Chapter 10 #2
“Yeah, and you’re not going to like it.” Zane holds his breath as I figure out how to word it. “I’m gonna live with him for a bit.”
Zane’s eyes widen, and his mouth drops open, clearly at a loss for words. “What the fuck?”
“Yeah, and it’s a done deal, okay? Some people are gonna come and move my shit out of the apartment—”
Zane shakes his head. “No. No fucking way. I’m not letting you shack up with a fucking monster, Ev. You’re my best friend, and I swore I would take care of you.”
My heart twists in my chest. “Yeah, I know, but this changes nothing. I’m not in danger, okay? This is just something I need to do.”
His mouth opens and closes, and his voice goes soft and more vulnerable than I’ve ever heard it. “But…what am I supposed to do without you?”
I freeze when the door opens behind me, and I see Quilliyn and Rath move into the locker room, their rainbow eyes on us.
Zane’s mood switches immediately, and he flips them off.
I let out a loud sigh. “You really need to stop that. He probably has no idea what it means.”
Zane leans over my shoulder. “It means fuck you, asshole!”
“Oh my god,” I hiss and then pull Zane a little further away from the two overly curious Vyastil. “Look, I’m really sorry about this. I know I should have discussed all of this with you, but fuck, it feels right. And honestly, I’m getting paid for my time.”
“Paid? How much?”
“A lot.”
“Fuck. Nothing about this is right,” he mutters. “And Ev, you know I would have paid your rent if you needed me to. You don’t need some monster to help you.” His voice carries a soft, aching sadness.
My chest tightens in response. “I know. I’m sorry I had to tell you this way.”
He turns his head away and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m pissed at you right now and at your stupid decision to do this, but check in with me, please. I need to make sure you’re okay.”
“Yeah, I will.”
He glowers at the two Vyastil lingering in the doorway and then shakes his head and stalks off. I don’t know where he’s going, but he wants to get away. I don’t blame him. He’s disappointed in me. Exactly like I knew he would be.
Quilliyn glances at Rathyn, and their tails twine for a second before they’re released. Rathyn nods and steps toward me as Quilliyn stalks off in the direction Zane vanished.
“Is it settled?” he asks.
I give him a stern glower. “I told you not to follow me inside.”
“This part of town is not safe for fragile humans.”
“First of all, this is the gym I’ve been coming to for years. And second, I’m not that fragile! I work out and eat my vegetables. Mostly. But seriously…” I huff and then poke him in the chest. “Next time, listen to me. I mean it.”
His gaze falls to the finger on my chest, and I feel the ripple of his skin beneath me, the thumping of his hearts.
“I will think about it. Now, are you ready to go home? It is getting late, and I still need my fifteen—”
“You’ll be lucky if you get anything,” I say, cutting him off. His ears flick, and I narrow my eyes. “I’m serious. I’m so mad at you right now.”
His gaze darkens, and his ears droop slightly. “I don’t understand. It is my job to protect my companion.”
“Oh my hell. I just told you I don’t need protecting here. You obviously don’t listen.” I fling my hands up and then stride past him. “Whatever. This is pointless. Let’s get out of here.”
I stomp out of the gym and toward the waiting car. I’m upset at him for doing exactly what I asked him not to do, but I also get it. He’s not human. He doesn’t understand how we work. I just hope he’s going to try in the future because this will not be sustainable.
Outside of the gym, it’s almost too bright, and I squint against the sun as I try to find the car.
It’s not far, and I start to take a step off the curb when strong, clawed hands pull me against a broad, humming chest. An e-bike zips past exactly where I’d been standing.
It would have destroyed me if Rathyn hadn’t been there.
I curse as I watch it disappear into traffic, and Rathyn hums darkly behind me. The sound coming from his chest is dangerous. His tail winds around my waist as he holds onto me tightly.
“Everest. There is a proverb on Erethar.” His voice is low, a deep tune. “Never walk in anger.”
I breathe deeply through my nose and then exhale.
I don’t want to tell him thank you. I don’t want to tell him that whole thing just scared the shit out of me, and I was glad he was there.
Instead, I square my shoulders, then pull away from him.
“Fine, let me go, and I will walk happily to the car.”
His tail constricts tightly around me for a brief second, but then it slowly unwinds, almost reluctant to let go. We walk side by side toward the car, and he ushers me inside, his tail winding around my calf the moment he slips in beside me.
“I’m still mad at you,” I tell him, and his gaze slides from me to the passing lights.
He says nothing, and we drive the rest of the way to his loft in silence.
