The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II - 25. Chapter 25

The Brotherhood: Awakening

Chapter XXV

By X

 

  

My silent assailant appeared mighty pleased with himself. Truth be told, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to rage or jump his bones and have my way with him. His bare torso, pale and glimmering as his muscles flexed under the moonlight, made my decision easier.

I wanted him.

“You nearly took my head off!” I protested, pushing his blade away from my face.

“You should be more careful,” Q asserted, returning the sword to its original position under my chin and tapping it with the tip. “Why are you rendezvousing with a mysterious, cryptic texter at this late hour?“

His sword faded away before my eyes as he offered me a hand.

“Oh, please! You’re not that clever,” I said as Q pulled me to my feet. “I knew it was you.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Who else would ask me to meet up here?”

As beautiful as his silvery eyes appeared, they remained thoroughly unconvinced.

“Okay, I was like forty percent sure it was you. Aren’t you supposed to be in Uruguay or some shit?”

“Brazil,” he corrected. “And I was, but now I’m back.”

I recalled the urgent matter Ms. Cynthia brought to Zenial from Argentina. Now, I was the one looking at him sideways. “Brazil, you say?”

“Yes. Is there something wrong with Brazil?” Q grabbed my hands and slowly pulled me back toward the cliff’s edge. He was barefoot and only wearing a pair of light gray joggers, leaving a prominent dick print for me to admire despite the white underwear with the red band.

“No. I’ve been on vacation there. It’s lovely.”

“Okay…congratulations, I guess?”

“You didn’t happen to swing by Argentina, did you?”

“I might have,” Q replied curiously. With his back to the open air, he yanked me into his arms and kissed my lips. “Why do you ask?”

My hands fell comfortably around his waist like they’d been there all day. “Did anything happen while you were there?” I couldn’t help but sneak another kiss.

“I may have encountered a few locals,” He said innocently.

“And by ‘locals,’ do you mean my brothers?”

“Maybe,” Q winked.

“Well, that explains a lot. Please tell me you didn’t…”

“No one was hurt,” Q interrupted.

“You promise?”

Rolling his eyes, he admitted, "Alright, 'no one got killed' would be a more accurate answer."

“Q!”

“What?” he exclaimed, pulling my waist tighter against his, mashing his bulge into mine. “Don’t yell at me. You have no idea what happened. I could’ve been an innocent bystander in all this.”

“I seriously doubt that!” I fired back. “You know what? I don’t want to know. As long as no one died, I’ll take that as a win. Now, you care to explain why you tried to kill me?”

“Jacob, if I wanted you…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! If you wanted me dead, I’d be dead. You’re the great and mighty Q – blah, blah, blah. I get it. Just answer my question.”

“I’m seriously reconsidering this whole not killing you thing,” Q said grimly with his left brow raised. I would’ve had good reason to be concerned if I didn’t know he loved me. “I was testing you, obviously. A little bird told me you started training today.”

“Hmm…This little bird of yours wouldn’t happen to be about five feet four inches tall, would she?”

“There’s a strong possibility.”

I couldn't resist a chuckle before turning serious again. "So, that means you know what I did about my memories, right?"

“I didn’t have to be told, Jacob,” Q said, curling his fingers around the hair on the back of my head. "I already had an idea of what you were planning to do. But you didn't need to do this for…”

"I didn't do it for you," I interrupted. "I didn't even do it for us." The depths I could fall into when staring into his eyes were unfathomable. I had to be careful, or I'd quickly lose myself in him. “Okay, maybe I did it a little for us, but I mostly did it for myself. I wanted to…no, that’s not right – I needed to remain Jacob.”

“I understand.” The way Q played with my hair, curling and tugging, sent shivers down my spine. “But you gave up so much. I fear you might come to regret it one day.”

“I won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Could you mourn something you never had?” I questioned.

“I suppose not,” Q conceded thoughtfully.

“Then let's not worry about it. It’s done.”

Q nodded, and I kissed him.

Our lips remained locked for quite a while before I started kissing his jawline, slowly moving to his ear and finally kissing down the length of his neck. My hands slipped down over his ass as I moved down his chest, flicking his right nipple with the tip of my tongue. Every kiss was methodically placed to enhance his pleasure.

Before long, I was exactly where I needed to be – on my knees, staring at the enticing outline of his cock through the thin material of his joggers. I was salivating, like a starving man presented with a juicy steak and all the trimmings.

“Jacob…”

At least, I’m pretty sure I heard Q call my name. I wasn’t really paying attention. I was more concerned with pulling down his joggers to reveal his fully packed white trunks. The outline of his dick was even more apparent now, with nothing but the sheer silken fabric keeping me from my grand prize. Pressing my face into his bulge, I inhaled deeply and planted a kiss on his sac through the material. Curling my fingers into the bottom of his trunks, I slowly pulled them down, revealing his semi-hard cock. When the last bit of elastic slipped past the tip of the head, Q’s dick sprang free and slapped my left cheek.

