He will.
“Yes, I will tell him.”
I have all the proof, the Osiris made that sound like a threat, not that it mattered to Khoth. He intended to tell Jace everything anyway.
Sleep now, the Osiris instructed.
Sleep suddenly sounded not only necessary but perfect.
“Where are my quarters?” Khoth asked.
He expected the flashing lights to come on again to lead him to his destination. But the blinking cursor was replaced by one word, Here.
“These are Jace’s quarters not–”
Here.
Khoth wasn’t sure if the Osiris understood what he was asking or suggesting that Khoth sleep here.
The Pilot wants you here, the Osiris explained. So you will stay here.
The walls and ceiling returned to the beautiful views of the planets. Khoth stared at Jace. He was certain that the doors would not open for him to leave or the general to come in. It was best he was here when Jace woke so that they could talk.
He slowly walked to Jace’s side before doing what he had wanted to from the moment he’d seen the young man sprawled on the bed. He removed his boots and the half shucked off suit, leaving Jace in only a pair of boxer briefs. Then he tenderly lifted Jace fully onto the bed. Jace didn’t stir a bit before he covered him with a blanket.
Khoth then got on the bed beside him, on top of the covers, making sure to keep at least a foot from Jace and looked up at the strange worlds, thinking to meditate for a time, but his eyelids too drifted shut for a moment and they did not open again as he fell deeply into sleep.
Practice Kiss
Jace slept like the dead. He didn’t remember any dreams like he usually did, but those probably weren’t dreams, but training. Gehenna didn’t need to put him through his paces any longer. He would do that when he was awake. So his sleep had been peaceful and restful as if he were sleeping on the bottom of the ocean.
The Osiris had a sound, like a purr, that he could feel through his bones. On Youtube he found channels that claimed to have that “spaceship sound” that he’d used to fall asleep to sometimes. The Osiris didn’t exactly sound like that, but it was similar and soothing. But there was also another sound, something that had never been added before to his sleep period.
It was the sound of someone else breathing.
His eyelids cracked open. He’d set no alarm, but he immediately knew that it was 11 a.m. in Sunrise. He also knew what time it was all around the globe, not to mention several other worlds. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep last night, but he’d been exhausted. Beyond exhausted really. The Osiris had pushed him over the top and into unconsciousness.
Khoth and I were supposed to talk!
He was about to jerk upright when he realized that he was pinned beneath the covers on one side by a heavy body. That was where the breathing was coming from. Jace slowly turned his head.
Khoth was sleeping on his side with his face towards him. He had one arm ducked under the pillow beneath his head. The other was sprawled over Jace’s chest. One of his legs was also crossing Jace’s legs. Khoth’s eyelids were closed and his mouth was slightly parted, emitting a little wheeze with each breath.
I guess I wasn’t the only one exhausted last night.
Jace swallowed a little as he realized--not that he thought Khoth meant it this way at all--that this was the first time he’d slept with another person not related to him. His various sensitivities had made dating practically impossible. Laying beside someone at night? Ah, no, talk about agony. So Khoth was the first guy he’d slept with.
Jace grinned.
He was touched that Khoth hadn’t left and gone to his own quarters. Had the Thaf’ell Commander simply fallen asleep too? No, he would have been in a chair if this had happened by accident. A quick look down showed that Khoth’s boots were removed. So he had laid down on purpose. He likely hadn’t started lying down curled around Jace. His mother always teased his father that he was an octopus when he fell asleep, needing to wind all around her. It looked like Khoth might be one too.
Well, I’m not going to wake him. I can lay here for awhile.i
He stared up at the red planet that was slowly turning above him on the ceiling. It was turned just so he could see its rings. There were rings of smooth, fine material, but there was a chunky material ring or too in there as well. He saw the glint of a defense array, still active, swinging around the planet. He heard the faint electronic whir from it. If he wanted, the Osiris could tell him what it was saying.
Osiris, do you know what Khoth wanted to talk to me about? Jace had told himself the night before he wasn’t going to ask this, but with Khoth here now he couldn’t help himself.
Yes.