By the time we make it home, I’m slightly less angry. Zane messaged me to say he loves me and just needs some time, but it’s made me feel less upset by this whole thing.
I’m still pissed at Rathyn for disregarding my wishes and being overbearing, but by the way he’s sulking near the couch when I finally kick off my shoes and move to the kitchen for something to eat, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for him.
He’s been shooting my crotch longing looks and making tiny, sad trills every time I look away.
Maybe I’ll let him give me one blow job.
Just one.
As a peace offering, but only after I get some fuel in my system.
I pull open the fridge and see that it’s stocked with a variety of foods, some human and some I’ve never seen before. I lean closer and make out a few piles of something that looks a lot like moss and mushrooms.
I’m pretty sure they don’t eat meat, but they can’t survive on this and cum alone…can they?
There’s no telling, really. I still don’t understand their biology, and the only thing I know for sure is that my cum tastes amazing to him. Which…I don’t know what that’s supposed to mean.
I pull out a Greek yogurt and a box of strawberries and sit down at the island, peeling the lid back and dipping some of the fruit for added protein. The only thing I’ve had today was that pastry, and that was hours ago. Hell, it feels like a lifetime ago.
Rathyn has to be starving, too.
“You want something to eat?” I ask and see Rathyn turn his gaze toward me. The tips of his ears perk up, and he moves over to me.
“I do not need to eat as often as humans,” he says, peering over my shoulder. He looks curious, so I offer him a bite, but he shakes his head, though he doesn’t move back.
“How often do you eat?” I ask as I take a bite of a strawberry, then clarify, “Food, not cum.”
His lips twitch into something like a smile. “Once a day. Mornings are preferable.”
“And that’s what the moss stuff was in the fridge?”
He turns his gaze toward it and then nods. “Yes, it’s grown in our world. It’s like…” He pauses as he searches for a word. “Salad?”
“Ah, so kind of bland.”
“Not bland when you mix it with the leybulbs. They’re like…those red vegetables. I cannot remember the name.”
I cock my head. “Tomato? Bell pepper? Radish?”
He nods. “That one. Radish.”
“How cool. Think I could try some?”
He hesitates. “I will have to ask. Humans have never been interested in eating our food.”
“Yeah, well,” I say as I pop another strawberry into my mouth, “I’m not most humans, am I?”
His gaze softens slightly. “You are not.”
I finish my yogurt and drink some water, and then lean back in my chair, and Rathyn follows my movements, wetting his lips. I can tell he’s hungry for something. Just not strawberries and yogurt.
“Alright,” I concede. “But just one. You were being an overbearing butthead and not listening to me.”
“I do not have a butthead.”
I let out a small laugh, and he cocks his head, his ears fluttering. “No, you definitely don’t.”
Our eyes meet, and suddenly I feel nervous. This will be the first blow job with him since I became his companion, and I wonder if it’s going to feel different. There’s no chair to tie me down. No restraints at all. Just me, him, and my consent.
I swallow heavily, and my voice sounds a little hoarse when I speak. “Where do you want me?”
“Your room.”
To take the edge off my nerves, I waggle my eyebrows at him as I hop off the stool. “My room, hm? We aren’t gonna share.” His ears flutter, and I shove at him slightly. “I’m kidding. We can share a loft, but we don’t need to share a bedroom.”
His eyes flash, but he follows me down the short hallway to the guest room where I slept yesterday. It makes my skin heat and my dick perk up. I reach down and gently touch it and realize it’s not as sore as it was the first time he gave me the ruenox.
In fact, I feel perfectly fine.
Hm, maybe I am getting used to multiple blow jobs.
Reaching behind my head, I pull my shirt off, watching as his tail tightens around his leg. His gaze doesn’t leave my body, trailing hungrily over my torso, which is…new. And different. He’s never been interested in more than my dick before this. I wonder what’s changed.
I go for the pants next, pulling them off and kicking them to the side. I know this is what he wants more than anything, and his hungry growl confirms it. My cock is straining from between my legs, and I reach down and clutch the base.
Rathyn’s nostrils flare slightly, and his tail uncoils from around his leg. He steps toward me, and I fall backwards onto the bed as his tail flicks out from beside him. There’s a long pause, then I feel it coil around my cock.
“Oh fuck,” I say and watch as it starts to pulse.
What the fuck is this? Holy shit.
My breath comes out in pants and wheezes as he tightens and loosens around me.
Fisting the sheets, sweat beads at my temples. I’m not sure how long I can take this. It’s too much, and god help me, too fucking good.