The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II - 16. Chapter 16

The Brotherhood: Awakening

Chapter XVI

By X

 

 

 

His words were comforting, wrapping around me like a warm blanket and clearing the fog from my mind. Q's gaze twinkled in the moonlight and calmed me to the core. All of my doubts, questions, apprehension, and fear melted away the moment I saw him. Nothing else mattered. It was just him.

Q was beautiful and everything I needed.

His mouth parted slightly as words began to form on his lips. Whatever he was about to say, whatever comforting thought Q was about to express, I didn’t want to hear it. Not at that moment. I just wanted to forget about the world, forget all my troubles. All I needed was him. All that mattered was us.

I pushed myself off the ledge and fell into his embrace, pressing my lips to his as he wrapped his arms around me. I’m sure I took him by surprise, but Q quickly flapped and adjusted his wings to accommodate the extra passenger. I heard my muffled name ring out through our kiss, which gave me the perfect opportunity to slip my tongue into his mouth. What concerns he may have had disappeared as he tightened his grip around my waist and leaned into the kiss with a passionate hunger that made my cock twitch.

My arms were wrapped around Q with my hands latched onto the base of his wings, where they exited his back. The deeper we kissed, the tighter I squeezed until I felt my fingers tingle as his wings pulsated with Anavi. It was like pressing my ear to his chest and hearing his heartbeat. That energy translated to jolts of electricity. It electrified my skin as it traveled down my arms, chest, back, and spine, ultimately igniting every nerve in my body and sending me into sensory overload.

Thrusting my head back, I broke our kiss and let out what I can only describe as a primal roar. It sent visible shockwaves through the air. Q was undeterred. Greedily kissing and licking my neck, his tongue felt like a livewire against my skin. It drove me crazy. My cock was rock hard and straining against the confines of my pants. I pushed my pelvis into Q so he could feel my desire. I wanted him to know what his hunger was doing to me and how hard I was for him.

Q started moving us toward land. My feet slid across the grassy surface as he laid us on a soft section of ground. His assault never stopped; it only moved up the side of my face as he hungrily feasted on my Adam’s apple, pulsating neck muscles, jawline, and ear. He playfully chewed on my lobe, pulling it toward my face as if planning to leave it behind on his way to my mouth. I turned to greet his lips with mine, only to have him nuzzle back into the side of my head and assault my earlobe again. The tease! I moaned in excitement and frustration at that same time. I wanted to taste him like he was tasting me. He was delicious, and I needed this feast as much as he did. Suddenly his lips were on mine, kissing me deeply. I moaned into his mouth as I felt his excitement press against my thigh.

God, I missed the feel of his big dick.

As his wings melted into the air, my hands moved from their base to running my nails down the length of his back. Q arched his back and pulled away from me. He moaned as my nails dug deeper across his skin. I ran my right hand up his side and across his chest, then waited for his next sexy sound to wash over me. But his erotic moan had morphed into a hiss. A loud, pain-filled HISS that instantly replaced my euphoria with terror.

I opened my eyes and panicked.

Five deep gashes tore Q’s chest apart. They ripped his flesh, seeped Anavi, and ended at my fingertips. They were claw marks.

“Oh shit!” I pulled my hand off his chest and started crawling from under him. That’s when I saw it. I’d changed. In the heat of the moment, I’d somehow taken Skai form. No longer was I teasing his flesh with my human fingernails. I was ripping into Q with my claws!

“What’s wrong?” he questioned, looking down at me. His voice was a breathless whisper.

I look at him, then back down to his chest. His wounds were almost gone. I watch the middle and longest of the five cuts heal itself as the last hint of Anavi dissipated above me. His chest returned to its naturally perfect state in less than a minute.

I was stunned. How did Q not know? I was lying under him. He could feel every inch of my body under his own. He had to at least feel my transition into Skai form. I blinked up at him.

Counting now, Q had only seen me as a true Skylarian twice. The night of my awakening was chaotic; everything moved so quickly that neither of us had time to process what had happened. I am not ashamed of who or what I am, but I’m also keenly aware of the eons of hatred, mistrust, and conflict between our people. And now, in the throes of passion, he was staring into the face of his enemy.

I was afraid. I didn’t know what to say or if I should continue to crawl away. My body tensed up. All I could do was gently place my hand back on Q’s chest and stare into his eyes.

And blink.

Q’s eyes traveled slowly from mine to his chest. He examined the gray hand with the sharp, black nails that had pierced his skin a moment ago.

I swallowed hard. My lips quivered as I tried apologizing, but no words came out.

“I don’t understand,” Q said, returning his steely gaze to me.

Did he get hit with the Soullen stick? How was he missing this?

“It….it doesn’t bother you?” I stammered.

The smallest of smiles danced on his lips as he slowly caressed the length of my arm until he interlaced his fingers with mine. “You silly Skai,” he said, widening his smile before kissing the back of my hand.

I tightened my grip.

“Why would it bother me?” Q asked before planting another gentle kiss on my fingers. “You are beautiful,” he kissed the nails that had wounded him, “and absolutely perfect exactly as you are.” With one last kiss, he placed our hands on the ground above my head. Pinning me in place. “You are mine, Jacob, and I am yours.” His free hand snaked down my body and gripped the waistband of my pants tightly.

His eyes illuminated, bathing my face in his light. I looked down and saw glowing white lines appear down the length of my pants as if an invisible knife had slashed them. In one swift motion, Q tore my pants off. Pieces flew everywhere as if he’d thrown them into a wood chipper.

And just like that, I was completely naked under him. I didn’t see it happen, but he also used his powers to remove his last article of clothing. I didn’t have to look; I could feel his bare body against mine.

“Now, shut up and kiss me,” Q ordered.

I was happy to oblige.

Our make-out session was intense, sexy, and hot. The tips of Q’s fingers caressed my side, tickling me as we kissed. He started near my armpit but quickly moved his hand further south. He stopped above my pubes, gently swirling his finger around my navel a few times before tracing his finger up the center of my chest. I didn’t know if an El’odian could get goosebumps. Now I do. My back arched involuntarily as his thumb circled my nipple, and it hardened almost painfully. He kissed me deeper and harder and with more hunger. I didn’t want him to stop, but I honestly had to concentrate on when to take my next breath. His hand was still tight around the wrist he held over my head. I was his to devour, and he was greedy in his every bite. I moaned into his kiss, and the bites he gently…and then not so gently…gave my lower lip. My body was on fire. I don’t know which was harder or more erect, my nipples or cock. As if reading my mind, Q brushed his pubes over my swollen shaft as he simultaneously used his ‘assault hand’ to pinch and pull at my nipple. His cool touch felt like ice cubes against my most sensitive parts. The sensation was beyond anything I’d felt before. I moaned, and he licked my lips, then ran his cold hand down the length of my cock. He squeezed it at the base, then used his thumb and pointer finger to encircle it like a cock ring. He moved it up my dick with hard, even pressure. Yet his torture was slow and deliberate as if trying to coax the last be of toothpaste from the tube. His improvised cock ring stopped before it reached my aching pink head.

“Q….” It was a plea and barely qualified as a whisper.

I pushed my hips up, pleading for his touch. He ignored my cock, but pulled on my balls, gently massaging their tightness.

"Don’t…stop…” I breathed, widening my legs slightly. Giving myself to him.

He stopped.

My moan was almost a cry for help this time.

He nuzzled his face against mine, kissed my cheek sweetly, and whispered ‘shhh’ into my ear. Again, he bit my earlobe. The goosebumps came back with a vengeance.

My eyes were closed, but I could feel his face directly over mine. I opened my eyes and stared into his.

“Are you cold?” His breath was cool and explosive against the fire of my skin.

“No.” My breath was labored.

“You have goosebumps.”

“Yeah. Touch me.” I could barely get the words out, but I thrust my hips at him like a samba dancer on opening night.

Q smiled, then put his lips to mine and mouthed, “Not yet.”

He was torturing me and loving every minute of it. Truth be told, so was I. I was willing to lay naked on this spot of grass with him forever, pleading for his touch and being consumed by his kisses. He was absolutely right; I belonged to him.

He blew on my chest, and my nipples got harder. I didn’t know if I was feeling pure pain or pure pleasure. It felt like both. I pulled my head forward as if looking at them would provide some sort of relief.

I bumped foreheads with Q.

“Ow,’ I giggled.

He used his head to push me back into position.

“Am I hurting you?” He planted small kisses down my neck, suckling it just enough to make me forget the two tender spots on my chest. I’m not sure he was really looking for an answer. And I didn’t give him one. My body was in his hands and responding in a way that told him exactly what he needed to know.

He released my wrist from his grip to move down my abdomen, stopping to taste a spot just above my navel. I kept my hand above my head where he had left it and mentally begged him to move his mouth lower.

“You’re absolute perfection, Jacob.”

Feeling his breathy words close to my cock made it drip in anticipation.

He squeezed my hips with both hands, pushed them up slightly, and kissed a spot somewhat lower than before. Again, my cock leaked, forming a small milky pool just above my pubes. I moved my other hand, the one not positioned above my head, to Q’s shoulder, then slid it into his hair. That’s when I felt the hardness of his manhood brush against the inside of my thigh and leave a wet spot behind. I couldn't help myself. I reached down to start stroking.

