The Brotherhood - 23. Chapter 23

The Brotherhood

Chapter XXIII

By: X

 

 

Two weeks later, I lay in bed pretending to be asleep. I’ve counted the days until I’d finally have Q to myself. Having lunch with him for thirty minutes a day just wasn’t enough, so when I felt him trying to get himself out of bed slowly, sneakily I wasn’t haven’t it. Q barely got off the bed when I grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I demanded. “You told me two weeks, and it’s been two weeks, so don’t even think about leaving.”

He laughed, brushed my hair away from my eyes, and kissed me. “Exactly. Today is the last day where we wrap everything up. It shouldn’t take too long.”

“But I was hoping we’d just veg out and stay in bed all morning.”

“That wouldn’t have worked because you have a class to attend.”

“Yeah, but I would’ve been okay skipping class to spend the morning with you.”

“Oh really?” Q smirked. “Who knew I had such a self-sacrificing boy?”

“I know, right?” I smiled all noble-like. “I give until it hurts. It’s just the way I am.”

“Uh-huh.” Q didn’t seem to think I was being sincere. “You’re a regular Mother Teresa. I feel you were more excited about not going to class than hanging out with me.”

“Well…yeah, but being with you would’ve been a nice side bonus.”

“I’m sure,” he laughed and tried to pull away, but I wouldn’t let him go. I managed to wrap my legs around his waist, and a little wrestling match ensued.

Two frat guys wrestling around in their underwear sounds like the beginning of a hot porn. Sadly, for me, it didn’t lead to anything that exciting. After a few minutes of rolling around in the bed, Q kissed me, did his little ethereal trick, and passed through me like smoke, retaking solid form as he walked to the dresser.

“That’s cheating!” I protested.

“Well…yeah,” Q said with the same inflection I had just used.

“Are you mocking me?” I asked as I snuggled up with his pillow.

“Always and forever.”

I laid there as I had for many mornings watching Q get dressed. I don’t know why, but it was a serious turn-on for me. It was more than the obvious of watching him walk around in his underwear, though that certainly didn’t hurt any. Maybe it was because he looked normal doing it, and I knew there was so much more under that illusion of normality.

“Why do you do that?” I asked.

“What put my pants on one leg at a time?” he snickered as he pulled up his pants and left them unbuttoned for the time being. “You’ll have to be a bit more specific.”

“Get dressed. I mean, why do you get dressed every morning?”

“Um, what kind of question is that?” He looked at me positively, puzzled. “Would you rather I ran around the world in my underwear?”

Sucking my teeth, I rolled my eyes. “You know what I’m trying to say. But to answer your question…yes!”

Q shook his head.

“Why do you bother going thru the motions of getting dressed? I’ve seen you change clothes with a snap of your fingers, so I know you don’t need to sit there and put on every piece of clothing.”

“First of all, I’ve never snapped my fingers.”

Again, I rolled my eyes.

“Second, just because you can do a thing in a blink of an eye doesn’t mean you always have to do it that way. Sometimes it’s nice to slow things down and enjoy the simple and the mundane. This is probably why I’m so attracted to you.”

I threw his pillow at him, and he laughed and easily caught it. He sat beside me on the bed and hit me with the same pillow.

“And third of all and probably most importantly…I know you enjoy it.”

Instantly, I felt the heat and blood rush to my face. “You’re delusional,” was the best comeback I could muster.

“Uh-huh, sure I am,” he laughed. “Here, let me clean up some of that drool you have on your chin there.”

“Oh, shut up!” I slapped his hand away from my face.

“Listen, I can either come home to you for lunch like usual or work thru it and come home to you sooner. Which would you prefer?”

“Can’t you just do both?” I shrugged.

“No.”

“Why can’t I have my cake and eat it too?”

Q was now the one rolling his eyes. “Don’t start with that. That human saying has never made any sense to me. At any rate, you need to decide which one you want me to do.”

“Fine. Just come home to me sooner.”

“Deal,” he said and kissed me. “I’ll even sweeten the pot. I’ll take you to dinner at Bucky’s when I get back.”

“What the hell is that?”

“You’re going to love it, trust me.”

“Sure, I am,” I said sarcastically. “I’ll wear my best flannel shirt and overalls.”

“You do that.” Kissing me one last time, Q left me in bed but not before telling me to get my ass out of bed and ready for class.

Some things never change.

After I went thru my daily routine of getting ready for class, I headed downstairs to the kitchen. Arsen was down there eating a sandwich and finishing up some assignments he had for his first class. The second half of his sandwich was still on the plate, so I took that instead of going thru the trouble of making my own. It was funny because he didn’t notice it until he reached for it and got a handful of crumbs instead.

“The fuck?” he said.

“Sup, Arsen?” I already scoffed down the second half of his sandwich, destroying all evidence that I had taken it.

He finally looked up from this computer at me, confused as all hell. “Oh, hey, Jacob. What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. Just living the dream as they say.”

The poor kid looked under the table, thinking he must have dropped the second half of his sandwich.

“What are you looking for?”

“Oh…nothing.” He scratched his head. “Are you heading to class?”

“Yeah, in a few. Hey, have you ever heard of a place called Bucky’s? Q’s taking me there after he gets back later, and I don’t know what I’m in for. I told him I’d be ready in my best overalls.”

Arsen laughed. “You better not. Don’t let the name fool you. Bucky’s is a very luxurious restaurant. It’s where the elite go to eat and rub elbows with other well-to-dos. From what I understand, getting a reservation can take weeks or months.”

“Holy shit.”

“Uh, yeah,” he laughed again. “But something tells me Q doesn’t need to make a reservation.”

“No shit, huh?” I paused to look around the room for a moment. “Well, thanks for the info, bud, but I’m going to head out.”

“Hold up. I’ll walk out with you. I’m done here.”

We headed out and caught Paul just as he was walking out of the door, so the three of us walked towards campus together. We talked about the typical bullshit you’d expect from a bunch of college guys – girls, classes we hated, and upcoming parties we’ve been invited to. For some unknown reason, I wasn’t interested in the girl’s part of the conversation anymore.

Weird.

Eventually, we all went our separate ways. They wanted to meet up later to shoot some darts, but I reminded Arsen I already had plans and would have to take a rain check. I dreaded going to class. It was tough for me to get over the pointlessness of it all. What would a degree do for me when the shit finally hit the fan? Don’t get me wrong. I was still doing fine in all my classes, acing all my assignments and tests, but I seriously didn’t give two shits. The Brotherhood demanded nothing but the best, so that’s what I gave them.

That day for whatever reason, I found it exceedingly difficult to concentrate. So, while I was standing outside the class watching everyone else march in like little drones, I couldn’t bring myself to do it and took off. I decided to go to The Village instead, knowing I’d have some explaining to do when Q found out. I wasn’t planning on keeping it from him. I hoped he’d understand that I just needed a “me” day.

I stopped at a few stores around The Village, but it seemed all roads eventually led back to Lady White’s shop. I didn’t even do it on purpose; I don’t think. After looking thru my phone for a song I wanted to hear, I finally looked up. There it was, staring me in the face. Two girls happened to be walking out at the same time. One looked confused and on the verge of tears, while the other was doing her best to console her. I couldn’t help but wonder what great news or pearls of wisdom Lady White laid out for this girl.

All I could do was offer them a sympathetic, “been there, done that” smile as I walked in. The waiting room was empty, so I took a seat, pulled out my earbuds, and reached for one of the magazines on the coffee table. I still had no idea what the hell I was doing there.

“Come on in, Jacob,” a familiar voice called out.

“Too creepy,” I whispered.

I walked into her reading room to find her sitting at her table; a warm, welcoming smile on her face; her ivory white hair flowing freely down her back. She pointed to the chair opposite her and offered me a seat.

I thanked her and sat down.

Yep. There I was, just sitting and staring at her staring at me. I seriously didn’t know what to say to her. We sat there in silence for five long, awkward minutes. Finally, my eyes started wandering the room during that time, trying to avoid making eye contact. And when I did catch a glimpse of her, she was still looking at me with the same smile she had when I first walked in. It became obvious to me that she would not be the first to say something, so it was up to me to come up with something to talk about.

“It’s getting colder out these days.” Yeah, that was the best I could come up with.

Lady White just nodded.

“Are you a fan of the cold?” I asked. “I’m not. You’d think I’d be used to it growing up in Maine, but I wouldn’t say I like it. I do like the foliage in the fall. Very pretty. Are you a big fan of the foliage? You look like the type who….”

“Jacob, why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind?” she finally interrupted.

A simple shrug was the best I could offer.

“You’re going to have to do better than that, my dear,” she insisted.

“Honestly, I don’t even know why I’m here.” I threw my hands up and shrugged again. “All I wanted was a little me time today. I had no plans to come to see you, that’s for sure.”

“And yet here you sit.”

“Hey, I’m just as confused as you are, lady.”

“I see this is going to be one of my harder sessions,” she laughed and got up. “Would you like some tea, dear?”

“What kind of tea?”

“The good kind.”

“Sure, I guess.”

She gestured for me to follow her. “Come along. The tea isn’t going to make itself.”

Begrudgingly, I got up and followed her into the kitchen, mumbling shit under my breath the whole time.

“What’s that, dear?”

“Nothing. I’m coming.” She asked me to fill up the teapot and put it on the stove while she grabbed the tea. “I’m your guest here. Shouldn’t you be the one making this for me?”

“No,” she said matter-of-factly and patted me on the back. “Now make sure you don’t turn it up too high, or you’ll risk burning the tea leaves.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. How do you burn tea?”

She smiled and just gave me a look that said, ‘shut up and do as your told.’

“Now, why don’t you tell me how things are going with you? It doesn’t have to be anything in particular. Whatever comes to mind is fine.”

“Well…” I started and then drew a blank, but only for a moment. “I never got the chance to thank you for saving my as…, um, saving me the other night. I wouldn’t be here drinking tea if it weren’t for you.” I paused again, realizing no words would ever be able to repay her kindness. “Thanking you doesn’t seem like enough. I don’t know what I could do to….”

“It’s what I’m here for, Jacob,” she interrupted gently and smiled. “There’s no need to thank me.”

I was unsure of how to proceed after that. “Oh, um, I made it into The Brotherhood.” As soon as I said that, I felt dumb. “But you already knew that since you saw my ring that night.”

“I didn’t need to see the ring to know you were a Brother. I always knew you’d become one.”

