The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II - 4. Chapter 4

The Brotherhood: Awakening

Chapter IV

By X

 

 

Sunny was not kidding. This Razual guy did not look happy. The darkness that replaced his eyes swirled and pulsated as he stared at Kaylec. I was sure he was about to unleash a torrent of Askyli at any moment. His deep brown skin was beautiful, and it effortlessly absorbed the bright fluorescent light in the hall to give him a warm and healthy hue. He wore a black fedora that complimented the dark suit he had on, but I could tell, or at least I suspected, he was completely bald under that hat. He was taller than all of us. I stood at six feet, and he had me by at least three inches; combined with his muscular build, he definitely had an imposing presence.

Razual moved toward Kaylec, his eyes slowly returning to normal with each step he took. Eventually, two pools of brilliant caramel replaced the dark rings of Askyli that had encircled his pupils.

"I…"

Razual raised two fingers, and Kaylec quickly shut up, but he wasn't happy about it. He briefly looked at Sunny before turning his gaze on me. His eyes scanned me from top to bottom before finally resting on Soullen, and it was there that his stare lingered the longest.

Balling up his fist, Soullen stepped back, signaling he was going into fight or flight mode.

Kaylec was quick to put his hand out in front of Soullen. "He’s with me and under my protection, Razual.”

“Yes, he is,” Razual finally spoke, his voice buttery smooth and calm, but there was something else there. A hidden yet very deliberate message underlined those three simple words. I had no idea what it was, but I wondered if it caused the hair on anyone else’s arms to stand up.

He continued, “but just like he’s under your protection, Akuzio is under mine.”

The fact that he knew me by name took me by surprise. It probably shouldn’t have, as he surely talked to the brothers back at The Club. Still, hearing my name leave his lips made me feel at a disadvantage. But at a disadvantage to what, I have no idea. We were strangers; what advantage did either of us need?

“You removed him from my club and brought him here without consulting me first.” He got up in Kaylec’s face, “that was not your call to make.”

“This is a unique situation, and I felt my brother needed to be informed immediately,” Kaylec insisted. To his credit - and I can’t believe I’m giving him any credit - he stood his ground, unafraid, with no sign of backing down. “I didn’t have time to wait for you to return from whatever you were doing. This was too important.”

“And yet,” Razual looked around, “I can’t help but notice you’re standing here ready to leave. Did you have this time-sensitive, all-important meeting with Zenial?”

Kaylec remained silent, looking annoyed. Sunny, not so much.

“That would be a big no,” Sunny chimed in. “We didn’t have an appointment, and you know how Ms. Cynthia is about her schedule. Besides, I told him to wait for you, but he didn’t listen.”

Kaylec gave Sunny an intense glare; his eyes flared with Askyli for a moment.

“Oh, pipe down!” Sunny mocked. “You know it’s true. We should have waited.”

Kaylec was about to say something, but Razual quickly cut him off again.

“Stop trying to justify your actions. If it wasn’t clear, let me repeat it. Bringing Akuzio here was not your call to make. You’re under the false impression that you can break protocol because Zenial is your brother, but I’m here to tell you, Kaylec, that you are wrong. And it’s painfully obvious to me that Zenial agrees because here you stand.”

Razual got so close to Kaylec that they could have kissed.

“If you ever go around me again, you’ll be banned from my club and city.”

“You can’t do that,” Kaylec insisted.

“But I can, and I will,” Razual countered. “I’m telling you, Kaylec; it will happen. And you’ll find yourself running to your brother, only to be humiliated again when he sides with me.”

The stare-down between the two was intense, but Kaylec flinched first.

“Let’s go,” he said to Soullen thru gritted teeth.

It wasn’t until Kaylec and Soullen got in the elevator and the doors finally closed that Razual turned to face me. His demeanor instantly changed from frustrated and annoyed to warm and welcoming.

“Akuzio,” Razual smiled and offered me his hand. He grabbed my forearm when I went to accept and pulled me in until his forehead pressed against mine. “Welcome, brother.” His eyes remained closed until the moment he released me. “And welcome to The Sanctum.”

“Thank you,” I was taken aback by his gesture. And The Sanctum? I didn’t have the slightest idea what he was talking about, but I was too afraid to ask. He said it in such a way as if I was expected to know its meaning.

“I understand you prefer Jacob?”

I nodded.

“Well, Jacob, I’m Razual, but you may call me Raz if you’d like. Most of our brothers do.”

“Okay, Raz, it’s nice to meet you.”

He let go of my arm, turned to my side, and nodded, “Sunny.”

Sunny’s eyes lit up. “I see you got my note,” he said with a big smile.

“I did.”

“What note?” I asked, looking between the two.

“After I put Raz’s office back together, I left a note on his desk explaining what happened and where we were going.”

