The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II - 19. Chapter 19

The Brotherhood: Awakening

Chapter XIX

By X

 

 

 

Despite appearances, Q can be an absolute sweetheart.

The boys had returned to awkward silence. I was looking out the window, observing Zac from the sideview mirror, and thinking of ways to get them talking again when I realized the mall exit was coming up.

Q blew right past it. I don’t know why, but he deliberately missed our exit.

I looked at him and gestured out the window as if to say, “What gives?”

He winked at me.

“So, Zac, how does a fourteen-year-old make it from Alabama to Connecticut all on his own? I imagine it wasn’t easy.”

I slapped Q’s thigh, signaling him not to go there.” I didn’t want Zac’s thoughts wandering into the darker corners of his memory. But it was too late. He’d put the question out there, and it was up to Zac how he wanted to respond. Obviously, Q had no idea of Zac’s troubled past, and if I’m being honest, his genuine interest in Zac made me want to jump his bones.

Still, I was concerned for Zac.

Q's confusion was justified, but Zac started speaking before I had time to hand-puppet an explanation.

“Oh, you know….” Zac said sheepishly. “A little bit of this. A little bit of that.”

“You don’t have to get into it, Zac,” I assured him, smiling warningly at his reflection.

“I apologize if I touched on something….”

“No, it’s okay, Qua’quelle,” Zac insisted. “I don’t mind. It’s a fair question.”

“Are you sure? And you can call me Q. It’s fine.”

“Ha!” Zac poked the back of my head. “I told you he wouldn’t care if I called him Q.”

“I never said he would. I just told you not to do it.”

“Well, he outranks you, so I’m going with Q.”

“How does he outrank me? That’s not a thing.”

“For this conversation, I choose to believe it is,” Zac flashed a toothy grin at my reflection. “Anyway, you’re right; my trip up here was not easy. I didn’t have time to pack any of my things. I only managed to grab my backpack off the chair just as my stepdad threw me out the door. Luckily, I hadn’t unpacked it from a sleepover the night before. I ended up with a single change of clothes, a pair of clean underwear, my headphones, a pack of gum, and about sixty bucks I’d saved from mowing Ms. McKinney’s lawn a couple of times. Oh, and a cell phone that worked for about twelve hours. My parents had it turned off the next day.”

“That is terrible,” Soullen growled softly, unable to hide his anger.

“Yes, it is,” Q agreed.

“I don’t know. I guess the worst part was that I convinced myself it would blow over in a day or two. He’d cool off if I just gave him time. But when I showed up at my friend Jon’s house asking to crash for a day or so, his parents said no.” Zac’s voice caught in his throat. I didn’t have to look at his reflection to know how badly that single word - no - broke his heart.

“Zac…”

“Then Scott’s parents said no, and so did Jamie’s. I never got to talk to Dion. His mom hung up on me when I asked to talk to him. That’s when I knew this wasn’t just a ‘day-or-two’ kinda thing. My stepdad had actually told people not to let me in their homes. I couldn’t believe it. Apparently, I was a deviant hell-bent on corrupting their sons.”

My heart broke for him. How could they treat someone as loveable as Zac so horrifically? I could spend weeks detailing all the attributes that make him so special, and I promise you I’d still fall short. Considering everything he’d been through, Zac’s warmth should’ve faded long ago. Most adults would’ve been crushed under the weight of such circumstances, and others would emerge angry and bitter, yet Zac shined like an enteral flame that refused to be extinguished.

“Once that realization hit, I picked a direction and just started walking,” Zac continued with a laugh. “I actually thought I was heading south to Florida. I’m terrible with directions. I got lucky at first and managed to make it to North Carolina with little trouble. A super nice lady picked me up and let me tag along for the ride. She had to drop off a company van in Lexington and then return to Bama after a few days. She bought me lunch before we parted ways and even threw in some breakfast bars for the road. The cool thing was that meant I still had forty bucks in my pocket.” He paused for a moment and looked down at his lap. “But, you know, forty bucks only gets you so far.”

“I understand,” Q nodded knowingly.

I was relieved.

“I do not,” Soullen stated.

God dammit.

“When I ran out of money, I had to work the streets.”

“What did you do for the streets?” Soullen asked.

I shook my head and slapped Q’s thigh again. “Maybe you should’ve given him a little more knowledge about the world,” I admonished.

“It’s fine,” Zac said, remaining as cool as a cucumber while I was freaking out. “I was a hustler.”

Of course, that went over Soullen’s head, too.

“It’s a male prostitute.” He looked Soullen straight in the eyes. “I had sex with men for money.”

“But your laws prohibit young people from having sex, correct?”

Leaning closer to Soullen, Zac whispered, “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“I won’t,” Soullen assured him. “You have my word.”

Zac laughed and playfully slapped Soullen’s arm, finally making him smile.

“Did you enjoy the hustler occupation?”

“Well, I wouldn’t recommend it. It’s not the type of career you dreamed of as a kid, you know? But I had to survive, and that’s how you survive on the streets.”

“Were you mistreated?” Soullen asked.

“That’s enough questions for now, Soullen,” Q said, glancing at the Prince through the mirror. “We don’t need to bombard Zac with questions now. There will be plenty of time for that.”

“But why?” Soullen questioned, leaning forward to look at Q. “You told me if I like someone, I should get to know….” He snapped his head in Zac’s direction, suddenly very aware of what he’d just said. “I mean….uh….if I find someone interesting, that is.”

“Real smooth….” I whispered with a chuckle.

“That’s true, Soullen, but you….”

Zac took Soullen by the arm to pull him back to his seat.

“There were good days and bad.” He answered the question with a shrug. “But the bad days started outnumbering the good ones, and they lasted for long stretches of time if you know what I mean.”

“I think I am beginning to understand,” Soullen said somberly.

“Eventually, I met up with some other boys running the same game as me. They were friendly, took me in, and made me part of their little hustler gang. It was through them that I met Dom.”

“Dom?” Soullen narrowed his eyes, knowing nothing good would come from that revelation.

“Yeah, short for Dominic. He ran the boys. He was super nice to me…in the beginning, anyway. That was his game, to be understanding and kind, so I’d go along with his crew. Dom kept a roof over my head, a bed to sleep in, and food in my stomach. I was grateful and felt I owed him for looking out for me. Next thing I knew, I was breaking into cars, pickpocketing people on the streets, and….”

I turned around abruptly to look at him. “Wait, you know how to pickpocket?”

“Oh yeah,” Zac replied. “I’m pretty good at it too. You’d never know until it was too late.”

“Remind me to hide my wallet around you.”

“What makes you think I don’t already have it?” Zac asked smugly.

“No way….” I quickly searched frantically and found my wallet in my front right pocket. “Very funny!”

“Not my fault you’re so easy,” Zac laughed.

“You’ll see what’s easy when I get out of his car.”

“Promises. Promises.”

His little giggle was charming and infuriating at the same time.

“What is a pickpocket?”

No one was surprised by Soullen’s question. Zac was happy to go into a detailed explanation of pickpocketing and seemed weirdly proud of this unique skillset. In a car filled with superhuman beings, I guess it made him feel like he had his own special superpower. He even went as far as to show Soullen a few tricks, as much as he could anyway, from the back of an SUV.

In a hilarious twist, Soullen said, “But if I wanted your wallet, I would just do this….” Holding out his hand, a swirl of light appeared in the palm, only to be quickly replaced by Zac’s wallet.