Q quickly grabbed my hand and brought it just above my head, resting it next to my other one. He didn’t have to restrain them. I’d leave them in place for now.

I looked him in the eyes, saw his desire, and said, “Please.…”

This time, he didn’t smile. He looked as serious as I’ve ever seen him and as sexy as fuck.

“He’s my boy, Jacob. ”

I nodded, and his eyes flashed. Then he kissed my Adam’s apple, blew on my chest again, and pinched my other nipple. Hard.

I tried to scream out in ecstasy, but Q muffled my vocal release with a kiss so hungry it took my breath away. If I’m being honest, it was the pinching of my diamond-hard nipple and the pressure of his mouth against mine that released my first major load of precum. The drippings from his navel kisses paled in comparison. Q looked down and ran his finger through the deepening pool of cum forming between us. He smiled like a Cheshire cat who’d found gold. He rubbed it lovingly across the nipple he’d just titillated. I flinched but also moaned in delight as he gently massaged it into my skin. I couldn’t help but wonder if asking him to do the other one would sound greedy.

“Oh, fuck…” I growled as another large stream of cum fell on my belly. I slid my hand up his neck until my fingers coiled around his soft, silken strands again.

Q knew precisely what he was doing. I wasn’t about to get greedy. Lucky for me, it didn’t appear his sensual assault would ever end.

His hand made a second trip down to the border, stopping just before the promised land to rest on my belly. He was right there, just whiskers away from the twitching cock that desperately wanted his attention. But Q ignored it. Instead, he continued to run the tips of his fingers thru my ever-growing cum pool and swirl it across my stomach. Sure, he dipped low at times as if he was finally going to hold what he’d already claimed. But he’d pull away at the last second, leaving me breathless. It took time and maybe pity for my suffering shaft, but Q occasionally…and ever so briefly… started grazing the tip of my throbbing pink head. This was absolutely intentional on his part and not some accident. That fucker was driving me crazy, and he knew it.

I was at my wit’s end and couldn’t take the teasing any longer. I decided it was my turn to take control. Running my hand down the length of Q’s arm, I gripped his hand and pushed it toward my throbbing cock. I was demanding his attention this time.

Of course, Q resisted. His hand didn’t budge. Even when I tried applying more pressure, I couldn’t get him to budge an inch.

I did get him to laugh at my frustration.

My torture was his pleasure.

Suddenly, he grabbed both my hands and pinned them over my head again, higher this time. He positioned himself squarely between my legs. His devilish grin was pure sex and infuriating at the same time. How his eyes glinted with glee at my inability to take control made me want to slap or kiss the shit out of him. It could’ve gone either way.

“I hate you,” I teased, unable to mask my desire for him.

“Is that so?” he said confidently. “Well,” he thrust his pelvis into mine, grinding our cocks together, “he says otherwise.”

The way he referred to my cock as if it was its own entity made me giggle like a kid high on sugar.

“Now I’m confused,” Q continued, his voice low and sensual. He kissed my chin, sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, and pulled until it sprang free. “You say you hate me, but my boy seems to want to play.” Q breathed heavily into my ear, causing the hair on my body to stand at attention. “What do you want from me?”

I moaned, grinding into him so our dicks remained pressed together as if they were their own set of lovers.

Q kissed his way across my neck until he reached my other ear. “Tell me what you want.” The tip of his tongue licked the length of my ear before he kissed it.

“Should I stop?” he whispered, his gentle grind slowly stroking our cocks.

He wants me to beg!

“I’m not begging,” I assured him.

Oh god, make me beg!

“Ok then,” Q stopped grinding and pulled away from me as if he was about to stand up.

Wrapping my legs around him, I pulled him down and pinned him to me. “Where do you think you’re going?” I kissed him as his face got near mine, slipping my tongue into his mouth before he pulled away.

He smiled. “So, you do want me.”

“Are you kidding me? Do you feel that?” I pushed into him so he could feel my hard cock, not that he had missed it before, but I needed to get my point across. “I could carve your name into the Hope Diamond with it.”

Q laughed and then stared into my eyes. “What do you want me to do about it?” His playful tone was sexy and made me want to jump his bones even more.

“Ugh!” I grunted, squeezing my legs around him tighter. “You’re really going to make me ask for it?”

His innocent shrug was anything but!

“Fine!” I rolled my eyes, feigning annoyance and grinning like a horny idiot the whole time. “I want you.”

“That’s pretty vague,” he argued.

“Oh god! You’re such a pain in my ass!”

“Well, maybe, if you beg nicely.”

I burst out laughing while he maintained a serious demeanor, though I could see the amusement in his eyes. Those crystal grays couldn’t fool me.

“Stroke me!” I finally demanded.

Leaning in, he almost pressed his ear to my lips as if he couldn’t hear me. “What was that? You want me to soak you?”

“Well….” I arched my brow at the sexy thought of being sprayed with his juices. “In the end, sure, but I want you to stroke me for now.” I flicked my tongue against his ear, and in a low husky voice, I begged him to “reach down and grab my throbbing cock, squeeze it, milk it, make me moan.”

“Whose cock?”

I smiled against his ear and whispered, “Your cock.”

Moving his hand between our bodies, he slowly ran a finger down the length of my twitching cock before gripping the shaft and balls tightly. The sudden vice-like grip made me yelp, moan, and jump at the same time.

“Whose cock?” he asked again.

He was making it clear who I belonged to, and I was happy to give myself to him freely.

“Your cock!”

There was a brief flash of light as Q squeezed harder, sending a pulse of Anavi through my cock and balls that reverberated throughout my body like I was a goddamn tuning fork.

“Fuck!” I cried out, slamming my fists against the ground as my back formed a perfect arch. Dirt and rocks flew everywhere as if mini charges were set off next to us.

Q squeezed harder than before, sending another pulse through me and driving me into a frenzy of indescribable pleasure. Every inch of my body was on fire. Why did he make me wait for this?!

“Fuck me!” I roared, and I’m sure anyone within a few-mile radius heard me.

He kissed my jawline and then pressed his lips to my ear. In a low, menacingly seductive tone, he dared to ask, “Again?”

I couldn’t find my words. Instead, I wrapped my arms around Q and clung to him for dear life. I nodded my head against him to let him know I was ready. I closed my eyes, briefly glimpsing the flash of light before I felt the final jolt. If heaven existed, I think I saw it, if only for a second.

The only sound I could muster was a desperate whimper.

Easing his grip and releasing my junk from its prison, Q stroked my cock. The slow, sensual strokes were a welcome reprieve from the previous onslaught of pleasure. Our lips met again, and we lost ourselves in a simple moment of bliss.

That moment was everything.

The feeling only deepened when he expanded his grip to incase his member, along with mine, and rhythmically stroked our cocks to the sound of the crashing waves below. Whenever water met stone, Q squeezed and did a long stroke from the base of our shafts to the top of our cocks, pressing the glands of our heads together, causing our essence to leak out and mix onto his hand. Something that should have been deadly to us, akin to pouring acid on flesh, Q used as a lube to intensify an already euphoric sensation. My dick was spastic in his hand as if hundreds of tiny electrodes were attached to it, shocking me with low levels of electricity. It felt incredible.

But I don’t think anything could compare to what Q did next. Releasing our cocks, Q knelt under me, positioning himself so the head of his dick pressed against my hole, teasing the entrance without invading it. I started feeling the same electrifying sensation around the tight ring as his leaking cock caressed and teased me. He leaned forward so his face was over mine and then placed his hand between us. It was coated in our love juices, but it definitely wasn’t “cum” in the traditional sense. His essence glowed like liquid light, while mine was darkness like black ink. And where the two “liquids” met, tiny sparks of energy flew between them.

As strange as it may sound, it was beautiful to behold.

I held my breath when Q opened his mouth and brought his fingers to his lips. He stopped momentarily, probably because he could tell I was freaking out inside, but he simply smiled before licking some of our essences off his fingers. The second it touched his tongue, his eyes lit up like lighthouses, and he let out a sensual moan. When he swallowed, he threw his head back in pure ecstasy, which was an apt description because it was like watching someone take a hit of a powerful drug.

And then the darkness came. My darkness. It webbed down Q’s neck and spread across his chest like black tar over an ivory surface. When his eyes finally met mine, the luster and brilliance synonymous with the Nave faded, and for the briefest of moments, his eyes turned into pools of glistening shadow.

It lasted seconds, but I don’t think I ever saw anything more stunning in my life. Honestly, the only thing that tops it was when I saw Q’s true form for the first time. Nothing could ever beat that moment, but seeing me in him comes damn close.

His smile widened as he returned to normal. The darkness was replaced by the incandescent beauty that was Q. Without a word, he placed his coated fingers over my mouth, inviting me to taste. Without hesitation, my lips parted. I wanted to feel what he felt. I wanted to feel him coursing through me. And I knew I would be okay. Not because I just saw Q go through it but because his loving gaze told me I’d be okay.

Unlike Q, I got an extra surprise. He slipped two fingers into my mouth, and as I sucked what was left of us clean off his fingers, he thrust his stiff cock deep inside my hole.

