Chapter 21 #2
But they don’t understand the Vyastil the way I’ve come to. They don’t live with one. They don’t see the pain, the hurt, the neglect. They don’t see the way they cling and cuddle and chase pleasure like they’d been starved of it their entire lives.
Because they have been.
And now, Luca has come through.
‘So, anonymous? Mean what?’ I ask before rubbing my eyes, my brain in a slight fog from exhaustion.
He shrugs and makes a scoffing sound. ‘Don’t trust, but it’s the best offer. Outbid no one—offered seventeen percent above asking.’
I’m not used to that, and it seems a little sus, but also, the contract appears to be in order.
Our lawyer looked it over and gave the okay.
She didn’t see anything shady, and the agreement wasn’t couching language that would fuck us over.
The financier also wants five percent on the returns, and we retain a hundred percent of the intellectual property.
It’s a dream, which is probably why I’m nervous. I’m not used to getting what I want without a fight.
‘If you’re okay with it, I’m okay with it,’ I tell my brother.
He lets out a sigh, shrugs, then nods. He seems even more tired than a month ago when he came back from Vegas, and he’s still not talking to me about it. I even tried getting him drunk a couple nights ago, but he wouldn’t spill.
He did mention something about dick cookies and hotel room door locks, but nothing coherent. Something happened when he was in Vegas, but Luca has always been more stubborn than me. When he wants to keep his mouth shut and his fingers locked in fists, he’s a steel trap.
I will never know what happened until he wants to tell me.
‘Okay. I’m going to sign,’ I tell him. I set up the VeriSign and add my initials, then my signature, before passing Luca the keyboard to do the same.
He does without hesitation, which makes me feel a little better about my decision to do this. The confirmation email comes back quick, but I know we won’t hear from our mysterious patron until…well, who the fuck knows.
He has Luca’s contact info, and the attorney’s, so there’s a chance I might never know who this person is. Not that it matters. This is for us. For the good of our business.
To prove that the world is moving forward. That we’re progressive.
Luca taps a knuckle on the desk to get my attention, and I look at him, brows lifted.
‘How are you doing?’
I almost laugh. ‘Me? You’re the one who looks like shit.’
He flips me off and makes an irritated noise. ‘That’s not what I mean. Your pain,’ he says, the sign flicking off his fingers a little abruptly.
I grimace. Not because the pain has been worse, but because the pain has been relatively non-existent since the last flare, and I’m terrified to jinx it. And I’m terrified to think that the best treatment might be two herbs that send humans into some kind of heat.
If this is what Cielo wants from me, I’ll do it for him. But it sounds exhausting, even if Everest claims to love it.
Luca waves his hand near my face.
I blink, then shove him back. ‘Everything’s fine. You’re the one holding back.’ My fist squeezes near my lips as I stare at him.
He bites his lip, his tell when something is really wrong.
But something tells me this is something new. Something deeper. And I only recognize what it might be because for the first time in my life, I’m attached to someone.
‘You can talk to me,’ I remind him when his hands stay still.
He lets out a heavy puff of air, then nods. ‘I know. I’m not ready.’
‘Are you safe?’
He rolls his eyes, so I smack him on the leg.
‘I’m being serious, asshole!’
‘I’m safe,’ he promises. ‘I’m not a danger to myself or others. I’m eating. I’m drinking—’
‘Too much?’
He glances away, which tells me yes, but I’m not going to call him on it. Not yet.
‘I’m going to the gym, I’m checking on the café. I’m helping you with your bullshit…’
‘It’s not bullshit!’
He squares his shoulders like he’s about to go off on me, then suddenly he sags forward and bows his head. A moment passes, then another, and finally he looks back up at me. ‘I know it’s not bullshit. It’s for Cielo.’
‘Not just for him, but yes.’
‘You love him.’
Yes. But I’m not going to say that in any language. Not yet. ‘I know things about the Vyastil,’ I reply, using the sign name Luca gave the monsters, ‘that a lot of people don’t. I feel bad for a lot of them.’
He looks like he wants to argue, but doesn’t. ‘Q is nice, and I like Cielo. He feels like family.’
That makes me feel a thousand times better because, while Gia, Amara, my parents, and Luca have embraced him, to see him say that is a relief. Too many people are like Zane. They’re good at pretending to tolerate what they can’t stand.
Hell, even Cielo believes he and Zane are friends.
That makes my stomach roil slightly. There’s something about Zane I can’t put my finger on.
