I’d been living as a virtual celibate for the past sixty years.
I blinked a few times. “So, I was able to stop the tremors earlier in the week because…”
“Because you were out on the balcony watching the couple have sex. . . and having sex yourself. And last night you couldn’t because—”
“Wait. How did you know about the garden?” The blood drained from my face.
She grinned. “Because I was on Tymon’s balcony getting myself some as well. They are fun to watch. I don’t know who they are, but once a month, usually on the full moon, they go out there and have a really good fuck in the dark.”
“Isn’t that… intrusive to watch?”
Quirking her lip, she gave me a smile. “Didn’t stop you.” She waved off my statement. “No. It’s voyeurism. They like to take the chance that someone will see them. It’s a turn on. Missionary is boring when you need your power restored constantly.”
“Sweet savior, I had no idea.”
“I wish I’d known you didn’t know. I would have explained it a lot sooner.”
“I was still able to stop the tremor last night— Oh. Shit. Because Jallina and Drez had lent me their power.”
Her wordless nod confirmed my statement.
“Do I have to return the power to them?”
“No. I’m sure Jallina will be mostly naked as soon as she’s in the door, looking for a little power restoration from her mate.”
“I used up the power from both of them…”
“And what remained of yours,” Lunella cautioned. “You need to find Elex, and you need to get that boy naked and horizontal. Quickly. You cannot go without power—we just don’t know when the tremors will start.”
I turned to her. “But…yes, we do. It’s the project Elex has been working on for the past few months. It’s a way to tell when the mountain will shake.”
Lunella’s jaw dropped open. “What?”
* * *
“So, as you can see, while the device is still in its infant stages, we have been getting readings from the small tremors that happen almost constantly, to the peaks that jump up before one of the big shakes.”
The professor was proud as a peacock as he walked around the massive machine with me, and Lunella, Master Dorian, and Mistress Ophelia following him.
Elex was standing in the corner by the controls. His countenance was dark, brooding, and tired.
He was constantly tired.
I walked over to where he stood and placed a hand on his shoulder, and he almost tossed me off.
“Elex…”
Turning his scowl on me, I could see exhausted anger that fell away when he realized it was me.
“Elex, please. If this is too much for you, please leave the position. The professor seems like a nice guy, but you’re completely exhausted. We haven’t touched each other in a week…”
“Is that all you’re thinking about? My dick?”
“Don’t do that. I’m not only thinking about your dick. I miss you in the bed. I miss you in the apartments. You’re not at training with me, and now you’re behind on that, as well. If this is going to take you away from everything we have at the temple—”
His hand hit the console, and he stormed off out of the room. I let out a breath and hurried after him.
“Elex! Goddamn it. Come on.”
