante’s gaze.
“It was always you,” Tani whispered. “Always you.”
Dante kissed him, and Tani sank into that kiss, his heart lighter than ever.
***
Morning came too soon for them both, but the outside world hardly mattered in the secluded cottage hidden away in the orchard. Tani and Dante lost themselves in the simple rhythms of each day: cooking, cleaning, tending the apple trees, reading together, and watching the sunset. They explored their magik playfully, testing what new boundaries Tani could cross now that his soul was fully restored.
They had only one visitor: Selene. She stopped by every three days with baskets of vegetables and meats, and one morning, she brought a turkey that excited Dante.
“I want three baskets of apples today,” Selene said, and Tani headed out to the workshop to pack the apples they had harvested the day before.
Dante cleaned the turkey at the sink and started mixing a quick marinade for the quirky oven, which cooked meat fast with a cheerful whistle.
“You’re a cute meat lover, Fire Warlock,” Selene said, sitting, and reaching for an apple from a platter on the table.
Dante glanced at her and winked as he went back to work. Then, because Tani was out gathering apples, he turned to look at Selene again. She was peeling an apple with slow, measured motions. She glanced at him when she noticed he was still staring.
“Fox Lord will be a minute or two,” Selene said. “Ask me what you want to know.”
“It’s not anything I can’t ask him,” Dante said, turning back to the turkey. “I’m just curious and haven’t gotten a chance to bring it up.”
“All right,” Selene said, taking a bite of her peeled apple with a soft, satisfied moan. “We can say you’re shy to ask when he’s around. So, ask.”
Dante chuckled and focused on covering the turkey with marinade. “What is the Ekho Realm like?” he asked. “Tani has talked about it here and there, but…I’d love a new perspective.”
“Oh,” Selene said. “Well, it’s paradise from a mortal’s point of view. Our environment remains abundant with flourishing nature, wild animals, and fish in the sea. The Septum gods cultivate worlds within jungles, mountains, oceans, and seas. Immortal Lord Sunu ensures prosperity grows. His citadel in the skies sends eternal waters flowing down into the waters around the palladium gates, filling our oceans. It’s breathtaking.”
She let out a contented sigh and chewed her apple with a satisfied nod.
Dante frowned at her.
“What?” she asked when she noticed his expression. His hands were covered with olive oil, rosemary, and thyme.
“For a moment there, I thought you were commissioned to write poetry,” Dante said, shaking his head.
Selene chuckled.
“With all that—abundant seas and oceans and whatnot—why are there so many ekhos visiting our polluted realm?” Dante asked.
“Good question,” Selene said with a laugh. “There are quite a few crossing the palladium gates these days. It wasn’t always like this. The Fox Goddess was conservative when she lived with Immortal Lord Sunu. She tried to curb the Fox Clan’s movement into your realm those days. But that changed when she returned to the Fox Clan from the Citadel. I think she became rebellious, no longer caring what the Septum wanted, and allowing the Fox Clan to claim its freedom from the Immortal Clan.”
“So, there’s a hierarchy in the Ekho Realm?” Dante asked.
“Oh, yes,” Selene said, placing the apple peels on a plate, and leaning back to watch Dante slide the turkey pan into the oven. “In the same way you have presidents, kings, and queens, our realm has rules that govern it. To understand the hierarchy is to understand the laws of our very nature. Unlike your mortal realm, where you vote in your leaders, we are governed by the laws of our nature, bloodlines, and the pulse of the realm itself.”
“Because of your magik?” Dante asked.
“Yes,” Selene said with a nod. “We’re not secretive about our connection to nature’s forces the way you have to be in the mortal realm, Fire Warlock.”
“The Ekho Realm sounds like fun,” Dante said, imagining a world where he wouldn’t have to hide his fire magik. He washed the dirty dishes and wiped down the counter.
“I suppose it would sound fun to someone who has to deny his very nature,” Selene said.
“So, who is at the top of the hierarchy?” Dante asked, glancing at her. “Immortal Lord or Fox Goddess?”
“The Immortal Lord, Sunu,” Selene said. “But to bonded mates, their connection is too profound to separate them. So, the Fox Goddess can also be considered the empress of the realm.”
“Which makes Tani their prince,” Dante said.
“Yes,” Selene said. “Once he can prove he’s strong enough for what they stand for. There are three types of governing bodies in the Ekho Realm. The most flexible is the Inter Clan Court, managed by a Fox Clan sentinel branch called Reima. They look after the daily lives of ekhos, managing their day-to-day activities in the cities and communities they call home. They’re based in Gralia, the Fox Clan’s territory.”
