Chapter 28
twenty-eight
CIELO
Ibarely sleep that night, my hearts beating much too fast. My brothers are here on Earth. They are with Quilliyn. He has sent their location and several pictures of where they will now live.
It is nice. Much nicer than where I lived when I worked for Rathyn.
They will not know the pain I did when I first arrived.
They will have people to rely on. The crushing loneliness will not plague them, though I know the grief of missing Erethar will be profound.
But they will heal and adapt, just as I have.
They will learn that pleasure, joy, and contentment are not the greatest sins.
They will be happy.
Dante is curled around me, his head on my chest, right above my frantic hearts.
I thread my fingers through his hair and peer down at him.
He is my joy, my soul. I am so glad I have found him, that he is a part of me.
But I did miss my family, and knowing they were suffering has only made things harder for me.
But they will not suffer anymore.
I shift slightly, and I see the pink socks Dante’s mom made me. I wonder if she will make the same for my brothers. I am sure they would enjoy these odd bits of clothing. They are soft and warm and feel a little bit extravagant.
I keep my eyes open the entire night, not wanting to wake Dante, but eager to get moving. He needs his rest, so I wait patiently until his eyelids blink open and he stretches. He feels wonderful against me, a soft moan escaping him.
“Oh shit, I slept like the dead.” I trill in my throat, not wanting to think about him dying, but he just pats me on the chest and says, “It’s not like I almost died. It’s a figure of speech.”
“I do nooot liiike.”
He huffs a laugh and then leans up and kisses me softly. I wish for more, but he moves away too quickly.
“Alright, I know you’re anxious to go, so let’s move it. I need caffeine, and then we can visit your brothers.” He hesitates a moment and then turns to look at me. “Wait, do you want my cum now or later?”
I do wish for his cum. Always, but today I would like to see my brothers first. It will calm my nerves.
He must feel my urgency because he nods and begins moving.
“Alright. Let’s do this. Give me like fifteen minutes, and if you can make me a coffee, I’ll love you forever.”
I wish for him to love me forever, so I am up in a flash, moving to pull a scarf around my waist as Dante enters the bathroom. In the kitchen, I make us both a latte and make sure that Dante has something to eat, so when he appears several minutes later, we are ready to go.
He takes the latte from me and sips on it, a sigh escaping his lips. “This is so damn good. Thank you.”
I incline my head and then step toward the door, opening it with nervous fingers, my ears fluttering.
“I can drive us,” Dante says, searching around for his keys, “but I need the address. Did Q send it to you?”
I nod and hold out my phone. He takes it, punching in the location and then leading me down to his car. I recline the seat all the way back and let him drive me to the place where my brothers now reside.
“I guess you should text and let someone know we’re coming?” I stare at him and then at my phone. He nods, “Text Q. Let him know. I don’t want them to not open the door because they’re afraid.”
My fingers tap noisily on the screen, and when the message is sent, I stare down at it, waiting for Quilliyn to reply. He does not do so for what feels like many first moon cycles. I fear that perhaps he is not ready for us to come visit.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine to just show up,” Dante says, clearly reading the anxious thoughts in my head. “We can knock, and maybe you can say something in Eretharian to let them know who we are.”
I nod, then stare out the window at the passing cars and buildings, and when the car finally slows, and Dante pulls us through a gate, I hold my breath. My lungs scream as he parks and we get out.
I am nervous to see what they think. Earth can be overwhelming the first time you arrive. So much noise and sound. Everything is alive and visceral. You can almost feel everything you see.
I do not know if this will be my brothers’ experience, but I am eager to see them and how they are faring.
We make our way up some steps and then stop at a door. Dante glances at the number and then at his phone.
“Yep, this is the right place.”
He lifts his hand and knocks. My ears pick up movement inside and the clacking of claws on the floor. Then the slide of a lock and the screech of the door opening.
I see Quilliyn immediately.
“I am glad you’ve come,” he says, a smile on his face. He looks tired but also calm. I assume this means that last night did not go terribly, that perhaps things went smoothly. “They have many questions.”
Dante peers up at me and then steps inside the apartment, his eyes wide.
“Damn, this is a nice place, Q. Whose is it again?”
“My friend’s.”
“Well, it’s nice.”