I couldn’t help but giggle. I buried my face in Q’s crotch again, inhaling deeper than before, and kissed his balls for a second time. I felt him growing along my face and didn’t want to miss the opportunity to feel him grow in my mouth.

Pulling back, I opened my mouth to take in his hardening cock, flicking the tip of the head with my tongue before performing my disappearing act.

“Jacob. ” Q stopped me from claiming what’s mine by holding my head in place. “What are you doing?”

His dumb question broke the sexy moment I had going.

Bewildered and somewhat annoyed, I just looked up at him and said, “I’m making a sandwich with my favorite meat. What does it look like I’m doing? Now shut up and let me have this.”

Unhooking my jaw like a python, I went for his cock again, only to have him jerk his hip back to deny me of my tasty treat again. “What is your deal? I’ve had a long day. I’m not up for games.”

“Neither am I,” Q said, slipping his hand under my jaw to close my mouth. He slowly pulled me to my feet, then pulled his pants up. “That’s not why I asked you here.”

“Oh, really?” I said, looking down at the massive bulge in his pants. “Your dick says otherwise.”

“That’s not my doing. It’s yours.”

“I completely agree,” I conceded happily. “And I intend to take full responsibility.”

I tried to drop to my knees, but Q caught me by my armpits and pulled me back up. “Stop playing around.”

“I’m not playing! I want dick! Right now, I’ll settle for yours.”

Before I could move, Q swung around me and hugged me from behind, pressing his hard bulge against the crack of my ass.

“Oh, so now you’re settling,” he teased, kissing the nape of my neck.

“Yes!” I melted against his embrace. “Do you have any idea how many guys check me out on the daily? You’re nothing special.”

“Is that so?” he asked, biting my ear.

“Yes…” I said breathlessly.

I was grinding back into him when he extended his arm in front of me. His hand began to glow as he uncurled his fingers, and like a conductor performing his finest piece, he snapped his hand into the air and raised five massive boulders from the ocean below.

He gave my ass a good slap. “Well, those guys will have to wait. We’re here to train.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

I watched in disbelief as Q arranged the boulders into an upside-down “V,” and the excess water was reclaimed by gravity and forced back down to the ocean. My disbelief wasn’t because of the incredible feat Q had just performed – that was child’s play for him and not all that impressive anymore. It was the fact that I had to train again!

“I spent all day training!”

“I could tell,” he said. I could feel his grin against my neck. “I was impressed by how you managed to evade my attack. A bit clumsy, if I’m being honest, but impressive nonetheless.”

“Shut up! It’s my first day.”

“I’m not criticizing you,” Q assured me.

“Really? Kinda sounds like you are, actually,” I said, elbowing him in the gut. “Why do I have to train with you? I’m already being trained by Zenial, of all people.”

“My point exactly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I attempted to turn around to face Q, but he wouldn’t let me. “Are you saying he’s not good enough?”

“Not at all.” Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulled me back against him. “I have no doubt he’ll do an excellent job.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“He’s not me,” he said simply. “In what world do you think I wouldn’t have a hand in your training?” Q scoffed at the idea. “I know what I know. I trust what I know. So, you better believe I will ensure you know what I know.”

“Wait…are you…jealous?’

“What?”

“It bothers you that someone else is training me, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You’re jealous!”

“I don’t do jealousy, Jacob.”

“Oh, okay, Mr. He’s Not me, and I know what I know,” I laughed. “You’re so jealous.”

“Jacob…”

“It’s okay to be jealous. I’m worth it.” He was about to say something, but I turned my head, kissed him, and started a little song and dance. “You are jealous. My boyfriend is jealous. I have a jealous boyfriend.”

The fucker pushed me right off the cliff. I was screaming my head off the whole way down, watching my life flash before my eyes as the waves crashed against the jagged stones below, but then I remembered a minute detail. I could fly.

Disaster was avoided as my wings exploded out of my back in a torrent of shadow, destroying another excellent hoodie. It felt like I had just deployed a parachute. I skimmed the surface of the water before banking up toward the sky.

“You ass!” I shouted as I approached the edge, but there was no Q.

Hovering a few feet above the ground, I scanned the area in vain for any trace of Q. That just meant he was gearing up to pop out of nowhere and give me a minor heart attack. I was pleasantly surprised when, instead of a jump scare, I felt his arms slip around my waist again.

“Did I scare you?” he asked, kissing my neck.

“No! I had everything under control.”

“It sure sounded like it,” he laughed.

“Shut up. Whatever. You’re still jealous!”

And with that, playtime was over. It was time to focus on my first assignment. Q pointed to the floating boulders and told me to destroy one. To which I naturally asked, “How am I supposed to do that?”

Snaking his arm under my own, Q lifted it so my hand pointed at one of the giant stones. “By doing it,” he whispered gently into my ear.

“That’s not helpful.”

“It’s going to have to be enough. Now do it.”

I stared and pointed at that stupid rock for what felt like forever, and nothing happened. I felt like an idiot.

