“Like I said, I’ve got him. I promise. It’s been a while, so I have quite a bit stored up.”
I huff a laugh, swiping at my eyes. “Thank you. Can we visit tomorrow?”
“Anytime,” he says with a nod, then reaches down, tucking Cielo’s tail into the car before shutting the door. “See you soon.”
And then he’s gone, driving away. I stand there, watching the red flash of the taillights until they disappear into the distance.
“He’s going to be okay, right?”
“The Vyastil always overcome. He will be fine in time.”
I peer up at him, and he touches my cheek softly. “Come. Back to our shelter. I wish to hold you again.”
I nod and step beside him, following him back to our home.
“Promise me we’ll fix it,” I murmur as we lie in bed. I can’t get Cielo out of my head. Even Rathyn is subdued.
“I will do my best, but I am one being, VySytheh.”
I shiver. I really like being called that. “I know. But you’ve got me. And Eissa seems pretty fucking fed up with it all. And Quilliyn…”
Rathyn makes a dismissive noise. “Quilliyn has always been a rebellious member of the family. He wields no favor and no power.”
“But he’s still a prince,” I argue. “And that’s just three people. If the three of you feel that way, you know there’s got to be more.”
He hums in thought, turning more toward me, stroking claws through my hair. “It will require delicate moves, my love.”
I close my eyes and lay my ear against his hearts, listening to the beats as I feel them hammering against the side of my head. “I know.”
“And it will take time. A long time. Perhaps years.”
“I’m patient,” I tell him, and when he makes a noise, I smack him. “Most of the time I’m patient. Especially for this. I get thatrevolution doesn’t happen in a day, and there are probably a lot of pieces to this puzzle.”
“Do you resent us so much for our treaty?” Rathyn asks. “When we met, you were angry with me.”
“You insulted my dick,” I remind him.
He huffs a laugh, and for some reason, he sounds shy. “It is small compared to Vyastil.”
Sitting up on my elbow, I pin him with a glower. “Yeah, but I’m average for a human. There’s no way all the guys before me were horse-dicked dudes.”
He stares for a beat, then his tongue darts out and licks his lips. When he speaks, it’s nearly in a whisper. “You were my first.”
That hits me like a sack of bricks. “I—what? I was your first?”
He nods, gaze darting away. “I was not permitted before…before that day.”
“So, you’d never had cum?”
“It was from the factory,” he says. “I was given a…” He searches for a word. “Promotion. You were my first.”
I fall back against him, my entire world rearranged once again. I was his first human. And he was my first monster.
It has to mean something. I don’t know what, but it lights a fire in my chest that threatens to consume me. The universe is telling me something. Maybe both of our universes are speaking to us.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s time for us to listen.
epilogue
