Chapter 27
twenty-seven
DANTE
When I peel my eyes open, it feels like a hundred years have passed, but based on the light coming through the window, I can tell that, at best, I only slept through the night.
I feel like a new man, though. The pain in my body is gone, and the only thing left behind are the normal aches and pains of having been in bed for way too long. But that’s just being a human.
Rolling over onto my side, I see the impression Cielo left behind. I have no idea how long he’s been up, but I do know he doesn’t sleep as long as I do. I could call him in, but I’m ready to be on my feet again.
With a deep back stretch, then a trip to the bathroom to piss and brush my teeth, I eventually make my way into the kitchen and find Cielo chewing on that weird mossy shit Everest has been bringing over for him.
His gaze catches mine, and he shoots me a devastatingly gorgeous smile, his fangs poking over his lips.
“Morning.”
He nods, stuffs the rest of the moss into his mouth, then opens his arms for me. The fact that he so willingly asks for affection now is everything.
I slide up against his chest, and he curls his tail around my right leg as I tip my face up for a kiss. He tastes earthy and oddly sweet as his tongue moves over mine. Something inside me settles.
For the first time in so long, I feel like everything is the way it’s meant to be.
“Thank you for letting me sleep.”
He pushes claws through my hair, snagging on some of my tangles, but he brushes them out gently as he stares into my face. “My Dante.”
I love how he calls me that. “I am yours, you know?”
He hums softly before kissing me again, but it doesn’t last long. Pulling away, I can tell there’s something on his mind, so I press a hand to his chest.
“What is it?”
His ears droop a little, and he glances off to the side. His tells are so obvious, but I don’t want to let him know that. I love being able to read him.
“Come on, baby. Whatever it is, it’s not going to bother me.”
He takes a breath, then lets me go from his arms, though his tail is still firmly in place around my leg as he leans back against the counter. “I saaaw Everest. Rathyn.”
I frown. “When?”
“Last nyyyyt,” he says.
“What? Why didn’t you wake me up?”
He makes an irritated, impatient noise. “Sleeeep. You neeeed rest.”
I want to roll my eyes, but he’s not wrong. The pain, the treatment, all of it took it out of me. I was fucking wrecked, and as good as I feel now, it wouldn’t have been the same if I’d been dragged out of bed last night.
“Alright, fair enough. So, what happened? Was Rathyn pissed off?”
He quickly shakes his head, then I feel that pressure in my temple telling me he wants to speak that way. I know it’s easier for him, so I relax my thoughts and let him in.
“I wish to return to Erethar and bring my brothers home.”
“Home?” I say aloud, startled. “Here?”
He ducks his head a bit but nods. “Hooome.” He reaches a hand out and presses it against my chest. “You are my home. They are not safe. Rathyn said he will assist, but I must speak with Quilliyn to see if he can find a place for them to stay.”
I vaguely remember his brothers. I was in agony when I shuffled toward the village, but now that I’m thinking with a clearer head, and with the images Cielo is projecting into my mind, I see how bad they are.
They’re tired. Dirty. Almost emaciated.
They’re suffering, and once again, I refuse to believe the punishment fits the crime.
“Okay. We can do that. I—oh fuck. I have to open the shop!”
Cielo curls his hand around my wrist and holds me tight, shaking his head. “Luca. Werrrk shup fer you.”
I could kiss him for knowing to ask my brother, but that seems patronizing. Cielo is nothing if not observant. I kiss him anyway, but that’s just for the pleasure of doing it. “Thank you,” I whisper.
He nods and tips his forehead against mine for a brief moment. I’m coming to understand this gesture as one of not just affection, but respect.
“Okay, let me eat something, and then we can head over to the gym and see if Quilliyn can help you out.”
Cielo looks pleased and releases me so I can dig into the fridge for everything I need to make a sandwich. Considering how bad the pain was, I’m now ravenous, and I could damn-well eat a horse if that wouldn’t be nasty as fuck.
“Tell you what,” I say as I smear mayo on both sides of my baguette. I grab the turkey and lettuce next and begin to assemble my lunch. “After I eat this, you can hop in the shower with me and have your breakfast.”
Cielo’s eyes cut to the bowl of moss that he has left over, then back to me, and he frowns. “Breaaakfasss?”
I reach over and take his hand, pressing it to where my cock is just starting to harden. “Yeah. Breakfast.”
His eyes widen with understanding, and he sucks in a breath before grabbing my arm by the wrist and pressing my own palm to his slit. “And medicinnnnn.”
