Chapter 28 #3
He leans over and drops his forehead against mine for a brief but lingering moment. “Keep your brothers safe.”
The thought clings to me as I attempt to go back to my knitting, but when Rathyn rises to find Everest, the seat does not remain empty for long.
During our conversation, I did not hear another person come through the door, but the person beside me now is Zane. He looks freshly washed, smelling like Earthen fruit. His curls are slightly damp and hang over his forehead.
“Am I interrupting?”
I shake my head.
“I just wanted to see how you were. You haven’t been at the barista counter lately.”
No. I was occupied with too many things that Zane cannot know. “Broooken,” I tell him.
He scoffs. “Q fixed that shit days ago. You can tell me if something’s wrong. You look upset.”
He sounds sincere. “Fammmily,” I tell him. I do not have the capability to give him the words he wants, and his sign lexicon in his small human brain does not extend to something so complex.
He frowns. “I thought you didn’t have family.”
“Brothers,” I tell him.
He bites his lip, then says, “Can I meet them?”
Before I can answer, Luca appears, nudging Zane slightly. Zane looks up at him, and for a moment, irritation crosses his features. Then he breathes out and offers a fist for Luca to bump.
Luca does not look friendly with him, but when he beckons Zane along, after some hesitation, Zane follows. Dante is quick to slide back against me, and I curl my tail around his ankle, letting it squeeze him tight.
“Is everything okay?” I ask him in his head.
He sighs. “I don’t know. Luca’s freaked out about stuff and…” He switches to speech, though he keeps his voice low. “We have enough to worry about ourselves right now. I’m going to let it go.”
I do not wish for him to ignore his brother, but he is not wrong. We have a lot to worry about. And a lot of comfort to take in each other’s bodies.
My knees press into the mattress, thighs stretched into a wide V over my Dante’s torso. His clawless fingers drag over my skin, the pressure perfect, his touch possessive. His tongue laps at my slit, coaxing me out to feed him—to heal him—as my head dips lower toward his hard, waiting cock.
I take a moment to enjoy the sheer pleasure of it. Cum is life. Dante’s is the reason I was able to heal, and to absorb his languages, and to become myself more than I ever had been on Erethar. But it is more than that with him.
He is not just a vessel for what I need.
He is mine.
“Cielo,” he moans. His hips rock up toward my face as I open my mouth and extend my tongue. I lap at his small testicles with the forked end, curling it around them as they grow heavy and fat.
My tongue twists around the base of his cock, drawing it up toward my mouth, and my lips part just a little more as I take him inside me.
I cannot describe in any language how this feels. To have him suckling me, to have him drawing my breeding seed inside of him to heal him as he heals me. His fingers flex on the globes of my backside on either side of my tail as he sucks me harder, and I do the same for him.
I know what he likes now. I know how to make every moment of this wild with lust, pleasure, and what he calls love. I send him waves of it through our connection as he gasps, and I allow the sensations to overwhelm me, even as I milk him dry.
“Cielo,” he says, words thick as he swallows me down. “Cielo, Cielo. Fuck.”
He spills once more, another pulsing spurt into my mouth, and I consume it before rolling to the side so I do not crush him. It takes great effort for me to twist my body, but I do not think twice about it because I need him in my arms.
He collapses against me with a needy whimper, shoving his face into my neck as he laves at the place my pulse is pounding. I wonder if he feels it too—the need to bite. To taste blood. To connect on that deeper level that will bond us for life?
“VySytheh,” I murmur, dragging my claws through his sweat-tangled hair.
He looks up at me, eyes bright. He is a man who is now free of pain, and over the long hours since we left Erethar, he seems both in wonder and perhaps even a little afraid.
“I’ve heard that word before. Is it like Niaus?”
I smile, my fangs pricking into my bottom lip, and I shake my head. “No, my Dante.”
“Can you explain it to me?”
I do not have the words. In any language, I think they would fail me. It is almost impossible to convey the importance of what a VySytheh is to us, but perhaps there is another way.
Leaning down, I press my forehead against his and let the old songs flow into him. He stiffens at first, then sags against me, and when I pull back, his cheeks are wet.