“Yes, I found it when I got in, but I was heading here anyway to see Zenial.” He paused for a moment, and I saw the lightbulb go off in his head. “Wait, what do you mean after you put my office back together? I thought everything felt off by a few centimeters. What happened?”

Sunny laughed. “Of course, you would notice that.”

“Sunny…”

“It’s a long story, and I promise to fill you in.”

Raz gave him a side glare as he turned back to face me. “I’m sorry you had to deal with Kaylec and all his drama. Your awakening was not supposed to happen this way. We like to give our brothers time to acclimate to their environment. The world varies greatly from all those years ago, and it can be jarring.”

“You don’t need to worry, Raz; I’m very accustomed to this world,” I assured him.

He looked confused and turned to Sunny for an explanation.

“Yeah, that’s another long story, but you have an appointment with Zenial? You probably shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

“Fine, but when I return, I want all the details on what the hell….”

“Raz!” An excited voice bellowed from behind us.

We turned to see Ms. Cynthia peeking her head over some dossier she was reading. Her eyes lit up with pure joy at the sight of Razual.

“Ms. C,” Raz said warmly and walked up to kiss her on both cheeks. “Don’t you look as radiant as ever?”

“I do, don’t I, Suga?” She struck a little pose before slipping her arm around Raz’s. “Don’t you have an appointment with Mr. Zenial in five minutes?”

Raz nodded.

“Then why are you hanging out by the elevators, Suga?” She playfully slapped him on the arm and hurried him along. “You know I don’t like it when you boys are late for appointments. It gets me in a mood. Come on, let’s go, Suga.”

“I would never do that to you, Ms. Cynthia,” Raz was talking to her, but his eyes were on Sunny.

“You know what else puts me in a mood?” she asked. “When you boys show up here empty-handed.”

Throwing his head back, Raz laughed. “I swore I had a lovely bouquet of white daisies delivered to you just yesterday. They are your favorite, if I’m not mistaken.”

“And they’re beautiful, Suga,” she replied. “But what does yesterday have to do with today?”

Again, Raz’s laughter filled the halls as they disappeared around the corner.

Sunny snickered and slapped me on the back. “Come on, Raz wants me to take you back home.”

“Huh?” I followed Sunny into the elevator. “He never said that.”

“He did,” he said while tapping his temple.

Now I understood the look Raz gave Sunny.

I followed Sunny into the parking garage on our way to the hidden gateway chamber. He was going on about something, but I wasn’t paying attention. My mind was going in thirty different directions, and I suddenly felt like the walls were closing around me.

“Sunny, wait,” I said. “If it’s all the same to you, I want to go for a walk.”

“Walk where?”

“I don’t know. Anywhere. I just need to clear my head and get some fresh air.”

“Okay, cool, I get it,” he nodded. “I’ll come with you.” Slapping me on the back, he started walking towards the exit ramp.

“No, Sunny, I want to go alone.” I already knew what he would say, so I talked over him. “I know; you’re responsible for me. I get that. And from the get-go, you’ve been nothing but amazing. Too amazing, if I’m being honest. I don’t think I deserve all the kindness you’ve shown me.”

“Bullshit. You’re my brother.”

“I know,” I conceded. “Thank you. Really. But for right now, I just need to be alone.”

Sunny didn’t say anything. He just looked at the exit and the gateway chamber before resting his eyes on me. He pressed two fingers together, ignited them like a match, and then a card appeared between them. “Here’s the address to The Club. It’s not far from here. Take all the time you need and come back when you’re ready. If you need me, my number is on the card too.”

I wasn’t about to tell him I left my cell phone in Q’s room.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

“No worries,” he smiled and playfully slapped my arm. “But don’t make me send out a search party for you because I will.”

“Deal,” I laughed.

I stood there watching him walk toward the chamber and counting my lucky stars that they had assigned Sunny to me. He was my little guardian angel, and I already felt bonded to him in a way I can’t explain. I’m sure any brother would have been just as kind and considerate, but I got Sunny, and he seemed perfect.

“Hold on a second!” I called out and waited for Sunny to turn and face me. “Upstairs, Razual welcomed me to The Sanctum. What is that?”

With a smile, Sunny did a formal bow and said, “we are The Sanctum,” before turning around and walking away again.

I understood.

When the cool breeze of Downtown Hartford hit my face, I felt the walls around me crumble away. Unfortunately, I had no idea where I was going. Kingsland University was by the coast, and now I was smack dab in the middle of the state, surrounded by the unfamiliar. With no real destination in mind, I picked a busy sidewalk filled with people, shops, and small businesses and went on my merry way.