I lost my mind.

The pleasure was beyond insane, and I was literally getting it from both ends. I don’t have the words. They haven’t created the words. I felt Q’s Anavi running through me like a river of ice water, and the fantastic sensation was amplified tenfold by his cock thrusting in and out of my hole.

Q’s fingers slipped out of my mouth, and he wrapped his hand gently around my neck as he pounded me deeper and harder. I felt every inch of his cock; it filled me completely.

Something was building up inside me, something I’d never felt before, something wonderfully euphoric. I don’t know what got into me, but I grabbed Q’s shoulders, threw him to the ground, and straddled him. I’m not ashamed to admit that I rode his big dick like a fucking cowboy. He wrapped his hands tightly around my waist, and every time I’d bounce and come down onto his cock, he’d pull me down even harder to ensure I took every inch of him.

The build-up inside me was reaching its crescendo.

“Fuuuuck….Q.”

His name barely left my lips when I felt his cock spasm in my ass as he cummed deep inside me. The torrent of Anavi gushing inside me caused me to cry out in ecstasy as I threw my head back. Powerful light rays exploded from my eyes and mouth, creating a luminescent canopy in the night sky.

It was a beautiful display of our love.

As it was with Q, it lasted mere seconds. And when I was pulled back down to Eiyr, I realized a couple of things. First, my wings wreathed in flames, were summoned, and scorched the ground around us. The red glow in Q’s eyes looked exquisite as they absorbed and reflected the flame’s light. Secondly, and more comically, I exploded all over Q. It looked like someone threw a cup of ink on his chest and neck. My cock was still twitching, leaking, and hard when I glanced down.

I fell forward, placing my hands on either side of his face, panting hard. “Sorry about the mess, but that was fucking incredible.” I kissed him.

“Why are you apologizing for being so sexy?” he asked, caressing my face.

I blushed like an idiot.

I looked down again at the mess I had made on his chest. “That’s a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever cummed so hard as a human.” And then I noticed my pubes and cock for the first time in Skai form. It made for an interesting and aesthetically pleasing contrast since my dick was now gray. “Holy shit, that’s awesome. My pubes are white, making my dick look way cooler now.”

Q laughed his ass off.

“What?” I laughed along with him. “I’m serious! I have never seen myself naked as Skai. It never occurred to me to check! I’m just saying I like it.” I looked into his eyes, “Do you like it?”

“I’m in love with it,” he assured me.

As we laughed, the dark essence on Q’s chest began to curl into black smoke and was carried away by the breeze, leaving Q as clean as the driven snow.

“Well, that’s convenient,” I joked. “Makes clean up a lot easier.”

“I think so,” he agreed. A devilish grin appeared on his lips as he wiggled his hips to let me know he was still very much inside me and just as hard as before. “I think we should try to make a bigger mess.”

I sat up and leaned back slightly so every inch of him was inside me. I flapped my wings a few times and bent them toward Q. The flames dissipated as they took their raven form, and I slipped them under Q so he’d lay on a bed of soft feathers instead of the hard ground.

“I like your way of thinking,” I grinned and slowly began to rock on his meat.

“I figured you would,” he said as he gripped my cock and slowly pumped it.

Needless to say, we went for round two, followed by a knockout third and final round. What was more incredible was that every fuck session was more intense than the previous one, which I didn’t think was possible. But hey, you’ll never hear me complain.

After our explosive escapades, we remained snugged up on the ground, with me lying on one of his ivory wings. Q used the other as a blanket to drape over our naked bodies. He didn’t do it out of modesty or because we were cold. It just felt cozy.

We lay there for a long while without speaking a single word. I was content in Q’s arms, tracing figure eights on his chest, mindful not to tear into his skin this time. I would reserve that pleasure for round four. At times, I’d place my hand flat on his torso to admire the deep contrast between my dark gray skin and his fair complexion. I must admit, as corny as it may sound, I loved how this version of us looked together.

Our feathers, still locked in their ballet at the cliff’s edge, held Q’s gaze. I would look up at him and see them spinning in his eyes. What exactly was going through his mind, I wondered. Sure, I could have asked, but that meant shattering the peaceful tranquility I was enjoying.

Eventually, Q raised his hand, slowly curled his fingers, and pulled the feathers back until they hovered a few feet above us.

Of course, it prompted me to ask, “Are you in my head?”

“If I wanted to experience a vacuum, I’d fly into space.”

“Oh, okay, because I was just…hey!” I slapped his bare chest. “I caught that!”

“There’s hope for you yet,” Q smirked.

Slipping my hand down his torso, I cupped his soft, meaty cock and squeezed it gently. “Keep it up, and this won’t be getting any happy fun time anytime soon.”

He broke away from the spinning feathers to look at me. “Is that so?” It was like he was challenging me, and at that moment, lost in his stern gaze, I remembered how incredible I felt when his Anavi pulsed through my junk.

“Shut up!”

I was never a good poker player.

I laid my head on his chest and watched the show above us, keeping my hand firmly planted around his package. I would softly squeeze and massage it, playfully rolling his balls between my fingers, keeping Q in a constant semi-hard state. When I felt him getting a little too excited, I stopped until his cock went soft and then started up again. He had yet to object. It was my favorite thing to do to him whenever I found myself relaxing in his arms.

After another long while of silence, I finally thanked him.

“For what, exactly?” Q inquired. His quizzical tone was endearing and cute.

“For tonight,” I confessed sheepishly. “I didn’t realize how much I needed some release. And I’m not just talking about the sex, although it was amazing, and trust me, you’re getting all As from me and a full scholarship.”

Q laughed hysterically before kissing the top of my head.

“What I mean is, I just needed a moment to forget about everything. Forget about the Skai and the Nave, The Sanctum, The Brotherhood, the guys, everything! I just needed….” I signed heavily. “I just needed….you.”

“You will always have me,” he said lovingly, followed by a kiss on my head again. “But it wasn’t exactly a selfless act, Jacob. I needed you too.”

“Aww,” I gushed, grabbed his chin, and shook his head. “Who knew this fortress of ice could be so sweet.”

“All my past lovers could attest to my sweetness,” Q said confidently.

I punched him in the stomach. “You ass!”

“Oof!” he grunted. “I can give you their numbers if you don’t believe me.”

I went for a second punch, but he snatched my hand from the air and kissed it.

“I’m joking, I’m joking!” he snickered, kissing the back of my hand one last time before he moved it down and placed it over his crotch so I could hold what was mine.

I loved it.

“All joking aside, where did you learn to do all that?” I asked.

“Do what?”

“The thing.”

He shook his head, confused.

“The thing! The thing with the pulse and my balls and making me feel things I’ve never felt before.”

“Oh, that,” he said casually.

“Yeah, that!”

“Jacob, I’m tens of millions of years old; I’ve picked up a thing or two along the way.”

“That’s not something you just ‘pick up,’” I insisted, lifting my head off his chest to eye him up suspiciously. “Did you guys have sex workers back in Aquaiia? Maybe you moonlighted as one occasionally for some extra cash?”

Q rolled his eyes, “you’re an idiot.”

We continued joking and throwing jabs at one another for a while. I kept teasing Q, calling him my “rent boy,” and asking him what other naughty things he would do to me. He assured me he had a secret list. It was all in good fun, and Q was a great sport about it, making me feel every bit his equal. I no longer felt the power dynamic between us. I respected him, of course, but I was no longer his Little and him my Big. I was simply Jacob, his boyfriend.

I was his, and he was mine.

Eventually, the jokes stopped, the moment had passed, and everything I wanted to forget came crashing back and took center stage.

It was time to get serious.

“I guess we should address the elephant in the room,” I declared boldly.

“I thought you already were?” he joked.

I laughed and squeezed his cock. “I’m not talking about my big boy here, dummy.” I took a breath and rested my chin on his chest to look into his eyes. “Why haven’t you asked what The Great Mother said?”

“Because that is your story to tell, Jacob. I wanted to give you the time and space to decide if and when you wanted to discuss it. My place was to be by your side when you were ready to be heard. I’m here now if you wish, or I can wait as long as you need.”

I smiled and kissed the center of his chest. “God, you’re disgustingly perfect, you know that?”

“Only for you.”

I had to refrain from jumping his bones right there and then again. Instead, I went into my long discussion with The Great Mother, offering up every detail and thought running through my mind at the time.

Q remained silent the whole time, his ears soaking in every word while his eyes stayed fixed on the feathers floating over our heads. I could tell that specific points of my story intrigued him. His eyes would narrow ever so slightly, or one of his brows would twitch like when I told him about the trip The Great Mother and I took into my mind. When I mentioned the locked door, his eyes darted away from the feathers and locked with mine for a moment. The concern in his stare was telling and a bit unnerving, if I’m being honest, but his features quickly softened, and his eyes drifted upwards.

I finished my monologue without interruption, which surprised me because I was sure he’d interject with questions. Lord knows I would never have been able to stay quiet. I guess patience and wisdom come easier to someone who’s been around since the birth of the Milky Way. Probably another thing he’d picked up along the way.

Q appeared lost in thought when I was done. I allowed him time for all the information to sink in and to collect his thoughts. Unlike Q, I did not have the patience of Job.