“Okay, that’s cheating,” Zac declared while taking back his wallet. “No offense, but there’s no skill involved in that. Going up to your mark and taking their belongings without them realizing it, that’s where it’s at.”

“Great, we have a thief among us,” Q teased.

“Hey now! I don’t do it anymore.” After declaring his innocence, Zac thought about it for a moment. “Okay, I still do, but I always give everything back. I don’t want to get rusty; you know what I mean?”

“Hold on,” I said, “is that why Elijah was chasing you around the other day?”

“Yeah, I took his favorite watch off his wrist for the hundredth time. He never notices until he goes to look at the time.”

I laughed. “You’d think he’d be more aware, considering he’s Skai.”

“You’d think so,” Zac agreed. “But he makes such an easy mark. I love messing with him.”

“What about this Dom person?” Soullen asked. “What happened with him?”

“Oh, right,” Zac said. “Sorry, I got sidetracked. What was I saying?”

“You were saying you were grateful to this Dom individual, and he’s why you started your criminal empire.”

“Empire?” Zac laughed loudly, striking Soullen in the arm teasingly. “I wouldn’t call it an empire. It was just a few wallets, dude. But yeah, I ended up working for Dom, and eventually, he started getting me high-end ‘clients’ that paid a lot of money for young boys. Honestly, it was a step up from the dingy motels, dirty backseats, and dark alleys. Plus, he looked after us.”

Zac stopped, then almost as an afterthought, he added, “And he was a nice guy as long as you were obedient and got him his money on time.”

“And when you weren’t?” Q asked in a low, hushed voice.

Zac shrugged meekly. “There were consequences. It’s why I ended up leaving Dom.”

“Oh?” Q looked into the rearview mirror with a raised brow.

“He set me up with this guy who was into bizarre stuff. Like, really weird stuff. He paid Dom a lot of money, and I guess Dom assumed I’d go along with it because he never gave me a heads-up or anything. But he was wrong cuz I refused.”

“Good for you!” Soullen declared. “This pleases me.”

“Yeah, well….it was a lot of money, so there were consequences….”

Zac’s voice faded, so I flipped my visor down to watch him through the small mirror. His eyes were down like he was looking at his feet. I could tell his mind was miles away and in a different time.

“He’d hit us before to keep us in line,” Zac continued softly. “We were used to it. But….but this was different. Dom needed to set an example for the others. I was that example, and this time, the hits kept coming. I begged him to stop until I couldn’t speak anymore. I remember a couple more blows and ringing in my ears before I blacked out.” Moving his fingers to his chin, he traced them up the side of his left cheek. “I had a scar once. A reminder from Dom so I’d never disobey him again.” He traced that same area a few times before putting his hand down. “It’s gone now, thanks to Raz.”

I choked back my anger and pretended I was okay for Zac’s sake. I wasn’t the only one bothered by this horrific tale. Q looked calm and collected as his gaze remained on the road, but I clearly heard the leather squeal as he twisted the steering wheel under his tight grip.

I wanted a piece of this Dom guy and made a mental note to follow up with Sunny on his progress in locating this bastard.

“After that, I knew I had to leave,” Zac continued, his tone more upbeat than before. “I tend to see and hear things I’m not supposed to, so it was easy for me to get into Dom’s safe one night after one of his drug-fueled orgies. I broke in while he was passed out and took off with about fifteen grand of his money. I split it with some of the other guys and told them they should run. I don’t know if they did, but I wasn’t sticking around to find out. With that kind of cash, I hopped on a few trains and buses and ended up here. My brothers took me in soon after that.”

“I bet Dom isn’t too pleased that you stole his money,” Q speculated.

“Are you kidding?” Zac said sarcastically. “He’d kill me if he ever found me.”

“I would never allow that,” Soullen declared sternly. There was a frightening chill to his declaration.

In contrast, Zac smiled brightly, warmed by Soullen’s promise of protection.

“Where did you say this Dom guy was located again?” Q questioned casually.

“Yes! Where is he?” Soullen wasn’t as subtle.

“I never said,” Zac smirked knowingly. “How about we talk about something else now?”

“Sure,” Q nodded. “Did you have something in mind?”

I watched as Q, after circling back to the mall, missed our exit for the second time.

“Well, for starters, Soullen, you’re a prince.”

“Yes,” Soullen confirmed simply.

I laughed along with Zac at his deadpan response.

“Growing up as a Naverian prince had to be cool,” Zac said enthusiastically, throwing his hands toward Soullen. “Am I right?”

I don’t know why Zac’s question confused Soullen, but he turned to me for guidance.

All I could do was shrug. “Don’t look at me, buddy. I’ve never been a prince.”

“Come on! You gotta give me something,” Zac begged. “Did you live in a big palace?”

“Yes,” he nodded, and for a moment, I thought he would leave it at that. “The royal palace was the biggest structure in Aquaiia. From the top of the Tower of Kings, you could see as far as our eyes could see. It felt like the whole of Eiyr was at our fingertips.”

“That sounds amazing,” Zac said. “And you grew up around dinosaurs! What was that like? Did you get to ride any of them?”

Q chuckled.

“We did not ride them, no,” Soullen clarified. “They did not make for good house pets like you see on human television.”

Zac laughed.

“You’re saying you didn’t use them to mow the lawn or type up letters?” I asked sarcastically.

“Of course not! That would be ridiculous.” He almost sounded offended. “They were majestic beasts worthy of our respect and admiration and best left to their own devices.”

“Jeez! Sorry! I didn’t realize it was such a touchy subject for you.”

“Apology accepted,” Soullen proclaimed. He was totally serious, too. “But I feel your educational system has failed you, Jacob. I would be happy to spend time with you to teach you the correct information.”

“I’m good, thanks.”

Zac was dying, and Q was barely able to hold his composure.

Soullen spent the next few minutes outlining his course plan on the Mesozoic Era to me. Luckily, Zac stepped in before Soullen had a chance to offer up a date for me to attend his class.

“So, being a prince, I bet you were like super popular with lots of friends and stuff.”

Soullen finally stopped harassing me long enough to consider Zac’s remarks. “No, not really,” he said thoughtfully.

I don’t know why, but how he said it broke my heart. It’s not as if he sounded sad. I think it was the way he was so matter-of-fact about it that bothered me.

“Most of the boys my age kept their distance because they did not know how to act around me,” Soullen continued. “They feared they might do or say something that would offend the palace. It was less so when I was younger because kids do not think this way, but as we got older, my title became more pronounced in their minds, which changed our dynamic. At times, it was a lonely experience.”

“I’m sorry,” Zac said warmly.

“There is no need for sorrow. It was not all bad. I had my brothers Sol and Qua’quelle.”

“Hold up.” Zac raised a finger in the air. “Did I miss a memo? You and Q are brothers? Or do you mean you’re brothers in The Brotherhood?”

Shaking his head in confusion, Soullen looked between me and Zac several times. “I do not understand.”

Luckily, Q stepped in to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Think of it as an adoptive brother, Zac.”

“No! Not adoptive,” Soullen protested, wiggling the back of Q’s headrest. “You are my family, no different than Sol and Father.”

“I understand that, Soullen.” Q happily conceded the point. “I merely put it in terms Zac could understand from a human perspective.”

“Oh, right,” Soullen replied sheepishly and looked at Zac. “I apologize if I confused you.”

“It’s okay; I get it now.”

“Good.” Nodding his head, Soullen leaned closer to Zac and whispered, “But he is my family.”

