Chapter 13 #2
My breath flees my chest for a single moment as I remember Cielo’s face as I used one on him, and I swallow heavily, tucking back my half-hard dick before opening the door and marching out to the floor again.
Rathyn’s hovering in the corner with narrowed eyes, arms folded over his chest as he watches Everest walk a younger, nervous-looking couple down the aisle with all the leather bondage.
“These items in this store are all for sexual intercourse, yes?” Rathyn says the moment I slide up next to him.
I lift a brow. “I mean…mostly. It’s a little more nuanced than that.”
He hums deep in his chest, the sound melodious and pretty—just like Cielo’s soft noises. They’re different, though. Rathyn’s seems more curated, while Cielo seems like he acts solely on instinct.
“If you have any questions—”
“This job will not require my human to perform any sexual acts on the customers, will it?” he demands.
I almost laugh, but I can tell he’s serious—and on the verge of pissed off, depending on what my answer is going to be. “No. No sexual acts. Everest is helping them find whatever they need. Then they’ll give him money, and he’ll give them the product—”
“And he will take this money? This is silly. I give him plenty.”
“Uh…” I decide it’s not worth it to explain the exchange that Everest and I agreed upon. I’ll let him do that. “The money’s for the shop, so I can buy more toys to sell to more people.”
Rathyn sighs impatiently. “I do not like that this takes his attention away from me.”
This time, I do laugh. “Dude. You need to relax. Humans very much require affection, time, and attention from their partners, but we also require space.”
“Space,” he says slowly, like the word disgusts him.
“Yes. It’s important.”
He makes a noise in the back of his throat—a strange clicking sound. I have a feeling it’s his version of a scoff. “Everest does not need—”
“Yes, I do,” Everest chimes in, walking over. The couple has been checked out and is hurrying for the door, casting a quick glance back at Rathyn.
I can’t help but bristle at them. Normally, I drop tiny questions in my conversations with customers to try and suss out if they’re bigots or not. I’d rather lose money than take any from people like that.
It’s something I’ll need to discuss with Everest, but I don’t want to do it while Rathyn is listening. There’s no need to hurt him by reminding him that humans can also be monsters.
“I need time to myself, and we have discussed this,” Everest is saying, poking a finger against Rathyn’s chest. “And we’re not having another argument about it.”
Rathyn makes that clicking sound again, then waves his hand and turns his gaze away.
Rolling his eyes, Everest turns to look at me. “Is that what you wanted to show me?”
I nod, pulling the top off the box. Everest peers inside, and over his shoulder, I can see Rathyn stealing a glance. Everest swallows, then he reaches out a hand to touch before pulling it back.
“Sorry. Should I not—”
“No, it’s fine. You can have this one,” I tell him. “It needs to be sterilized before you use it, but yeah. It’s for him.”
Rathyn’s eyes go wide as Everest sucks in a breath and pulls it out. He twists it in his hands, testing the softness and how pliable it is, and how the shape of it is meant to fit a Vyastil cock.
Of course, I couldn’t make one long enough to take the entire length of them. They’re fucking massive.
But this size worked well for Cielo.
“I’ve gotten good reviews on this so far,” I say.
Everest chokes as Rathyn leans over his shoulder. “You have tested this one on other Vyastil? And you wish for me to put mine in the same place another has—”
“No,” I say before he can finish. “Oh my god, no. This one is new. I made others like it. It’s so you’ll feel good.”
“I wish to pleasure my Everest, not for him to pleasure me,” Rathyn says, but there’s something in his voice that’s different. Something…curious, maybe.
If I can convince him to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh, I have a feeling more Vyastil will do the same. Maybe that will cause some kind of change…maybe even for the better.
“We’re going to play,” Everest says decidedly. He puts the toy back in the box, then shoves it at Rathyn’s chest. “Take this home. Now.”
Rathyn’s eyes narrow, but he curls his hand around the box like he can’t help it. “I wish to find toys for you.”
“You can do that later. Right now, I want to work my first day without you hovering.” He growls slightly, and Everest sighs. “I’ll come right home after my shift. You go…do whatever you do when I’m not around, and I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Everest,” he says sternly.
Everest is unmoved. “Go.”
After what feels like an actual stand-off, Rathyn’s shoulders sag. He doesn’t leave easily, though. He wraps his tail around Everest’s waist and tugs him close, giving him a slow, filthy kiss.
It’s hard to watch, but only because it makes me miss Cielo, who is either at the gym or at my house waiting for me. For the first time in a long, long while, I realize I want something more.
I don’t want to be alone.
And maybe the problem wasn’t that relationships didn’t fit my life. Maybe the problem has always been that I was not made for humans.
The following day, I sit down with a tired sigh and smile at the giant, foil-wrapped burrito Everest plopped in front of me. There’s a massive glass of ice water beside it, and a pile of chips and two containers of salsa and guac.
Having an employee, even if he isn’t exactly an employee, is amazing.
“I wish I had known you sooner,” I tell him, peeling back the foil.
He snorts. “Sure, but then you would’ve had to pay me, so that wouldn’t have happened.”
I grimace through my first bite. He has a point. Though if Luca comes home with a few more contracts, and if I can get this whole Vyastil sex toy idea off the ground, I might be able to have an actual staff someday.
“Is this what you always wanted to do?” he asks as he nibbles on a chip.
I sigh as I chase my bite down with a sip of water. “I mean…I don’t really know. I was the kid who would say something like, when I grow up, I want to be a tree or some shit. I never had a passion.”
