Khiva’s own Rut was due in a week or so. He could feel it coming, could sense the change in himself. It might come early, brought on by his desire and lust for Evelyn. He swallowed hard at that thought, an unfamiliar emotion making his chest clench.
“At least you will not have a client for a couple days,” Khiva told him, pulling the black chains from a chest at the foot of the bed. They rattled in his hands and quickly, he cuffed Dravka’s wrists, attaching each end to the bars drilled into the walls at the head of the bed. They were strong bolts, capable of withstanding a Rutting Keriv’i male’s strength. During the peak of a Rut, a male was reduced to an animalistic state andnothingwas more important than finding a willing female to mate.
The chains were necessary.
“Thank you, my friend,” Dravka said, his body already gleaming with sweat as he thrashed in the chains.
“I will tell Valerie,” Khiva said, stepping out of Dravka’s sleeping quarters.
Before he shut the door, however, Dravka said quietly, “Do not let her come in here, Khiva. This Rut…it will be intense. I can feel it.”
Khiva exhaled sharply, looking over his shoulder at his Krave brother, whom he’d known for ten years. “You know Valerie well. You know how stubborn she is. Especially when it comes to you.”
With that, Khiva shut the door. He crossed to the Nu tablet installed in the stone wall and patched a connection to the bottom floor, the only line they were allowed to access from the Cluster.
Valerie’s blue hologram appeared immediately.
“Good morning, Khiva,” she chirped. “Is there anything you need?”
“Dravka’s Rut has begun a day early,” Khiva told her. “You will need to reschedule his client tonight.”
He watched her features still for a brief moment but then she nodded, her voice softening as she said, “I will. I’ll come check on him.”
“He prefers if you did not, Val,” Khiva told her, watching her carefully. Ever since Valerie had come to work for Madame Allegria five years ago, Khiva had always known of the strange friendship Dravka and Valerie shared.
“I don’t care what he prefers,” she said simply. “Do you need me to send up anything? For him? Or for you?”
“Veki,” Khiva said. A thought that had been in the back of mind ever since Evelyn left earlier that morning snuck up on him. Then he swallowed, debating whether to ask. “Val.”
“Yes?”
Khiva hesitated for only a moment before he asked, “Did Evelyn book another visit before she left?”
Khiva saw Valerie’s head turn, probably ensuring that she was alone at the entrance of the brothel and that her aunt wasn’t within hearing distance.
“No, she didn’t, Khiva,” Valerie said quietly.
Khiva tilted his head in a nod, intense disappointment, even perhaps panic, overcoming him. Valerie didn’t ask why he wanted to know, which Khiva was thankful for.
“Thank you,” Khiva said simply and then he ended the hologram call, staring at the black screen, at his reflection, for a brief moment before turning away, towards his own sleeping quarters.
He shut the door, alone, but that panicked disappointment didn’t leave him. The shirt he wore felt too constricting across his skin and he tugged it off, taking a deep breath, before striding over to the large window in his sleeping quarters. The next building over blocked most of the view, but he saw a strip of Everton over the top, towards what he knew was the Night District. He preferred the view of the Lake District from his assigned mating room, but the openness helped ease the tight feeling in his chest.
Khiva briefly eyed his bed, but didn’t feel the need to sleep. Keriv’i needed less sleep than humans and he’d even managed a few hours next to Evelyn the night before, something that never happened with his clients.
Restless, he paced the small room and then went to bathe, for something to do. As he washed, he ran over endless streams of the properties of metals, of the process of creating and crafting it, the heat of a forge, but he avoided thinking about the formula for creating firestones. Humans called it science. But for Khiva, it had been his way of life. It helped calm his mind until he felt more like himself, anything to avoid thinking about the human female he’d just been with.
When he exited the shared washing room in the Cluster, he saw Valerie enter. The blonde had a slim build, like many Everton females and piercing green eyes. While he appreciated her beauty, Khiva had never been attracted to her. Not in the way Dravka was attracted to her at least. To Khiva, she resembled her aunt too much for him to be truly comfortable around her. And while Valerie loathed Madame Allegria almost as much as the Krave did, Khiva knew that blood was blood.
It was impossible to deny blood.
Khiva tilted his head down in greeting, noting that Ravu’s door was now shut. He must’ve returned from his client while he’d been bathing. His brother, Tavak, had yet to return however.
“How is he?” Valerie asked, stepping towards Dravka’s door.
Khiva didn’t answer. Keriv’i male’s tended to like their privacy during the Rut and didn’t like to be disturbed.
Valerie clearly didn’t expect an answer from him because she opened Dravka’s door and stepped inside. Through the threshold, Khiva could see his friend’s expression when he saw the female. Khiva tensed only for a moment, prepared to rush in, but then he relaxed, knowing that Dravka would never harm Valerie in that way.