“Nothing’s happening,” I grumbled.

“I can see that.”

“Good. So, you know I can’t do this.”

“Sure, you can,” Q insisted. “You are Skai. As regrettable as that is, you have…”

I shut Q up by hitting him with the back of my head. “Any more wise words, smartass?”

“You’ll be paying for that later, trust me.”

Q’s veiled threat was kind of a turn-on if I’m being honest. I could only imagine what kind of “punishment” he had in mind.

“You’re overthinking it,” he said.

“I don’t think so,” I maintained. “I’ve seen your naughty side, remember?”

“What are you talking about?”

Crap! I got my wires crossed!

“Nothing. My mind was somewhere else.”

“Maybe that’s the problem,” he scolded. “Pay attention.”

“Yes, Sir!” I shouted, pushing my butt into his crotch.

“Are you going to take this seriously or not?”

“Fine!”

Slipping his hand into mine, he pressed our index fingers together and pointed them at one of the stones. A faint light began swirling around the tip of Q’s finger, merging into a sphere the size of a marble. Before I could ask what he was doing, the luminous marble took off like a bullet and struck the bottom right boulder. Or at least I thought it did.

“Nothing happened,” I observed. “Did you miss or something? Do you need target prac…”

The massive rock exploded, as did half of the boulder above it. I felt the force generated by the blast pass through my body. It was intense! Before the several dozen pieces of debris could fall back into the ocean, the pieces were illuminated and brought back together to reform both boulders.

Turning my head to face Q, I said, “Show off,” before kissing him on the lips.

“Your turn,” Q said.

“That’s it? I don’t get a pep talk or anything? Aren’t you supposed to tell me to concentrate on the object – visualize it in my mind while taking deep breaths?”

“Not really,” he countered arrogantly. “I’m not here to teach you how to meditate. I don’t need you to concentrate or visualize anything. And breathing is for humans. You are something completely different, Jacob.” Q pressed his other hand against my abdomen before he continued. “You are your Askyli…your Askyli is you. What we do comes as naturally to us as breathing does to humans. That’s why you don’t need to overthink it. Know what needs to happen, and it will happen.”

It was crazy to hear him impart a lot of the same wisdom Zenial shared with me hours ago. It was like they were reading out of the same handbook.

“So, I’m just supposed to want the rock to blow up, and it will blow up? That’s not very...”

No sooner did I utter my last syllable did a missile of Askyli launched from my finger, obliterating the same rock into a million pieces.

“I’d say so…”

“HOLY FUCK!!!” I looked at Q, stunned, and then looked back at my handy work. “Did you see that?”

Like before, Q put the boulder back together with a simple wrist motion.

“No, I didn’t. I must’ve blinked or something. Do it again for me.”

Feeling his lips on my neck, his smile on my skin, was all the encouragement I needed. I was off to the races! I was blasting away like a maniac for the next hour or so. I was firing off blasts with one hand, then two, and sometimes straight out of my eyes. I was so engrossed in the mayhem that I didn’t notice I was no longer in Q’s arms. He had flown back to the ground to watch me go nuts on those boulders. Also, reminiscent of my time with Zenial, I didn’t realize that, at some point, I was the one putting the stones back together before blowing them up again.

The high I was on was on another level – it was almost orgasmic. I was so caught up in that moment of euphoria that I threw my head back with my arms out to the side and unleashed a wave of destructive Askyli that completely vaporized all five boulders in unison. There was nothing left to put back together.

“Holy shit…” I whispered, marveling at the destruction. I felt spent – like I had just nutted a three-week-old load. I spun around to see Q standing on the edge, smiling. “Did you see that?” I then noticed a massive, luminous field around a large portion of the bluff. “What’s with the light show?”

“It was either that or half the cliffside would’ve ended up in the ocean,” Q said, dropping the shield as I approached.

He caught me as I allowed myself to fall into his arms.

“Yeah, but did you see what I did?” I asked proudly before kissing him. “Did you see?”

“I saw,” Q winked. “You’re a natural?”

“Sweet!” I reached down and squeezed his junk. “Now, can I get some Shama Lama Ding Dong?”

He busted out laughing. “You’re an idiot.” Giving my ass a nice firm squeeze, he walked away from me. “And the answer is no. We’re going to focus on something different.”

“Focus on what?” I pouted.

Throwing his hands out to the side, Q summoned his swords. “I’ll give you one guess.”

“You’re fucking with me, right?” I demanded. “I just picked out my weapon today for the first time. Zenial only showed me the very basics so far. I’m no swordsman.”

“Not yet…but you will be.” Spinning his blades around in a dazzling display of agility and skill, Q turned to face me. “Besides, I’d wager, the ‘basics,’ as you put it, is far more advanced than anything a human student could pick up in a year. You’re El’odian, remember that.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! But you are you! How am I supposed to beat you?”

“You’re not,” he laughed dismissively. “It’s the attempt that matters.”

“That’s not very comforting.”

“It’s not meant to be.”