“Of course, you did….” An awkward silence fell between us as she poured our tea. I brought the cup to my lips and blew it several times to cool off the steaming, dark liquid. I was blown away by my first sip. “Wow! This is some fucking good tea.”

She gave me “the look.”

“Oh, sorry.” When I first met Lady White, I had no problems dropping the F-bomb and cursing up a storm. Now I just felt dirty.

For a while, we sat there sipping on tea without saying much. I’d look at her, and when she looked back, I’d look down at my tea. This went on for several minutes. I’m sure I looked ridiculous.

“What is it, Jacob?” She finally asked.

“You’re Her, aren’t you?” I blurted out without much thought.

“Her?”

“The Great Mother Q told me about.”

“What makes you think that?”

I laughed because now she was playing coy. “The way he spoke about her. The reverence they all hold for her. The way Zenial described you as precious, and most importantly, how you fight so hard to keep the peace between the Nave and Skai. That’s you. Oh, and your powers were a dead giveaway too.”

She laughed.

“Did you sleep as long as they did?”

Lady White took a moment to gather her thoughts. I honestly think she was debating whether to confirm or deny my suspicions. And then she spoke. “I slept at times. Other times were spent roaming the vast loneliness of Eiyr.”

I smiled. “What do you mean? I thought the energy released into the atmosphere was toxic when Aquaiia crashed into Asevaya.”

“You remember our history well Jacob,” she said. “I’m impressed. You’re quite right. It was extremely toxic to the Naverians and Skylarians, but I’m neither.”

I nodded. “That’s right, you’re an El’odian.”

“We are all El’odians, Jacob,” she corrected me.

I had to stop and think for a second.

“You’re an Ai’lea, daughter of Ai’lee, so I’m guessing whatever empowers you isn’t Anavi or Askyli.”

She looked so proud that I remembered her origins. It made me feel pretty good about myself.

“Because of that, I was unaffected by the toxic atmosphere,” she continued. “I’d wake to check on my boys from time to time.”

“Check on them how?”

“Eiyr looks very different than it did some sixty million years ago. Countless earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural disasters plagued Eiyr. I ensured my boys were safe by moving them around while they slept.”

“Wait a second. You need to know where they are to move them. Which means you should know where all the remaining Nave and Skai are now.”

A simple nod from Lady White confirmed my theory.

“Oh my god! Then why don’t you wake up the rest of the Nave?”

“I cannot.”

“Right, you must stay neutral. Then why don’t you wake both sides? That way, you’re not picking Nave or Skai.”

She didn’t answer me. The look she gave me made it clear she wanted to see if I could figure it out on my own.

Then it hit me.

“You’re like a mother to them both. You don’t want to see them go to war.”

“No mother wants to see their children kill each other,” she sighed with a heavy heart. “Ultimately, I won’t be able to stop the war, but that doesn’t mean I have to help them get there faster.”

“I understand.”

The room suddenly felt very heavy. I could tell that thinking about this was upsetting to her. I figured it was time to change the subject.

“Anyway, I guess you were right.”

“Oh, was I?” she asked, again her warm smile appearing as she drank her tea. “Remind me again how I was right? It happens so often it’s hard to keep track at my age.”

I laughed. Did she just toot her own horn? I think she did.

“I think it was the second time I came here. You said I’d have to make a choice, and I did. I choose The Brotherhood.”

“Indeed, you did,” she said. “But I’m afraid that’s not the choice I was referring to. That still lies ahead of you.”

“What do you mean?” I think my voice cracked as it went up an octave. “What can be bigger than this?”

“It’s not about bigger or smaller, Jacob. It’s about making a choice. You will have to make a choice.”

“About what though?” I demanded.

“I’m afraid that’s all I can give you. I’m sorry.”

“But you know exactly what I’m going to choose between, right?”

Lady White nodded.

“Ugh! This is so frustrating!”

“I know, dear.” She approached me, brushed my hair from my eyes, and then placed her hand on my shoulder. “Your time will come, Jacob.” She paused for a moment and put her hand on my face. “But I’m afraid you won’t find solace when it does.”

I was going to say something to that, but Lady White would not let me get a word in edgewise.

“Now grab your tea and come out here with me.”

We went back to the table and sat down. I was going to take this chance to follow up with what she just said, but Lady White wasn’t having it.

“Enough about that,” she insisted in a stern yet friendly manner. “It’s pointless to stay on this merry-go-round. Ultimately, you’ll continue to be frustrated with my unwillingness to answer you. Your time will come.”

After about a minute or so of her looking at me, I finally nodded in agreement and figured it best if I just moved on.

“How are you adjusting to your new life as a Brother?”

I was quiet for a moment before I answered Lady White. “It’s going well, I think.”

She simply nodded. “I feel a ‘but’ coming on.”

“No buts. It is going well.” Her eyes would not let up. “Okay, I got into it with Q after the Kaylec thing. It wasn’t Q’s fault at all. It was all me. I was an assho…I was being unreasonable.”

“But you worked it out with him, Jacob, and that’s all that matters.”

“How did you know that?”

“You think you’re the only one that comes to see me?”

“Q talked to you about us? What did he say?”

“That’s not for me to share, but you already knew that.”

“I guess…” I was pouting.

She laughed and rested her chin against her clasped hand. “There will always be tea here for you, Jacob. Never forget that.” Her eyes shifted from me to the open door. “You can come in now, Anthony.”

I got the hint that it was time for me to go. I walked out of her reading room and into the waiting room. I was surprised that the Anthony she was calling for was my Ant. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see Lady White,” he replied with a shrug.

“Well, no shit,” I laughed. “I didn’t think you were here looking for decorating tips.”

Ant got up, and we greeted each other with a hug.

“Considering who she really is, I figured I’d come to see what the stars hold.” He offered a meek laugh.

“Just be ready for a lot of unanswered questions and riddles,” I laughed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he questioned, tilting his head to the side; he drew his brows together.

“Um, I think I should let you find that out yourself. It will be worth it! You being here…does it have anything to do with Alessandro?”

“Maybe…”

“Dude.”

“No, it’s nothing like that. I’ve more than happy that I got him back. I just need to hear that he’s here for good and that I won’t lose him again.” Ant took a moment to look down at the floor and then back up at me. “I can’t lose him again, Jacob. I won’t.”

“You won’t,” I promised him. Placing my hands on his shoulders, I gently shook him. “We won’t let it happen. Now, why don’t you go in there and hear what she says? Do you want me to stick around and wait for you out here?”

“Nah… thanks, though. I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

“He said he was fine,” Lady White yelled from the other room. “Now, Jacob, you go on now. You had your time. Stop holding up my line.”

Ant and I looked around the empty waiting room and then at each other.

“What line?” I mouthed.

I finally got him to laugh.

I ended up going back to the house and crashed for several hours. I was transported to a world of fire and brimstone, a future where cities burned, and dead bodies littered the streets. I was finally a Nave, soaring thru the heavens with powerful, snowy wings and wielding a weapon of death and destruction. The small battles eventually escalated into an all-out war between the Naverians and Skylarians that spilled out into the open, which inevitability drew the many nations into the conflict. I fought side by side with my Brothers, cutting down anything and everyone who stood in my way.

My gilded armor was wet with blood; my heavy sword dripped the color crimson.

The Skai don’t bleed.

The cries of the dead woke me with a start. My heart pounded in my ear. I felt the sweat over my brow and down my back. I was afraid to move for fear of seeing the faces of the dead. It took me a moment to realize where I was and that my hands weren’t stained with the blood of the innocent. At least not yet.

“You’re finally awake,” I heard Q say.

This soothing voice was all I needed to bring my heart back down to a nice steady rhythm. I looked around the room and saw him bent over, fishing something out of his bottom dresser drawer. A view that now had the exact opposite effect mind you.

He looked very studly. He wore a nice pair of black dress pants and a light purple button-down shirt with a black t-shirt underneath. His hair was over his face when he turned to look at me, so when he pulled it back away to reveal those silver orbs, I just wanted to jump him.

Q came over and sat next to me on the bed. “Are you okay?” He placed his hand on my cheek and forehead, which surprised me because it was a very human thing to do. “You look flushed.”

“I’m fine,” I assured and took his hand into mine. “I just had a weird nightmare, I think.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

I couldn’t help but smile at his humanity. “No, I’m fine.”

“Okay.” He kissed me and got up. “You should get ready. I thought we’d go to a movie before dinner.”

“Dinner and movie? My, my Mr. Q, I do declare,” I said in my best southern belle accent. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to get into my pants.”

“Yeah, because I’d really have to try hard with you.”

“Hey now! You haven’t gotten any of this yet.”

He smirked and walked towards the closet. “You sure about that? I have knocked you out on more than one occasion.”

“Hey!”

“Get dressed!”

Realizing the warden wouldn’t get off my ass, I finally got out of bed, jumped in the shower quickly, and got dressed. I was pretty much dressed up like Q, but instead of a light purple dress shirt, I had on a baby blue one. I must admit we made one damn sexy-looking couple.

I was putting my Brotherhood ring back on when Q came up behind me, holding open a leather jacket for me to slip into. Total sweetheart, I must say. I was concerned that he wasn’t wearing one, to which he reminded me that the cold doesn’t affect him in the slightest.

Of course, when we walked through the house to the garage, many of the Brothers stopped what they were doing to make teasing comments while others whistled. A couple of the guys said I was finally making an honest Nave out of Q or something along those lines. I could tell I was red in the cheeks, but at the same time, I was laughing at all those clowns. Q didn’t seem to mind any of it and just went with the flow.

While driving to Bridgeport, it dawned that I still didn’t know what movie Q was taking me to. I asked him about it and warned him that it better not be some sappy chick flick he was dying to see but was too embarrassed to ask one of the other Brothers to go with him.

“You got me! How did you figure it out?”

I laughed, but Q was stone-face serious. I told him I wasn’t buying it, but he wouldn’t let up. He kept insisting we were going to see this romantic chick flick. He was talking about this movie, its actors, and how fantastic the trailers were. He even outlined the basic plot of the film. He researched it because he was so excited to see it; he couldn’t wait until the release date and just had to get as much information about it as possible.

“Are you fucking with me right now?” I finally asked. “Are you seriously taking me to see some movie called The Red Dress?”

“Look at my face and tell me what you think?” He looked as serious as the Q from my pledging days. “You’re going to like it, trust me. Besides, you can’t tell me Alex didn’t drag you along to see these kinds of movies all the time.”