The corner of his lip curled upward in the beginnings of a smile for a nanosecond before he went deadpan again. That’s all you get with Q. If you blink, you miss it. But I knew Q was touched by the sentiment.

“Aren’t you forgetting Akkar?” Q asked.

“Never!” Again, Soullen sounded offended that Q would suggest such a thing.

“Akkar?” Zac inquired.

“He is very dear to me. He was the son of one of my father’s top advisors, so we grew up together in the palace. Akkar was the only boy my age who did not care about my title and treated me no differently than the rest, despite his father’s efforts to get him to show deference to the crown. He never did. Not with me. Except maybe when father was around.”

“He sounds great. What happened to him?”

“Akkar still slumbers, I believe. He went to ground at the same time I did. It was the last time I saw him.” Soullen let out a heavy sigh. “I wish he were here now.”

“Well, it sounds like he means a lot to you. I hope you are reunited soon.”

“As do I,” Soullen smiled.

I couldn’t help myself and decided to be a bit of a troll. “So….was he like your boyfriend or something?”

“Boyfriend?” It took Soullen a second, but eventually, he realized what I was implying. His smile quickly faded, and he went into full panic mode. “No! It was not like that at all.” He frantically waved his hands in front of Zac. “He was not my beloved.”

“Okay, maybe not your ‘beloved,’ but maybe a boyfriend? A friend with benefits, perhaps? A side piece?”

“He was not!” Soullen insisted angrily. “Even if I don’t know what those things mean. Tell them, Qua’quelle.” He focused on Zac again and very calmly stated, “He was not my boyfriend.”

“Soullen, Jacob is just messing with you,” Q said, glancing at me like I was a mischievous child. “He knows exactly what you mean. Akkar was your best friend.”

“Yes, my best friend.” Sticking his head between our seats, he politely said, “You are a terrible person.”

“I know, but it’s the little things in life,” I laughed, pressing two fingers against his forehead to push him away.

Soullen continued to describe palace life to Zac. It was interesting because Soullen can come off a little high and mighty at times, but it was apparent that he did not want to give that impression to Zac. He humbled himself, focusing very little on the fact that he, indeed, was a prince. If nothing else, it confirmed that all the other times, he was being a brat.

“What about you, Q?’ Zac asked.

“Me?” Q sounded surprised, shifting his eyes to the mirror for a moment. “What about me?”

“What’s it like being the son of a God? I mean, that has to come with some perks, right?”

“That subject is not open for discussion.” Q’s tone was cold, dismissive, and just plain rude, as if Zac was part of a pledge group.

“Oh….okay, sorry.” Zac sounded deflated as he sunk back into his seat.

Oh. My. God.

I was livid! This poor kid, who poured out his soul to us, just wanted to get to know him better, and Q smacked him down like he meant nothing. Of course, he would ask something like that. Who wouldn’t? He was the son of a literal GOD!

I understood that Q’s father was a touchy subject for him. I respect that, so even though I have a million questions, I never really asked him about his father. I get it. But fifteen-year-old Zac just told the world how he had to sell his body to survive on the streets, only to get pimped out by some sick, abusive fuck, but Q couldn’t get over his daddy issues for five minutes? Or at least find a gentle way to redirect Zac’s question?

I looked over at him with daggers in my eyes. No, flaming daggers. I was so pissed that I couldn’t even look at him for long. I stared out my window, fuming.

Everyone was quiet. The mood in the SUV was heavy. The boys certainly didn’t know how to navigate this type of awkwardness.

I felt Q’s hand on mine, and before I could react, our fingers were interlocked. I felt him squeeze my hand gently, and then he reminded me why I love him so much.

“I didn’t have a strong relationship with Naveyk, Zac,” Q said, looking over his shoulder.

From my handy mirror, I could tell the two made eye contact.

“In fact, I would say it was nonexistent.”

“Okay,” Zac said plainly. After taking a moment to muster up the courage, he nervously asked, “Why is that?” And then it was like he regretted overstepping again and tried to backtrack. “Actually, never mind. It’s okay. It’s really none of my business.”

“It’s all right, Zac,” Q assured him, looking over his shoulder for the second time. “To make a long story short, after the Goddess Aal’ee realized Naveyk had a child with one of her daughters, she spiraled into a blind rage that ended with the death of my family. I lost my mother Lisuri and Ajus, the only father I ever knew, along with my younger brother Azajin.”

“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry.”

“Thank you,” Q said, and after a brief pause, he continued. “It was within Naveyk’s power to stop Aal’ee, or at the very least, protect them from her, but he chose to do nothing. He was okay with letting her believe that when she killed my family, specifically my younger brother, she had killed his only son.”

“Whoa….” Zac muttered softly. “That is messed up.”

“It’s something I can’t forgive. Not ever.”

“I still think you are too harsh on your father,” Soullen said carefully.

“You think so?”

“Yes, Qua’quelle, I do. I understand that what he did was terrible. There is no denying that. But he is still your father and our God. He is still beloved and worshipped by our people. He gave us his Light. No matter how terrible his actions may have been, can we truly understand the will of the Gods? Perhaps there was a higher purpose to his actions that….”

“There is no higher purpose to allowing the slaughter of an innocent family, Soullen,” Q interrupted coldly. “It was cowardice.”

“That’s blasphemous, Qua’quelle.”

“Yeah, well, Naveyk can strike me down if he wishes. Let’s see how that works out for him. I’m not as defenseless as my family.”

“Qua’quelle!” Soullen admonished. “He is our God!”

“Your God. Not mine.”

“Okay, moving on,” I said as I sat up and clapped my hands. “Who’s up for some music? The new BTS song slaps hard.” I quickly turned on the radio and tried to pair my phone to it.

“I have one more question, if I may,” Zac said, raising his hand as if he were sitting in a classroom.

“Go for it,” Q replied, turning the radio off.

Great. Now he’s Mr. Twenty Questions.

“I’ve learned some stuff about the Nave, but obviously, there’s still much we don’t know about your history. Is it true that when your people discovered who your father was, they were ready to essentially hand over the keys to the castle and make you their leader?”

“Yes, that’s very true,” Soullen answered quickly. It sounded like he was almost bragging. “My father, King of Aquaiia, bent the knee to Qua’quelle, crown in hand, and offered him dominion over our people.” Soullen paused and looked at the back of Q’s headrest, smiling proudly. “Qua’quelle refused. Instead, he helped my father to his feet and bowed before him, pledging his life to the crown, the kingdom, and the Naverian people. That is why there is no Nave more beloved and respected in the long history of our people than Qua’quelle.”

Okay, now I understood why Soullen was grinning from ear to ear like an idiot. I, too, got all tingly inside hearing all that for the second time.

“That’s a stretch, Soullen,” Q countered. “Your father was….”

“My father was eternally grateful that you allowed him to continue his rule,” Soullen interrupted. “But he always knew who should have worn the Aquaiian crown.”

“That’s kind of badass,” Zac asserted.

“If I understand your meaning, then yes. Yes, it was.”

A minute ago, I thought those two would come to blows, and now Soullen was looking at the back of Q’s head like a proud parent.

Q seemed uncomfortable having all that praise heaped on him. I think that’s why he finally took the mall exit. We were in the parking lot in no time, and as usual, Q felt the need to park way the fuck out in the boonies, away from any signs of civilization. When I exited the vehicle, Soullen ran around the SUV and crashed into me with a bear hug.

“What’s this?” I was surprised.

“I wanted to do this when I saw you, but I did not want to give up the shotgun,” he said, squeezing me tightly. “I am overwhelmed with joy to know you are well.”