“You know what could be comforting?” I asked whimsically. “Me, on my knees, sucking on your big…”

“I’ll tell you what,” Q interrupted while laughing. He bumped his sexy bulge with the hilt of his sword. “Since you want this so much, I’ll make you a deal.” Crossing both swords over his head, the blades ignited momentarily, leaving a floating, glowing X in the air. “All you have to do is destroy the X by any means at your disposal, and I’ll give you all the lovin' you want.”

“And if I can’t?”

“You get nothing. I figured it was self-explanatory.”

“Okay, sure, but only for tonight, right?”

He smirked wickedly.

“Right?!” I pressed.

“Let's just say you won’t be sucking on anything until you destroy the X – as long as that may take.”

“That’s cruel and unusual punishment!” I protested.

“I call it motivation.”

“You’re an ass!”

“You won’t be touching that either until you deal with the X,” he winked.

“I might as well take a vow of celibacy and join a monastery,” I grumbled.

“That is an option.”

"Shut up," I said while summoning my katana.

“Nice,” Q nodded, driving both his swords into the ground. Walking up, he gestured for me to hand over my sword. “Give it here.”

Q spent a few minutes “kicking the tires” with the katana, slicing and spinning it every which way. He performed some awe-inspiring acrobatic feats while wielding the blade. Seriously? I was supposed to beat him?

I saw my sex life disappear right before my eyes.

“Excellent blade,” he said as he handed me the katana. “It suits you. Treat it well, and it will always come through for you.”

“Yes, Sensei,” I teased.

Rolling his eyes, he walked away.

I took the opportunity to kick him in the butt, but he spun around and caught my ankle.

“No touching…” Q said, wagging his finger before launching my foot into the air.

I managed to recover with a backflip, but I didn’t stick the landing and stumbled back onto my ass.

I heard him laugh as he returned to his swords and pulled them out of the ground. “Are you ready? Remember, it’s not me you’re after, Jacob. It’s the X.”

“Wait, I wanted to ask you something.”

“You’re stalling,” Q chastised.

“True, but that’s beside the point,” I insisted with a goofy grin. “Emaneé…”

I allowed the name to linger to see how he’d respond.

“What about it?” he questioned, resting his blades on his shoulders.

“Ms. Cynthia calls you that,” I said as if he wasn’t aware of this fact.

“Yeah…”

“You’re really going to make this difficult, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not from any human language anyone’s ever heard before, and my brothers have heard them all at one time or another, as you know. It’s not El’odian. So, what is it? And what’s the deal with you two? You seem awfully friendly for a Nave and an executive assistant.”

“I can’t be friendly with executive assistants?” Q’s masterful skills at avoiding questions would not wear me down.

“Not when she works for one of the highest-ranking Skylarians on the continent!”

“That’s a bit bigoted of you, don’t you think?” he asked earnestly as if this was truly a concern for him.

“Oh, fuck off! You know exactly what I’m saying.”

Q smirked. “Why are you asking me about this? Why not ask Ms. Cynthia? She does work for your side, after all.”

“Because she scares me, obviously.” There was no shame in that fear. It was all pride, baby! Only an idiot wouldn’t be terrified of her.

“More than I do?”

“Honestly…yes!”

“Good,” he nodded approvingly. “Tough love will do you good.”

“Q, I’m serious!”

Believing I had Q sufficiently distracted, I fired a projectile of Askyli at the floating X. He swatted it out of the air with his charged sword like he was hitting a tennis ball and redirected it toward the ocean. The ensuing explosion did little to phase him despite the both of us getting drenched in freezing water.

“It’s not surprising many of your brothers don’t know what Emaneé means. Its origins are from a dead language never spoken on Eiyr – from a civilization lost to history. As far as how we know each other, well…that’s a bit more complicated. Circumstances out of our control forced our paths to cross, leading to a series of events, each more disastrous than the next. If you want to know more about what happened, you will have to ask Ms. Cynthia.”

I was ready to vigorously protest Q’s jumble of cryptic words, but he secured my silence with a single look. There was a seriousness to his eyes I’ve only seen a handful of times. This wasn’t him being cryptic for shits and giggles. There was an honest reason behind his unwillingness to share more.

“You respect Ms. Cynthia?” he asked.

“Of course, yes,” I replied.

“Then you’ll understand when I say, as far as I know, Ms. Cynthia has never spoken of those events since it happened, so I will not be the one to speak on her behalf. All I can say is that Ms. Cynthia sacrificed everything dear to her to save El’odian lives, and for that, she’s owed a debt neither side could ever hope to repay. As a result, Ms. Cynthia holds a place of high honor amongst all El’odians.” After briefly pausing to allow everything to sink in, he asked, “Do you understand?”

I slowly nodded.

“Good,” he said, twirling his swords and digging his foot into the ground as he prepared to charge. “Now let's get started.”

“Wait! One more question!”

“Ugh! What is it now?”

“Was your life among the ones she saved?”

Q charged, and as our swords clashed, he looked me in the eyes and said, “Yes.”