I took my time traveling the streets, stopping for a bit of window shopping and occasionally entering a store when something caught my eye. I was still wearing the burgundy suit Sunny created for me, so I looked like a million bucks, and the store employees treated me as such. They were eager to help me in hopes of making a sale, but sadly I had no money to spend.

I don’t know how long I wandered, but I eventually sat on a bench in Bushnell Park. The crisp air was refreshing, and the leaves on the trees, now in their full color-changing glory, made for an idyllic view. A small group of children played on the hillside alongside me. They rolled joyfully in a pile of leaves without a care in the world. Their laughter was infectious, and I found myself giggling along with them.

But eventually, my giggle turned into a smile, and my smile turned bittersweet. I wondered what their future would be. Would they be subjugated by the Nave or annihilated by my people, the Skai? Or would they live full lives and die naturally while both sides continue their search for The Eye of Eiyr? El’odians have been searching for centuries; it might take additional centuries to find the thing. If these kids are lucky, perhaps a future generation will pay the price for that discovery. They’ll be long dead and turned to dust by then, but I’ll still be here to bear witness and play my role, whatever that may be.

It was not a comforting thought, but unfortunately, it seemed an inescapable reality.

That said, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Watching those kids also made me think about my friends back in Kingsland. Arsen, CJ, Anthony, and the rest of the gang. I wondered what kind of trouble CJ was dragging them into, and the thought turned my smile genuine again.

I pondered what they knew of me now, what they knew of that night when I awoke. Would they even consider me a friend anymore? Would they look upon me with the same love and affection I came to cherish? The same love and affection I still held for them?

I doubt it. I am Skai. They will look at me as their mortal enemy.

It was another inescapable reality.

Still, I missed them.

And, of course, there was Q. Despite everything that happened that night and all the revelations, he still came to me. He stood on our bluff, embraced me in his arms, and looked at me with love in his eyes. With him, I was home.

But was it real? Or were we just caught up in the moment? Now that we’d separated and clarity had had a chance to set in, would he look upon me with those same loving eyes? Would he still welcome me home in his warm embrace?

I wasn’t sure anymore.

“Can you spare a dollar?” a man asked, breaking my concentration and bringing me back to the present.

I had to apologize to the man, who looked homeless, desperate, and a bit too wide-eyed. I couldn’t tell if the foul odor was coming from his clothes or teeth, but clearly, neither had been washed in weeks. His tattered clothes were a stark contrast to the expensive-looking suit I was wearing. This is probably why he gave me a dirty look when I apologized for not carrying any cash. I’m sure he thought I was lying.

I felt terrible. He was the second person to ask for money. The first was a middle-aged lady sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk outside the parking garage. She was smoking a cigarette with a crumbled brown paper bag beside her. A ponytail held half her hair in place. The other half lay on her shoulder, badly needing a comb. She’d asked me for five dollars. I apologized like I was doing now. She then asked for any change I had. Again, I apologized to her. She seemed to accept it and even wished me a happy day, but as I walked off, I heard her add, ‘rich fuck.’

I get it. I looked like some rich, preppy asshole who thought these people were beneath me and unworthy of my inherited money. That wasn’t the case at all. If I had the means – earned or inherited - I would’ve gladly helped them.

Still apologizing profusely, I was forced to walk away from the man. The situation was getting loud and uncomfortable. He insisted I had the cash and was too cheap to help him. He followed me out of the park, yelling, and continued to do so for several blocks. After weaving thru the crowd and crossing several streets, I lost him but not before getting an ear full from some of the pedestrians on the sidewalk.

I ducked into a narrow alley between two abandoned buildings and hid behind a dumpster. I needed to change, so I looked like a typical broke college student and not like some high-powered corporate attorney.

How hard could it be? I thought. Sunny received the Gift only two weeks ago, and he was able to snap his fingers to whip up these clothes.

Poking my head out from behind the dumpster, I looked up and down the alley to ensure the coast was clear. The last thing I needed was someone catching me using “magic” and posting it on social media, which would not go over well with my Skylarian brothers.

Satisfied it was all clear, I closed my eyes, leaned back against the building, and began concentrating on the clothes I wanted to wear. In my mind’s eye, I pictured a pair of black joggers, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and some sneakers—regular clothes, nothing extravagant.

But let’s be clear; I had no idea if that’s how it worked or if there was something else I needed to do to summon new clothes. Did I need to snap my fingers like Sunny did to make it work, or did he just do it for flair?

After a minute of concentrating, I cracked open an eye and saw I was still wearing the burgundy suit.

“Come on, Jacob,” I said to myself. “You can do this….”

Closing my eyes, I shook my head and cleared my throat before concentrating on the new clothes again. There was no method to my madness. I was making it up and making a production out of it without any reason to believe I needed to do any of it.