“Yeah, she did. And look at us now. We’re broken up! Doesn’t that tell you anything?”

“It tells me she had bad taste in movies. I don’t.”

“Ugh!” I sunk in my seat and grunted. “I’m with a dude now. You’d think we’d see movies with a lot of violence and explosions.”

“Well, you thought wrong.”

We finally get there, and I’m just scouring the side of the building where all the movies are listed to find this fucking thing. There was no such movie. I looked over at Q, trying to hide his smirk with his hand, and I just reached over and whacked him in the shoulder.

“Asshole!”

He laughed, and I just raged at my gullibility. Q was taking me to a movie with all the violence and explosions I craved.

The problem you run into when you see a major movie release is the lack of parking spots. We had to park way back in the boonies. Q was about to turn into a spot when this douchebag saw us about to take it and decided to speed up and slip in. To make matters worse, he was one of those idiots with a fancy car, so he parked at an angle to take up two spots so it didn’t get scratched up.

I hate those fucking assholes. Every time I see a car parked like that, I want to key the shit out of it and beat the crap out of the owner. Maybe taking over the world won’t be so bad because I’ll push for a law that imprisons morons like that.

Okay, I’ll get off my soapbox now.

Anyway, we had to park even further back. Q didn’t seem to mind much, but I could not stop ranting and raving. It didn’t help when I saw who got out of the car – four loudmouth football jocks. And I knew they played football because I knew the type.

We get inside, pay, and stand in a long ass line to get into the movie. The earlier showing was just getting out, and three guys came up to Q to say hello. I only mentioned this because Q introduced me as his boyfriend right off the bat. Whenever he shows he’s not afraid or ashamed to put us out there, my insides get all gooey. I’m man enough to admit it.

They chatted him up for a few minutes about work, school, and life. They even threw a few questions my way, which I was happy to answer. I was curious if they were Brothers and was trying to see if they had a ring on their fingers – two didn’t, and one kept his hands in his pocket the whole time. Q was forced to say his goodbyes when his phone started ringing.

Now Q and I weren’t doing anything that made us stick out as a couple, but every once in a while, we’d kind of lean into each other, and a couple of our fingers would interlock for a moment. We would then pull away only to have it happen again a few minutes later. It wasn’t even something we were doing on purpose. It was more of a subconscious thing.

What do I hear out of the blue while Q’s chatting away on his phone? Something about a “couple of fags” came from behind us. I had that “did I just hear that” moment. Instantly my ears perked up, and lo and behold; I heard “fucking faggity queers.” I looked over my shoulders and saw a couple who just looked mortified, but behind them were the four fucking jocks. One of them gave me the “stare down” when I made eye contact as if he’d beat my ass if I didn’t look away.

Rolling my eyes, I looked away. It was the only thing I could do. It sure as hell wasn’t out of fear. But now, I purposely took Q’s hand into mine to show those assholes that they wouldn’t get to me. I couldn’t hear everything they were saying, and quite honestly, I didn’t care to, but every time they used the word “fag” or “homos,” they made sure I could hear them.

Q was so into his phone call that he had no idea what was happening. When the theater was cleaned, he finally got off his cell, and the line started moving inside. He looked at me, a bit puzzled.

“Why do you look like you’re about to kill someone?” he asked.

“If I did, do you promise to visit?”

“Well…that seems like a lot of work, and I have things to do and people to see.”

“Oh, shut it.” Leave it to Q to bring me back to my happy place.

That only last so long. We ended up sitting smack-dap in the middle of the theater – the best seats in the house. Who comes along and sits right behind us? You guessed it. The douchebags. They were loud and obnoxious. They talked the whole time before trailers, during the trailers, and after the trailers when the lights dimmed and the movie started. Plenty of “shhh” were thrown their way, but that only made them act out even more.

I swear to god I was going to lose it.

About ten minutes into the movie, Q leaned over, kissed me, and told me he’d be right back. Several minutes later, I saw him walk back in with what turned out to be the manager and a cop and had those ass hates thrown out of the building. The manager apologized to the audience and restarted the movie so everyone could enjoy it peacefully. Everyone clapped when Q went back to his seat.

It was fucking awesome.

“No one is ruing my boy’s night out,” Q said to me. I fucking loved him for that and kissed him deeply to show him just that.

The second time around, the two and half-hour movie played without a hitch—was one of the best movies I’d seen up to that point. The action was great, the CGI looked realistic, and the funny parts were actually funny. What more can you ask for from an action flick?

The best part of the whole thing was the flim was an invasion movie. The plot was about aliens living on earth for decades and finally getting the go-ahead to take over the planet. At one point during the movie, I leaned over to Q and asked, “Any of this looking familiar to you?” He elbowed me in the ribs. I’d hate to ruin the ending for you, but the humans kicked their asses.

“All I’m saying is, the alien invasion never goes well for the invaders,” I said as we walked back to the car.

“Will you get off it already?” Grabbing me by the neck, he shook me slightly. “And for the record, Jacob, we are not aliens. We were here first.”

“I’m just putting it out there,” I laughed. “Call it food for thought if you want.”

“When we get the go-ahead, we won’t be doing it on the silver screen, Jacob.”

“Hey,” I threw my hands up, “I’m just trying to look out for my bros.”

Q stopped suddenly, his facial features going from soft and playful to dark and serious.

“Holy fuck!” I exclaimed, my hand slipping thru my hair as I stood there in disbelief.

Our car was sitting on four flats, had the windows and headlights smashed out, and “FAGGOTS” was spray-painted on the hood. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pair of headlights come on and a car speeding up towards us. It stopped a few parking spots away, and my four favorite douchebags got out, and it looked like they brought an extra friend with them. One of them was holding a tire iron which was probably what they used to smash our car with. The five guys surrounded us like wolves closing in on their prey.

“Looks like you guys are having car troubles,” one said. “Hey, Ray, why don’t you help them out?”

“Ray,” the douche with the tire iron, walked over and smashed out the last remaining window.

“Much better,” the first guy spoke again. “Don’t you guys think so?” He was talking to us, not his crew. “Oh, you got nothing to say all of a sudden. Well then, let me ask you this if you don’t mind.” His voice started getting louder. “Who the fuck do you think you are having us kicked out of the movie like you fucking own the joint?”

Q didn’t say a word, nor did I. I was so afraid. So afraid I tell you! But not for us….

“Oh, I see. These pretty boy faggots got nothing to say.”

“Cock got their tongue, I guess,” one of the other guys figured he’d make a funny.

I looked at Q. I was waiting for him to go full-blown Nave and go nuclear on their asses. But honestly, I think I got the next best thing.

Q finally pointed at the car and looked back at me. “Is this for real?” he asked in the most sarcastic tone I’d ever heard from him. “Is this happening right now? Is this a thing?”

I had no idea where he was going with this, so just play along. “Yeah, it is.”

“Ugh,” he threw his head back and shook his head.

“What the fuck is going on?” Ray looked dumbfounded as hell as he looked at the rest of his friends. This probably wasn’t the reaction they were expecting.

“So let me get this straight,” Q continued. “We have four idiots….”

“Five idiots, actually,” I corrected.

“Oh, sorry, the five idiots who have to stroke their egos and make themselves feel better by harassing ‘the gays’ and proving they’re manly men. Is that what’s going on here?”

“Looks like.”

“I’m guessing this is part where they kick our asses because we’re ‘the gays’ and can’t possibly defend ourselves. Only for them to discover to their dismay that we could wipe the floor with them.”

“What’d you say faggot? You threatening me?” Out of nowhere, the guy took a swing at Q.

“Quiet,” Q said, putting his finger out to meet the balled-up fist. The guy’s fist stopped about an inch from Q’s index finger. “Your betters are talking.” The guy tried to pull his hand away but couldn’t. It was like his hand was frozen in place. “This has ‘after school special’ written all over it.” He turned to look at the other ass hats. “Wouldn’t you guys agree? And who has time for that?”

“Help me! I can’t move my arm!”

The other four guys took a collective step backward.

“Now I could stand here and let you guys attack us, and then we’d fight back and yada yada yada, but we don’t have time for that. We have dinner reservations. You still want to go to dinner, right babe?”

“Most def.”

“Guys! Fucking help me!”

“Okay, this is what I think we should do. Let’s skip to the end of our little after-school drama, where the dumb jocks learn their valuable lesson. Which would be what, Jacob?”

“Don’t fuck with the gays!”

Q slapped his hands together, producing a thunderous clap and flash of light. In a blink of an eye, they were all gone. As if nothing had happened, Q casually walked to the car and placed his hand on the roof; the Anavi poured out of his hand like a liquid, instantly repairing anything it touched and transferring the damage to their car. And just like that, our car looked brand new.

“Um…what did you do with them?” I inquired as I opened the passenger side door.

“Oh, you know, just sent them away.”

“Away where exactly?”

“Santa Cruz,” he shrugged.

“You sent them to California?”

“No. Argentina.”

I started laughing hysterically.

Arsen wasn’t kidding when he said Bucky’s was a high-end restaurant. Everywhere I looked, I saw all kinds of expensive cars, and the people getting out of them looked like they were about to walk the red carpet. I admit I felt a little out of place when we walked in.

A pianist was playing in a lavish waiting room where guests were served drinks and horderves while they waited, and an amazing fountain appeared to be the centerpiece of the establishment.

The maître d’ greeted us with a smile and head nod. “Hello and welcome to Bucky’s. May I have your name please for your reservations tonight?”

“Oh, I don’t have any reservations,” Q replied matter-of-factly.

“My apologizes, sirs, but you cannot get in without a reservation.”

I leaned in, asking Q, “I thought you said we had….”

“This should be all the reservation I need.” Q flashed him his ring. “My name is Q, and I’d like a table for my date and me, please.”

“Of course, sir. Right away.”

I’ve never been seated so fast in my life. Of course, we got the best seat in the house with a perfect view of the fountain and close enough to the pianist so that we could enjoy his melodies without it being too distracting.

“Seriously, it must suck to be you sometimes.”

Q agreed.

“Does that trick always work? Flashing your ring around like you’re the boss?”

“It generally works best in places that members of The Brotherhood own.”

“A Brother owns this place?”

Q nodded. “Pierre René Lovellette to be exact.”

“The hell?”

Q just started laughing.

“How does a guy with an awesome name like that name his restaurant ‘Bucky’s’ of all things?”