I smiled, returned his embrace, and eventually slapped the back of his head. “Okay, back up. That’s enough. I don’t like you like that.”

Soullen stepped back and eyed me up suspiciously. “I do not believe you. I will not fall for your tricks.”

Ruffling his head, I turned him around and pushed him towards the store. Before I could do anything else, Zac came rushing into my arms for a hug. “What is happening right now?”

“I just think you’re awesome,” he said, grinning as he pulled away. “Plus, it gives me a chance to show off.”

“Show off what?”

As he backed away from me, Zac flipped his wrist in the air with dramatic flair. Like a magician producing an ace out of thin air, my wallet suddenly appeared between his fingers.

“You little shit!”

“Told you I was good,” he laughed, tossed me my wallet, and caught up with Soullen.

“Looks like you got played,” Q said, giving me a quick peck on the lips while slipping his hand into mine.

“Yeah, well, I’d watch my savings around that kid if I were you.”

We were talking about random shit when I noticed Soullen looking over his shoulder at us. More specifically, he was looking at us holding hands. He’d then glance down at Zac’s hand before looking back at us. He did this like three times while Zac was rambling on about something.

Now I was interested. Would he go for it?

And he did! It started with his pinky, reaching out for Zac’s fingers, but he kept missing as Zac’s arm swung lazily by his side. Looking over his shoulder one last time, Soullen just went for it and reached for Zac’s hand.

“Hey, can we get some ice cream after?” Zac said, pointing at “The Blizz” ice cream shop with the target hand, oblivious to what Soullen was trying to do.

Aww! A swing and a miss!

I felt bad for the kid, but he played it cool and quickly scratched the back of his head, hoping no one noticed.

“How tragic,” I snickered.

“So you agree with me?” Q asked.

“Huh?”

“You said it was tragic, so you agree?”

“Kind of, I think.” I had no fucking clue what Q was talking about.

“What do you mean ‘kind of’? You either agree, or you don’t. There is no in-between on this.”

“Then I agree with you,” I said, kissing the back of his hand.

“Good.”

To this day, I have no idea what he was talking about. It’s possible I started a conflict somewhere on Eiyr.

“So can we?” Zac asked me.

“Can we what?”

“Get some ice cream later? Are you not paying attention to me?”

“Apparently not. But sure, yeah, ice cream for everyone.”

“Sweet!”

“What is ice cream?” Soullen asked.

“You’ve never had ice cream?!” Throwing his hand-ups, Zac looked like he was about to lose his mind. “Dude! What planet are you from?”

“I am from Eiyr. Same as you.”

Even Q got a chuckle out of Soullen’s response.

Now, if you’ve ever gotten a cell phone, you know the arduous process you must endure to walk out with a working device. Long, slow lines, grumpy customers, annoying kids running around touching everything with a screen, and computer systems that always seem to crash just as your activation is about to be done. Waterboarding would be more enjoyable.

Our experience was no different. We were there for nearly three hours. At first, it was fine. The boys were off doing their own thing by the displays. Being well-versed in mobile technology, Zac played the role of a mobile salesman for Soullen and showed him all the different phones and cool features. Despite knowing little about the modern world, Soullen is highly intelligent, so you only need to show him something once before he gets it. He does have an El’odian mind, after all. About thirty minutes in, Zac started running out of things to teach him. To keep the conversation going and, more importantly, to keep Zac by his side, Soullen started playing dumb, repeatedly asking him to go over stuff he’d already covered.

Smart boy.

Ultimately, he decided to get the newer model of Zac’s phone in Barbie Pink because it was Zac’s favorite color. To his credit, Zac did try to push him to get something he’d like, but Soullen insisted on the Barbie Pink because “it will remind me of you, Zac.”

I was going to need several insulin shots after watching those two.

About an hour later, I noticed Q was off messing around on one of the tablets, so I walked up behind him, slipped my hands into his front pockets, and rested my chin on his shoulder.

I kissed his neck before asking, “Watcha doing?”

“Just checking in on something.”

It took me a second to realize what he was doing on the tablet. “Wait, isn’t that….”

“Correct.”

“But how?”

“Do you really have to ask?”

“Yeah, I guess not, smart ass,” I said, pressing my bulge against his ass.

Using his abilities, he somehow linked the tablet to his computer, which allowed him to review information on their search for The Eye of Eiyr.

“Why are you looking at it now?”

“We had a couple of hits last night. I sent a team to investigate, but it was a false alarm. I’m just reviewing their notes.”

“Should I even be seeing this?”

“Nothing here is sensitive information since it was a false alarm.”

“And if it wasn’t?” I wondered.

Q turned to me, confused. Or maybe more like I was an idiot. “Then I wouldn’t be here getting a cell phone, would I?”

“Whatever, Mr. Know It All.”

“No, I just think Soullen was right. Your educational system failed you.” He kissed me quickly before I could respond with a snappy comeback. “Now, stand there and continue looking cute and let me get back to my notes.”

I heard one of the employees snicker off to the side. When I looked at him, he quickly returned his attention to his screen. He was a cute redhead helping a lady with her activation. After noticing him, I realized he kept checking us out.

Of course, the little devil on my shoulder kicked the shit out of the poor angel on my other shoulder. In fact, he booted him to the curve and took me over completely. I could feel Q’s cock against my thumb and decided to have some fun by slowly massaging the head through his pockets. I don’t think Q realized what I was doing. I’m pretty sure he thought my finger grazing his cock was an accident, but it didn’t take him long to figure it out.

“What are you doing?” he asked, tapping away at the screen.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied innocently, pinching the head of his cock between my fingers.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you do.”

“Why?” I kissed his ear. “Is it bothering you?”

“No, but….”

“This is ridiculous!” Soullen came up to us like he was on a mission, huffing and puffing. “We have been in line for over an hour, and it is not moving. Is this some human torture I am not aware of?”

“Yes, it’s called consumerism. Welcome to the 21^st century, my guy.”

“I will not stand for this!” Soullen declared.

“Fine, but can you not stand for it over there,” I snapped. “We’re busy.”

“You are not. I do not see you doing anything productive.”

“Exactly, that’s the point. Now shoo, go away.”

“Ugh!” he stormed off and rejoined Zac, who was eyeing Soullen up the whole time he was standing by us, but quickly looked away when he approached him.

“Read anything interesting?” I asked, digging deeper into his pocket to caress more of his hardening shaft.

“Not as interesting as what’s going on in my pants, clearly.”

“Sir, can you do my backup,” the lady asked the redhead. “Young man, are you listening to me?”

“Yes, of course,” he responded, snapping out of his trance. “But no, we can’t do your backup for you. We don’t want to be liable for your data getting lost.”

“That’s the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard. What am I paying you for?”

To no one’s surprise, that turned into a twenty-minute argument that involved the supervisor, the assistant manager, and finally, the manager. In the end, she still didn’t get her data backup.

“You know, if you just want to put on a show for that guy, why don’t I pull your pants down and take you right here?” Q asked.

“Tempting offer,” I assured him, “but not in front of the boys. That would be a bit much. But I’m sure they have a bathroom we can sneak into. It will be a few minutes before they get to us.” I was sure to be loud enough for the employee to hear me, and when I finally caught him staring, I winked at him as I gave Q’s cock a nice hard squeeze.

Swallowing hard, he looked away nervously and started stumbling over his words when he spoke.

“You get off on guys watching us, don’t you, you freak?”