The revelation short-circuited my brain. How could a fragile human like Ms. Cynthia save the life of one such as Q? I had so many questions that would probably go unanswered. I fully admit I didn’t have the balls to ask Ms. Cynthia's life story. Especially from how Q made it sound, whatever the story was, it wasn’t pleasant.

For the time being, those thoughts had to be tucked away in the back of my mind. Q was on me like white on rice. And not in the sexy, fun way, but in an I’m going to beat your ass to the ground kind of way. His assaults were relentless. I was curious to see if he’d take it easy on me because, you know, he loved me. That wasn’t a thing. Taking it easy on me was the furthest thing on his mind. I mean, he did take it easy, as in he could’ve easily killed me at any point but didn’t, so I had that going for me.

I got intimately acquainted with the cold, hard ground more often than I cared to commit to record. He was annoyingly fast, impossibly strong, and deadly accurate. There were glimmers of hope here and there when I thought I had the upper hand and “expertly” blocked one of his attacks, only to feel the end of his second blade poking my side, or worse, my junk. It was one of the things he kept admonishing me for – not keeping track of both his swords. He’d use one to hold my attention with his fancy skills like I was a cat memorized by a laser pointer, and then BAM, out comes his second sword, seemingly from nowhere, to land the “kill.”

Very annoying!

Admittedly, it wasn’t all bad. Q encouraged me to dig deep and keep fighting whenever I got frustrated, which was most of the time. He was patient when teaching me a new technique, pointed out my mistakes and helped me correct them when I needed it, and gave me an “attaboy” ass slap whenever I did something worthy of praise. I enjoyed those.

But no matter how hard I tried, there was no getting around Q – and I tried everything! From firing energy blast at the floating X to using my katana like a boomerang and throwing it at the fucking thing, nothing worked. Q was always there to block my every attempt like a goalie with several championship rings under his belt. When Q wasn’t playing the role of a Stanley Cup winner, he swung his swords in my face and ensured the ground and I weren't separated for too long.

We went at it for hours until the first signs of dawn peaked over the horizon. I was fully committed to the training but determined not to leave the bluff without tasting my man’s meat. I knew I only had one more shot before Q called it a day and sent my ass back home to get ready for class.

We were in the middle of our “dance” as Q came down with a forward slash I was preparing to block.

“So, your father came to talk to me yesterday,” I said moments before our blades would clash.

For a split second, Q froze and looked absolutely dumbfounded. “What?”

Gut punch!

This wasn’t an ordinary punch, mind you. It had the full force of my El’odian heritage behind it. I managed to drop Q to one knee, and using his other knee as a springboard, I jumped on it and launched myself into the air like I was about to dunk on a basketball hoop. I took my shoot and swung my sword to destroy the X that had been taunting me the entire time. My sword couldn’t have been more than a couple of inches away from claiming total victory when I felt Q’s tight grip on my ankle as he yanked me out of the air like he was pulling down a wayward kite.

I hit the ground like a ton of bricks, creating a plume of dirt and debris.

“Oh, god, that’s definitely leaving a mark,” I groaned, feeling the shower of dirt on my face as all the debris fell back to the ground.

“Naveyk did what?” he asked as he stood over me.

“Naveyk, who?” I said in a daze.

“Jacob, this isn’t a joke.” Grabbing my hands, Q helped me to my feet. “What did he say to you?”

I stood there shaking like a wet dog to get the dirt off and pointed at the small crater I left behind because of him. “Was that really necessary?!”

“Yes. Now tell me what he said.”

And I did. I went over every little detail and answered all his questions until he was satisfied. Q was super sweet, asking me several times if Naveyk tried to hurt or scare me in any way. I had to make it clear that yes, I was afraid – not because of anything he did or said, but because I was talking to a God!

In the end, Q said, “I’ll handle it.”

“Handle what?” I asked, brushing the remaining dirt off his shoulders. “There’s nothing to handle. He talked to me. End of story. Just let it go.”

“Naveyk doesn’t show up out of nowhere to have a chat. When he sets his eyes on something, he doesn’t just let it go, Jacob. He’s up to something, and I intend to find out what it is.”

“What he’s up to is trying to get you to claim your name.”

“That’s never happening,” Q asserted with a twinge of anger in his voice.

I stood in front of him and slipped my hands around his waist to pull him into me. “Why didn’t you tell me about this name business?"

“There’s nothing to tell,” he insisted, pressing his forehead to mine.

“Really? Having a magic name that turns you into a God isn’t something you think I needed to know?” I pushed.

“It’s not magic.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I wasn’t trying to keep anything from you,” Q said, his hands finding their home on my waist. “It's not something I think about…ever. I wish I could forget it completely.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be.”

“Hey!” I protested, lightly punching his stomach. “I wasn’t really apologizing. I was trying to be nice.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m blaming it on you.”

We laughed before he kissed me.

When Q pulled away, I turned my head and spat.

“Seriously?” he asked, offended.