“Leeeeeking,” I say.
He laughs and sniffs as I lean in to lick the salty marks his tears have left behind. “Sorry. I don’t know why I’ve been crying so much lately.”
“A lot,” I say. “I maaake you…sad?”
“No. I’m not sad.” He surges in, taking me by my chin with strong fingers and kissing the breath straight out of me. “You make me happy. Can’t you feel it?”
I reach for him, and yes. Yes, I can. I kiss him back thoroughly, moving from his lips to his jaw, then to his neck, then to the spot on his shoulder I want to bite.
He gasps and turns his head. Just before I can pull away, he digs his fingers into my hair and holds me fast. “Do it.”
I shake my head.
“I want it.”
I fight his hold just enough so I can look into his face, and I drag a claw down the side of his neck. “Soon.”
“Why not now?”
I close my eyes. “Oyen.”
He stiffens, and I feel a prick of fear coasting through him.
I understand it. The last time he took oyen and ruenox, he collapsed from the pain.
But it will not be this way again. He has been taking fresh zitha with my cum, and we will attempt to return to Erethar when it is safe again to speak with Sabik and ensure that his body is healing.
“We mussst,” I say. I push into his mind again. “If we wish to bond, it must be done during heat.”
After a long moment of hesitation and silence, he relaxes against me and drags a touch up the center of my back. “Okay. I’m nervous, but I trust you. And I trust Sabik.”
I hold him a little tighter, for as long as I am able. I must return to work today, and I must speak with Quilliyn to find out when he can obtain the weapon to destroy the portal key.
Life must return to some semblance of normal as I find the patience to wait for Rathyn and Everest to come up with a plan. To recruit others. To find a way to make Erethar safe. To make it home again.
“You okay?” Dante asks softly.
I look down into his face and feel content. “Yes.”
For a moment, it looks as though he might argue with me, which makes me smile. But he does not. He simply presses a kiss to the corner of my mouth, then leans back into my arms.
I no longer feel so starved, so desperate for this kind of touch. I will never, ever tire of it. And I will never, ever turn Dante down when he wants to cuddle.
I very much enjoy the smell of the coffee as I walk inside the small gym café and find it fairly empty. There is no one at the juice counter yet, but Quilliyn is behind the coffee counter serving someone a latte.
He smiles and beckons me over as I grab an apron from the hook on the wall and tie it on. We touch foreheads for a brief moment as we wait for the two humans to leave, and when they do, silence settles around us.
“Have you spoken to your brothers?” he asks.
I nod. They were given phones and have been absorbing human languages quickly now that they have access to factory cum. Quilliyn has shown them how to text and to take photos, so mine is now full of images they have found interesting.
It is so much like when I first set foot on Earth. The last one Zynath sent me was of the small creek that runs through the city park, and I know that he is in awe of surface water as much as I am.
I still have not seen the vast oceans or lakes that are in pictures in all the tourist shops, but my Dante has promised to take me there soon.
“I wanted to let you know that I will be traveling to Erethar soon,” Quilliyn says. There is something in his tone that tells me this is not a good thing. “I have been summoned by my family.”
I suck in a breath. “You are in trouble?”
He laughs. “I’m always in trouble. But no. I believe they wish to discuss the abdication.”
My eyes go wide. I did not realize the king was abdicating so soon. Prince Jyrion is set to take over for him, and that terrifies me. The king is a harsh ruler, but he has always been fair.
Prince Jyrion, however, is not.
“When?” My voice shakes.
Quilliyn reaches for me, wrapping his fingers around my wrist. “Not for seven third moon cycles.”
The third moon is our longest cycle, and that settles my nerves somewhat. I do not know what the time will be like on Earth, but it will not be immediate.
“But you know how long these events take to plan,” Quilliyn says.
I can’t help but wonder if Rathyn has spoken to him, and if Quilliyn’s desire to rebel against his family extends as far as Rathyn and Everest want the changes to go. I think about telling him now, but I don’t want to ruin this little bit of peace I have created.
Not yet.