“Like a city?” Dante asked, as he washed his hands and wiped them with a paper towel.
“No, I suppose you’d see it more like a continent,” Selene said. “Where the foxes live is called Gralia. Their capital city is Taesi, which is where the Inter Clan Court is based. The Fox Clan has five sentinel branches—one runs the Inter Clan Court, and the other four support the Fox Goddess in managing Gralia, from policing and investigating cases to training armies, managing border disputes, and dealing with environmental events, among other things. I think the Bao Sentinel branch polices the sentinel branches.”
“I thought you said the Ekho Realm is peaceful—paradise,” Dante said, throwing the paper towel in the bin. He turned and leaned on the kitchen counter, his gaze on Selene.
“It is,” Selene said with a chuckle. “Still, we’re all powerful beings with the freedom to play with our gifts. The Inter Clan Court is busy handling cases of misused magik—attempts to gain more power, disasters caused by those who have too much power, or even children making mistakes they didn’t mean to.”
Dante remembered burning his mother’s vines as a child and shuddered. “The Inter Clan Court must be busy.”
Selene smiled. “The Fox Goddess closed the borders of Gralia when she left the Citadel. She manages the Fox Clan territory on her own, even though she could work with the Septum if she wanted. She is a deviant member of the Septum.”
“Oh,” Dante said, folding his arms against his chest. It seemed like Tani was not the only one in his family with a deviant label.
“Yes, she and the Fox Lord have a lot in common. They really stick to their decisions once they make them,” Selene said with a solemn nod. “In any case, her power sometimes extends to Gralia’s immediate neighbor and my homeland, Dragona. Our dragon clan has a quiet leader, and most of my people like to live and work in Gralia to make money and build their fortunes.”
“So, you said there are three types of governing bodies in the Ekho Realm. You’ve mentioned the Inter Clan Court, which is basically in the Fox Clan’s territory. What are the other two?” Dante asked.
“The Septum comes in second,” Selene said with a shiver. “Powerful beings, the Septum. They’re based in the Immortal Clan’s territory, which is the size of two continents. It’s connected to Gralia by a wild forest called Zona. The Fox Clan owns half of that forest, while the Immortal Clan owns the other. It’s difficult to enter, so no one bothers. The Immortal Clan is territorial about its boundaries, so the foxes tend to avoid the Zona.”
“What is the Immortal Clan’s territory called?” Dante asked, wondering if Tani ever thought of living there.
“Siorai,” Selene said. “It’s an eternal world where four elemental gods and the fertility goddess have made their homes. Their territories are carved into the ground itself. Mizian’s territory is full of windy cliffs, while Rianon’s is full of water. Eren’s land flourishes with anything that can sink roots into the rich soil, and Kinon’s fires burn wild in active volcanoes. You would feel right at home in Kinon’s territories. The soil in the cooler regions grows the best grapes. Kinon is an avid wine maker, and every ekho wants to own a bottle of his wine.”
“He is an interesting one,” Dante said. “Where does the Immortal Lord Sunu live?”
“In a citadel on a floating island in the skies,” Selene said. “Waters flow from this island to a massive lake surrounding the palladium gates. I’m not old enough to know the full history of these waters. I just know they’re essential to all ekho. They’re the reason the Immortal Lord is so important to us.”
“What about Cale, the calamities master? Where does he live?” Dante asked.
Selene placed the apple core on the plate with the peels. Dante picked it up and took it to the organic waste container in the corner of the kitchen.
“The Immortal Lord and Lord Cale make up the final level of governance,” Selene said, folding her arms across her chest. “They’re brothers—one light, the other dark. They police the stronger ekhos, which can be troublesome when some become deviant. The brothers step in when a decision made by a powerful ekho might break the realm’s balance. Lord Cale’s domain is called the Dark Fort, and it’s the only territory that stands on its own, not attached to the Immortal Clan lands.”
“Why?” Dante asked.
“Because,” Selene said with a small smile, “when an ekho chooses the dark, it can be devastating to anyone who doesn’t. Have you heard of Kara ot?”
“Yes,” Dante said. “Tani cleansed it from our vineyard.”
“The ekho who first created it now lives in the Dark Fort. He was a purist who wanted to destroy all children born to parents from different clans or with mortal backgrounds. I’m sure the Fox Lord told you that parasite attacks mortal hybrids.”
“Yes,” Dante said. “I didn’t know someone created it.”