“Dirt,” I said, pointing at my lips.

“Oh, right.”

“That is your fault!”

“You shouldn’t have sucker punched me.”

“Oh, so you can kick my ass all up and down this cliff, but I get one lucky punch in, and you call foul.”

“So, you were paying attention,” he smirked. “Seriously, Jacob, if Naveyk approaches you again, you must tell me immediately. Got it?”

I nodded. “Bob.”

“What?”

“Bob,” I repeated. “That’s your secret name, isn’t it?”

“You’re an idiot,” he laughed.

“You’ve never been tempted?” I inquired earnestly.

“To what? Become something he wants me to be? No. Never.”

“Well, when you put it like that, I can see how it would be unappealing. But forget all that for a moment.”

Q looked at me like I was nuts.

“Just try, for crying out loud,” I insisted, rolling my eyes and pinching his sides. “Wouldn’t it be advantageous to The Brotherhood to have you become a freaking God?”

“Why would you, a Skai, want The Brotherhood to have an advantage?” Q questioned.

“I don’t trust me. I don’t want either side to have an advantage. Ever. I’m just trying to understand what’s going on in your noodle.”

“For starters, it wouldn’t be as advantageous as you think, Jacob.”

“How’s that?”

“As Naveyk’s heir, there’s a good chance I’d be bound by the same pact the Gods made before they created us.”

“To not directly interfere,” I added.

“Exactly,” he nodded against my forehead. “But let’s say I wasn’t bound, and everything started anew. If I acted on behalf of my brothers, it would give Skailer or his heir - if either even exists - the freedom to act. That can’t happen. Trust me, Jacob, if Gods get involved, the destruction and devastation will be unfathomable.”

“So, you’re back to square one,” I said.

“My brothers would be worse off than they are now because at least they have me as I am, and I can fight for them. As a God, I’d have to be a silent observer of the trials and tribulations that might befall them. I can’t do that. I won’t do that.”

“I get it,” I said. “It finally makes sense. That would absolutely suck to have all that power and be powerless to use it for those you love. I totally get it.” I pulled my head away from his forehead in silent contemplation. “What I don’t get is, if all this is true, why would Naveyk want to push you in that direction? It sounds like his sons would be weaker for it. That doesn’t make sense to me.”

“I don’t know, Jacob. I don’t pretend to understand him.”

“But you could try,” I shrugged.

“I’m more likely to claim Bob as my name. So yeah, it’s not happening.”

I laughed. “So…question.”

“Okay...”

“What if one day I was fighting a terrible and mighty dragon…”

“Eiyr has no dragons.”

“Yeah, no shit. Just follow along,” I said, smacking his arm. “This dragon is about to devour me whole. Would you claim your name then?”

“I’d simply kill the dragon.”

“You can’t.”

“Why?”

“It has you pinned under its claw, so all you can do is watch helplessly as it’s about to eat me.”

“I’d teleport from under it, appear by its neck, and chop its head off. Done.”

“Except you can’t do that,” I insisted firmly.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a…um…a vampire dragon that sucked all your powers so you…”

“For crying out loud, how strong is this dragon? And wouldn’t it suck blood? I don’t have blood,” a perturbed Q interrupted.

“It’s not about the dragon!” I shouted, bonking him on the head with my fist gently. “God, you must be a riot on game night.”

“I don’t do game night.”

I stared at him.

“Jacob, if you’re asking if I’d invoke that name to save you, I’m sorry, but the answer is no.”

“Ouch!” I was totally kidding, but I could tell he took it seriously, as if he genuinely wounded me. I stopped him before he started to apologize and explain himself. “Don’t, Q. I was kidding! You don’t need to say anything. I told you, I get it.”

“I love you, Jacob,” he said softly. “With every fiber of my being…I love you, but what you’re asking…”

“Stop,” I insisted and covered his mouth. “I don’t need an explanation. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought up the vampire dragon. It’s fine.”

I kissed him before he could try to explain himself. His kiss back was intensely hot and passionate like he had to show me how he felt. It wasn’t necessary; I already knew.

When Q pulled away from me, he said, “If it makes you feel any better, if a dragon did kill you, I’d chop it up and make a mean set of dragon boots complete with belt and gloves in your honor.”

“Jeez, thanks!”

“Anytime.”

“You know what would make me feel better?”

“What’s that?” he asked, quickly pecking my lips.

“Getting a taste of this,” I grinned as I slipped my hand down his underwear and squeezed his cock and balls.

“Really?” he said and looked up at the floating X. “As I recall, we had an agreement, and you didn’t come through on your end.” He grabbed my hand and pulled it out of his pants.

Trust me, I fought him for every inch. Literally.

“Maybe tomorrow night, you’ll get lucky,” he said while walking away.

“Tomorrow? Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Nope,” he laughed and turned to face me as his wings erupted from his back in a halo of light. “I suggest you keep practicing if you ever want to see your friends again.” Grabbing his bulge, he gave it a firm squeeze as he winked.

“You suck!”