“I named it after my dog, actually.” This guy came up to the table and greeted Q with a kiss on both cheeks, then turned to me and greeted me the same way after introducing himself as Pierre René Lovellette. Not that there’s anything wrong with that kind of greeting, but I sure wasn’t used to it. That’s not how I say hello to my friends back home. I have to say, though, he was a handsome guy. He had dark hair with frosted tips, bright blue eyes, and a complexion as smooth as a baby’s bottom; not that I would expect anything less from a Brother.

“Where have you been hiding?” he asked Q as he grabbed a chair from a nearby table and joined us. “You haven’t been by for months. I was beginning to think I had done something to offend.” Placing his hand on his chest, he looked at me as if I knew something he didn’t and then looked back at Q.

“Of course not,” Q insisted with a laugh. “I’ve just been so busy. You know how it is.”

“Do I ever.” Pierre’s attention fell back on me again. “And who’s this handsome young man you have over here?”

“I’m Jacob.”

“Come on now, let me see it.” He gestured with his hand as if he wanted me to hand over something. I had no idea what he was talking about, and Q was no help because he was sitting there smirking the whole time. “Don’t be shy.”

Still nothing.

Pierre finally took matters into his own hands, reached under the table, and grabbed my hand so he could see my ring, and as our two rings got close, they glowed for a moment.

“Ah yes, there it is. A newbie, huh?”

“I guess you can say that.”

“And what are you to our beloved Q?” He looked between the two of us, waiting for an answer.

“Ahh,” was all that came out of my mouth. I don’t know why the words got stuck in my throat.

“I think that’s Jacobs’s elegant way of saying he’s my boyfriend,” Q joked.

“What? Shut your face!” Pierre clasped his hand over mine. “How did you melt thru the iceberg that sunk the Titanic over here?”

I laughed. “I have no idea, to be honest with you.”

“I see,” he narrowed his eyes and turned back to Q. “I love the silent types. It looks like you might have found yourself a good one here, Q. Don’t muck it up.”

“I’ll do my best until a nicer model comes along.”

“Hey now!” I protested.

Pierre giggled. He was more on the feminine side than I was used to with the Brothers, but it fit him perfectly. He was so charming and animated that I could spend hours talking to him.

“We missed you at the ceremony a couple of weeks ago, and it’s not like you to miss the after-party.”

“I know!” His hands were just all over the place. “My poor grandfather was hospitalized with pneumonia, and I was a complete mess.”

“Is he okay? Did you get a Nave to come and…”

“Oh yes, of course, I did. Nysrper was a total babe. He came right over and had my grandfather do cartwheels down the hall at no time.”

“Perfect,” Q smiled.

“Well, I should let you two get back to your dinner date. I’m sure you weren’t planning on making this a threesome…but I am open to the idea if guys ever….”

“Pierre!”

“I’m going; I’m going.”

He kissed us goodbye and insisted we call him if something wasn’t to our satisfaction. Q and Pierre did get into it for a minute about the bill; Q was planning on paying, and Pierre wasn’t trying to hear it. He said he’d take it as a personal insult, and Q finally let him have his way. He was one of the more colorful brothers I’ve met, but he left me hoping I’d run into him again.

The moment Pierre left, the waiter took our order and poured us wine at our table. I had the steak while Q shocked the hell out of me and ordered the pasta dish.

“I thought you couldn’t eat unless it were apples?”

“It’s not that we can’t eat. It’s just that we choose not to since it does nothing for us. But tonight is about me and you, so I wanted us to have the full experience.”

He made me smile from ear to ear. “Well, aren’t you just a sweetheart?”

“I do what I can.”

“Okay, can I ask a dumb question?”

“Better than most,” he answered.

“You are asking for it,” I declared, pointing my knife at him. “When you eat, do you have to go…”

He laughed. “No, we don’t.”

“So, where does it go?”

“Whatever we eat or drink gets atomized the moment it enters our bodies. We don’t have a digestive system. Hell, we don’t have hearts, a nervous system, or any of that stuff.”

“How’s that even possible?” I was beyond confused. “I’ve heard your heartbeat. I can see you breathing right now. And the day you got shot, I saw blood. Not to mention, that night in the motel, that was definitely cum!”

Q laughed hysterically and had to cover his mouth not to draw too much attention. “I guess I should clarify. This breathing you’re seeing me do is just me mimicking what humans do to appear more like you. Most of the time, when you see me stretching in the morning, that’s just something I’ve conditioned myself to do because we don’t have muscles to stretch. The blood you saw that day was real.”

“I don’t get it,” I said quizzically. “What do you mean by most of the time? And was it real blood if you don’t have any?”

“When we take human form, we have two options. If we choose to, we can make ourselves completely human, with all the biological ins and outs that make you what you are. That’s when we have a heart, lungs, stomach, etc. Or we can simply wear the shell of a human that contains our essence, our Anavi. Does that make sense?”

“I guess. So that night you got shot, you were fully human.”

“Yes. I knew you were watching and what Jake was planning to do.”

“I see,” I slowly nodded, remembering how I felt when I thought Q was shot for real. “Aside from tricking me, what’s the point of being fully human?”

“Ironically, in complete humanoid form, we can’t be detected by other El’odians, Nave or Skai. Right now, there could be a Skylarian sitting somewhere in this restaurant, and I wouldn’t know if he’s fully human. I’d have to see and recognize him from memory to realize he was one of them.”

“That’s why you didn’t pick up on Kaylec at the mall,” I mused with a nod.

“That’s right,” Q affirmed. “He wasn’t just wearing the skin of a human, he was human, and I never saw him, so I didn’t know he was there. That’s why our human Brothers have such an advantage when they are first turned. They are mostly unknown to the Skai, and so they stay in human form to protect their identities. Their humans do the same.

“Twice a month, the heads of every house gather in the Nexus to merge and share information. That includes the identities of any Skylarians we might have discovered. Then I bring that information back and link with the Inner Circle of our house to pass on that knowledge, and then they pass it on, and so on. It’s a long process but we must make do without the Eye of Eiyr.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” I said. “Hypothetically, let’s say I wanted to stab you with this knife right now. What would happen?”

“Well, as long as you’re speaking hypothetically,” he laughed. “Nothing would happen. It’s a knife,” again he laughed. “No human weapon can hurt us. But let’s pretend they could, and you knifed me.” Looking around the room to ensure no one was watching, Q pressed his finger to his knife, and it began to glow softly. He used it to cut his left palm and out poured wisps of light from the tiny wound. “This is what you’d get.”

I watched in awe as the Anavi continued to flow out of the mini geyser on his hand before the wound closed completely.

“Amazing…”

We returned to the light conversation while we enjoyed the rest of our food. Well, I was enjoying my food. I couldn’t tell if Q was putting on a show for my benefit or if he got some sensory pleasure from his meal, even if he didn’t need it for nutrition.

“I take it Pierre isn’t a Nave yet?” I asked.

“No, but his time is coming up.”

“Who decides when the time is right?” I asked as I took a sip of wine. “Holy shit, that’s really good.”

“For two thousand a bottle, it better be,” Q laughed. “Who decides? The Council of Brothers, after all the houses, submits names for consideration. There are a whole bunch of factors that go into it. In some cases, we might have the perfect candidate to become Nave, but it might serve The Brotherhood better to keep them human for the time being.

“Take Pierre, for instance,” Q continued, gesturing to his side as if Pierre was standing right next to him. “I think he’s going to make a great Nave, but even I see the benefits of keeping him here at Bucky’s if he’s willing. Do you know how many powerful and influential people come thru his doors? And no one is better at working a room and making connections than Pierre. Half the people here owe him favors, and the other half will eventually; they just don’t know it yet.

“Now, I know what you’re going to ask me. Why can’t he be a Nave and run this place at the same time? And he certainly can do both, but Pierre’s humanity…his human perspective makes him great at what he does. I don’t think he’d be nearly as effective as a Nave. Therefore our human bothers are just as important as our Naverian brethren. We’d be dead in the water without them.”

“Wait, hold up a second,” I finally chimed in, “let me get this straight; you’re telling me this is a two-thousand-dollar bottle of wine? Like two zero zero zero?”

“You’re incredible; you know that?” Q laughed.

“What’s incredible is what people are willing to pay for a bottle of crushed grapes! I can grow grapes.”

I went off on a tangent for the next ten minutes about the stupidity and excess of wealthy people. I somehow managed to bring the conversation to no-talent celebrities famous because of their name or a leaked sex tap they probably put out for publicity. Yes, I come from money, but my parents had to work hard for every penny. And they made sure not to spoil me…much.

Q seemed happy when the dessert finally arrived, and my tirade was interrupted. The waiter took a few minutes to chat us up and joke around before leaving to check on his other tables.

“What was I saying again?” I asked.

“I don’t remember it was so long ago…” Q quickly jumped to a new subject. “How were your classes today?”

Suddenly I couldn’t get enough of my dessert and wine.

Q repeated the question a bit more forcefully this time.

“I didn’t go,” I cringed and then threw my hands out when I saw his mouth about to open, “But before you freak out on me, hear me out. I just needed a day for myself. I couldn’t handle going to class and sitting thru another lecture about whatever the fuck when the world as we know it’s about to change thanks to the battle royale coming once someone finds the Eye. And it’s not like my grades are suffering or I always do this. It was a one-time thing, so I think you need to get off my back about it already.”

Q reached over and grabbed my hand. “First of all, breathe before you pass out on me. And secondly, It’s fine. I’m not upset.”

“You’re not?”

“No, I’m not. You needed a day for yourself. I get that.”

“You do?” I looked at him suspiciously, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

He nodded.

“Well, in that case, can I have another….”

“Don’t push it!”

Throwing my hands up, I laughed. “Okay, I figured I’d give it a shot.”

A comfortable silence fell between us as we ate. Every once in a while, our eyes would meet, and we’d start smirking for no apparent reason. My night out with Q turned out to be one I’d remember for a long time. What more can a guy ask for than a great movie, food, company, and many great laughs? Hell, I got to see five assholes banished to another country. I couldn’t ask for a better night out.

“So, getting back to the Nave thing,” I said, “How long do you think before I…you know….”

“Are you asking me when you’ll be offered The Gift?”

I shrugged. “Do you think I have what it takes?”

“Like nobody’s business,” he declared proudly.

“So…how long do you think before my turn is up?”

Pausing to wipe his mouth with his napkin, Q clasped his hand and leaned forward. He was staring me dead in the eyes. “What if I said I’m ready to pass on my Anavi to you right now? Would you accept?”