“A purist deviant forged the original version of kara ot,” Selene said. “And that purist deviant isn’t the worst of the creatures living in the Dark Fort. Lord Cale controls their dark ideas in his territory.”
“Cale is truly scary,” Dante said.
Dante leaned on the counter, arms folded over his chest as he met Selene’s gaze. They stayed in silence for a moment before Selene smiled.
“If I were you, I’d want to know whether the Fox Lord will return to the Ekho Realm and become the next Immortal Lord in his father’s place,” she said.
Dante nodded. “Probably,” he said, then smiled. “I don’t want to know, though. The answer scares me.”
“He’s stayed in the mortal realm for you,” Selene said with a soft sigh. “I doubt he’ll leave easily.”
Dante meant to answer, but the door opened and Tani walked into the cottage, holding his cell phone with a frown. Dante remembered spelling that gadget so it could find Tani whenever it rang. He hadn’t seen it since they came to the cottage, so someone from Elderwood must have called.
“Fox Lord,” Selene said, standing up with a slightly guilty look, as though she felt caught discussing Tani’s world.
“I’ve sent the large baskets to your farm,” Tani said. “They’re too cumbersome to carry.”
“Thank you,” Selene said, glancing at Dante. “I should get going.”
“Don’t you want to stay for turkey?” Dante asked. “Tani’s magik oven will have it roasted soon.”
Tani crossed the room and went straight into Dante’s arms, burying his face in Dante’s shoulder. Dante smiled and held him close.
Selene watched them for a moment, then shook her head. “No, let me go,” she said, picking up her bag. “The cottage stinks of love. Single people will suffocate around you.”
She left with a wave, and Tani laughed against Dante’s shoulder.
“You’ve chased her away,” Dante said, smiling as he rocked Tani in his arms, enjoying the feel of him.
“I gave her enough time with you,” Tani said. “Did you learn everything you wanted?”
“Most of it,” Dante said, pressing his lips to Tani’s hair. “I’ll ask the rest when I think of what else I want to know.”
“Okay,” Tani said.
“Who called you?” Dante asked.
“Tom,” Tani said. “I asked him to call the conservancy’s lawyers. He’s set up a meeting on Friday.”
“Today is Wednesday,” Dante said. “That’s in two days. I can’t believe we’ve only been here two weeks. I don’t want it to end.”
“We can always come back,” Tani said, shifting to kiss Dante’s chin. “I’ll finish things with Tom, find out what Uncle Amu discovered, and then we can return. Besides, you haven’t visited my residence in the conservancy. It’ll be nice having you in my home. You can meet Deniz, Hera’s daughter.”
“I’d love that,” Dante said, smiling. He breathed in Tani’s scent just as the oven bell rang. “The turkey’s ready.”
“Selene missed it,” Tani said with a small chuckle, letting go of Dante.
They set the table, and Tani helped Dante carve the turkey. They both knew they wouldn’t finish all the meat, so the rest would have to go in the fridge for later.
“Selene is a good woman,” Dante remarked, settling at the table with Tani. “Why is she alone?”
“I’ve never asked,” Tani said, smiling when Dante shifted his chair closer—so close it felt like they were sitting in the same seat. “She used to linger here longer when I was alone. Now she leaves faster. Your many questions are chasing her away.” He teased, nudging Dante’s knee under the table.
Dante chuckled and began preparing Tani’s plate, piling turkey slices, mashed potatoes, and lettuce salad. “I made these potatoes with the salted butter Selene brought. It’s my grandmother’s recipe. I hope you like them.”
Tani watched, warmed by the care in every gesture. “You’ve been feeding me so often,” he said, reaching up to touch Dante’s soft beard, briefly imagining trimming it. “Are you trying to fatten me up and keep me in your lair?”
“If I could, I would,” Dante admitted, leaning in to kiss Tani’s cheek. “I’d lock you up at Artri House and never let you go. I’m terrified I won’t be able to find you if you decide to leave.”
Tani smiled wider. “Where would I go that isn’t right next to you?”
Dante closed his eyes, pressed his hand over his heart, and leaned in to kiss Tani’s cheek again, as though the answer soothed an old wound. They lingered over lunch, neither in a hurry. Every moment together felt precious, unhurried, and deeply treasured.
****
A little while later, Dante drifted off into an afternoon nap. Tani slipped outside, wanting to breathe in the orchard’s fresh air and test the scope of his renewed powers. The feeling of total freedom still startled him at times. He felt the hum of life in every root, every leaf, every stray breeze across his skin. He was afraid to trust the feeling, yet, it lingered, sinking deeper into his skin, his blood, his bones.