“I’d say I enjoy teasing them. There’s a difference.”

“Uh-huh,” Q mumbled, shaking his head.

“Attention!” Soullen shouted.

Obviously, that garnered a lot of weird looks from the customers waiting their turn.

“Oh fuck,” I said, noticing Soullen standing in the middle of the store with his hand in the air like a crazy person.

“If this line does not begin to move, I will end all of humanity here and now.”

I had to let go of my favorite toy to rush to Soullen. Snatching his hand out of the air, I pulled him into a bear hug and smiled at the confused crowd.

“Nothing to worry about, folks. He has a condition.”

“Yes, and if my conditions are not met, I will burn this place to the ground with white fire,” he mumbled into my chest, struggling to free himself.

“Nothing to see here, folks. Just a boy off his meds. Go back to your business.”

Zac was bent over laughing at the whole situation. And when I looked at Q for help, he leaned forward over the tablet so his long hair would obscure his face like a black curtain. That bastard.

After awkward stares and whispers, the crowd returned to whatever they were doing. If only they knew how close they came to certain death.

“Get a grip!” I admonished Soullen.

“This waiting around is maddening!” he decried.

“Dude, why are you complaining?”

“What do you mean? I already explained….”

“Not that, you dummy,” I interrupted and shook him slightly. “Why would you want this to go any faster? The longer it takes, the more time you spend with Zac, which means you have more time to get to know each other. Isn’t that a good thing?”

Glancing past me, he knitted his brows as he looked at Zac. The wheels were turning.

“You are correct. I never thought of it that way.”

“I know because you have a condition,” I said sarcastically.

“Not anymore,” Soullen declared, turning to face the crowd. “Everyone, please take your time.”

“Oh my god,” I whispered, shooting Q a dirty look.

He loved every second of my suffering. This was his plan all along.

Placing my hands on Soullen’s shoulder, I massaged them gently before pushing him toward Zac. “Now go be with the guy you like.”

As he stumbled forward, Soullen looked back at me, proclaiming, “I do not like him!”

“Yeah,” I said, giving him the ‘okay’ sign. “Sure you don’t.”

After his little outburst, I was hesitant to leave Soullen alone, afraid he might light someone up if they annoyed him in any way. I didn’t feel like appearing on the six o’clock news, so I made it a point to stay with him while his phone was activated.

Funny enough, we got the cute redhead, Alec. Now that I wasn’t playing around in Q’s pockets, I could look him over closely. He was tall, with a nice, friendly smile, dimples, and a smattering of freckles. He was probably around my age. It was clear he worked out, and he showed it off by wearing a polo shirt that was one size too small. Classic gym bro trick.

And not to toot my own horn, but he was definitely checking me out while working on Soullen’s phone. I was getting obvious “fuck me” vibes from his stares. It was so obvious that even Soullen, as clueless as he could be at times, picked up on it.

“Why do you keep looking at my brother with desire?” Soullen asked, sitting on the bench with Zac in front of me.

That took me completely by surprise—not so much the statement as the reference to me as his brother. At first, I honestly thought he was talking about Q, but I quickly noticed that he was pointing back at me over his shoulder.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m sorry,” Alec replied, flustered. “You’re mistaken.”

“I am not,” Soullen maintained. “You have lust in your eyes for him.”

Zac laughed and elbowed him in the side. “Just drop it.”

“But it is true,” Soullen said, pointing at Alec’s waistline. “I can see his aroused erection in his pants.”

Kill me.

“What? Um, no! It’s not like that.” A beet-red Alec quickly sat in his chair, crossed his legs, and started typing quickly into the computer.”

Soullen was not done. “You should know he is in love with my older brother, and you do not want to get on his bad side.”

Zac lost his shit. His face was just as red as Alec’s as he lost himself in a fit of hysterics.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I whispered, covering Soullen’s mouth while pulling his head against my stomach. “Don’t mind him. The meds haven’t kicked in yet. And trust me, it’s not what it sounds like.”

“Hey man, whatever floats your boat,” Alec said, throwing his hands up without looking at me. “I don’t judge.”

“But he’s not my brother.” I can’t believe I had to explain this to a random stranger. “He’s just my boyfriend.”

“If you say so.”

Again, I looked over at Q for help, but he was too busy trying to hide his laughter. I could’ve killed him.

The rest of the interaction was just awkward. Every time Soullen opened his mouth to speak to Alec, I covered it because I didn’t trust what he would say. Zac kept randomly giggling to himself, especially when there were long moments of silence, which were plentiful. I couldn’t have been happier once the whole ordeal was over. I thanked Alec, grabbed the boys by the shoulders, and dragged them out of the store.

“That was so much fun,” Zac said gleefully. “I can’t wait to come back for your upgrade.”

“We’re doing it online next time,” I declared. “Where in the hell is Q?”

“He’s still in there,” Zac said, pointing at the window. “Looks like he’s still on that tablet.”

I yelled out to him because I was not going back in there.

“Are you coming?” I asked.

“I’m almost finished, Babe. Calm down.”

“I hate you.”

“That’s a bald-faced lie,” Q said and set the tablet down.

“Come on, let’s head to The Blizz,” I said. “Q can catch up.”

“One moment!” Soullen said, stepping between Zac and me. “Will you take a self-portrait with me?”

“You mean a selfie?” Zac smiled. “I’d love to.”

They took several pictures on each other’s phones before we headed for ice cream. Zac, being the sly fox that he is, made an innocent suggestion.

“You know, if you want, Soullen, you can set one of those pictures as your background or lock screen. But you don’t have to. It’s just an idea.”

“I would like that. Can you show me how?”

“Sure. And I’ll even add my phone number so I can be the first person in your contacts.”

“I would like that too.”

I rolled my eyes playfully and feigned annoyance. “My god, you two are sickening.”

They ignored me.

Getting ice cream was another ordeal entirely. Luckily, there was only one person in front of us, so there was very little chance Soullen would go homicidal, though I wouldn’t have put any money on it. Q rejoined us and sat in one of the booths on his phone while waiting for us. After ten minutes and several hundred samples, Soullen still couldn’t decide what flavor to choose.

I was about to threaten violence.

On the other hand, Zac was very sweet and patient and did his best to figure out what Soullen would enjoy most. In the end, he decided to go with the same flavor Zac picked – apple crispy ice cream. Zac beamed at Soullen. I wanted to lock him in the freezer and throw away the key.

The boys were about to slide into the booth when Q ordered them to stop. He got up, placed his hand on their shoulders, led them to the opposite side of the diner, and pushed them into a different booth without saying a word.

“What was that about?” I asked as he sat across from me.

He never answered me as we sat there looking at them for a bit.

“They look cute together, don’t they?” I asked.

“You say cute. I say annoying.”

“Oh please, don’t give me that,” I said as I ate a scoop of chocolate ice cream. “You’re a big softy under all that rage and anger. Want some?”

He shook his head no, leaving me with no choice but to do what any good boyfriend would do: scoop up some ice cream and press it against his closed lips.

“Have some; you’ll like it,” I insisted.

He wouldn’t budge.

“Do I need to make the airplane noise?”

I shoved the spoon in his mouth the second he opened it to give me a verbal beat down. Oddly enough, he didn’t look too pleased, but that’s all right. In my heart of hearts, I felt I did my duty as a loving boyfriend.

“Thanks for before, by the way,” I said.

“Before?”

“With Zac. I know your father is a sensitive subject for you. I appreciate your willingness to talk to him about it.”