I let their conversation fade behind me as I move forward, my eyes intent on my brothers. They are sitting on the couch, their bodies lax, their legs spread out. Relaxed, I think as I approach.
They peer up at me and nod, Zynath standing. “Brother,” he says in Eretharian.
Our foreheads touch, our tails twining around each other as we just breathe.
“You are safe. How was your first night?”
“It was good. We were afraid that we would be brought back, but Quilliyn reassured us we would not be.”
Alvayn rises to his feet, moving to touch my arm. I incline my forehead, and he taps his against mine before pulling away.
“It is loud here,” Alvayn says. “And bright.”
“It is like the city in Erethar. It is not like the Outerlands.”
Alvayn makes a face and turns away. My eyes meet Zynath’s, and he shakes his head.
“It is a hard adjustment. We miss the Outerlands, but there is no place for us there now. We must move on and make our home somewhere else.”
I feel my eyes sting, a mournful trill working its way up my throat. I feel responsible for this, for the stress they are facing. And it will be hard to make a home somewhere else, somewhere foreign, but it will be good. In the long run, it will be worth it.
I have found Dante. They could do the same. There are so many options here. They have their choice of many humans. And they need to explore and learn what they prefer.
“Have you been fed?” I ask, and Zynath nods.
“Prince Quilliyn has been very kind. I was not expecting that when we got in his…moving iron beast.”
“Car,” I say with a very small smile.
The word flows easily off my lips, and Zynath cocks his head. “Currrr.”
I smile, and he does the same, happiness radiating off me.
“We thought he was going to return us to the capital. The things said about Prince Quilliyn are not favorable. We have been told he is a traitor.”
My eyes widen. “He is not. He is honorable.”
“We know this now, but it is not what we were led to believe. He is kind,” Alvayn peers over at Quilliyn, and I see his skin shimmer slightly.
“He is. We will make sure you are safe here, fed, and clothed. Happy even.”
“We have gotten cum,” Zynath says. “It was our first time.”
A trill leaves my throat because I know the way it tastes, how good, how right. The first experience is everything.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“I did not know I could enjoy something so much. I wish to partake of it daily.”
“I’m sure Quilliyn can arrange that. They have factories…”
Zynath hums low in his throat. “We know we are blessed, but we would eventually like our own humans. Just like you.”
My ears flutter as Dante and Quilliyn appear near my side. Dante leans into me, and I curl my tail around his waist, pulling him in.
“Will we find a human?” Alvayn asks. “Are they as good as we have been told?”
I nod, feeling my skin heat. They are so good in many ways, but I do not say this. “They are.”
“Then this is what we wish.”
Quilliyn eyes me and then nods. “I will see what I can arrange, but for now, the most important thing will be getting you acclimated to Earth.”
Zynath and Alvayn turn to one another, their eyes meeting. They are silently communicating. Not in the way Dante and I can, but in a way only siblings know how.
They turn back to Quilliyn. “Yes, we will do this. We are ready to make a home here. The Outerlands are no longer safe.”
“They are not.”
Quilliyn’s voice is sad and soft, and I hold on to Dante tighter. I am pushing into his mind, letting him know what is being discussed. He does not know the language, but I do not want him left out.
“How can we help?” Dante asks in English, and I quickly translate for my brothers, who glance down at his crotch and lick their lips.
They do not mean offense, but I will not share. The growl I give makes them pick up their hands and step back.
They know I will not allow it.
Dante seems to understand because he lets out a small laugh. “Yeah, I’m sure we can find some horny guys who want to come over and let you suck. I promise.”
I allow Quilliyn to relay this, and my brothers are placated.
And then the conversation shifts, the five of us lowering ourselves onto the couches and speaking to one another.
They fill me in on everything I missed out on after I left, when I was banished.
I listen with breaking hearts. There is nothing I could have done, nothing I would have changed, but I ache for the home I once loved.
Our conversation moves to Earth, what Zynath and Alvayn can expect, and they listen with rapt attention, only interrupting when they are far too curious about something.
And when we leave hours later, I am relieved, happy, and excited to have my birth brothers here. People who will truly understand what it was like to grow up in the Outerlands, to rely on our hands and feet to keep us alive. It was survival, brutal, but we had joy.
I am happy to have someone to share this with.
I am glad they are here.
“You okay?” Dante asks as he drives us back home.