“Well, you won’t be, that’s for sure,” Q laughed as he flew away. “Tomorrow. Sametime.”

* * *

That was my life over the next few weeks. My days were spent training with Zenial and participating in the activities he arranged with Raz and the gang, while my nights were devoted to sparring sessions with Q. I was getting it from both ends and not in a good way. Needless to say, I went through a serious dry spell, thanks to Q and his stupid rules. The floating X became my nemesis, and I was determined to see it destroyed.

The training wasn’t all I had to deal with during those three weeks. Things got a little weird in The Club for me for a time. At first, I dismissed it as paranoia or overthinking things, but as the days went by, there was no denying that some of my brothers were giving me the cold shoulder.

It was subtle at first. I’d walk into a room, conversations would cease, and everyone sat in awkward silence. Other times, some of the guys would get up and walk out when I entered one of the common areas. I was not going to be nominated for the Brother-of-the-Year award.

The crazy thing was that most of the animosity came from my human brothers, not the Skai. Sure, a few of my Skylarian brothers gave me the cold shoulder, but they were close to Kaylec, so that made sense. Either way, I did my best to ignore it. I certainly didn’t mention it to anyone because the last thing I wanted was to be the source of more drama, but like all things, it eventually came to a head.

About a week after starting my training, I returned to The Club after a brutal session with Zenial. He pulled out Requiem and mopped the floor with me. Trying to dodge six lightning-fast chains, zigzagging all over the place, should be an Olympic sport. Anyway, I headed straight for the showers. I chatted with a few of my Skai brothers by the lockers as I got undressed and noticed three of my human brothers leave to head to the shower area. I paid it no mind and went about my business.

The moment they saw me enter the showers, Carlos nudged Felix and nodded in my direction. The three turned off the water and walked out, but not before Carlos shoulder-checked me as we passed each other.

“Sorry, my bad,” I said, stumbling back a bit. Being Skai, I could’ve become a wall when he checked me and probably shattered every bone in his shoulder, but I didn’t want any trouble. Instead, I acted like I was the only one who didn’t see him.

Carlos ignored my apology and kept on walking with his two friends. I turned to walk toward one of the showerheads when I heard a large “pop” behind me. Turning back, I saw Sunny with a rolled-up gaming magazine hitting Carlos over the head, presumably for the second time.

“What’s your problem, bro?” Carlos demanded while massaging his head.

“Oh, so I’m your ‘bro,’ but he isn’t?” Sunny said, pointing at me with the magazine.

“What are you talking about?” Carlos asked.

“Don’t play stupid with me, Carlos,” Sunny snarled, whacking him a third time.

“Yo! Chill!”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Sunny, it’s cool,” I insisted while walking over to him. “Just let it go.”

“Be quiet. This has nothing to do with you.”

“I beg to differ, but okay,” I said, shaking my head in confusion.

“You and your goon squad have been walking around here giving Jacob, your brother, the cold shoulder. Why? Because he made choices you disapprove of? Guess what, it’s none of your business.”

Pointing at me with both hands, Carlos said, “He gave up the memories of our people, and for what? To sleep with a Nave? That Nave? And you’re coming at me like I’m wrong?”

“Yes, I am,” Sunny exclaimed. “Because you are wrong. Jacob’s decision has nothing to do with you, me, or The Sanctum. It’s his life!”

“Yeah, but…”

“Shut up!” Sunny hit him over the head again. “I’m talking! Right or wrong, it doesn’t matter. At the end of the day, he’s your brother. He’s my brother. I’d fight for Jacob all day long and twice on Sundays as I know he’d fight for me and every one of you idiots. But you are going to stand here and disrespect him like that? Not on my watch!”

“But…”

And another whack on the head. “I’m still talking.”

I touched his shoulder and insisted, “Sunny, it’s fine. Just let it go. It was a misunderstanding.”

That fool hit me in the stomach with the rolled-up magazine. “I said I’m not done.” He flashed me a pissed-off look, but I knew it wasn’t meant for me. “Even now, he is trying to protect you. Do you know why?”

When Carlos didn't answer for fear of getting hit again, Sunny got angrier and hit him again.

“Answer me!”

“Bro, make up your mind! This is confusing as fuck!”

“Because he’s our brother,” Johnny answered instead.

“Exactly. It’s what we do.” Sunny turned his ire on Felix and bopped him on the head. “And you! What’s your excuse? You’re just going to follow Carlos into the abyss with no forethought?”

“I don’t know. He’s my cousin and…”

“I don’t care if he’s your conjoined twin. You’re an idiot for going along with this dumb idea of treating one of our own like an outcast. Tell me, has Jacob done anything to hurt The Sanctum?”

“No,” the three answered in unison.

“Has he done anything to make you believe he’d betray his bond?”

“No.”

“Has he done anything to…”

“Okay, Sunny, we get the point,” Carlos declared defeat.