I must admit his question took me by surprise. I was honestly expecting him to give me this big speech about not being ready for such a big responsibility and that I had to be patient because my time would come. Instead, I got a question I wasn’t prepared to answer.

He smiled warmly at me. “You see, Jacob, it’s not just about the Nave offering you the Gift; it’s about you believing you’re ready to take that next step. Some Brothers contemplate this question for years and sometimes decades before they feel they’re ready.”

“What if I’m never ready?” I think he heard the slight panic in my voice. “What if I’m ninety years old cursing around in a wheelchair and still don’t think I’m ready? Will you still love me when I’m shriveled up and senile?”

“Well, obviously not….”

I busted out laughing at Q’s bluntness. Not the comforting words I was expecting from him.

“That’s why I’ll be around to keep you ageless for as long as it takes until you feel ready. And you will feel ready, trust me; probably a lot sooner than you’d expect.” He paused again, looked off to the side, thinking, and returned his attention to me. “I’ll tell you what. The Gift is yours, Jacob. All you have to do is ask for it.”

“Are you serious, or are you just fucking with me right now?”

“I’m very serious. From the moment I saw you, I knew you would be the one I’d give my light to. So honestly, it doesn’t matter if it’s a week or ten years from now. You’re the one.”

“And you can just do that?”

He nodded. “I told you before, as the head of my house, it’s within my right. But you’re under no obligation Jacob. Please understand that. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be here.”

I was blown out of the water. Again, not what I was expecting Q to say. To put that kind of offer on the table like that was beyond mind-blowing to me. What do you say to that? Nothing apparently because I was at a loss for words.

Now I don’t know if it was the food, or what he just said, or the two and a half glasses of wine I just had, but I was suddenly very hot for Q. He was going on about something, and I slipped my foot out of my shoe and stretched my leg out until I found his crotch.

“Whoa…” he said mid-sentence. “What are you doing?”

“Listening intently to whatever it is you’re talking about,” I answered with a big shit-eating grin. I was already feeling my cock pressing against my pants, and with the stimulation of my foot, Q wasn’t far behind. Within a couple of minutes, I had him as hard as steel. I traced the length of his cock up and to the left with my foot and pressed hard when I was down around his balls.

Slamming his hand against the table and taking a fist full of the tablecloth, he looked around casually as if nothing was going on under the table. “Jacob…”

“I’m curious,” I mused, a devilish grin dancing on my lips, “how does this work?” I pressed harder against his crotch. “You showed me you’re not fully human right now, but you’re clearly fully ha...”

“Jacob!”

“Yes…” I said and pressed harder against his junk.

“We should go.” He didn’t give me a chance to answer. He got up, grabbed my hand, and dragged me away to the back of the restaurant. We headed towards the restroom area, where we saw a maintenance door cracked open. Looking to either side to make sure the coast was clear, Q pushed me thru the door and started kissing me deeply.

With my eyes closed, I kissed him back, my hand fumbling to get his shirt open until I just figured screw it and tore it open. I could hear the buttons hitting the floor and scattering like marbles. I felt a sudden warmth cover me like a blanket for a moment. I didn’t know if it was just the heat of the moment or the heat of the room or just us grinding up against each other, but the feeling was intense.

Q slammed against the back wall, forcing a door to open behind me. I opened my eyes to see the radiance around him fading, and I could tell we weren’t in that maintenance room any longer. We were back at the house, and that door he opened was the one to our room. In a blink of an eye, he transported us back home.

I wasn’t all that concerned about how we got back. My main objective was to get my man naked. We kept kissing and clawing at each other while we moved toward the bed. When he pushed me down, I had him naked from the waist up and his pants unbuttoned.

He looked at me with this sexy; I’m going to pound your ass until it hurts, grin, and tore my shirt open like I did his just a few minutes ago. I grabbed him by the neck and forced him down against my lips with one hand while I reached into his pants for a handful of cock with the other. And trust me, there was plenty of hard cock to hold. It was hot and throbbing against my grip, so I gave it a few strokes for good measure. Q was kissing and licking my neck while I moaned in his ear.

The only thought going thru my mind was finally.

“Q!” Someone busted thru Q’s office door into our bedroom. “You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you for hours.”

We groaned in unison.

“This can’t be happening right now,” I whispered and threw my head back in disbelief.

Q collapsed against my body, and half rolled off me to look behind us. “What do you need, Soullen?”

“More importantly, can it wait a few hours?” I mumbled under my breath. Keep in mind I still had a handful of cock.

With a mischievous grin, Q looked back at me, “a few hours?”

We laughed.

“I got a hit,” was all Soullen said.

Q instantly got off me and sat on the edge of the bed. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. Come take a look for yourself.”

Q looked back at me with apologetic eyes and kissed me. “I’m sorry, Jacob, but this could be very important.”

Slamming my fists against the bed, I begrudgingly rolled out of bed and followed Q to his office to see what was so important.

“Oh, hey Jacob,” Soullen finally acknowledged me.

“Hey,” I offered up a weak smile. I wanted to throw Q’s computer monitor at him.

“What were you guys doing anyway?”

“Learning sign language.”

“Oh…” Soullen sounded genuinely puzzled.

Q was already sitting at the desk when I walked in, his eyes blazing across the screen, devouring whatever information was on it.

“What is this hit you got?” I asked.

“The Eye of Eiyr,” Q whispered. His voice sounded like he was in a trance or something. “Or at least a very good lead.”

“Exactly,” Soullen said, sounding mighty high on himself. “That’s why I had to show you right away.”

“Ok, back the bus up for us, slow folk,” I said as I spun my fingers in the air. I must admit that I was more than a little curious now. “What exactly do you think you found, Soullen?”

“This Russian billionaire is living in Sweden….”

“An art collector,” Q added.

“Right. He has one of the largest private collections in the world that few have been allowed to see. He plans to open his private gallery to the world in a few days. The crown jewel of his collection is what he refers to as The Tear From Heaven.” He paused for a moment. I guess he wanted to add some dramatic flair to what came next. “It’s an orb. An orb he claims glows during full moons. The Eye of Eiyr was always its brightest under a full moon. Do you remember that Q?”

Q nodded. “According to the press release, he could trace the orb’s origin to several ancient civilizations as it passed from one culture to the next over the centuries.” Q sat back against his chair and looked at Soullen. “It’s what we always believed happened to the Eye of Eiyr.”

“Is it the eye?” I asked. I just wanted them to stop drooling over this for a minute and say if it was the real deal or not.

“Well, there’s no way to be sure right now. It could be nothing, but it’s an incredible lead that must be followed up on.” Q stood up and walked over to Soullen. “Have you told the others?”

“No, I was planning on checking this one out myself.”

“Okay, I’ll get some guys to go with you.”

“No way,” Soullen objected. “I can do this on my own. Like you said, it could be nothing, and I don’t want to get everyone’s hopes up. But if it is the Eye, I would love to present it to our Brothers. Since getting here, I haven’t contributed much, so please allow me the one thing.”

Q seemed to mull it over for a moment and finally agreed. “I won’t say anything, but I’m coming with you.” Q could sense Soullen about to protest and cut him off before he could even say a word. “Those are my terms. Either you and I go, or we send a group.”

“Deal,” he agreed.

“I’m coming too.” I just threw it out there to see what they’d say. And, of course, they both looked at me and said “no” in unison. “The hell I’m not. I’m a Brother too and have every right to go along. “Or are you saying your human Brothers have no place alongside their Nave Brothers during…”

“Oh, stop,” Q interrupted. “Don’t pull out the human card. It has nothing to do with that, and you know it.”

“Fine,” I conceded, grabbed Q, and dragged him into our room for a moment. I placed his hand on my crotch and shoved my hand down his pants again. “But if you want any chance of finishing what we started here, you best believe I’m going.”

Q looked at me for a moment and then broke away to walk into his office again. “Jacob is coming too.”

“Why?”

“You’ll understand when you get older.”

“I’m tens of millions of years old,” he declared arrogantly.

“Not old enough,” Q insisted.

After a quick change of clothes, Q and I headed to the golden mirror to meet up with Soullen. We ran into Shaun along the way, and he had a couple of questions, not to mention a puzzled look on his face.

“What’s going on with Soullen?” he asked. “He was in a rush and barely said two words to me.”

“Oh, he’s just excited about going out with us,” Q replied.

“Where are you guys taking him?”

“Just taking him to see the sights.”

“Really?” Shaun looked shocked. “The way he’s acting, you’d think he found the Eye or something.”

Did he just say that? We both just gave a nervous laugh and walked away. Q turned around and said something in their Nave language, to which Shaun replied with a nod.

“What was that all about?” I inquired.

“Hopefully, nothing.”

The three of us went thru the mirror to the Nexus, and from there, we took a portal to one of our houses in Stockholm. After about ten minutes of talking to the Brothers there and dodging some of their questions, the wings came out, and we were soaring thru the sky towards Scania. Well, I wasn’t flying so much as being carried by Q. The countryside looked breathtaking from that high up, and I couldn’t believe I was there.

Thirty minutes ago, I was dry humping the shit of my boyfriend, and now I was flying thru the sky in his arms, ready to break into some billionaire’s private museum. As crazy as it sounded, that was my life now.

We landed behind a tree line several yards from the Russian’s mansion.

“How do you know this is the right place?” I asked as Q set me down.

“Because that’s the same building from the online picture,” Soullen pointed to the three-story building adjacent to the mansion. “It’s his museum.”

“Yeah, but we came straight here. Do you guys have GPS units I don’t know about in your wings?”

“Something like that,” Q teased. “Those guards have some serious hardware.”

I saw the men walking the perimeter of the building, and Q was correct. They were clad in black fatigues and carrying machine guns. “Considering all the art that place is housing, I’m not surprised. There’s probably enough in there to buy a small country. Are they going to be a problem?”

“Those are human weapons, and they can’t hurt us,” Soullen said matter-of-factly.

“Well, can’t hurt some of us,” Q added. “You stay put for a minute.”

“Where are…”

Before I could finish, they flew up into the sky so fast that they vanished into thin air. All I could do was sit back and watch. A couple of minutes went by, and still nothing. Then, suddenly and simultaneously, they took out the four guards within my field of view. One minute they were standing, and the next, they were knocked out cold. Q and Soullen landed by the side entrance and gestured for me to join them.

I ran across the open field as if landmines were about to go off or I was going to take sniper fire. I’m glad I made it to the door in one piece. Q was laughing at me when I got to him, so I punched him in the stomach.