I open my mouth to ask about the portal key, but the door opens, and Chadwick and Tyler walk in with Zane trailing behind them. Zane has been working at the juice bar, which was a surprise to me.
I never thought a human like him would work for a Vyastil, but he seems content. He shoots me a smile as he ducks behind the counter for his hat and apron, and my ears flutter with happiness to see my friends.
“Cielo!” Chadwick offers me his fist to bump. “Bro, you’ve been gone forever.”
“Sorry. Busssyyyy.”
“Bro. Did he say bussy?” Tyler asks.
Chadwick elbows him. “Shut up, dude. You know he can’t help it.”
I am lost, but Quilliyn steps in quickly to take their orders as I get to work on prepping to pull espresso shots. A few feet away, Zane grins at me as he kneels down with a sharp metal device to open boxes.
“You okay?” he asks me.
I dip my head in a nod. “Yeees. Thank you.”
“Your English words have gotten really good. Is that just, like, from being here?”
I shrug. “Cum.”
His face darkens with a flush. “Oh. Uh…so you do the clinic thing, or—”
I stiffen immediately. I know that my Dante is no longer required to go there, but even hearing the name makes me possessive and almost angry. “No. My Dante.”
Zane’s shoulders relax. “Oh. Right. I…of course.” He glances away and gets back to unboxing protein powders as I start working on making my friends’ drinks.
I also make one for myself and enjoy the gentle hum of chatting in the background as Quilliyn talks to them about their weekend. As he does this, I make images of leaves and birds in the foam for them, then pass them over.
Chadwick grins down at his. “You’re so fucking good at this, dude. You could totally start a Snapchat and get famous.”
“Bro,” Tyler says slowly. “We should hook you up.”
I do not understand most of these words, but they seem kind. The three of us sip our drinks, the two of them chatting about social media—which I do not understand either—before they say goodbye to start their workout. When they do, I move to clean the steam wand.
“I have the portal key in your locker,” Quilliyn says to me, still using English. He blinks, then shakes his head and switches to Eretharian. “I know Rathyn wants us to destroy it right away, but I won’t have the maul until I get back.”
“I do not think he will mind. He and Everest have plans that are going to take some time to realize.”
Quilliyn’s eyes narrow, but he does not ask more. I appreciate that I will not need to lie to my friend—and to a member of the royal household.
“I need to get off work early today,” comes Zane’s voice from the side of the counter. Quilliyn and I both jump. It seems we forgot he was there for a moment. “Is that cool?”
Quilliyn shrugs and offers him a smile that I have not seen him give before. It is…interesting. “Whatever you need.”
Zane’s cheeks turn pink. “Uh. Thanks. Anyway, I need to go make a phone call really quick. I’ll be right back.”
He hurries toward the door, and just as he steps out, I watch him crash into a much larger man. A familiar man.
Luca’s big hands catch Zane before he falls on his ass, and their gazes meet. Luca seems unhappy, and Zane’s mouth moves quickly before he elbows past Luca and almost starts to jog away.
I wave at Luca, who nods at me, but instead of coming inside, he turns and follows Zane, disappearing around the corner.
“Does it bother you that he hates our kind?” I ask Quilliyn once we’re alone again.
He sighs. “Sometimes. But there are Vyastil who hate humans. Who think they’re no better than animals. The capital is full of them. And the way some companions are treated…”
He doesn’t finish his sentence.
I understand. I have seen it in the short tenure I spent working for Vyastil elite. Everest was the first one I had seen who refused to accept his position with grace. And the change that was made in Rathyn was profound.
“Do you wish it could be different?” I ask.
Quilliyn is quiet for another moment. “Zane, or all of it?”
“All of it,” I say.
He bows his head and his ears flick sadly. “Yes. But I’m not sure how that will ever happen.”
I’m not either, but I have faith that the others will figure it out. And when they’re ready—when it’s time to fight for what we need—I will be there.
“I’m heading to the front now. Will you be good here until Rosie gets in?”
I nod and reach for a box of paper cups to begin my opening work. “Always. And thank you again for all your help.”
He touches his forehead to mine once more, then walks away without another word.