“So….?” I had to say something to get a response out of him.

“Interesting….” he mused, the word barely escaping his lips.

“Seriously? I vomit out all this information, and the best you can come up with is ‘interesting’?”

“Okay, it’s very interesting….”

“Q!” I scolded, tapping my forehead on his chest several times. “I’m being serious! I need help.”

“What makes you think I’m not being serious? It’s very inter….”

“Shut up! I’m being serious,” I whined, resting my chin on his chest. “What should I do?”

He kissed my forehead. “If you came to me so I could tell you what to do, you’re barking up the wrong tree, my love.”

“Oh, come on. You love telling me what to do.”

“True,” he admitted, “but not this time, I’m afraid.” He kissed me again and ran his fingers through my hair before caressing my face. “I can’t even begin to imagine what it must be like to be in your shoes right now.”

"I know, right?" I said with pouty lips. "Feel bad for me!"

“Okay, calm down; you’re not exactly Leonidas and the brave 300. He had a better sense of humor.”

“Wait, hold up, you knew Leonidas?” I’m sure my face lit up like a Christmas tree. “How in the world….no wait.” Shaking my head, I forced myself to focus and not jump down that intriguing rabbit hole. “We’re so putting a pin in this conversation and swinging back around to it later, but for now, this is about me.”

“The Great Mother was correct, Jacob,” Q said, “you have a choice to make. Some may argue it’s not a choice at all. But because it’s you, I understand the reservation.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s the collective memories of your people. Your history. Your…” Q slowly ran his fingers down the side of my face and smiled. “Your.…parents, Jacob. To El’odians, that’s not a choice but a necessity. You grew up outside that, so I understand you may have a different perspective – a sense of identity you don’t want to lose.”

“I don’t want to lose you.”

We stared at each other, not moving or speaking for a while before I finally jammed my finger into his side. He recoiled and protested.

“This is the part where you’re supposed to say, ‘Jacob, you’ll never lose me. Our love shines brighter than a thousand stars, and you believe we will find our way back to each other no matter what because love conquers all.’ Or something like that!”

“A bit wordy if you ask me,” he joked before pressing his finger to my lips to silence my objection. “I do love you, Jacob, and I won’t lie to you because of that.” He let out a long, heavy sigh before continuing. “What you just described was beautiful—a sentiment right out of a Disney movie. Unfortunately, we live in the real world, and nothing is ever so cut and dry.

“Hell, not too long ago, you believed you were human. You believed you were joining just another fraternity. You believed you were falling in love with a regular guy who appeared to be a bit emotionally distant.”

“A bit?” I mocked.

“My point, Jacob, is….”

“Nothing is guaranteed….” I interrupted.

“Such is life.”

“So, you’re saying I shouldn’t retrieve the memories,” I questioned.

“I said no such thing.”

“So, you think I should go for it?”

“I didn’t say that either.”

“You’re not helping!” I snapped.

In truth, he was. Q’s honesty was sobering, even if it wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear. It’s one of the many reasons why I love him. He’ll never sugarcoat the truth or what he believes for my benefit. He’ll force me to take my medicine no matter how foul the taste.

I wasn’t going to tell him that, however. I didn’t need him getting an even bigger head.

“Okay, what would you do in my position?” I asked.

“Oh no,” he objected while shaking his head. “We’re not playing that game.”

“Why not? It’s a legitimate question.”

“It most certainly is not!”

“Why not?” I grumbled.

“Jacob, I’m not in your position. You’re asking me if you stay or fold when all I have in front of me is a child’s deck of go-fish cards.”

“What are you talking about? Are you running a fever?” I put my hand on his forehead, but he pushed it away.

“We’ve been dealt very different hands in life. In fact, they are so different that we’re not even using the same type of cards. Sure, they’re both square and roughly the same size. But you’re playing poker. I only know how to play go-fish. How do you expect me to advise you on whether you should stay or fold a possible inside straight when the only thing I’ve ever seen is a colorful pair of sunfish? I’m not playing your game, Jacob. I can’t. This decision has to be yours. My matching pair of fish are useless to you.”

Once again, I was forced to swallow a spoonful of shitty medicine for my own good. His knack for being right hasn’t gotten any less annoying.

“Okay, fair,” I conceded. “I’m just scared of what might happen to us if I go through with it. Aren’t you?”

Placing his hand on the side of my face, he smiled. “Terrified.”

His voice quivered for a split second, tearing my heart to shreds. I tightly wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled my face against his neck.

“I must confess something,” Q said somberly, running his hand up and down my side. “That night, on this bluff, when you flew off to meet with your fellow Skai, I thought maybe that would be the last time I’d see you.” He snickered to himself as if realizing a mistake. “Or, more accurately, I thought that would be the last time you’d see me as you had.”

“What do you mean?”

“You had Awakened, Jacob, so naturally, I assumed the memories of your people were unfolding in your mind. Every minute….every hour….every day that passed meant you were further and further away from what we were. I feared the next time you saw me, it would be as an enemy and not the person you fell in love with.”

“You were already sure that would happen?” I asked, my voice barely above a sad whisper.

“I knew it was possible. And it’s not like I could blame you. And I’m not even talking about our people’s instinct to want to destroy one another, but….” Q squeezed my arm as his words trailed off. “I….”

It was unlike Q to struggle to find his voice. It unsettled me. I placed my hand on his chest and got up on one elbow to look at him. He wouldn’t look away from the floating feathers, so I turned his head so he would look me in the eyes.

“What is it?”

“Your memories will not only contain all the positive experiences of your people but also all the horrors of war.”

“Yeah, I guess,” I shrugged. “But it will be fine. I get it. I understand war.”

“No, Jacob, you don’t.” He smiled at my naivete. I was not picking up what he was putting down. “I will be in those memories, Jacob. Not as your loving boyfriend but as Qua’quelle, head of the Royal Guard and General Commander of the King’s army. Even now, I have not given up the mantel and have led my people in countless battles against yours. You’re going to see….”

I covered his mouth and closed my eyes. “I get it now.”

It never occurred to me that Q would play a prominent role in the memories of my people. How many of my brothers witnessed Q slay their families and friends while they were powerless to stop him? How many of my brothers suffered wounds from his blade or barely escaped by the skin of their teeth? All that anger and hatred for Q passed down from one Skai to the next, and all of it was locked away behind a door in my mind.

Sunny’s aggressive aversion to Q made more sense now. I thought I understood it before with the whole Skai vs. Nave narrative, but looking at it through this particular lens painted a picture I didn’t see before. Or perhaps I just didn’t want to see it.

And now, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was destined to be like Sunny.

Q pulled my hand away from his mouth and held it against his chest. “So, of course, I expected you to view me differently after your Awakening. It would be difficult not to see me through their lens.” He paused to kiss my hand before he continued. “But then I saw you at The Great Mother’s shop, and I knew you were still my Jacob.”

“How could you tell? I ran in there, started screaming like a maniac, and blew the place up.”

“Yes, you did,” he laughed softly. “But there was a moment when you looked at me….and you saw me. That’s when I knew.” Q sighed. “I thought we were in the clear, but I was wrong. The challenge is still before us.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“No, don’t,” he said, gently grabbing my face. “You have nothing to be sorry about, Jacob. I tell you all this not to make you feel bad or to try and sway your decision one way or another. I tell you this because I love you. Because I want to be open and honest, and that means sharing my fears with you.”

“You, afraid?” I teased, trying to lift the curtain of despair weighing us down. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

“When it comes to you, Jacob, anything is possible.”

Running my fingers through his hair to brush it away from his eyes, I leaned in and kissed him passionately, a gesture Q enthusiastically returned in kind. When I pulled away, he jerked his head up to get one last taste of my lips.

I smiled, allowing the last kiss to linger momentarily before pulling away completely. “Can I ask you something?” I asked, twirling my finger around his long, black hair.

Q simply nodded.

“When an El’odian Awakens and receives all those memories, how much do you they change, really?”

“There aren’t set parameters on how much an El’odian will or won’t change, Jacob. It varies from one individual to another. In truth, we, and by that I mean the El’odians of ancient times, changed very little, with some rare exceptions, of course.”

“Oh?” My ears perked up.

“Back then, we grew up in the culture. Our kids were educated in our ways and Naverian history, much like human children are schooled today. For the ten years leading up to their Awakening, they’re taught as much as possible to prepare them for the moment they receive the memories of their ancestors. Obviously, they can’t learn millions of years of history in just ten years. But by the time they Awaken, they’re well-versed in the more important points of our history, so the memories serve as a mechanism to fill in the gaps and provide more context.

“Our human brothers tend to experience the most significant changes. They’ve lived a human existence up until they receive The Gift. They never experienced Naverian life, our culture, our trials or tribulations. What are twenty to thirty years of human experiences compared to millions of years of memories, knowledge, and emotions? They’re essentially a blank slate.”

I nodded slowly, considering his words carefully. “Even though I’m Skai, you’re essentially describing me. Mine has been a human existence up until two seconds ago, basically. And to top it off, I don’t even get the benefit of a full twenty years as a human. I have nine under my belt.”