Q was about to force open the door without regard to security. “Hold on there, sparky,” I said, placing my hand over his to stop him. “I know you guys have your powers to fight crime and all, but in the mortal world, we have little things called alarms.”

“Ah, good call,” Q said and playfully slapped my ass. He placed his hand flat against the door, and a wave of white light emanated from it. “There, we should be good.” Twisting the handle to break the lock, he opened the door.

We were in and, to my surprise, ran into no resistance inside. They might as well have left the door open with a big “Welcome. Please rob me” sign over it. “Anyone else thinks this is too easy?”

“What do you mean?” Soullen asked.

But before I could answer, Soullen swung open the doors to the main gallery. The first thing that caught my eyes was the two giant Egyptian statues on either side of the room. So, of course, my first thought was how the hell they got those things in here. The answer came to me when I walked into the room. The roof over the gallery was entirely made of glass, so I’d wager it retracted in some way. I didn’t get to admire all the unique art hanging on the walls and artifacts encased in glass littered throughout the gallery.

“There it is!” Soullen exclaimed.

Right in the middle of the room, flanked by the two Egyptian statues, was a sphere in a glass case. As excited as Soullen appeared, Q didn’t seem to share his enthusiasm.

“Something isn’t right,” he said.

“That’s what I was saying,” I agreed.

“No, you don’t understand. This close to the Eye, I should be sensing something even if its power is dormant.”

With Soullen by his side, Q walked up to the exhibit case and stared at the sphere for a moment before he smashed thru the glass and picked it up. A faint glow was coming from it, but Q still appeared unconvinced. It became crystal clear he wasn’t buying it when he crushed the orb in his fist. It shattered like cheap glass. I’m no expert, but I was positive the Eye of Eiyr wasn’t supposed to do that.

“Well, you did say there was a chance it would be a false alarm,” I said. I was just trying to make him feel better.

“No, it’s more than that,” Q insisted.

“What do you mean?” Soullen asked. For all his “Naveness,” if that’s even a word, Soullen looked as confused as I was.

“This wasn’t even a rare artifact that we mistook for the Eye,” Q explained. “It was a cheap glass ball you can buy in any gift shop with a light inside. This was planted here for our benefit.”

“To what end?” Soullen asked.

“To lure us here for some reason.”

That’s when the round of applause came from behind us. We turned around and saw two Skylarians standing on the gallery’s second floor and two more flanking us on either side, also on the second floor. I immediately knew what they were because they were in full “Skai mode,” if you will, black wings, dark skin, white hair, and all.

“Qua’quelle....” Another Skai walked in on the second floor and leaned against the railing; his voice sounded eerily familiar. “I knew we wouldn’t be able to fool you for long. I told them you’d figure it out before getting close enough to tell the orb was fake. Didn’t I say that?” he asked his companions. They didn’t respond. Instead, they just stared at us forcefully. Their black eyes looked as deep as a dark well and gave you the feeling you’d fall in if you stared at them long enough. “Don’t mind them. They’re more like the silent types.

“Kaylec,” Q sneered. “You just refuse to learn, don’t you?”

As soon as Q spoke his name, men, human men, armed with machine guns, started pouring in on the second and third levels; a smaller group came in the same way we entered. Their guns were trained on us.

“This clearly shows how much you respect your leaders,” Q added.

“You got it all wrong,” Kaylec laughed. “I gave Zenial my word I’d leave your human alone, and I plan to honor that. Now, I would never dream of speaking for my fellow bothers here. For my part, I’m only interested in you, Qua’quelle.”

“If you think you and your men with their toy guns are enough to take me down, you’ve sorely miscalculated. What do you want?”

“Toy guns?” Kaylec laughed as he reached behind his back and pulled out a gun of his own. He looked at it for a moment and then pointed it right at Q. “I’d agree they’re very primitive devices. I’m told this here is a 9mm, and quite deadly in the wrong hands. It certainly doesn’t compare to the majesty of El’odian ingenuity. Now we know how to invent weapons of war, don’t we?”

“I’ll ask again,” Q said. “What do you….”

Kaylec fired his gun.

I gasped and froze.

The bullet hit Q’s bare chest and then fell to the floor as a twisted piece of metal. Q was unaffected. “You two stay behind me,” he said softly as he stood before me.

Soullen was defiant and stood his ground by Q’s side, and with a flicker of light in his eyes, his swords materialized in his hands.

“This simply won’t do,” Kaylec said. Opening his mouth, he unleashed a torrent of Askyli; the dark mist swirled around and engulfed every weapon in the room. When it was all said and done, every machine gun was charged with Askyli, including Kaylec’s 9mm. I could see it curl off the medal like smoke.

“Let’s see if you can Superman your way thru these bullets now.”

I was terrified for Q, for I knew those bullets could now tear thru Q as easily as they would cut me down. The worse part of it all was that I was powerless to do anything about it.

Again.

“Soullen, get behind me!” Q ordered. “This isn’t a game.”

“You’re right. It’s not,” Soullen agreed.

There was a bright light, and Q was blasted across the room. He struck the Egyptian statue and dropped to the ground. The figure itself almost tipped over but found its balance.

“Q!” I yelled and ran to this side.

He appeared dazed but otherwise okay. “I’m fine,” he insisted, forcing himself to one knee.

We looked up to where he was just standing a few seconds ago, and I couldn’t begin to describe the horror of what I saw. There was Soullen; his hand outstretched in our direction, the luminous Anavi of the Nave still curling off his fingers – his face twisted with hatred.

“You would betray your own kind?” Q said in disbelief.

“You can’t speak to me about betrayal, Qua’quelle,” he spat, his eyes glowed intensely. “You who would deny me what’s rightfully mine by birthright!”

“That’s what this is all about?”

“Are you that surprised?” Every word he spewed was laced with venom. “Did you honestly believe I’d sit idly by while you denied me my crown? I am my father’s son! Prince Soullen, the one true hire to my father’s kingdom. The Naverians are my people, and I will be their King.”

“Your father would be so proud to see you now.”

“Don’t you dare! You have no right to invoke my father. He loved you like a son, and instead of elevating me, his only living son, to my proper place as King, you betray his memory. His legacy!”

“You are delusional if you think your father would approve of any of this. He would’ve given up his crown if keeping it meant he’d have to turn his back on his people.”

“That’s where you’re mistaken, Qua’quelle. I have no intentions of turning my back on my people. Only on you.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Kaylec finally spoke. “Can we kill him already? I find all this family talk boring, and I’ve been waiting for this moment for eons.” He tossed Soullen his gun. “You wanted your crown; well, there it is. Just pull the trigger.”

Q laughed. “You think my Brothers will follow you after you kill me? You didn’t plan this out too well, did you?”

“Oh, quite the contrary. We came here to investigate the eye and were ambushed by the Skai. You and your ape over there were killed while I barely escaped. And with you out of the way, everyone else will fall in line and recognize me as the one true King.”

“And what do the Skai get out of all this?”

“The total annihilation of the human race,” Kaylec said.

“This would mean war between our people, and that’s the last thing the Skai want right now.”

“There won’t be a war, Qua’quelle. Once I’m king, we will unite with the Skai, destroy these apes and divide Eiyr between us like all those years ago. We’ll go back to the natural order of things. We will restore Eiyr to her former glory under my rule. I’m confident the Skai won’t have a problem with that.”

Q finally stood up on his own two feet and looked pissed. “I’m going to enjoy this,” he said.

“Shoot him!”

The glass roof exploded above us. I looked up and just saw this luminescent object falling from the sky. It slowed down between the third and second floor, and then I realized it was a Brother wrapped in his wings like a cocoon. They were flung open and what looked like a bunch of arrows made of light flew out in every direction. Several of the guards were killed instantly.

“Mind if I drop in?” It was Shaun wielding a double-bladed staff.

“Your highness,” Q said to Soullen, who was distracted by Shaun. When he finally did look back at Q, he was met with a blast of Anavi from Q’s hands. He won that contest for he not only sent Soullen thru several exhibits but also put him thru a wall.

“Kill them all!” Kaylec ordered.

Instantly, Q turned around and wrapped me in his arms. His wings were outstretched, and a white light formed around us, creating a barrier the bullets could not penetrate. He placed his hand on the Egyptian statue and pushed it over on its side as easily as I would move a chair. The statue crashed thru the third floor, killing a few men, and stopped before it could go thru the second floor. It laid on an angle, creating the perfect spot to hide in. Q shoved me into it and told me to stay put. He made another barrier of light around me so one, the statue wouldn’t collapse on me, and two, the bullets couldn’t hit me.

“I love you,” he said and flew up and backward into the fighting.

At that very moment, I saw one of the Skai and several guards being thrown from the second floor as Steve burst thru the door behind them, knocking heads with a hammer the size of a minivan. He stayed on the level clearing out the trash like nobody’s business.

Q’s swords were out, and he made quick work of the small group of guards on the bottom floor. The Skai standing next to Kaylec jumped over the side, sword in hand, and went for Q’s head. I screamed for him to watch out, and while the Skai was still in midair, Q turned and crossed his words like an X causing them to glow brightly. The Skai got way closer to Q than I would’ve liked, but his swords unleashed a flare of Anavi that hurled the Skai upwards and thru the building. I could see the outside thru the hole.

The guards continued their assault, trying desperately to hit something. All they needed was one hit with these Skai-infused bullets to take them out or do serious damage, but my bros were too fast for them. On the other hand, I would’ve been dead several times over by now, for some of these bullets hit the shield protecting me, and even as they lay on the ground, I could still see them pulsating with Askyli.

Kaylec was still perched on the second floor; his right hand was outstretched as he tried to aim. He fired a bolt of Askyli at Shaun, but Q quickly jumped in the way and deflected the blast with his swords, killing more of Kaylec’s men. Seeing Kaylec standing up there smug and defiant burned my insides like lava. More than anything, I wished I had Q’s power because I would gladly blast him off the face of the earth. Instead, I was as useless there as I was in the warehouse.

Two beams of energy exploded from Q’s eyes, taking out the floor Kaylec was standing on. But with a quick flap of his wings, he did a sort of loop and landed on the third floor. He fired back with a blast of his own, and Q dove out of the way. For all this bravado, he would not come down and fight one on one.