And I don’t like it. He comes over to play with Niaus—who is getting big and is still fluffy and adorable and has totally grown on me—but the way Zane watches Cielo sometimes…
It’s not with lust. It’s not with hate.
It’s something else. Like he’s studying him.
I attempted to bring it up with Everest once, but he shut me down, so I decided it wasn’t worth it.
But I’ve been paying attention, and I will continue to pay attention because I will not let anyone put Cielo in harm’s way. Not after everything he’s been through.
‘I need to go,’ Luca signs, making a noise to get my attention. ‘I’m meeting a friend.’
My brows fly up. ‘What friend? You don’t have any friends.’
He flips me off again, and I laugh, pushing to my feet. When I do, the world spins a little, and I feel a familiar sort of ache settling in my bones. Fuck. No, no no no.
Not now.
Not after all this time.
I fucking jinxed myself even if I didn’t say or sign it. But the feeling passes after a few breaths, and Luca didn’t seem to notice my slight panic. He drags me into a hug, then shoves me back in my seat like the asshole he is.
I watch him go, sitting back in my chair and assessing my body. I have been a little more tired the last few days. Maybe all this work and stress are getting to me.
I don’t want to panic. I don’t want to catastrophize. I just want to enjoy my life. Sneaking a peek at the clock, I see that it’s almost time to close up, so I push up from my desk and make my way out into the shop where Everest is closing out the cash register.
I don’t think we’ve had a customer in a while, considering how bored he looks, and I feel bad that he chose this over hanging out at the Foundry.
“You can take off if you want,” I tell him. There’s not much left to handle today, so I don’t need him to stay.
“Sweet. How did the contract thingy go?”
“Amazing, actually. We got an amazing financing offer, so I think we’ll be in official production soon.”
“That’s good, right?”
“So long as we can sell them. And that means convincing the other Vyastil to give them a try without, you know, pissing off their higher-ups about orgasms and pleasure and whatnot.”
Everest pulls a face. He knows how hard that will be. He’s told me a little about the punishment Rathyn suffered after Cielo was arrested. Most of it involves Everest pretending to be a mindless, obedient puppy on a leash.
Literally.
And hell, I’m all for leash play, but the forced part is the thing that sucks, though Everest doesn’t seem to mind much.
“You’re not going to get a bunch of monsters in the capital signing up, but I think there are plenty here who will want to experiment,” he says, grabbing his bag and throwing it on the counter. “I’m taking a couple things, by the way. It’s kind of an anniversary for us tonight.”
It’s probably better that I don’t ask, though I see him putting a set of silicone beads in his bag, along with the matching cock ring. He’s definitely going to have some fun.
“By the way, would you and Cielo be interested in a double date?”
I blink at him. “Oh. Uh…” Cielo and I have been doing everything except dating, and suddenly I feel guilty for not suggesting it. “That might be good, actually. Does Rathyn like going on dates?”
Everest bursts into laughter. “God, no. He hates how loud the movies are, and how gross human food is. But he does what I want. Most of the time, anyway. And I thought it could be fun.”
“Count us in. I’ll talk to Cielo when I see him, but I doubt he’ll say no.” He does love trying new things.
He’s gotten amazing at cooking, even if he agrees with Rathyn about human food.
But he cooks for me.
“Alright, man. See you tomorrow.” Everest comes over and busses a kiss to my cheek before hefting his bag over his shoulder and heading out the back.
I lock the door, flip off the open sign, and then finish up doing the deposit for the morning. When it’s done, I glance around the shop and think about what Everest took, but I don’t think Cielo is ready for that.
He likes the prototypes I’ve made for him, but when I bring home human toys for him to use on me, he seems almost afraid. Like he’s worried he’ll hurt me.
I don’t mind being patient, but maybe it’s time I spice things up. Maybe there’s something he might like. Something he’s had his eye on…
My eye catches something pink in the lingerie aisle, and I realize it’s those lace panties he’d been toying with before. He looked at them the way he looks at his coat: with utter adoration.
I flip through the hangers until I find the largest size we have, which might be enough to fit over his gorgeous, massive thighs, then I take it to the back room with me because they need a bit of work to fit his body.
Luckily, I have my trusty sewing machine sitting, and all it takes is a few cuts and some thread before the panties have a back hole, one large enough for a tail to slide through.
I take a moment to picture him in them. The lace stretching over his skin, barely covering his slit, wrapped tightly around the base of his tail. My cock thickens.
Fuck.