“He’s a special kid,” Q nodded.

“And then some,” I added. “I’ve really grown attached to him and can’t even explain why.”

“Really? You have no clue?”

“Yeah, okay,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I get it. I’m Skai. But like you said, he’s not even Skai yet, so explaining this emotional attachment is hard.”

“Clearly, you missed my point. It doesn’t matter if he’s Skai or not. He’s a member of The Sanctum—part of your tribe, your family. For us, that’s all that matters. Stop overcomplicating things.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Obviously.”

“Oh, shut up.” I shoved another spoon of chocolate into his mouth. “Speaking of which, Soullen called me ‘brother’ just now. Well, like, back at the cell phone place, I mean. Weird, right?”

“Does it bother you?” Q asked with a raised brow.

“Of course not.” I quickly looked at Soullen, afraid he’d pick up on the conversation. No, go. He was too lost in Zac’s eyes to name what planet he was on.

“Then why would it be weird?”

“Because I’m not Nave. Hell, I’m not even in The Brotherhood anymore.”

“Aren’t you?” he asked, flashing a sly grin.

“What are you talking about? I’m Skai. You got the newsletter, right?”

“Yeah, that is unfortunate. I wonder if we could get you a pill or something.” Q teased, then snapped his fingers and pointed at me. “Maybe an exorcism?”

I gave him an ‘oh-you-think-you’re-so-funny’ look.

“You were inducted into The Brotherhood, Jacob. Ring and all. That makes you an official Brother.”

“A ring I lost.”

“That’s beside the point. No Brother has brought forth a motion to dismiss you from The Brotherhood. At least not yet. So, technically speaking, you’re still part of The Brotherhood.”

“Are you kidding me?” I asked earnestly. I had a hard time wrapping my head around that. “Why haven’t they kicked me out by now?”

Q shrugged innocently.

“You don’t know?” I asked incredulously as I leaned over the table.

“I don’t.”

“Could it be the Brothers are hesitant to bring up a vote on the matter because they’re afraid of how a certain someone might react?”

“It’s entirely possible, I suppose,” he answered with another innocent shrug. “But you’d have to ask them about that. I haven’t taken a position on the matter or discussed your status. Of course, I’m open to it, but no one has broached the subject yet. The fact is, your situation is unique. A Skai amongst our ranks? That’s not a thing that’s ever happened before.”

“Let me guess. You have no laws to deal with this, so it falls in kind of a gray area.”

“Something like that.”

“But you must have ways of dealing with Skai infiltrators, human spies, 007s, etc. What kind of Mickey Mouse operations are you guys running over there?”

“Settle down,” Q said sternly. “Trust me, if you were a spy with malicious intent toward The Brotherhood, you would not be sitting here today. Our laws are very clear on that. But that’s just it. The one thing everyone agrees on is that you were innocent in all this. You were a human we recruited into The Brotherhood – a human with no ill will towards us and certainly not an agent sent by The Sanctum. Everything that came after is a separate issue.”

“Okay, fine,” I conceded. “You guys have a weird system of government. But why not pass a law right now that says if you turned out to be a Skai, you get booted from The Brotherhood?”

“To enact such a law would require the unanimous consent of The Council of Brothers. That’s a hundred different voices you’d have to swing to your side.”

“I’ll take a wild guess and say, even if they got ninety-nine Brothers to agree to pass such a law, there would be a certain someone who votes it down.”

“It’s quite possible,” Q mused as if the thought had never crossed his mind. “It’s also possible that certain someone might boot your ass out. You can never tell with these things. Look, Jacob, the bottom line is that Soullen isn’t thinking that deeply into it. As far as he’s concerned, I love you, and you love me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go that far….”

“That makes you family in his eyes,” Q said, flicking my hand. “As I said, sentiments of brotherhood are not that complicated for us.”

Looking over my shoulder at the pair, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them go back and forth, laughing and genuinely having a good time. The longer I watched them, the heavier my heart became. The sadness creeping in from the depths of my being was like an unwanted intruder I was afraid to face. My smile faded.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” I finally confessed.

“What was?”

“I don’t know,” I said, scooping up the last of the ice cream. “Bringing them here.”

“For ice cream?”

“No, you dingbat. Bringing them together. Letting them meet up in the first place.”

“Ah yes, because it was abundantly clear that’s what you meant.”

“Thank you.”

I gestured at them with my spoon. “Look at them. It’s obvious they like each other. It will probably take them another five years to confess it to each other because boys are dumb like that, but does it really matter?”

“What are you saying, Jacob?”

“What hope do they have? I mean, really. Soullen is Nave. One day, Zac will be Skai. What happens to them after that?”

“I don’t know,” Q answered matter-of-factly.

“Would they even like each other if Zac was already Skai?”

“Probably not.”

“Exactly! It just seems cruel to bring them together now when they will hate each other later. And it’s all because of how we’re built….something entirely out of their control.”

“That’s all true.” Q’s voice retained a soft, melodic tone that chipped away at the sadness. “They may have a few weeks to several years together before it all comes undone. Or perhaps it’s an eternity of happiness for them. Zac doesn’t have to become Skai. He can choose to remain human, and Soullen can choose to stand by him, keeping him young for the rest of time.”

“Please….Zac not become Skai? You’re delusional if you think he’d give that up.”

“My point, Jacob, is that it’s their choice. It’s their path to walk together.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too, but….”

“Okay, what’s really going on with you?” Q interrupted. “I don’t believe you truly feel those two are doomed to fail. I see how much you care for Zac. You never would’ve brought him here if all that awaited him was a broken heart. Somewhere deep inside you, there was a sliver of hope.” Crossing his arms on the table, Q leaned forward. “But I can see now that your hope is waning. Why?”

I didn’t answer him.

“Is this really about us?”

I shrugged and avoided eye contact.

Placing his hand over mine, Q said, “I know this decision weighs heavily on your mind. I’m here if you….”

“Qua’quelle.” Soullen appeared out of nowhere by our booth with his hand out. “I would like to buy Zac a second helping of apple ice cream, but I have no human currency, so I need one of the square cards from your wallet.”

I shook my head and looked up at him. “But if you use Q’s credit card, you’re not really the one buying it for him, are you?”

“I will be the one handing her the card, so yes, I will be the purchaser.”

“Well, you can’t argue with that logic,” I laughed.

“I agree,” Soullen said proudly and wiggled his fingers.

With a grin on his face, Q reached for his wallet.

“Couldn’t you just whip him up a new batch when no one was looking?” I asked.

“Yes, but it would not be the same as buying it for him,” he replied.

“I get that. But, when you make something for someone, something that comes from the heart, it’s considered more thoughtful than just buying it.”

“Is this true?” Soullen asked Q as if I was pulling this information out of my ass.

“Yes, for the most part.”

“Okay.” Like a robot, Soullen turned and walked away.

We laughed.

“I love that kid,” I said. “But honestly, you couldn’t have given him the first few volumes of an encyclopedia to read? Maybe just through the letter E? The modern world is lost on him.”

“Nah, he’s fine just the way he is.”

“If you say so.” I caught a bright flash from the corner of my eye. “Looks like Zac got his ice cream.”

“How about we get back to us.” Q held my hand again. “Talk to me.”

I didn’t even know where to begin without sounding like a complete basket case, but after taking a minute, I explained the weird dreams or bizarre hallucinations I’d been having, whatever they were.

“So, am I nuts?”

“Well, to be clear, I never thought you were all there, to begin with,” Q teased.