One of the other Skai landed right in front of me and used his sword to try and smash thru the barrier. He got two strikes in before I saw a hand grab his neck from behind and toss him to the floor like a rag doll. Q tried to drive his sword into the Skai’s chest, but he vanished like a puff of smoke, reappeared next to Q, and kicked him across the face. Q went tumbling across the floor.

My heart sank.

This fucker stood over me smiling. From high Above, Steve came swooping down like an eagle and stomped the ever-living shit out of him with his bus-size hammer. The Skai went thru the floor into what I could assume was the basement or hell.

Just when I thought it was only Kaylec, one other Skai, and a handful of guards left, the Skai Q blasted thru the building, came flying in from the same hole he was launched out of, and tackled Shaun into the last standing Statue.

“Q, watch out!” Steve yelled.

It was the gunshot heard above all other gunshots. Right away, I looked for Q, who was trying to catch Steve’s falling body. He was hit with the bullet meant for Q. When I looked to see where the shot came from and saw Soullen holding the gun, I thought I was going to vomit.

Q cried out in a rage as he held his friend’s body. I had to cover my ears, for his voice was so thunderous every piece of glass in the building exploded. I saw two things in that same instant when glass was still flying all over the place. First, Kaylec jumped down to Soullen’s side, wrapped his wings around him, and they both disappeared. Second, I saw a streak of light move across the room as Q beheaded the few remaining guards, appeared behind one of the Skai and drove his sword thru his back. The sound the Skai made was something out of a horror movie.

The last Skai tried to pull a vanishing act like Kaylec, but Q grabbed him by the neck while he was mid-shimmer. At this point, Q’s body was wreathed in white flame, and I saw that fire also consume the Skai. His screams were short-lived as he disintegrated into a pile of ashen sand.

The white flames faded as Q rushed back to Steve’s side. With the Skai dealt with, the barrier protecting me also disappeared, and I was able to climb out of my hiding spot. At first, I didn’t know what happened to Shaun, but then I saw the statue on the opposite side of the room lifted and tossed aside into the air. I’m guessing Shaun was pinned underneath. He came over and knelt next to his two Nave brothers.

Q was holding Steve, who hung on to life by a thread. He had dozens of black lines webbing out of the entry wound and just spreading like black veins across his body.

“Can’t you heal him?”

Q shook his head.

With the last bit of strength he could muster, Steve reached up and placed his hand on the side of Q’s face. “My…my…life for Eiyr.”

He was gone. Steve crumbled away into a pile of white sand.

No one said a word. Shaun found a small vase that miraculously survived the melee and placed Steve’s remains inside. All that was left to do was head back home.

When we returned to the house in Stockholm, we were greeted with dead silence. I don’t know how they knew that one of our Brothers had fallen, but you could almost see the sorrow in the air hanging around everyone like an iron curtain. That grief was multiplied tenfold when we stepped thru the mirror and walked back into our house. Brothers lined up on either side of the wall and bowed their heads in reverence as Shaun passed them with Steve’s remains. All our Bothers came out to show their respect, human and Nave alike.

I made eye contact with Arsen and CJ, and they just wanted to say something or come up and hug me, but they did not break the line. Shaun ended up going one way while Q went another. I wasn’t sure who I was supposed to go with, but obviously, I ended up following Q.

He just went back to our room. I think he just wanted to be away from everyone, but I’d be damned if I was going to leave him alone. Q sat at his desk and turned the chair around so he could look out into the night. I pulled up a chair next to him and did the same.

We sat there silently for at least an hour, if not more. I don’t know what compelled me, but I finally spoke, unsure if Q would even say anything back.

“How did you know Soullen would betray us?”

Q shook his head. “I didn’t.”

“But what about Shaun and…” My words trailed off. I figured I shouldn’t be talking about this at that moment.

“Steve,” Q added. “It’s okay to say his name. When we ran into Shaun in the hall, I told him to follow us from a distance. If we picked up this lead about the Eye, there was a good chance that the Skai did too. I brought back up just in case things went south, but I never expected this.”

“I’m so sorry….”

“As am I.”

We sat there for another long while without saying anything. I glanced at the clock on Q’s computer, which was 4:30 am. I was exhausted.

“Hey, I’m going to jump in the shower quick,” I said. “You should join me. A nice hot shower might make you feel better.”

He didn’t say anything or even blink an eye. I leaned over and kissed him on the side of his head before heading to the bathroom.

That first blast of hot water that hit my body felt amazing. I felt like I was melting away in the water. I was only in there a few minutes when I heard the sliding door open as Q stepped inside. I leaned back against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around me. He kissed me on one side of the neck and then the other as his hand snaked down to grab my cock. I needed to kiss him. I turned my head to the side to let him know my lips were waiting for his, and he got the clue.

We kissed deeply while he stroked me. My cock was raging hard in no time flat, and it was apparent by the way Q’s steel pressed against my ass that he was doing the same. I moaned into his mouth as he squeezed my junk, forcing me to push my ass harder against his rod. All the while, the showerhead kept up its assault on our bodies; the hot steam rising from the water only fueled our passion.

Q squeezed me again, and I moaned even louder.

“I want you inside me,” I managed to say in-between kisses.

He continued to kiss me for a moment longer and then broke away. He was grinding into my ass, his cock sliding up and down between my cheeks. Placing his hand on my shoulder, Q bent me forward a bit and I braced myself against the shower wall. My back was arched with my ass was popping out. Q then traced my spine with kisses as he slowly knelt behind me. My cock was free from his grip, pointing straight up and throbbing like it was having a seizure.

Kissing each of my cheeks, Q reached for my cock again and pulled it back so it pointed straight down. It was so uncomfortable and amazing at the same time. My dick was pushed against his open hand, trying to bounce back up, but Q wouldn’t allow it. And then, out of the blue, I felt his tongue on the very tip of my head, swirling around the slit, and causing me to leak like a sieve. His tongue went up the length of my shaft, swirled around my balls, and went up and thru my crack up to my lower back. Q did that several times, and every time his tongue touched my cock head, I thought I would explode all over his face, but I managed to hold out.

On his last trip up, he came back up to the back of neck. Right away, I could feel the head of his cock pressing against my rosebud.

“Fuck me,” I finally demanded.

Q was nibbling on my ear when he said, “If you want it take it.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I reached back to grab his cock and slowly pushed back against it. It hurt like hell as his head tried to break thru my tight ring. It was nice to go at my own pace until I eventually felt his head “pop” into where it belonged. I placed both hands against the tile and took a minute to catch my breath.

Q was now in control and slowly, gently inched his way inside me until he was balls deep. It hurt like hell, but Q leaned against my chest and kissed me all over, allowing me time to get used to the feeling.

“Ok,” I said softly, letting him know I was good to go.

Q was still very gentle with me, pulling out a little and slowly easing back in. He did this repeatedly, pulling out a little further to allow me to get used to the sensation. Before I knew it, things went from painful to ok to finally feeling amazing. Q was getting a little more aggressive, which I only encouraged with my loud moaning and colorful words.

Before long, Q was pounding my ass properly, and my hard cock was flopping around all over the place. The feeling running thru my body was so intense I couldn’t hold out any longer. My cock just exploded, spewing ropes of cum in every direction. A few minutes after that, Q slipped his hand thru my hair, grabbed a fist full, and pulled my head back so he could kiss me. His eyes glowed like white fire as I felt him fill me with warmth.

We remained in each other’s arms, with Q still deep inside me, while the water poured over our bodies. That was, without a doubt, the most intense sexual experience of my life.

After our shower, I stood by the balcony door staring out into the night again with nothing but a pair of black trunks. Q came up behind me and kissed me on the shoulder. He was only clad in white trunks, and his bulge brushing against my ass made me smile.

“Thanks for that,” he said and rubbed my arms. Wrapping his arms around my waist, Q held me close. “How are you doing? I should’ve asked you sooner how you’re handling all this. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I assured him.

“So…how are you?”

“I feel like shit.”

I could tell by the reflection on that glass that’s not what Q expected to hear.

“You have no reason to feel that way.”

“I was so scared throughout that whole fight. I felt so useless. All I was good for was hiding behind that shield you created for me like a coward.”

Q spun me around. “Listen to me. There was nothing you could’ve done. You’d probably be dead if it weren’t for that shield. No one was expecting anything more out of you.”

“Steve might be alive now if another pair of hands were in the fight.”

“His death was not your fault.”

“I’m not saying it was. The outcome could’ve been different had I been fighting with you guys instead of hiding.”

“Jacob, you can’t start beating….”

“I want your Gift,” I interrupted.

Q shook his head in disbelief. “What?”

“I want to become Nave. You told me all I had to do was ask.”

“Yes, but jumping into this because of what happened is bad.”

“It has nothing to do with that.”

The “oh really” look I got told me he wasn’t buying it.

“I don’t ever want to be afraid like that again,” I continued. “I want to have your back just like you have mine. I don’t want to run into a hole whenever things get hot.”

“Jacob…”

“You gave me your word. All I had to do was ask.” I pulled away and turned away. After a moment of collecting my thoughts, I faced Q. “This life isn’t for me anymore. How can I go back to living a normal life with everything I’ve seen and the things I know will come? I can’t go back to sitting in a class pretending everything is normal. I want to take my place by your side as a Nave and lover.”

“There’s no going back if you go thru with this, Jacob. Once you take in my Anavi, that’s it. There is no undo button.”

“I get that, and I’m telling you I’m ready. This is what I want. This is what I need.” I’m tired of being afraid. I’m tired of being useless. I want to be able to defend those I love as they protected me.”

I could see him thinking it over in his eyes. He was probably contemplating why he shouldn’t do it but coming back to a single truth. He gave me his word. Q took me by the hand and led me to the middle of the room.

Placing his hands on either side of my face, Q asked, “Are you sure?”

I took one deep breath and nodded. “Will it hurt?”

“Not even a little bit,” he smiled and kissed me.

It was an intense and passionate kiss, but there was more to it. I opened my eyes and saw the stream of Anavi, like a luminous vapor, slipping through Q’s lips, into my mouth, and up my nose. He pulled away with a smile on his face.

At first, I didn’t feel anything, but then I felt this amazing warmth in my chest, and a few seconds later, sharp pain in my stomach.

“You said it wouldn’t hurt,” I said as I clutched my stomach.

“It shouldn’t.”

I cried out in pain and dropped to my knees.

“Jacob!” Q was kneeling next to me, trying to make me look into his eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t…. ahhh.” Falling forward, I braced myself with my hands and started dry heaving. Eventually, the resplendent Anavi that entered my body was expelled. It swirled around the floor as if it was alive and had no idea what it was supposed to do. It finally snaked its way to Q and was absorbed back into his body.

