Chapter 30 #2
The helicopter had just taken off when Nuri got another call. He popped the earbud attachment and turned, heading back to his car to avoid having to deal with the two remaining guards.
“I’ll walk myself out,” he told them before hitting the accept button. “Nate, this isn’t a good time.”
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Nate asked.
“I’m fine.”
“So it’s Silver. Is he hurt?”
“He’s…” Nuri blew out a breath. “How would you feel about me quitting and moving to Vitality? Mind letting me stay with you for a bit while I settle in?”
“I’m buying the first ticket to Ignite. Just wait for me.”
“What?” Nuri frowned. “Why?”
“Because something is seriously wrong. If you won’t tell me what, I’ll come find out for myself.”
“Don’t, everything is fine.”
“Everything is not fine, brother. Neve has been begging you to quit for years, and now you’re suddenly bringing it up yourself? No way. I don’t buy it. Did you and Silver have a fight?”
Nuri scrunched up his nose. “Is it that obvious? Everyone seems to be guessing as much.”
“There’s no way you’d be considering leaving if you weren’t,” Nate stated. “Not with the Swiftbond between you.”
Nuri froze with his hand on the door to his car. “How…?”
“I’m not an idiot, brother,” Nate grunted. “After catching the two of you in the act while he was in Swift form, and seeing how he wouldn’t let you out of his sight during your trip here, it was pretty obvious.”
“What do you mean?” Silver had always been somewhat clingy, that was nothing new. Certainly not new enough to warrant attracting Nate’s attention.
“You visited on the week of the full moons,” Nate explained. “As a Swift, the full moon affects him more than any other stage, and since he grew up on Ignite, he’s not used to having to deal with two of them.”
Vitality was orbited by dual moons, Illusion and Echo.
Had they been full that week? Nuri had been too distracted to notice, and Silver had kept the blinds pulled shut. They also hadn’t slept together until that last day…There’d been no signs whatsoever that he’d been affected the way Nate as implying.
“Swifts take comfort in proximity to their mates during this time,” Nate continued, speaking as though this was common knowledge.
“It had to be hard to keep his composure around us. I figured that was why you seemed so distracted when you thought we weren’t looking.
He was keeping you up late for sex, right? ”
“No.” Nuri was even more lost than before. “We didn’t—”
“Relax,” Nate reassured. “You don’t have to be embarrassed.
We’re both adults, remember? I can handle knowing my brother is in a relationship.
I admit, he’s not my favorite person, and he’s definitely not good enough for you, but I just want you to be happy.
Since you accepted a Swiftbond, clearly you’ve made your decision. ”
“Why didn’t you bring this up when I was there?”
“I was waiting for you to tell me yourself. Honestly, I was more shocked that Silver was willing to form the bond than you were. Your feelings have been obvious since I hit puberty. It was a big eye opener for me. I thought he was just using you all of these years, taking advantage, but it’s a big relief to be proved wrong.
I should have trusted your instincts. I’m sorry for making it so difficult for you.
That’s why you didn’t tell us during your visit, isn’t it?
You couldn’t bring yourself to disappoint us. ”
“What do you mean?”
“Look, I get it now. Now that he’s proven—”
“No, Nate,” Nuri felt like the ground was falling out from under him, “what do you mean by that? Proven himself how?”
“The Swiftbond?” Nate was the one sounding confused now. “He—Holy shit. Do you not know?”
“What do you know? Yes, we’ve got the bond. But I fail to see how you would be pleased to learn that your brother can’t sleep with anyone else—”
“Why would you want to sleep with someone else?”
“Nate.”
“Sorry. I just don’t get it. You love him, don’t you?”
That…He couldn’t even deal with that question at the moment.
“The point is,” he stated firmly, “this bond causes my body to grow addicted to his…fluids, and thus makes it impossible for me to ever choose to be with someone else in the future. It traps me.”
“Good Light, you really don’t know.” Nate cursed. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell you. Wait, no. I can believe it actually. That’s so like him. Fucking bastard.”
“Nate.”
“Yeah, fine, sorry. I just…I can’t believe I have to be the one to tell you this.”
“Tell me what?” If he didn’t hurry up and spit it out, Nuri was going to lose his mind.
“While it’s true the bond ensures a Swifts mate becomes reliant on them to get off, that’s pretty much to ensure their survival. The bond itself is actually more about the Swift giving up control to their partner.”
“Bullshit.”
“I’m serious,” Nate said. “Tying themselves to one person means they willingly become reliant on that sexual partner to regulate them. During the full moon, this is especially the case. The chaotic energy can build up without release. Swifts don’t make this decision lightly, and most go their entire lives without ever choosing a mate to form the bond with.
It’s just too risky. Hell, choosing wrong can lead to a death sentence even. ”
Nuri’s heart stopped. “What?”
“The Swift can’t exist long without release with his partner.
Any non-Swift in the bond can walk away—become celibate, sure, but they can still choose to leave.
That isn’t the case for the Swift. That energy is funneled into their mate through fluid release.
This is what actually causes the mate to grow ‘addicted’.
Apparently, they feel euphoric from it. I mean, that much you know, obviously. ”
“You’re saying Silver could die.”
“Well, yeah. If you left him or refused to sleep with him for long enough, he could. It’s a full moon there this week, right?
The days leading up to it, the day of, and the day after, that’s when Swifts are affected most. Not getting to relieve themselves then could potentially cause internal damage.
The chaotic energy can supposedly tear them apart from the inside. ”
“How do you know all of this?” Could Nuri really believe this? The Swifts were secretive.
“I’m friends with a guy,” Nate replied. “Berga Obsidian. Trust me, he knows everything there is to know about other species. When he found out my emperor is a Swift, he talked my ears off for hours. I wouldn’t be surprised if I know more about Swifts than Silver does.”
Was there a chance Silver didn’t know—
No, that was stupid.
Of course he knew.
But then why…?
Why?
“I have to go.” Nuri didn’t wait for his brother to respond. If this was all true, and it’d been a week since the last time he and Silver had slept together, that meant that Silver might no be playing with him after all.
Silver might actually be in danger.