“Still….” he said softly, caressing my face, “you may come out the same Jacob we remember. Maybe a little wiser, less annoying version, but still….”

“Shut up!” I laughed and slapped his chest. “You really believe that?”

“Look at Dylan.”

“What about him?”

“He’s my former Little, and I probably knew him better than he knew himself before he received The Gift. And I haven’t noticed any significant changes. He’s still the same old Dylan. So, you see? It is possible.”

“What if it’s different for me?” I asked with a sense of panic that I didn’t intend. “If I let The Great Mother unlock that door and those memories come flooding in, I might end up a totally different person. What happens then?”

“Well, your love for your brothers will never diminish. It will only grow stronger. That’s how it works.”

“Yeah, I get that Q. But what happens to us? What if my love for you….” I broke off and looked away from him, unable to find the strength to say the words out loud.

I swallowed hard.

Placing his hand on my chin, Q slowly turned my face so I could look into his eyes. I wasn’t ready to see the warm smile on his face or the soft liquid glow building in the corner of his eye.

“Then I will carry our love for the both of us.”

The glowing pearl of light fell from his eye and rolled down his cheek.

It broke me.

I wiped away his luminous tear and buried my face into his neck. I didn’t want him to see how quickly my dark tears outnumbered his. We wrapped our arms around each other and lay silently for a long while.

None of it was fair.

None of it was right.

And yet, as my tears fizzled away in a vapor of black smoke, I decided to push it all out of my mind and enjoy being on our bluff and in the arms of the man I loved. Like it or not, I needed to make a decision. But I didn’t need to make it tonight.

Q seemed to have the same idea. He caressed the length of my naked body with his silken feathers, pressing his wing against my body in sync with the crashing waves below. If I were still human, the rhythmic sounds paired with Q’s touch would have put me to sleep before I knew what hit me. So here’s to El’odian endurance, which allowed me to enjoy every second of him.

“So, tell me….” Q began, his breath tickling the top of my head. “Who is this Zac I keep hearing about?”

“Zac?” I exclaimed, surprised he would even mention his name. “You mean Zac, as in my Zac?”

“Well, I don’t know if he’s your Zac, but there is a Zac who seems to have captured Soullen’s every thought. He can’t stop talking about him.”

“Ohhh!” I laughed. “Yeah, then it’s my Zac.”

“Um, should I be concerned?”

“Oh please, he’s like twelve,” I joked. “Okay, fifteen, but you get what I’m saying. You must have met him. He was at The Great Mother’s while I was out cold.”

“Oh, okay, okay, so it is that same Zac,” he mused, shaking his head against mine. “Yeah, I met the boy. He kept staring at me.”

“Me thinks he has a bit of a crush on you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I talked to Zac after waking up, and he went on and on about you and your hotness. If I remember correctly, I vomited a little after hearing him drone on about your magnificence.”

“Is that so?”

“Well, he didn’t use that word. I’m paraphrasing,” I teased, kissing his nipple. “Soullen’s been driving you crazy, huh?”

“Not really,” he insisted. “It’s just if he wasn’t asking for updates about you, which he frequently did; he talked about this Zac boy nonstop.”

“So, he was driving you crazy, huh?” I repeated with a snicker.

“Okay, maybe a little,” he laughed. “But honestly, I don’t mind. It’s the first time he’s ever experienced these feelings, so he’s confused and has many questions.”

“Trust me, I know. He asked me things like, ‘How do you know if you like someone?’ and ‘How do you know if they like you?’ and stuff like that. Watching the puppy love developing right before my eyes was actually kind of cute.”

“Yeah….I just worry about him.”

“Why?”

“You seriously have to ask? Soullen is crushing on a human who will one day, presumably, become Skai. Even if we take that complication out of the equation, he met this Zac in passing. Who knows if this boy feels anything for Soullen? I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“Trust me, it’s mutual.”

“Really?”

“Ah, yeah,” I assured him. “Zac asks about him with the same love-struck eyes I saw in Soullen. Still, I share your concerns. I’ve been hesitant to be a cheerleader for them because I don’t want this to get messy, and…” I paused. There was anger sitting heavy in the back of my throat, and I knew it was about to launch. I let it. “And I certainly don’t want them to get hurt due to the obstinacy of the so-called adults in the room.”

“Okay, ouch!”

“Well, if the shoe fits!” I snapped harshly.

“It’s not that simple, Jacob, and you know it.”

“It should be! Why should we stop them from exploring their feelings? Maybe they’ll realize they’re not compatible, and the whole thing was just a flash in the pan. Or maybe, just maybe, they’ll discover they have something meaningful and beautiful. Something that should be nourished and encouraged, not torn asunder because of the edicts of selfish Gods who programmed their creations to be hostile and murderous toward each other. And another thing….” Despite Q covering my mouth, I continued to rant into his hand before settling down.

“Is this still about Soullen and Zac, or….”

“It’s about all of us!” I insisted as I pulled his hand away. “We should be free to choose.”

Q kissed my head. “I’m not disagreeing with you, Jacob. I’m saying it’s complicated.”

After a moment of silence, I decided to pivot away from that heavy topic and discuss something lighter.

“Speaking of Soullen,” I said and got up on my elbow, “you guys did link with him, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Did something go wrong with the download? The boy is comically clueless about so many things. Like, he doesn’t understand sarcasm or jokes or simple everyday phrases people use.”

Q laughed, scrunching his face all cute-like.

“It’s not funny!” I asserted, then joined in the laughter. “I worry about the boy.”

“Soullen is fine, trust me. His naivety is by design.”

“I don’t get it.”

“After Awakening, El’odians tend to grow up quickly, and unfortunately, we lose our sense of youthful innocence and wonder. I didn’t want that for Soullen. Not in this new world we found ourselves in. After he awoke and we brought him home, I linked with him. I decided to share only the essential information he needed to get by in this new world. I taught him the many languages of this world, arithmetic, and pivotal points of human history. I also shared key encounters with humanity and the Skai over the past several thousand years. Everything else I left for him to absorb on his own. I wanted him to feel the joys of learning something new, laughing at a joke he finally got, or having his breath taken away by a beautiful vista. This world is so different from the one we left behind, and he deserves to enjoy those discoveries.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet!” I beamed and poked his cheek with my glassy, black nail. “Seriously, who are you, and what did you do with my tough-as-nails Q?”

“Oh, hush!”

“Are you blushing right now?”

“I will throw you off this cliff.”

“Okay, fine, I’ll stop,” I relented. “But I’m curious, how did Soullen feel about it? He doesn’t strike me as the type who enjoys being a step behind everyone else.”

“He protested, of course, and demanded all the information upfront. We argued for a bit, and I explained that this was better for his development and that he needed to trust me.”

“And he did, of course,” I added, “because the boy idolizes you.”

Q tried to hide his smile and failed.

“So cute!” I teased, poking his cheek again.

Q grabbed my arm like he was about to fling my ass off the cliff, but I struggled against him and kept him pinned to the ground.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” I said through laughter. “I’ll stop! I’ll stop!”

He relaxed his hold on me but still gave me the stink eye as if he didn’t believe me. Smart man.

“The transfer of information when linking can be that precise, huh?” I asked.

“It can, but only if you link with someone highly skilled at controlling it. It’s fairly simple to share all your memories while linking. You just open the floodgates, and they flow naturally like a river into the lake. But to pick and choose precise sections of that river – a river that includes millions of years of memories – and not accidentally let a few unwanted drops pass on is incredibly laborious. It takes a lot of skill and concentration. Not to mention practice too. Why do you ask?”

“No reason, really. I was just curious.”

I didn’t want to get into it, but the truth was Raz offered me such an experience once. I was too paranoid about getting more than I bargained for and politely declined his offer. He was understanding and never mentioned it again. But now I was second-guessing my decision and feeling a twinge of guilt for not having confidence in his abilities.

“Soullen was really worried about you,” Q said.

“I know.”

“He even wrote you a note,” Q added.

“I know. The Great Mother gave it to me.”

“No one gives me notes,” he grumbled.

“You’re stupid!” I laughed. “Please thank him for me and tell him I miss him already.”

“I have a better idea. What are you doing tomorrow?"

“Catching up on three days of school work, I guess.”

“I’m taking Soullen to get his first cell phone. You should join us; I’m sure he’d be thrilled to see you. We can make a day out of it.”

“Sounds like fun. Count me in,” I kissed him to seal the deal. “Wait….you actually go to a store to get your cell phones? I assumed you snapped one into existence, and it magically worked.”

“I could do that, but I don’t want to deprive Soullen of the frustrating experience of getting a new cell phone. The long lines, the angry customers, the complaints about failed data transfers, the computer systems that never seem to work, and the hours it takes to simply activate a phone. He needs to experience it all. It’s good for his development.”

“So, you’re punishing him for something. Got it!”

We laughed.

Thinking back to the night of my Awakening, I took on a more serious tone. “Hey, what happened to you after we went our separate ways?”

“What do you mean?”

“My god, Q, you’re dense! You were sleeping with the enemy – an enemy that had his Awakening in your bedroom.”

“Our bedroom,” he corrected.