He tilts his head as he looks at me. “You don’t strike me as a guy with no passions.”
I can’t help but laugh, and I almost choke on a piece of chicken. “Trust me, I’m passionate. Just not about work. I want enough money to pay my bills, to eat out whenever I want, and to maybe take a vacation or two a year. And I want to be able to do it without working myself into the grave.”
Or being in constant flare cycles. That would be nice, too.
Everest hums as he swirls a chip around the guac. “I get that. I didn’t exactly have hot dog dreams when I graduated high school.”
“Did you want to do something else?”
“Honestly?” He goes quiet for a long second. “I know it sounds pathetic, but all I could think about was getting the fuck out of my aunt and uncle’s house. They’re…” He stops and bites his lip. “They’re the kind of people you don’t want shopping here.”
“What—oh.” Because oh. I get what he’s saying.
He pulls a face. “Yeah. They wanted me to be more like my friend, Zane. He’s a good guy, but his parents got in his head about the Vyastil and all those bullshit conspiracy theories about why they’re here.”
“What do they think?” I have to ask. There are rumors online, and most of it is bullshit. But I have a feeling not all of it is. After seeing what they did to Cielo, I’m starting to wonder if some of the humans who are against the monster presence in our world are on to something.
The individuals are kind and wonderful. Their society, I’m not so sure.
He sighs and shoves a bite into his mouth, chewing like he’s trying to avoid the question.
After it’s obvious I’m not going to let it go, he groans and swallows.
“I don’t really know the details. Zane doesn’t talk to me about it much because of my whole thing with Rath.
But I think they believe some shit like they’re coming to destroy or enslave humanity.
Or they’re trying to corrupt our DNA to eradicate us.
Some bullshit like that. I never believed them. ”
The very idea that Cielo would be interested in eradicating us is almost laughable. He’s a tender little marshmallow who just wants to be held and kissed and given lattes.
There isn’t a chance in hell he’s hiding something like that.
The others who are more like Rathyn, well…I can’t say I trust them. It’s obvious there’s corruption in their government, but that’s everywhere. They’re no different from the terrible humans we have to live with.
“You know I don’t believe it, right?” Everest asks.
My gaze darts up to him, and I reach out, laying my hand on his. “Of course you don’t. I can tell you love Rathyn. A lot.”
His cheeks go pink, and he looks down. “Yeah,” he answers with the smallest smile.
“I really do. He’s kind of an obnoxious ass, but I don’t know.
There’s so much more to him.” He looks up at me.
“You get that, right? With Cielo? I mean, I know you don’t have the same thing with him that Rath and I do, but—”
“No. I get it. Trust me.” I’ve been holding this in for so long, and I’m still scared to tell Cielo my feelings because what if they scare him off?
But I want to get this off my chest. It’s such a heavy weight.
“I like him a lot. But I don’t know if he’ll ever be willing to accept more from me.
They really fucked with his head about what he deserves. ”
Everest’s expression goes stormy. “I know they did. I want to fucking kill them.”
I squeeze his hand before letting go. “Maybe I’ll wear him down eventually. For now, what we have is…nice. I wish he’d take cum, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Everest tilts his head to the side. “You two fool around, right?”
I envision him writhing on the bed as I fucked his cock with the toy the other night. “Yes.”
“Does he get all…possessive?”
My whole body flushes, and my dick kicks in my jeans. “Yeah. He uh…” I decide not to share any of the details. “Let’s just say he makes it known that I’m what he wants. I’m actually kind of freaking out about it.”
Everest raises a brow. “What? Why?”
“Because I have to go to the clinic.”
“Oh shit. I almost forgot about that.”
“I don’t know how to talk about it with Cielo. I feel like he won’t try to stop me, but I also think it’s going to hurt him, knowing other Vyastil are sucking my cock when he can’t. Well…won’t.”
Everest swallows heavily. “Shit, dude. That sucks.”
I’ve been trying to avoid thinking about it, but the appointment is in the morning, and I’m not sure they’ll grant me a pass.
“I don’t want to do it. It never bothered me before, but now, the very idea of letting another Vyastil touch me makes me feel…
” It’s a strange sensation. It’s like a visceral revulsion that comes from deep inside the core of my soul.
It makes me want to watch as Cielo rip them all to shreds with his claws.
And that is very, very new.
“Uncomfortable?” Everest offers.
That’s putting it too mildly, but I nod anyway.
“I’d suggest a companion contract, but considering Cielo’s being punished, I don’t think they’d let him. I also don’t know if they let Vyastil in Cielo’s position have companions.” Everest stroked his chin. “I still want to ask Rath if he can get you out of it.”
I nod, but the truth is, I’m not sure there’s a way. All I can do when I tell Cielo is assure him that it’s nothing more than my duty and pay extra attention to him before and after. And maybe leave him more cum to soothe the sting.
“Thanks for listening to me,” I say after a long silence.
Everest nods. He looks as distressed as I feel, and maybe it’s because he’s one of the only other humans I know who understands.
I’m not as close or as bonded to Cielo as Everest is to Rathyn, but I could see it going that way someday.
Our connection does feel like it’s growing stronger, especially now that he’s been sleeping in my bed with me at night.
And, if I’m willing to admit it, I can feel something between Cielo and me that transcends human understanding. As much as I should probably run from it, all I want to do is run into his arms and let him—as the assholes would say—corrupt my humanity.