Chapter 21 Tai
TWENTY-ONE
Tai
Ihad to get out of the tent before I did something that couldn’t be taken back, so it’s back in the sand for me until I’m confident Bri is fully dressed and preferably asleep.
The hint of her body under the water was enough to send all the blood in my body straight to my cock.
Her casual flirtatiousness made me feel impulsive.
Putting some distance between us is the best way to get myself back under control.
It’s dark and cold out here. It should be a nice break from the pounding heat of the day, but it’s bitterly cold, my breath fogging in the air a testament to how quickly the temperatures change here.
The brethren hardly register my presence when I slide into an empty space around the fire.
That’s alright with me. I don’t want to talk to them either.
The flames are hypnotic as they flicker and wave.
An open flame is unheard of on j’Tilak. It would be too dangerous in the hydrogen-rich atmosphere.
Even a small flame could erupt into a fireball that would consume everything.
Brush shifts in the firepit and embers spiral up to the sky. I watch the sparks until they disappear into the stars. This strange place has these brief slices of beauty.
My peaceful thoughts are rudely interrupted by the frantic hushed tones of the brethren. Boss must be approaching. He really does put everyone on edge.
Bouncing from station to station showed me how differently everyone reacts to power. The vast majority were cruel and punishing. Unchecked power corrupts. I thought that was how the universe worked. Until I learned about my home planet.
On j’Tilak noble houses share responsibility to maintain balance. I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. When someone becomes too powerful or does something to endanger the planet, they lose influence. The planet itself insists on balance.
In an almost mystical way, j’Tilak challenged me.
I became attached to the stability it brought me.
When the humans came, it threatened the foundation my survival depended on, or so I thought.
I worried my world would change too much for me to feel safe and in control.
I didn't know it then, but I was ready to change.
More than that, I needed to. It was time to learn what I should have known all along: coexistence is only the beginning.
The real work is letting someone different from you leave a mark and leaving one yourself.
I watched Aro grow into someone who stopped avoiding responsibility and stepped up. He harnessed the ancient power of battleform to protect his mate. And it opened my eyes to the future possibility of a life that includes humans. Sometimes, I let myself picture life with one specific human.
Just as I had suspected, Boss comes into view, his robes swishing in the sand like a snake.
“I see the goddess let you out of her sight for once,” he hisses at me.
“Go bother someone else,” I say, dismissing him.
“Tilak scum don’t tell the brethren what to do.” He spits the word “Tilak” like it’s poison on his tongue.
“Fine. If you won't leave, then I will.” I get up from my comfortable seat and stomp into the dark and away from the tents. Whatever reason brought him over to me, I don’t want any part of it.
Yellow light shines from a tent with its window and door flaps pulled open. At a table in the center, the Oo’rahim that Bri calls Baby Face is cutting up fruit and veg. I step inside, grab a knife, and start chopping next to him.
He’s the one who breaks the silence. “You should go attend to the goddess.”
“She’s alright. I needed something to do with my hands.”
“Isn’t she magnificent?” He sets down the knife and sighs.
“She’s not so bad,” I say and keep chopping.
“Don’t ever tell Brethren, but I had begun to give up hope she would ever arrive.”
I know right away which brethren he is referring to.
“What’s he got over you all anyway?” I ask, genuinely curious how this all came about.
“The brethren are all equa—”
“Don’t start with all that ‘we are all equal’ bullshit. You and I both know he’s the one in charge, and none of you are doing a damn thing about it.”
He looks at me, confusion all over his face. Now I can see why Bri is struggling to make any headway on her mission.
“Whatever. It’s not my job to convince you to want better,” I say, repeating something I’ve heard before. The Westgate Orbital station manager said those exact words to me. It took years to understand what he meant. I needed to want it for myself, and I deserved something better.
“We have everything we could ever desire now that the goddess has blessed us with her presence.”
“What about the ‘Others’? Do they expect her to rule over them as well?” It’s not the smoothest transition to where I want the conversation to go, but I need information.
“The Others? Oh no, they are not brethren.”
“Who are they?”
Before he can answer me, Boss steps into the tent. Baby Face clams up and goes back to chopping. That’s my cue to leave.
“Have a good night, Brethren,” I tell Baby Face as I step out of the light and back into the shadows.
I go straight back to Bri’s tent and quietly open the flap. It's completely dark inside. Bri softly breathes from her bed in the corner. The attraction I was trying to hide from earlier comes roaring back to life.
What would it be like if she invited me to her bed?
I would never want to leave.