“I’m serious!”

“No, Jacob, you’re not crazy. Not entirely.”

“Q!”

Taking my hands in his, he kissed them both. “Jacob, I think you’re fine. In fact, I think your assessment is spot on. It sounds like this internal struggle you’re dealing with has manifested into this shadow person you described – a fragment of your subconscious playing devil’s advocate.”

“Well, it’s doing a shitty job.”

Q snickered and squeezed my hands.

“What if it’s something more?” I asked.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I really am losing my mind. Can we even go crazy?”

He fell back in his chair, laughing dismissively.

“I’m seriously asking.”

“Jacob, you’re not crazy. But can an El’odian have a mental break from reality? Yes, it’s possible, although incredibly rare.”

“And how do we treat that? Do we have our own version of Big Pharma?”

“No, but it’s quite simple. A link with the collective whole can repair a fractured mind, so if you feel you’re losing it, that’s your cure.”

“I’m not that desperate.”

“What do you want me to tell you?”

“Can we hallucinate? See things that aren’t there?”

“Typically, no.”

“Well, that’s reassuring.”

“What I mean is, we’re not wired like humans. Our senses are keenly attuned to the environment around us. I can’t see a scenario where you’d start hallucinating and lose track of the reality around you. It’s not impossible, but it would take a highly skilled El’odian to manipulate your mind into seeing what’s not really there.”

“So, someone could be doing this to me?”

“As I said, it’s possible, but he would have to be in close proximity to you at all times to maintain the illusion. Not only that, but he would have to get past all the safeguards that are naturally woven into our minds. Furthermore, why would anyone do that to you?”

“Well, Kaylec hates me so….”

“On his best day, Kaylec would struggle to tie his shoelaces, let alone have the skill to attempt what I’m describing. It’s not happening.”

I laughed.

“That all makes sense, but how do I even know you’re real? This could all be fake for all I…,” I suddenly yelped loudly, drawing several stares from the few people in the diner. That bastard kicked me in the balls!

“Is that real enough for you?”

“That was uncalled for,” I groaned, resting my head on the table while I massaged my gonads.

Q leaned over and kissed the back of my head. “You’re okay.”

“What if it’s a message from my fathers?” I asked after a couple of minutes when I was able to sit up. “Like a fragment of their memory trying to tell me something?”

“Tell you what?”

“That’s just it. I don’t know.”

“Well then, to answer that question, you would need to open the door, it seems.”

“So you do think I should open it.”

“When did I say that?” Q asked, confused.

“Just now! Literally two seconds ago.”

“All I did was give you an objective analysis of the situation. My personal feelings had nothing to do with it.”

“Ugh….” I grunted and sat back.

“Talk to The Great Mother. See what she has to say. No one is better versed in the workings of the El’odian mind.”

“That sounds creepy,” I snickered. “Now I’m picturing her strapping me down to a table and cracking my skull open with a hacksaw.”

“I mean, it couldn’t hurt,” Q joked.

“Shut up!” I tried to get revenge by kicking him in his sac to see how he liked it, but his hand was strategically placed to block my foot.

“We were really going at it?” he asked. “That fight in your dream, I mean.”

I laughed. “That’s not where I thought you were going with that, but yes, we were.”

“Describe the fight to me.”

“Honestly, there’s not much to describe. Like you said, we were going at it, hoping to kill each other. We were in full armor, wings out, weapons blazing, going all out. It was fucking crazy. I can’t even….” I shook my head in disbelief as the memory replayed in my mind. “Speaking of weapons, you were wielding this crazy fucking scythe-looking thing. It was pretty badass if I’m being honest.”

“A scythe?” Q questioned and at once leaned forward as if he hadn’t heard me correctly.

“Yeah, you know, a scythe.” Raising my hands, I made a swinging motion in the air. “Like what the grim reaper….”

“I know what a scythe is, Jacob,” Q rolled his eyes.

“Then why are you looking at me like I have two heads?”

“Just describe it for me.”

“Fine, just don’t be snarky about it.” Now I rolled my eyes in return. “It was, I don’t know, white, really long. Probably as tall as I am. It had a massive curved eiyrlin blade, but the unique thing about it was that….”

“It had a second blade.” Q cut me off, a grim expression on his face. “It was a doubled-bladed scythe.”

“Um, yeah,” I responded, a bit freaked out. “How did you know that?”

“Because I know that weapon. It’s a weapon of the Gods….Naveyk’s weapon. But how would you know that? Even subconsciously. As far as I’m aware, that weapon has never been seen on Eiyr.”

I shrugged. “Don’t look at me. All this shit is new to me.”

“Come with me.” Grabbing my hand, Q pulled me out of the booth. “Where are we doing?”

“The bathroom.”

“Oh….” I smirked and caught another flash out of the corner of my eye. I turned to face the boys as Q dragged me away. “Hey, stop eating so much of that crap. You’re going to get sick.”

“What are you talking about?” Zac asked, raising his phone. “We just took a selfie.”

“How many pictures do you guys need? You’re sitting right across….”

Q yanked me away and pushed me into the bathroom. The door had no lock, but that didn’t stop Q from sealing it with his powers. I was surprised at the bathroom’s size, considering it was just an ice cream shop.

“Come here,” Q said, grabbing my hand and leading me to the center.

“Gladly,” I said, reaching for his belt when he turned to face me. “Rawr!”

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” I gave him a “duh” look as I undid his belt.

“That’s not why I brought you here,” Q said, slapping my hand away. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I thought you brought me in here for a little fun.”

“Why would you think that? We were discussing a war scythe from your dreams, and yet this is the conclusion you arrived at?”

“I don’t know. It’s a bathroom!”

“You’re sick.”

“I say quirky.”

“Here, just be quiet and put your hands on mine,” he said, putting his hands out palms up.

“Why?”

He gave me a look that compelled me to comply. “Fine, but you owe me a blowjob or something for getting my hopes up.” I slapped my hands on his like we were about to play a game of patty cakes.

Q wasn’t amused.

“I want to see what you saw,” Q said. “I want to see your dream.”

“And how are we going to do that?”

“Relax, and just let me take us there.”

The white glow in his eyes was soft at first, but before long, they were pulsating pools of Anavi. His hands also began to radiant light, wrapping around my own like a cool towel.

“Let go and merge with me.”

“But….”

“Trust me, Jacob.”

“I do. I’m not sure I know how.”

“You do,” he said softly. “You did it after your awakening, if only for a moment. Just relax. Don’t think about doing it. Just let go.”

With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and did my best to “let go,” but after a minute, I cracked open one eye to see my hands as solid as a rock. “Nothing is happening. I told you, I’m not….”

Q kissed me. It was deep, passionate, and filled with his unconditional love for me. My heart swelled, as did the darkness from deep within my being. I felt my hands melt away as our energies merged. I was forced to pull away from our kiss as I gasped in pleasure.

It felt like I had a mini orgasm.

“Now, Jacob,” Q said breathlessly, his lips brushing against mine in the most erotic way possible. “Recall your dream. Think of that moment on the bluff.”

“I am,” I said.

After falling silent briefly, Q asked, “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I literally see you trying to cut my head off. Trust me; this is not fun for me.”

“Interesting,” he said. “I can’t see anything. Are you blocking me?”

“I wouldn’t even know how to do that.”

“Then why can’t I see anything?”

“I don’t know, Q, but that sounds like a you problem.” I leaned forward and kissed him for no other reason than I could.

“Hold on. I see something. It’s not our bluff.”