I stare, then burst into laughter before dropping my knife and surging into a heavy, hard kiss.
The shower takes longer than I anticipated. The entire time Cielo was on his knees with his long tongue milking my cock and balls for everything they were worth, I could feel the slight anxious feeling coming off him.
It’s an urgency to leave, to speak with Quilliyn, and to save his brothers.
But he took his time taking his cum, and then took his time spreading himself out on the bed so I could take mine.
I have no idea if his cum alone will help me, but I feel a little more bounce in my step as we leave the apartment and slide into the car. The sun is out, so it’s a little warm, but I put down the windows and crank some old EDM that Luca left on the player.
He loves club music because the bass is so heavy, and if I listen to anything, it’s usually my Spotify playlist of ’90s alt-rock and riot grrrl bands. But Cielo seems to enjoy the electronica melodies, and I kind of get why.
They sound a lot like the hums and tones Vyastil make when they’re speaking to each other. He leans his head back, strands of his hair whipping around his face as he taps his tail on his leg to the beat.
In this moment, I’m so happy it’s almost terrifying. And I know a lot is coming. This is far from over. There’s a feeling in the air—like there’s something just over the horizon that’s going to change life as we know it.
At least, so long as we don’t sit complicit in the bullshit going on in both worlds.
But the thought also terrifies me because I have never been a fighter before. Nothing was ever worth it. Not until the moment I saw Cielo lying in a heap in Everest’s arms, looking like he was inches from death.
Now, I will do anything for him.
The gym parking lot is a little full when we get there, which isn’t great for the super-secret meeting we need to have with Quilliyn, but as we walk inside, I see that it’s mostly humans who are on the machines.
There are a couple of Vyastil on the StairMasters, but they don’t look over when we enter. The woman behind the desk looks new, and she regards Cielo carefully before smiling at me.
“Checking in?”
I scan my badge on instinct. “Is Q working?”
She pulls a face. “I think he’s at the barista counter.”
Something about her tone bothers me, but Cielo seems unfazed. I don’t know if it’s because he’s used to hearing that tone with humans, or if he’s distracted. Either way, I make a show out of taking his hand and tugging him close as I push away from the counter.
“Excuse me. That needs to—I mean, he—” she corrects quickly, “needs to check in.”
My eyes narrow. I almost call her out, but it’s probably better that I talk to Quilliyn first before throwing a fit. I nudge Cielo. “Scan in, baby.”
Cielo looks confused, probably because he’s not working out, not to mention he kind of works here, but he takes his little card out of his coat pocket, scans it, and walks off as it beeps.
I fight the urge to flip her off as we make our way past the mirrored rooms with all the classes and through the swinging glass doors that lead to the juice bar and the coffee station.
Quilliyn is at the counter staring down at a piece of machinery I don’t recognize, but his gaze darts up when we enter, and he smiles. “You’re not working today, right?” he says to Cielo. “The espresso machine is down, so I sent everyone home.”
Cielo immediately begins to speak Eretharian, and I say nothing because I know he needs to rely on his own language in a situation like this.
As he speaks, Quilliyn’s face gets darker and darker, and when Cielo goes quiet, he lets out a heavy sigh. He says something back, then catches my gaze and clears his throat. “I think I have something. Dante, did you understand any of that?”
I snort. “Uh, no. But I know we’re here to ask about—ah—a couple friends of ours, so…”
“No one here is unsafe. I promise,” Quilliyn reassures me.
He leans on the counter and glances over at the juice bar.
There are two employees, but they both look too busy to give a shit what we’re talking about.
“I have a friend who can rent them an apartment if they’re comfortable living together. ”
Cielo nods frantically. “Same veeellage.”
That must mean something to Quilliyn because he looks relieved. “You have a portal key?”
Cielo nods again, and someone at the barista counter coughs loudly. I glance over, and it’s then that I recognize the mop of curls under a hat.
Zane.
He’s not looking over at either of us. He seems very invested in the fruit he’s chopping, but all the same, I lean in close to Quilliyn.
“When did you hire him? I thought he was, like, a trust-fund kid,” I murmur.
Quilliyn follows my gaze and smirks. “He told me his parents cut him off financially. He had a job, but doesn’t anymore. It was a favor to his parents, which he has lost.”
“What about the new hire at the front desk?”
Quilliyn frowns. “Cat?”
I shrug. “I didn’t catch her name.”
“Did she say something unkind?”