I had to take a moment. His words literally took my breath away, and I felt my eyes well up. It was a simple statement, and yet…

“Jacob, what’s wrong?” he asked, the desperate concern in his voice even sweeter. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said, shaking my head. “Something flew in my eye, I think.

“Let me see.”

“I’m fine,” I repeated and slapped his hand away. “I’m asking if you got in trouble because of me?”

He looked at me sideways like I was nuts. “What am I? A child? I don’t get in trouble, Jacob.”

“Oh, pardon me!” I sneered, placing my hand on my chest. “I forgot I was addressing the leader of the Royal Guard and the General Commander of the Naverian army.” I then placed my hand against my forehead as if I was about to faint. “Forgive me; I forgot my place.”

Q was not amused. “The King’s army.”

“Huh?”

“It’s General Commander of the King’s army.”

“I know! I’m sorry! I’m not worthy to be in….”

A blanket of light engulfed us suddenly, and the next thing I knew, we were hovering over the side of the cliff.

“….your presence. Q!”

He pulled our naked bodies apart like he was about to drop me into the frigid waters below. I fought my way back to his body, wrapping my arms and legs around him.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” I’m sure he didn’t find my apology all that sincere since I couldn’t stop laughing. “I was kidding. I love you!”

I started kissing his neck and ear to beg for his forgiveness. Before long, the light appeared again, and we were back on the ground, wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Were you seriously going to drop me?” I demanded, playfully wrapping my hand around his neck.

“I’m pretty sure you would have been fine, Jacob.”

“So not the point!” I leaned in, kissed him, and then sucked on his bottom lip for a second as I pulled away. “God, you taste good.” I leaned in again and repeated my kiss and subsequent suckling. It lasted longer this time, but eventually…reluctantly…I pulled away to finish my scolding. “I would’ve kicked your ass if you had let me go. The Great Mother said I’m among the more powerful El’odians alive today. So watch yourself.”

“Do you even know what that means?” he asked, slapping my bare ass cheek.

“Not really,” I laughed and kissed him again. “So seriously, what happened that night? That’s been on my mind since I left you.”

“Nothing happened, Jacob,” he assured me, clearing a strand of white hair from my face and hooking it behind my ear. “Nothing dreadful anyway. Obviously, I had to give an account of what happened and address their many questions, but it was okay. If you remember, I had already told them about our relationship and linked with the Council of Brothers.”

“Yeah, I remember. You linked to prove that you never used your position or power to protect me or make it easier on me in any way. Thanks for that, by the way.”

He rolled his eyes and ignored my snarky comment. “They already knew I had no idea you were Skai.”

“But my Awakening happened after that. Did they make you link again to prove that was still the case?”

Again, he looked at me with the side eye.

“Yeah, I get it,” I said, rolling my eyes and twisting my face mockingly. “No one makes you do anything.”

“My word was enough,” he answered matter-of-factly.

“How did it go over? Am I public enemy number one now?”

“Understandably, some brothers have concerns about our situation.”

“And what do they think our situation is?”

“That I am yours and you are mine, and nothing was going to change that.”

My heart melted. It took everything I had to stop myself from mounting and riding Q as if my life depended on it.

I kissed him instead. “You really said that to them?”

“Of course.”

“I’m sure they weren’t happy about it.”

“Many thought it best for me to cut all ties with you, but they understood it was not their choice. We don’t police our own in such matters.”

I smiled. “Zenial and Raz said the same thing.”

“Speaking of which,” he said, seizing the opportunity to jump into a topic I was sure had been on his mind for a while. “How are things going for you with your people?”

“It’s going really well, actually. Initially, I feared I might not fit in or would be shunned like the weird new kid in school, but that wasn’t the case at all. My brothers welcomed me with open arms. The outpouring of love and support was a bit overwhelming if I’m being honest. I wasn’t expecting it, but I’m glad it went down that way.”

Q tried to maintain a serious face, but there was a smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“What?” I asked, poking his side.

“You’re as naïve as Soullen,” he teased, letting the smirk take hold. “Of course, they embraced you, Jacob. You’re their brother. That connection runs deep. It’s built into the very fabric of our being. Rejection isn’t an option.”

“Well, I didn’t know that!” I exclaimed. “This is all new to me.”

“But you felt it in here, ” he pressed his finger to my chest. “When you first saw them, you immediately felt the connection.”

“Yeah, I did,” I confirmed, even though Q hadn’t posed it as a question. I couldn’t help but smile. We were from opposing sides and looked about as opposite as two can get. But he understood what I was experiencing and knew exactly what I was feeling at my very core. In that, we were the same.

In that, there was hope.

“The point is everyone has been great.”

“Everyone?” he stressed.

“Don’t look at me like that,” I scolded. Kaylec was not about to ruin our perfect night. He’d ruined enough. “Everything is good. Whatever problems I may have had were addressed.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.” Q shifted, and I felt his body tense. The softness in his voice was gone, replaced by a terse, frigid, ominous tone that quickly reminded me of the terrible power churning beneath his surface. “If Kayl….”

“Don’t go there,” I pleaded, covering his mouth. “I need you here, not flying off on a crusade for blood and vengeance. I’m fine, I promise. It’s been handled. Can you please just drop it?”

The softness returned to his eyes as he kissed the palm of my hand before removing it. “Consider it dropped.”

I could see right through his fake smile. I knew he wasn’t happy, but Q stayed true to his word and didn’t mention Kaylec again. Instead, we moved on to the subject of Sunny and the rest of the guys. I kept the information high-level and light-hearted. Their personal lives and the ongoings of The Club were not my business to share. Q seemed to respect that because he also kept his questions superficial and let me lead the conversation without trying to solicit information or interrogating me in any way.

“It sounds like you found a solid group of friends. That pleases me.”

“Don’t get it twisted,” I said, “my old crew is still my crew. I love them just as much as my new friends.”

“Of that, I have no doubt, Jacob. You can rest assured that they miss and love you as well.”

“It just sucks to have these barriers between us, you know?” I lamented. “It’s not like I can just swing by to hang out without starting some kind of international incident.”

“Maybe we can change that,” he said cryptically.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing….for now.”

I was going to press further, but Q cut me off.

“I understand you’ve spent time with Zenial. How was that?”

“How do you know that?”

“Because I do.”

“That’s not an answer. You’re so annoying!”

“True.”

“Well then, maybe you don’t need to know what I think about Zenial.”

Q’s eyes flashed. I swallowed hard.

“Zenial is truly awesome,” I offered quickly. “He seems like a good leader and is well respected. I was anxious to meet him, but he made me feel comfortable and included. Actually, he reminds me of you in some ways, except….”

“Except?” Q raised his brow.

“He’s very welcoming when you first meet him. Unlike some people, I know.”

“I’m welcoming,” he insisted.

I laughed at the coldness in his voice. “Yeah, as welcoming as a death camp. I’m still shocked I got past your icy exterior. With Zenial, it was immediate. I didn’t have to work for it. And he seems to have a great deal of respect for you.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“I still don’t get that.”

“Why is it so hard to believe? Zenial is honorable and has always been a voice of reason regarding negotiations. He represents and protects Skylarian interests, of course, but he tries to be fair. I respect that. He’s reasonable. We can be enemies and still find common ground.”

“That’s exactly my point.”

“What is?” he inquired.

With a heavy sigh, I dropped my forehead on his chest. “Never mind, I give up.”

I was then reminded of something Zenial had said to me. At the time, it piqued my interest, but I was too afraid to press him for more information. With Q, I had no such reservations.

Okay, maybe a little, but I went for it.

“Hey, tell me something….” I said, bouncing my eyebrows excitedly as I rested my chin on my clasped hands.

“Oh god, what is it?”

“Have you ever been to another world?” I couldn’t contain my excitement. The idea that countless other realities could be floating out there was like a sugar high for me. “Like to a whole different dimension?”

“Where is this coming from? Are the Skai streaming Star Trek or something?” Q asked.

“Don’t play coy with me. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“I never said otherwise. I’m just curious why you’re suddenly bringing it up.”

“Zenial mentioned it once. He breezed right over it, so I figured I would ask you.”

“The Gods had the….”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, only the Gods had the power to walk between dimensions. I already know all that.”

Q rolled his eyes. “All that? I thought you said Zenial breezed over it.”

“It was the only morsel he gave up. Well, that and there’s one dimension we normies can access, so spill!”

He laughed and pinched my cheek. “You’re cute when you're excited.”

“Oh, stop,” I feigned annoyance and slapped his hand away. “A completely different dimension? A parallel universe! It’s like finding out aliens are real. Wait, are they real?”

“You’re ridiculous, and I’m serious. Are Skai a bunch of Trekkies?” Q shook his head at my childish enthusiasm and kissed my forehead. “Yes, there is another place, a different reality we accidentally stumbled upon long before The Great Calamity.”

“It was when we discovered that El’odians could manipulate time, right? There was a battle. You guys did something foolish, creating a tear in space and time.”

“Hmm….” Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he stared at me for a moment. “For someone who claims not to know anything, you seem to have a lot of information.”

I shrugged innocently.