“Sorry! I started thinking of sometime more fun, if you get what I’m saying.”

“It’s not that, but you seriously need help. I see a door.”

“Oh, fuck me!” I blurted out. “The door? I’m not thinking of any doors!”

“And yet, there it is.”

“Does it have chains and shit keeping it locked?”

“No. It’s just a door. Wait, it’s opening.”

“Do you smell anything?”

“Um….yeah. The ocean.”

“That’s the door! That’s the door I walked through.”

“I’m going through.”

Q was quiet for a minute or so, which freaked me out. I stared at the pools of light that were his eyes, but it felt like no one was there.

“Are you okay?” I asked, more panicked than I intended.

“I’m fine, but I don’t see anything. There’s no shadow man, no fighting, or anyone lying on the ground. It’s just the bluff.”

“Well….did you look down? That’s where the shadow was for me.”

“Down?”

An explosion of darkness emanated from my body, launching Q back like a missile through the bathroom wall and into the strip mall's backstreets. The whole room shook like a small earthquake had just hit us.

“Q!” I yelled.

I watched in horror as he hit the ground, destroying it on impact as he continued to tumble backward like an out-of-control tire rolling down a hill. He hit a large construction dumpster with so much force that it folded on him like a sandwich.

Running up to the gaping hole in the wall, again I yelled, “Q!” The force of my voice was strong enough to cause the debris at my feet to tremble. I managed to put one foot through the hole before the banging on the bathroom door started. In a panic, I looked over my shoulder.

“What’s going on in there?” an employee shouted. “Open up! How is this door even locked?” It sounded like he started putting his body into it.

The sound of twisting metal brought my attention back to Q. He emerged, pushing both halves of the dumper away as easily as he would open a jar of pickles. He brushed himself off and casually started walking over to me. As he leaped over the large chasm he left behind on the ground, a swirl of light surrounded him for a split second. When he landed, he was immaculately dressed again as if nothing had happened.

“Are you okay?” I called out.

“Peachy.”

I was grateful no one was around to witness all this craziness unfold. That is until I spotted the truck driver sitting in his eighteen-wheeler with his cigarette dangling off his lip, watching Q stroll across the lot. He looked about as panicked as I was. Probably more so.

As Q got closer, he said, “Get inside,” and touched my stomach to push me back into the bathroom gently.

“We have a problem, Q,” I announced.

“Like what?”

“Besides the fact that I just threw my boyfriend down the block and into the garbage?” With wild eyes and a crazy expression, I pointed at the truck driver. “We have an audience.”

Q appeared unbothered by this, and with a commanding voice, he said, “Sleep!” the truck driver’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as he passed out, his forehead hitting the steering wheel.

“Problem solved. He’ll wake up thinking it was a dream. Now let’s go.”

He held my hand and led me toward the loud banging at the door. I was still freaking out.

“What are we going to tell them?”

“About?”

“What do you mean ‘about’?” I scolded, lowering my voice as we approached the door. “I don’t know. The big gaping hole in their wall!”

“What hole, Jacob?”

“Did part of your brain ooze out of your ear?” I turned to point at the wall. “That wall….”

Everything was as it was before the incident.

I looked back at a smirking Q. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“Pretty much,” he shrugged confidently, releasing the seal on the door.

Two employees came rushing in, demanding answers.

“You might want to get this door checked. It seems to stick. Some WD40 should do the trick.”

“What the….” One of the guys said, amazed to find the bathroom in pristine condition. “Did we paint in here recently?”

“I don’t think so,” the other replied.

When we got to the main area, Q returned to our booth while I ran over to the boys.

“Are you guys okay?”

Zac looked up at me, confused. “Um, yeah….why wouldn’t we be?”

“You didn’t hear anything? Feel anything?”

“I felt the ground shake for a moment,” Soullen answered. “We assumed you and Qua’quelle were engaged in sexual activities.”

“Okay, first of all, don’t ever say ‘sexual activities’ to me again. And secondly, we certainly were not engaged in anything!”

“Suuure,” Zac giggled and bounced his brows several times at Soullen. “Freaks.”

“Yes, Zac is correct,” Soullen nodded. “You are indeed freaks. Zac was kind enough to explain the meaning to me, and I believe it applies here.”

“You talk like a serial killer in training. You know that, right?”

“Hey! Leave him alone,” Zac demanded, punching my hip. “I like the way he talks.”

“You do?” Soullen’s smile was next level.

“Yeah, I think it’s cute and makes you sound unique.”

“Oh, brother,” I said and walked away, rolling my eyes.

I took two giant steps and practically lunged into the booth.

“What the hell was that?” I asked.

“I don’t know, Jacob,” Q shrugged. “You’re the one who threw me through a wall.”

“I didn’t mean to!” I reached for his hands and squeezed.

“I know that,” he laughed.

I was both confused and annoyed. I let go of his hands and sat back in my seat. “How are you not freaking out about this? You’re way too calm for me right now.”

“What would you like me to do?”

“I don’t know. React! This was fucking weird. Doesn’t this freak you out?”

Again, he laughed. “Jacob, I’ve dealt with lots of strange stuff in my life. What happened just now doesn’t crack the top hundred on my ‘weird’ list….or even the top thousand. This is about as much of a reaction you’re going to get out of me.”

“Okay, fine. And one day, you will share that list with me, but I don’t know what happened, and it’s freaking me out.”

“Understandable,” he said calmly.

“Understandable, he says,” I repeated while rubbing my forehead. “I knocked you through a wall, Q.”

“Yeah, let’s not do that again.”

“Gladly, if you could tell me what the hell that was.”

“It’s possible it was your subconscious protecting itself. I’m not sure. The seal in your mind was created with the power of your fathers. Maybe it detected my Anavi and reacted.”

“But it wasn’t the same door.”

“It all seems to be connected.”

“Great, so this could happen again?”

“Maybe.”

“Did you see anything before it happened?”

“I’m not sure. I looked down when you told me to, and I think I….” His words trailed off as he looked past me at the window, transfixed.

“You think you what?”

Q sat frozen.

“Q, you what? Hello.”

He slowly rose from his seat and walked toward the window, stopping a few feet away. I got up to join him, but he gestured for me to stay put as he backed away from the window. Snapping his fingers at the boys, he ordered, “You two, get behind me.”

“Why?” Zac questioned. “What’s going on?”

“Now.” That’s all he needed to say. The authority in his tone was enough to make those boys jump out of their seats and get behind him. “You too, Jacob.”

I didn’t question him and did what I was told. My boyfriend was gone. This was the Q you don’t fuck with. I got behind the boys and placed my hands on their shoulders. I looked around at the few customers and staff as they stared at us, probably wondering the same thing I was.

What the fuck is happening?

A veil of shadows poured out from the walls and ceilings, and before the humans could react, their eyes rolled back into their heads as they passed out. I heard several pots and pans crashing in the back as the rest of the employees suffered the same fate. All the humans were knocked out except for Zac.

The dark veil covered every corner of The Blizz, including the windows. It was like a fine mist, just dark enough to let us know something was there but clear enough to see through it.

“Q….” I said as Soullen spoke.

“Qua’quelle, I cannot….”

“I know. It’s fine.”

I saw four orbs of pure shadow streaking toward us through the window, like meteor fragments entering the atmosphere. If this was tied to what happened in the bathroom, I couldn’t say for sure, but one thing was certain. Those weren’t mindless rocks falling from the heavens. They had a purpose.

That purpose was us.