Smiling, Tani walked along the orchard boundary, where a patch of cleared land awaited fresh planting. A handful of apple seeds sat in his right palm, and he closed his eyes to feel the pulse of the earth beneath his feet.
Let’s see what we can do now, he thought.
Tani scattered the seeds into the air and guided them into the soil with a gentle push of his power. He urged the earth to open and cradle each seed at the perfect depth, coaxed water from hidden pockets far below, and channeled bright energy from the sun overhead. In moments, new saplings poked their tiny green heads out of the soil, leaves unfurling to catch the fading daylight.
He grinned, pride dancing in his chest. When he was restricted by the Septum’s binding, it would have taken him a week to prompt this kind of growth. Now, each sprout was a promise that he could do more—be more.
A faint shiver ran through him. I hope Dante’s sleeping well. The memory of the uncertainty in Dante’s eyes flickered in his mind. He’d listened to Dante’s questions as he spoke to Selene. The mystery of the Ekho Realm was not easily solved for a mortal. The Palladium Gates kept mortals out of the realm with an iron fist.
For all the solace they had found here, Tani couldn’t quite chase away the worry that something might tug them apart. Cale’s warning about Dante’s thirty-sixth birthday filled his thoughts.
May was coming to an end. The summer would soon start in full earnest. Dante’s birthday was in August. Tani wondered if he would be able to discover what would make Dante ill enough to take his life. He wanted to find it early enough to prevent a tragedy. The thought of Dante gone…he shook his head, refusing to entertain the thought.
Just then, he felt a spike of distress shoot through him, like an arrow to his chest.
Tani!
Dante’s panicked voice echoed in Tani’s head, and the connection between them sprang to life with urgent clarity. Without a second thought, Tani turned away from the flourishing saplings, teleporting back to the cottage.
****
Dante found himself in a dark hallway of the Elderwood fortress, the ancient walls silent and cold around him. He couldn’t recall how he’d arrived here—only that an unshakable dread pressed against his chest. Torches on the stone walls flickered, casting long, wavering shadows that seemed to reach for him with claw-like fingers.
He hurried down the corridor, calling Tani’s name, but only echoes answered. The fortress stretched on into endless empty rooms, dust swirling beneath Dante’s feet. A faint memory surfaced: He should be here. This place was supposed to be full of warmth and purpose—but now, it was silent as a grave.
He turned a corner and stood in what should have been a grand courtyard. Where green grass once covered the ground between neat paths, wild weeds grew, and overgrown trees ruled the space. Wild branches and twisted tree trunks sunk into the fortress’s walls, compromising the structure. The fortress was neglected and abandoned.
“Tani!” he shouted, desperation tearing through his throat. His voice vanished into the black sky overhead. Storm clouds rumbled, and lightning split the horizon. He ran deeper into the fortress, his heart pounding harder with every echoing step.
At last, he saw a figure in the distance. Vibrant red-brown hair drifted around slender shoulders, and for a moment, relief shot through Dante. He rushed forward—yet as he neared, the figure faded into mist, revealing nothing but an empty corridor.
An icy wave of grief strangled him. Tani was gone, and all that remained was the shell of what they had built together.
“You left,” Dante whispered into the darkness, pressing his forehead to the cold stone wall. “You promised—”
Lightning crashed, and the walls crumbled into black dust, leaving Dante in a timeless void. The heartbreak in his chest grew so immense he could barely breathe.
Then, from some unseen place, Tani’s voice whispered: I’m right here.
Dante jerked awake with a gasp, his lungs heaving for air as though he’d been drowning. His heart thudded against his ribs in a frantic staccato. For a long moment, he lay on their bed, still entangled in the nightmare’s hold, drenched in sweat and half expecting to see the overgrown courtyard and the dusty corridors.
But the soft evening light streaming in through the cottage’s window reminded him where he truly was. He wasn’t in Elderwood’s fortress—he was in the apple orchard cottage, safe. Safe with Tani.
Except—
His breath hitched. The space beside him on the bed was empty, the sheets cold and vacant of Tani’s presence. Panic flared bright and instant, fueled by the fresh terror of his dream. He flung the sheets aside, calling Tani’s name as he stumbled through the cottage in search of the one person he could not lose.
***
Dante rushed out of the bedroom, hair disheveled, eyes wide with terror. Relief washed over him the instant he saw Tani in the doorway. Tani opened his arms, and Dante crashed into them, holding Tani as if he might vanish at any moment.