“I don’t think you do, Carlos,” Sunny said. “Do you think The Sanctum is blind? Do any of you morons have any idea of the damage you’ve done to all that hard work you’ve put in to prove yourselves worthy of The Umbra? Do you think this is a good look for you? What brother will stand by you and say you are ready for The Dark Gift? Not me. At least not after the bullshit you pulled.”

Their faces went as white as a sheet of paper. The error of their ways was sinking in. Felix looked like he was about to faint. Despite all the bullshit, I felt terrible for them.

Eolaeis, in all this nakedness, stepped around the corner into the shower area. “Is there a problem here?”

Holy hell! Everything about him is large!

“I don’t think so,” Sunny said dismissively. “Just spending time enlightening Carlos, Felix, and Johnny. I think we’re good here, right guys?”

They nodded and walked out, but not before Carlos turned to me and offered me his hand. “Sorry, bro.”

I gladly shook it and smiled. Whether it was sincere or he didn’t want to get smacked in the head again, I couldn’t say. The fact that Eolaeis walked in didn’t help either. I could see the fear in their eyes from a mile away. Regardless, I was happy to be done with it.

“Jacob, why don’t you join me over here,” Eolaeis said, tapping my shoulder as he walked to get under one of the showerheads.

Before joining Eolaeis, I grabbed Sunny by the neck and pressed my forehead to his. No words were exchanged. Just smiles all around. Plus, that fucker slapped my bare ass hard when I turned to walk away. I would’ve chased him, balls out, throughout The Club if it hadn’t been for Eolaeis’ invitation.

I stepped up next to Eolaeis and turned on the water. I was a little nervous. It felt like I was in the principal's office. But instead of an office, it was two naked guys in a steamy shower room.

“Are you okay?” Eolaeis asked.

“I’m doing fine,” I assured him.

He nodded and didn’t say anything for a few minutes.

“Don’t judge them too harshly, Jacob,” Eolaeis said.

“I don’t,” I said. “They have a right to feel how they feel. And honestly, I might feel the same if I was in their shoes. I just assumed I’d get more heat from my Skai brothers than the human ones. Color me surprised.”

Eolaeis smirked. “It’s not surprising at all.”

“Oh?” I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Seeing the water rolling down his body was like watching waterfalls cascading down the side of a mountain. Eolaeis could’ve easily been Arnold Schwarzenegger’s body double back in the late 80s during his action movie days.

“They are still ruled by emotion,” Eolaeis clarified. “They are human, after all. They can’t experience the connection a Skai feels when they walk into a room with their fellow Skylarians. You know of what I speak.”

“Of course. It’s incredible. It’s like being part of a massive web, the strands constantly vibrating, but instead of a hungry spider coming to eat you, you feel a sense of community and warmth. You know you’re not alone.”

“I like that,” he smiled warmly. “Carlos and those like him will come around. One day, they will understand.”

“I know.”

“For now, if you run into any more issues with anyone…”

“I’ll be fine,” I interrupted. “Really.”

He dropped the subject, but the silence that followed was unbearable. I mean, we were showering. There was no real need to talk, but Eolaeis took the time to engage with me, so I felt stupid for standing there like a stump.

“Um…how do you feel about it?” I asked timidly.

“Feel about what?”

“You know, my situation with a certain someone who shall not be named.”

Eolaeis laughed. “You mean Qua’quelle? You can say his name, Jacob.”

“I’m trying not to ruffle any feathers.”

“But you’re in love with him, so I don’t believe there’s any feathers left to ruffle.”

“I guess…”

“Love is a tricky thing,” he said somberly. “For many, it comes around once in a lifetime, especially for us whose hearts only yearn for the one. So, I know what you have with him is real. You should cherish it. As far as Qua’quelle goes, he’s an excellent warrior, one of the best. He’s a brilliant technician and strategist. Few El’odians are as honorable as him, which is why Qua’quelle is beloved by his people and respected by his enemies.”

Eolaeis must have caught the strange face I made. It wasn’t intentional, but he saw it.

“What’s that look for?”

“Nothing,” I shrugged. “It’s the way you talk about him. The way he talks about you.”

“Well, we have a long and complicated history.”

“Yeah, I get that. From what I understand, your fights are legendary.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Eolaeis said.

“Try telling that to the rest of the guys,” I said, gesturing over my shoulder as if “the guys” were standing behind us. “I’m just saying, you talk about each other like old college buddies, not hated enemies. It’s confusing.”

“There’s nothing wrong with praising one’s enemy when deserved, and none deserves more praise than Qua’quelle. Those are the facts of the matter.”

But…

“Please do not misunderstand me, Jacob, for I do not wish to mislead you. I will be the one to kill Qua’quelle.”

I gulped.

Not exactly the words you want to hear from someone you admire. The certainty of his declaration sent chills down my spine. It was the way he said it. There was no anger or malice in his tone. For Eolaeis, it was a statement of truth.

Something told me his words were fueled by more than just the natural hatred between Skai and Nave.

The revelation that followed was dark and heartbreaking. Although my love for Q remained eternal and unbreakable…I understood.