“You’re correct,” he stated hesitantly as if he didn’t want to give me credit. “It was a fierce and deadly battle. Both sides suffered heavily, but the Nave took the brunt of the losses. The Skai were on the verge of victory. One last charge into our ranks and our unit would have been annihilated. That’s when I arrived with the cavalry, figuratively speaking. We were one hundred Naverian strong flying into the fray. With our reinforcements, the advantage flipped. The Skai didn’t stand a chance.

“That’s when it happened. In a desperate act to save his kin, Eolaeis tapped into a power never before witnessed amongst our people.”

I gasped. “Eolaeis?”

“Yes,” Q nodded. “A great and mighty warrior in his own right. It was Eolaeis who tapped into this unknown power. It expanded outward from him like a bubble, distorting the space around us and essentially stopping time. Despite being frozen in time, I could perceive him in real-time. I sensed his movements. I could see him in my mind’s eye. Only Eolaeis stood unaffected. He moved from one frozen El’odian to another, confused by the effects of his power. He got right in my face and tapped my helmet.

“We were vulnerable. Eolaeis could’ve cut us down one by one without resistance. I couldn’t allow that to happen. I wouldn’t. I fought against the force that held me captive, unleashing a powerful shockwave that broke everyone free but resulted in an explosion that flung us clear across the sky.

“I was out of for a moment,” he paused and looked deep into my eyes. “Not three days like some people.”

“Shut it,” I said, pinching his nipple.

With a hilarious grimace, Q continued his story. “I was on a beach when I regained consciousness. The moment I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong. I could feel it in the core of my being. A feeling that led to a profound discovery.”

“What?” I asked, tapping his chest in expectation. “What did you discover?”

“I’ll get there, Mr. Impatient!” Q rolled his eyes but smiled as he continued. “Where was I?”

“You realized you were in Oz.”

“Very funny,” Q scoffed at the comparison.

“Am I wrong, though, Dorothy?”

He thought about it momentarily and then said, “Oh, hush! Anyway, I removed my helmet and looked around, and I knew I wasn’t on Eiyr anymore.”

“Hey, that’s basically what Dorothy said when….”

“Shut up!” Q demanded and flicked my nose.

“Okay, but how did you know?”

“I had been all over Eiyr, Jacob. I knew every mountain range, every coastal beach, and every type of fauna and flora it held. I knew the air. This air was different. It wasn’t Eiyr. Out battle had occurred over the ocean, hundreds of miles from land. There was no way I was thrown that far. Plus, I could see the tear just off the coast. It emanated with Anavi and Askyli.

“Before I could process all this information, two Skylarian soldiers appeared behind me and swung at my head. I managed to deflect their blades, and then we just stood there staring at each other for a long time. I could tell they were confused, disorientated, and scared. They felt the same thing I did. We weren’t in Kansas anymore.”

I giggled, “I see what you did there.”

“I lowered my weapons and assured them I had no desire to fight. We had bigger issues at hand. They remained cautious and kept their weapons pointed at me.”

“See? You’re not very welcoming.”

Q sighed, and I was sure he would say something snippy, so I cut him off. “I’ll be quiet. Promise!”

“After a lengthy back and forth, we agreed to partner and search the immediate area for other El’odians. I couldn’t feel anyone nearby, but I didn’t trust my senses in this strange new place. In short order, we confirmed what I already knew. We were the only three pulled through the tear.

"My next hurdle was convincing the Skyarians we had to go through the tear to return to Eiyr. At least, that was my best guess at the time. Of course, they didn't trust me and thought it was an elaborate trap. I assured them I didn't need to go to all this trouble to kill them. Or take them captive."

“This is why you don’t make friends. You’re too aggressive.”

Q ignored me completely. “After some additional back and forth, I gave up. I took off for the opening, and they eventually followed. Of course, they would only enter if I went first.”

“I mean, that is smart,” I shrugged.

“I admit, I was worried. The outer edge of the tear was pulsating and crackling with our energies. The center was calmer, a distortion of colors like a warped rainbow. I created a field of Anavi around me to protect myself and suggested they do the same. Then I took the plunge and flew in.

“It was a mix of sensations I’d never felt before. It was as if gravity pulled me like water down a drain. To be clear, it didn’t feel like I was in water; it felt like I was the water. I couldn’t stop or turn back even if I tried.”

I sat wide-eyed, listening to Q’s story like a child listening to an adventurous bedtime story. My heart raced as if it was happening in real time. “Did it hurt?” I interjected and, for the first time, realized my mouth had been hanging open in anticipation.

“Not at all. In fact, there was a calm, tingling warmth all around me…or maybe it was inside me. I don’t really have the words to describe it, but the word ‘fuzzy’ comes to mind. Swirling, warm, fuzzy water, but not water.…all me. The whole experience was short. It took longer to describe it than it did to emerge back on Eiyr. I landed gently on my feet, facing an army of stunned El’odians.

“Seth came rushing in to greet me.” His voice softened when he spoke Seth’s name, and a little smile danced on his lips.

“What is it?” I asked. “What’s funny about that?”

“Nothing, really,” Q said as the smile faded. “Seth just seems to have a knack for finding me when I’m lost.”

“You should download Google Maps. It’s a lifesaver!”

“The app store wasn’t around back then.”

“Oh, true….”

“The two Skylarians landed softly behind me a minute later, much to the relief of their people. During our absence, both sides agreed to stop fighting and send a search party into the tear. But now that we returned safe, there was a larger problem to tackle.”

“Seriously? You guys started fighting again?”

“No, the tear on our end was unstable and growing, threatening to rip Eiyr apart. To make matters worse….”

“It gets worse?!”

“Every thirty-three minutes, the tear would vanish and reappear randomly around Eiyr, more extensive than before. In fact, when we were discussing our options, it disappeared, and we had to track it down. Ultimately, both sides had to work together to use our combined powers to contain the anomaly.

“It worked. We managed to stop it from expanding and contained it to a small area on Eiyr. It still jumps every thirty-three minutes, but it’s locked within the containment field we created.”

“The Bermuda Triangle,” I offered proudly.

“Precisely.”

“Wait, is that really what causes ships and planes to go missing?”

“Yes,” he said simply as if it wasn’t a big deal. “Human eyes cannot observe the tear, so they unwittingly fly or sail their vessels into the anomaly.”

“You’re telling me humans have crossed to the other side and are now trapped, living the rest of their lives in another dimension?”

“Definitely.”

“You don’t seem at all bothered by this.”

“I’m not. Humans are not my concern unless they are my brothers.”

“Okay, fair,” I conceded. “But have you considered posting a sign or something?”

“A sign?” Q scowled. “On the ocean? Yeah, I’ll get my people right on that.”

“I’m just saying…maybe on a buoy?”

“Let me wrap up this little trip down memory lane, will you?”

“Fine.”

“Eventually, both Kingdoms agreed to send a small team through the tear on a fact-finding mission. Neither side trusted the other enough to allow random, individual scouts to venture inside alone. Therefore, our leaders agreed that a small group of six would travel through the tear simultaneously and, most importantly, stay together.”

“Why, most importantly?”

“We didn’t know what or whom we would encounter on the other side.”

“Ah, I see. I see,” I said, tapping my temple. “If you encountered any intelligent life, especially advanced life, the last thing you wanted was the other side forming alliances that could shift the balance of power on Eiyr. Am I right?” I gave him a wide, toothy smile. “Tell me I’m right!”

“Look at you thinking like a diplomate.” Grabbing my nose, Q shook my head.

“I try,” I said and swatted his hand away.

“I was part of the Naverian delegation, of course.”

“Of course,” I snickered and rolled my eyes.

“Along with Prince Sol and Setesh. The Skai sent Prince Juyx, Eolaeis, and Eryx.”

“OH, spicy! Is that when they first met?”

“If you’re referring to the two Princes, then yes. I believe that was their first official meeting.”

“Do you think that’s when the sparks started to fly?”

“I’m not getting into their love life.”

“Ugh, you’re no fun!”

Figuratively speaking, Q turned the page of my bedtime story and continued his tale. “We found the tear and went through to the other side. We flew high in the sky to avoid detection and to get a bird’s eye of this new world.” He looked up at our spinning feathers and appeared lost in the moment of his memory.

“How was it?” I asked.

“Wonderous,” he said breathlessly. “It’s a fantastical land filled with magic, beauty, and creatures, both terrifying and magnificent. A land where the dead walk and kingdoms are ruled by beings of unimaginable beauty. Some areas have beings that don’t look much different than an average human. Other parts house tribes of Beastmen, fierce and noble warriors.”

I hung on his every word.

“It’s too much to get into in one night, but I can tell you this - Aeramyth is a beautiful world that really shouldn’t exist outside of one’s imagination.” He turned away from our twirling feathers and looked directly into my eyes. “But it’s real.”

“Aeramyth?” I repeated. “That’s what it’s called?”

“Yes.”

“We are so vacationing there!” I insisted firmly.

“That’s a no-go,” he laughed. “It’s forbidden to cross the threshold into Aeramyth. It’s one of the few things Nave and Skai could agree upon. Back then, it took a royal decree from both kings for anyone to get permission to cross from Eiyr to Aeramyth. That law is still in place, but instead of a royal decree, both ruling councils must sanction a joint party. And if you’re making such a request, you better have a damn good reason. I’m afraid sightseeing is not on the list.”