“You weren’t there when I woke up,” Dante choked out, hugging him too tightly. “I thought—I thought you’d gone. You were just…gone.”
“I’m right here,” Tani soothed, pressing his face into Dante’s shoulder. “You were sleeping so peacefully; I only stepped out to tend the orchard.”
Dante drew back slightly, his breath still ragged. “I—I had a nightmare about Elderwood. I was back in the fortress, but it was all empty. You’d left. No one was there, not even Tom. I looked for you everywhere, but it was like you had never existed. It was—” He swallowed, voice breaking on a fearful whisper. “I realized I don’t know how I could ever find you if you decided to go back to the Ekho Realm. I was so scared.”
Tani’s heart ached at the raw vulnerability in Dante’s eyes. He cupped Dante’s face gently, letting his own calm flow through their bond.
“Why would I leave, Dante? You’ve already given me everything—my freedom, my power, and this incredible love.”
Dante closed his eyes, remembering Dane’s fear, his fear now. The visceral squeeze in his gut at the reality of not finding Tani again, he could barely breathe.
“Is that a promise you can keep? That you won’t vanish on me? That you won’t return to Ekho and lock me out of your life?”
Tani stroked his fingers through Dante’s hair, pulling him closer.
“I’m not going anywhere without you. I promise.” He kissed Dante’s temple, letting the moment draw out until the tightness in Dante’s shoulders began to ease. “Besides,” Tani added, attempting a soft smile, “We haven’t done half the things you said you wanted to do together like traveling and spending all your time with me. Why would I leave?”
A shaky laugh escaped Dante. He buried his face in Tani’s neck, relief mingling with the last echoes of dread. “Don’t joke, baby. For a moment, I was sure I’d lost you.”
Tani soothed him with gentle strokes over his back. “You never will. I’m here with you, until you don’t want me.”
“Not wanting you will never happen,” Dante said, making Tani’s breath hitch. He held on to Tani with possessive strength.
***
Gradually, Dante’s breathing steadied. The two of them moved to the living room, settling side by side on the comfortable sofa near the hearth. Tani quietly summoned a small flame in the fireplace, warming the space with gentle heat. Dante reached for Tani’s hand, holding it firmly.
“This dream…it’s made me realize something.” Dante’s voice was subdued but resolute. “We came here to find peace and I don’t regret it. But there’s still a lot we haven’t resolved. This is not the first time I’ve had this dream, Tani. I’m starting to think all the past versions of me returned to find you. I’m afraid of discovering what happened when they could not find you, Tani. But I still want to know why they lived the way they did. I want to do that because I want to protect our relationship. Will you help me?”
Tani glanced out the window, to the fields of ripening apples. Yes, Dante’s wish was his too. Their past, as complicated and intertwined as it was, needed unraveling, for Dante, and him.
“Yes,” Tani said, with a slow nod. “There is a library in my home that we can use to discover your history. I never dared to read your stories after you rejected me. However, Uncle Amu has insisted on everyone working for Elderwood to keep a meticulous record of Durante’s life after I left. They track his lineage.”
“Will you read it with me?” Dante asked.
Tani’s gaze returned to Dante. “If it is what you want.”
“It is,” Dante said.
“Then let’s go back and discover it,” Tani said with a nod. In any case, this was their last cycle. He should discover all their truths before they run out of time. “We’ll figure out whatever is happening. And whether you returned to Elderwood, and why I didn’t know.”
A slow smile curved Dante’s lips, relief and hope shining in his eyes.
“Let’s do it,” he said, as though testing the words. “Just promise me one thing: no matter what we face, we face it together.”
Tani leaned in, pressing a tender kiss to Dante’s mouth—gentle, but laced with the promise of unwavering devotion. “Together. Always.”
Dante pulled him into his arms and they stretched out on the couch watching the fire in the hearth. Tani savored the warmth of the moment, hoping for more days like these in the orchard. The pain that once lingered in the cottage had dissipated, replaced by memories of Dante in this place, cooking, cleaning, kissing him, reading, arguing, and having intense conversations about soil. Tani smiled at the memory and hoped for a million more such moments.
He would stop whatever ‘it’ was that harmed Dante after his thirty-sixth birthday. He was not going to lose their love so easily this time. He would fight.
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Translations are the most awesome stories you could read. For the past year or more, I have fallen in love with these crazy stories and I will share some of the many stories I’ve read since. Guilty Pleasures that keep my mind occupied when the plotting of my own stories pauses.
Sui Writes 