I jerked back with my hands on my head, screaming as if my skull was being cracked open. I lurched forward again, slamming my hand against the floor.

“How can this be…?” I heard Q say.

I saw it too. It wasn’t that I hit the floor so hard it cracked under the impact, but that my nails were like onyx, and my skin was shimmering and a deep gray like volcanic glass.

“You’re a Skai,” he finally whispered, but even with his profound revelation, Q did not leave my side and kept his arm draped around my shoulders.

“Get away from me!” I yelled.

Without warning, I blasted Q across the room and sent him crashing thru the closet doors. I didn’t mean to do it. But I didn’t have time to be sorry. I felt the heat on my back explode into two streams of fire. These flaming jets began to flap and take form, and when the fire was finally extinguished, all that remained were two raven back wings.

Slowly I stood and saw my reflection in the mirror. My hair was as white as ivory, my skin was gray and gleaming, my eyes were like two tar pits, and behind me, I'd always imagined a set of mighty wings as white as a dove, but instead, they were as black as the darkest void.

“Jacob…” Q was standing by the broken doors of his closet.

I took one look at him and launched myself out of the room, crashing thru the glass walls and flying into the dawn. I had no idea where I was going. I didn’t even know how I was flying. It was like my body knew what I wanted and made it happen. One thing was sure; I needed to land. The dam holding back a torrent of memories was leaking, for I was getting random flashes and images, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the dam broke completely.

As if on cue, the moment I landed, it gave way, and I was flooded with a tsunami of memories. It was overwhelming. I put my hands up to my head as if that would make it stop, but it was useless. I just had to suffer thru it until it subsided. Eventually, it got better, and I got a glimpse of a past that wasn’t mine. I forced it all back and locked away those memories for the time being.

It took me a moment to realize I was standing on the same bluff where Q first revealed himself as a Nave to me. I wasn’t planning on landing there, but I guess I subconsciously forced myself to go there.

Opening the palm of my hand, I slowly created a sphere of raw Askyli, black with ribbons of fire swirling within, and hurled it into the ocean. It exploded, and a massive column of water rose into the air. I looked at my hand, amazed at what I had just done without a clue about how I did it.

I spun around with another Sphere in hand, ready to attack. It was Q touching down behind me, still in his white trunks. I closed my hand around the orb, and it dissipated. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“Really? Where else should I be if not by your side?”

“But I’m Skai…”

He smirked, his charming smirk. “And I’m in love with you.” He approached me and placed his pale hand against my dark, gray face. “Unless you’re telling me you no longer feel the same, then I’ll leave….”

“No!” I placed my hand over his and kissed his palm. “Don’t leave….”

This shouldn’t be happening. Q and I are as different as black and white. Literally. We should be at each other’s throats; instead, here we are in each other’s arms. My love for him never waned.

“But how?” Q finally asked.

With a glimpse of the past, I could finally answer some of those questions. “My name is Akuzio. It was the only thing I ever got from my fathers besides the gift of life. I was born moments after your city fell from the sky. The toxic cloud was heading our way, so I was forced deep underground to sleep no sooner than coming into the world. My fathers cocooned us within their wings, but that had to do more than that if I was to survive.”

“You were just born and had no powers,” Q interjected.

I nodded. “All these millions of years, they kept me alive by feeding me their Askyli.” I laughed despite myself. “All these years, I’ve wondered about those first ten years of my life only to realize now my life started in that forest. I was chasing a ghost, or at least chasing the wrong ghost.

“That night, one of my fathers came up into this world only to discover it looked nothing like the one they left behind. At first, he thought the humans were Naverian but then soon realized they were something different. With his strength nearly gone from keeping me alive, he took a few humans' memories and experiences and returned to where my father and I still slept. He shared what he learned with my other father, and with their last bit of power, they made me human and gave me some of the human experiences and memories he gathered to provide me with a fighting chance in this new world.

“They finally sacrificed themselves to give me enough strength to claw my way out of the earth. I remember it now.” I laughed again, but it was a joyless laugh as I thought of my parents giving up their life for my sake. “I emerged in the middle of a group of kids out in the woods who were smoking pot, drinking, and just listening to music. The sight of me crawling out of the ground must have scared the hell out of them. They got in their van and peeled out of there. That was the night I was born for a second time.”

“And you never came into your powers….” Q said. “It’s extremely rare, but it’s happened before.”

“It wasn’t until you tried to turn me that your Anavi awakened my latent powers.”

“You’re lucky it didn’t kill you.”

“I guess…”

“You guess?”

“I don’t know whether I should be thanking you or cursing myself for pushing you to turn me.”

“At least now you know who you are, Jacob.”

“And what has that knowledge gained me besides losing the one thing I love?”

He placed his hand on my chin and forced me to look up at him. “You haven’t lost me, Jacob. You’ll never lose me. You don’t have to go with them. You can stay with us. We’ll protect you.”

“You’re sweet, but you know that will never work.”

“Of course, it will,” he insisted. But he was refusing to see the truth. “You’re one of us!”

“No,” I whispered. “I’m Skai. Sure, a few might accept me, but The Brotherhood will never, and you know that, especially after Steve’s death. And you know the Skai will never let me go. Besides…I belong with my people. I can feel it now in every inch of my body. The feeling is only getting stronger. It’s who I am.”

“Don’t do this,” he pleaded and placed both hands on my face. “You have a choice, Jacob.”

“A choice,” I snickered and instantly thought of Lady White. “This is what she meant.”

“What?”

“Lady…The Great Mother told me I’d have to make a difficult choice, and here we are.”

“Exactly, you have a choice,” Q said and shook me gently. “You can choose to stay.”

“Or you can choose to leave with me,” I said.

“Leave with you?” Q asked and shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

“We can both just leave and do our own thing. Come with me somewhere, anywhere far from both the Nave and Skai. We can just be us.”

Q looked at me without saying a word. I could see the wheels turning in his head, and if I had to guess, I’d say he was thinking, “Can we do this?”

“Let’s just go,” I urged him.

A swirl of light appeared and slowly moved toward us as it took form.

“My darling boys,” the voice came before Lady White was entirely “human” again.

I saw her standing there and finally realized how much she truly means to us. I couldn’t help but rush to her and give her the biggest hug I could muster.

“Oh dear!” she laughed.

Q came up behind me, bowed his head in reverence, and said, “Great Mother.”

“You knew!” I exclaimed. “You knew from the beginning who I was.”

“I did, Jacob. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew you were Skai. What I didn’t know was why a Skai was marked by the Light.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You drank from the chalice Jacob,” Q answered. “I marked you with my Anavi so all Nave would recognize you as a pledging member of The Brotherhood. As a Skai, taking in my Anavi should’ve been like drinking poison, but you were fine. It’s the other reason we perform the ceremony. To expose any Skai who to try to infiltrate The Brotherhood in human form.”

“Why didn’t I awaken then?” I asked, looking between Q and Lady White.

“I wasn’t trying to turn you, Jacob. What I passed on to you that night was merely a drop compared to the Anavi it would take to turn you into a Nave.”

“That’s why you freaked out. And that’s why you insisted on being the one to heal me in the warehouse, wasn’t it?”

“I was perplexed,” she corrected me gently. “And yes, had Zenial healed you, he might have awakened you. It wasn’t time.” She paused. “In all my years guiding both sides through this new world, I had never seen such a thing. I realized you were with Q, and a budding romance was emerging. It gave an old lady hope.”

“You’re here to stop us from leaving?” I said. I spoke as if I was sure Q was ready to leave with me, but the truth was I had no idea. He never got a chance to give me an answer.

Lady White shook her head. “I’m here to ensure you both do what you know is best, even if your hearts demand you do otherwise.” She took our hands into hers. “I see so much of Sol and Juyx in both of you. Your love burns as brightly as theirs does.”

We both caught that. I think my jaw was hanging open.

“Great Mother, what are you saying?” Q asked.

“I’m saying the Nave and Skai are not ready for such a union.” Total deflection on her part! “It would incite a war. But you both hold power to change the hearts and minds of your brethren. You can accomplish what Sol and Juyx were meant to do. You can bring everlasting peace between the Skai and Nave. Leave, and that dream dies here and now.”

“How can we possibly do this if we’re apart?” I asked.

“You’re love will find a way.” She placed her hands on our faces. “Ultimately, the decision is yours; it always has been. All I ask is that you consider the future of all El’odians.”

“But…” Q started, but she faded away before he could finish his sentence.

With Lady White gone, Q turned his attention to me. “How am I supposed to let you go?” It was the first time I heard Q’s voice shake.

My heart broke.

“I don’t ever want you to let me go.” I kissed him and our wings wrapped around each other. “Don’t ever let me go.”

The moment did not last long. I pulled away and looked over my shoulder. “I’ve awakened. The Skai are coming. I can feel them calling to me.”

“Let them come! I’ll destroy every one of them!”

“Yeah, that will help us avoid an all-out war Lady White was just warning us about,” I joked but saw the sadness in his eyes. “Besides, those are my people Q.”

It killed me to pull away from him and slip out of his arms. “There’s one thing I have to know.”

“What?”

“You were right when you said your Anavi should have killed me or at the very least do serious damage.”

I stuck my hand out in front of Q and looked into his eyes. He knew what I meant to do and didn’t hesitate for a second.

He placed his hand against mine and smiled.

Our hands melted away into pure Anavi and Askyli. That simple act should have killed us both, but I felt his love for me as he felt mine as his brilliance merged with my darkness. That brief connection expressed it in a way words could never convey. Our hands became solid again, and our fingers were interlocked.

I pressed my forehead against his and whispered, “I have to go to them….”

“I love you, Jacob.”

“And I love you….” We kissed for the last time before walking to the cliff’s edge.

“Wait!” Q said. He grabbed a single white feather and plucked it out. It radiated with his Anavi as he handed it to me.

I smiled and did the same for him. At that moment, I was reminded of Alessandro’s words to Anthony, which seemed so fitting for our situation.

“I will always find you, Qua’quelle ….”

I flew off into the sky and headed towards the rising sun; my Skylarian brethren were so close I could feel them. I flew towards an unknown future, wondering what would come next or if I’d ever see Q again. The fact that Q and I were able to merge our two energies meant something, so I left not only with a heavy heart but something far more important.

Hope.

 

 

End of Book One