Hyacinth, Scarlet - Fire of the Four Seasons (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour ManLove) by Scarlet Hyacinth

and to a certain extent, admired him once he grew up into a man. But never once had it occurred to them that they would fall so hard for the human born out of a flame in the hearth. Visnah himself couldn’t believe it. Alexei melted Zimah’s cold demeanor, accepted Ly etah’s unrestrained passion with no qualms, and took in Visnah’s gentle nature and Ohsyn’s generosity without taking advantage of them. Strong, handsome, and with a kind and loving heart, Alexei filled a gap in their life they’d never wanted to acknowledge, strengthening their bond.
    But Alexei and his sister, Eva, were now on the brink of death in Visnah’s own room. Visnah could on ly think of one solution for their predicament. Earth spirits did n’t typical ly ask for things from the Goddess. They’d been already gifted with so much—love, power, eternal youth— that they couldn’t in good conscience make other demands. Their prayers most ly held the welfare of others and thanks for what they’d been given.
    But now, for the first time, Visnah would ask something for himself. With a thought, Visnah left the room and manifested into their ho ly garden. Their world was not like the mortal realm. Here, time had no meaning, and space could be molded according to their desires. One single spot remained unchanging, no matter what—the shrine dedicated to the omnipotent Goddess.
    He sensed his lovers appear behind him, and, together, they knelt in the grass. Threads of gold wove from the simple altar, then down toward the ground, molding with the very fabric of their existence. Visnah closed his eyes and prayed. “Please, Goddess, give us advice. Tell us how to save them.”
    His lovers’ voices joined him in a low murmur, in patterns of worshipping psalms that sounded almost hypnotic. He did n’t know how long they just knelt there. It could have been a moment or an age. Visnah felt the touch inside him, and an image filled his mind. Fire and ice, death for life.
    Visnah’s eyes shot open, and he looked back toward his lovers. Judging by their expressions of horror, they’d seen the same thing. Not even Zimah could mask his dismay, and Ly etah looked very pale. Ohsyn clutched the grass with such strength that it withered under his touch.
    Visnah knew exact ly what they felt. For the first time in his entire existence, he doubted the advice of the Goddess. How could this be?
    He struggled to his feet, the shock too powerful for him to contain. To his surprise, a tear streamed down his cheek, falling to the ground and prompt ly turning into a pale snowdrop. He hasti ly wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn’t falter now. He needed to be strong for all of them. “Come on,” he told his lovers. “Let’s go back inside.”
    They nodded and, together, faded once more through the ethereal. In Visnah’s room, they knelt next to the bed where Alexei and Eva lay. Predictab ly , they looked worse. Frost now covered Eva’s side of the bed, while Alexei’s seemed scorched. Alexei’s hair almost looked like it had turned to liquid flame, the red color even more intense than before.
    “There’s nothing we can do, is there?” Ohsyn said. “There real ly is no other way.”
    Visnah nodded, even as pain coursed through him. “We just have to trust and hope.”
    Visnah pressed his palm to Alexei’s and hissed when their skin made contact. He found himself forced to pull his burnt hand back. No wonder the sheets were in this state. Alexei’s temperature had risen great ly . If he’d been in the mortal realm, his brain would have shut down by now.
    Zimah glanced at Visnah’s palm and took it in his own. Few things could hurt an earth spirit, but apparent ly , spiritual fire had that ability. Visnah allowed his energy to mold with Zimah’s and felt his burn heal. As they finished, he saw Ly etah and Ohsyn had grabbed the twins, paying extra care not to touch their skin.
    They rushed out of Visnah’s room and headed out. Ly etah