“But why?” I whined, then looked at him suspiciously, narrowing my eyes as I got right in his face. “What did you guys do when you were over there?”

“What makes you think we did anything?”

“Oh, please!” I jeered. “You guys don’t exactly have a great track record.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, exactly?”

“Uh, first, you created a tear in the space-time continuum that threatened to swallow Eiyr whole.”

“I think you’re channeling Captain Picard.”

I blinked at him.

“What? I had some downtime in the 90s.”

“Then, you caused a calamity that destroyed nearly all life on the planet. And I’m just hitting the high points of what I’ve learned over the last few months. If these history lessons continue, there’s no telling what fuckery I’ll discover. So yeah, something happened on that expedition.”

“I liked you more when you feared me.”

“Prove me wrong,” I challenged smugly.

Q didn’t say anything at first; he just stared at me. In fact, he looked downright annoyed, but I wasn’t letting up. I stared right back.

“Okay….” He began hesitantly. “Maybe we got embroiled in a minor, and I stress minor, war between two kingdoms.”

“See!” I shouted, pointing my finger in his face. “I knew it! You guys galivanted into another world, caused some sort of inter-dimensional incident, and now I can’t visit another reality.”

“It wasn’t our fault!” Q insisted.

“Sure it wasn’t,” I laughed, shaking my head. “Can you define ‘minor’ for me? There’s no such thing as a minor war. War is war!”

“That’s not important.”

“What happened?”

“I can’t get into that with you.”

“Why not?” I protested.

“Last time I checked, you don’t sit on the Council of Brothers or the Council of Nine.”

“Stupid councils,” I muttered while rolling my eyes.

“Besides, what happened during the war is not as important as what we learned. Remember how I felt strange when I first arrived in Aeramyth….how I felt disconnected?”

“Yeah….”

“On Eiyr, our power is near limitless. Sure, we exhaust ourselves if we push our power to its limit. But those occasions are rare, and we recover to full strength quickly. That was not the case in Aeramyth. Our power was finite. The more we used it, the faster it depleted. Even with long rest periods and the complete non-use of our energy for days, weeks, or even years, we could only recover a fraction of our power. Because of that, we could never achieve our full glory on Aeramyth.

“After a few months, the conflict ended, and we returned home. Stepping foot on Eiyr again was like being reborn. I felt rejuvenated…alive.”

“But why?” I asked. “What caused you to get so weak?”

“A question our brightest minds worked hard to answer. In the end, the answer was simple. Eiyr is a true mother to us. It nourishes us in a way we never realized before. We discovered that this world releases a form of energy unique to Eiyr. We named it Eyther. It’s all around us, yet we were blind to its existence.”

“It’s like asking a fish how the water is,” I spoke. “And the fish answers….”

“What water?” Q smiled. “Yeah, that’s exactly right. Eyther is universal to all El’odians. We absorb it naturally and convert it into Anavi or Askyli. The Gods gave us their power, but Eiyr sustains us.”

I suddenly felt all warm and gooey inside.

“That’s beautiful and poetic when you think about it.”

“Yes,” Q agreed, stroking the side of my face. “Which is why we must return Eiyr to our people.”

“You lost me. What does one have to do with the other?”

“With the discovery of Eyther, the Nave developed ways to detect and measure it in the air. I’m sure your people have done the same. Eyther was abundant and at its purest back in our time. Now, it’s a different story. With the toxins humans spew into our atmosphere and the sludge they dump into our oceans, the Eyther of Eiyr is being destroyed. Levels have lowered since humans hit the industrial age, and its purity continues to degrade.”

My eyes widened, shocked at this revelation. I knew Eyther wasn’t the same as air, but breathing suddenly felt difficult. I sucked air deep into my lungs and noticed it tasted different than last time. How had I missed that? I did it again; this time just threw my nose, and yes, it was definitely getting worse. It was rotting fast.”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Q smirked at my obvious freakout. “We are fine and will be for a long time.”

“Are you sure? I smell rotting. I have a powerful El’odian nose, and something is starting to turn. Does Eyther smell like salty, rotten fish? ”

“We’re lying next to the ocean.”

“Oh….”

“Jacob, calm down. We’re safe.”

I narrowed my eyes and started breathing normally again. “But? I feel a ‘but’ coming my way.”

“But there is reason for concern. Certain events could turn everything on its head. Our biggest fear is that greedy, primitive humans with a lust for power and the desire to control Eiyr’s natural resources will start another World War. In fact, it’s not a matter of if it will happen but when. And when it does, nuclear weapons will be deployed.” He looked past our feathers to the night sky. “Nuclear winter would doom us all.”

“How? Why?”

“Areas where nuclear weapons were used, such as Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or even test sites like Green Valley, In Eker, and Johnston Island are now dead zones. They are devoid of Eyther; it's virtually nonexistent. An El’odian at one of those sites would take many years to recover. The levels have slowly risen as the decades pass, but it’s minuscule. They remain dead zones.”

“So we avoid those areas like the plague, right? Is there a map or something? I have no idea where In Eker is.”

“It’s in southern Algeria. And we don’t avoid them; we actually have a house in Hiroshima.“

“And it doesn’t harm them?”

“Not at all. It’s simply a matter of replenishing their El’odian strength when needed. It’s like recharging a battery. They only need to travel outside the dead zone – to anywhere else on Eiyr – to be recharged.”

“I guess that makes sense,” I nodded. “Why didn’t you share this with me until now?”

“Because you jumped out of my window and flew away,” Q laughed.

“You know what I mean!”

“Honestly, I thought I had all the time in the world to fill you in on more of our history and all the little details that comes with being a Nave before giving you my Gift.” Q kissed me suddenly, lovingly. “Fate,” he kissed me again, “had other plans.”

I kissed him now, deeper and more passionately than before. I might have even gotten a squeeze or two of his junk before pulling away. We stared at each other for a while without saying much. My finger gently caressed his cheek while I tried to stay lost in his gaze.

I loved him.

“We should probably call it a night,” Q finally declared.

“I knew you were going to say that,” I pouted, pressing my nail to his bottom lip. “I don’t want to, but you’re probably right. I left the shop in a rush. Sunny is probably worried I’m dead in a ditch somewhere.”

With one last kiss and a little light groping, we helped each other to our feet. Q opened his hand and pulled my swirling black feather to it, finally breaking the eternal dance between them. It spun a few more times before disappearing completely.

I smiled.

I did the same to the gift he gave me, and we walked, hand in hand, towards the cliff’s edge.

Turning to face me, Q held my hands. “So, tomorrow then? Around noon?”

I nodded. “I think I’ll ask the guys to meet for breakfast. I promised them an explanation.”

“That’s a good idea,” he agreed and kissed me yet again.

Our bodies were pressed together, lips to lips, chest to chest, cock to cock. It was amazing. I loved feeling Q against my skin. I didn’t want the moment to end, but he pulled away and slowly backed away toward the open air.

“Wait!” I said, grabbing his hands before they slipped away from my grasp. “Aren’t you going to ask me if I made a decision?”

Looking to either side, Q twisted the corner of his mouth as if contemplating his answer. “Nope.”

“What do you mean?” I squeezed his hand and pulled him closer to me and away from the cliff’s edge. “Why not?”

“Because whatever decision you make will be the right one. I support you.” He blew me a kiss, then backed away until my hands slipped from his.

“Okay, but in case you were curious, I haven’t made up my mind,” I yelled at Q even though he was only a foot out of reach and could hear me just fine. The waves and wind…and even the moon...sounded louder when we weren’t touching.

“Okay.”

“I’m serious. I haven’t,” I insisted firmly.

“Okay.”

I watched him step off the cliff and continue to walk back across the open air as if it was solid ground.

“You don’t have to worry. Everything is still the same. I’m the same.”

“Got it.” Q winked and slowly ascended into the night sky.

“Hey, wait!”

Q laughed. “What is now?”

“Some clothes, please.”

Looking down at his naked body, Q shrugged. “I’m fine. I flew around like this all the time back in the day.”

“Good to know, but I wasn’t talking about you.” I pointed at my own naked body. “Some help here?”

“I think you look great.”

“I’m sure you do, but I’d like some clothes. I’d do it myself, but I need something more than socks.”

“Socks?”

“And a glove. It’s a whole thing,” I said, waving dismissively. “Can you help me out, please?”

For a brief moment, Q’s eyes glowed, and a swirl of light encircled my lower half. The light faded, leaving me dressed in a pair of snug, gray joggers.

I pulled the waist back and saw my boys swinging in the wind. “Seriously? Et tu Brute?”

“What?”

“Underwear! There’s no underwear!”

“I like you better this way.”

“What are you talking about?” I looked down and saw the noticeable outline of my cock. “You better give….”

He was gone when I looked up.

“Q?”

I walked over to the cliff’s edge and cautiously looked over the side. Like a jetfighter doing maneuvers, Q came barreling past me. I stumbled backward and almost fell on my ass.

“Jerk!” I shouted.

He was high above me now, steadily flapping his wings. “I love you too!”

I smiled, enjoying the view of my naked man as he flew away.