This time something happened. I felt a warmth in my chest and a tingle all over my body. Over the next few seconds, that heat started moving outward toward the tips of my limbs until it felt like I was cocooned inside a warm blanket.

It felt incredible.

I opened my eyes and beamed from ear to ear. Ribbons of Askyli swirled around me, merging and splitting as if they were alive and performing a mating dance. It only lasted mere seconds. My smile turned to clenched lips as searing hot pain exploded in my skull.

I cried out and clasped my head in my hands. I heard voices. Hundreds, if not thousands, of voices speaking at once, yelling and whispering as if trying to convey a message to me. They were accompanied by images of people and locations that made no sense to me. There was a man on a hill. At least, I thought the dark silhouette was a man. I had to push it all back to repair the dam that had broken yet again.

Even though it felt like forever, It was over in a flash. I took a moment to lean back against the wall and look up at the sky. It felt like I’d run a marathon and needed to catch my breath.

“What the serious fuck,” I whispered, looking down at my new predicament.

I was butt-ass naked. Whatever I did or whatever happened to me didn’t even leave me with a pair of socks.

Amazing!

I covered my junk with my hands and stepped out from behind the dumpster to double-check that no one was coming. With the coast clear, I went back to concentrating on conjuring some clothes and was determined to fight thru whatever pain I felt during the process.

The warmth and tingle came again, but there was no pain this time. The darkness curled around me, moving faster and faster, pushing the dumpster and debris away until there was a dark flash. Everything settled and returned to normal, and I got what I wished for.

Socks.

Fucking white socks! Oh, and a glove. Not a pair of gloves. Just one black glove on my right hand and nothing else. My dick was still swinging in the wind.

“This can’t be happening,” I shouted and kicked the dumpster in frustration. At the time, it didn’t dawn on me that I put a massive dent on the side of the dumpster and felt nothing. It probably would have gone flying down the alley had I not been holding on to it at the time.

That’s when my world went from bad to worse. After kicking the dumpster, the door next to me opened, and a stocky redhead walked out holding what appeared to be a pipe. I guess the building wasn’t as abandoned as I’d hoped.

“What the fuck was that?” he asked.

At first, I thought he was talking to himself, but no, why would things ever be easy for me? Three other guys stepped into the backstreet to look around. The open door afforded me some cover as I slid behind it, hoping beyond hope they wouldn’t see anything in the alleyway and head back inside.

“Do you see anything out here?” the redhead asked.

As they moved around the area, I slowly slid behind the door, hoping to make myself invisible. Unfortunately, my attempt to remain inconspicuous failed when one of the guys decided to check around the dumpster. Seeing a naked guy standing behind the door scared the ever-living shit out of him.

“What the fuck?!” He yelled and stumbled backward.

“What?” the redhead demanded. “What happened?!”

“There’s a guy!” he said, pointing at the door. “A naked guy!”

“What the fuck are you saying?” Slowly and cautiously, the stocky redhead used the pipe to swing the door closed and exposed me completely.

I stood there, frozen, watching them staring at me. These guys did not look like members of the friendly neighborhood welcoming committee. Their dirty jeans, worn leather jackets, chains, and stained shirts told me that much. Their meth mouths were also a nice touch and truly rounded out their haggard appearance.

“What do we have here?” the redhead laughed, looking at the rest of his friends.

Keeping my left hand over my junk, I waved with my gloved hand. “Hey,” I offered with a smile that tried to convince them there was nothing to see here. I noticed a piece of cardboard behind the dumpster and quickly grabbed it to place it in front of me. It was just tall enough to cover the goods without needing to hold it up. “This is not what it looks like, guys.”

“I don’t know about that,” said the redhead. “What does it look like to you, fellas?”

“It looks like a freaky pervert is loitering in our alley,” said the guy who screamed when he first saw me. He regained his confidence and took a few steps toward me.

“No, no!” I insisted, waving my hands around. I almost caused the cardboard to fall over and scrambled to catch it. “No freaky pervert here.”

“A freaky pervert who likes to run around naked and jerk off behind buildings.” A different guy added, and I swear I didn’t see a single tooth in his mouth. He was all gums and no bite.

“No, no!” I repeated. “No one is jerking anything anywhere. This is all a big misunderstanding.”

“Where are your clothes, boy?” the redhead asked.

I gave off a nervous laugh despite myself. “That’s complicated.” I paused, thinking of how badly I screwed everything up. “Why don’t you guys just go back inside and forget you ever saw me? We can pretend this never happened. Trust me, it’s the best outcome for all of us.”

“You’re not the one giving orders, boy,” he said, slamming the pipe against the dumpster. He was bold but cautious as he stepped back to his original position farther away from me. I’m sure he was trying to figure out what kind of crazy he was dealing with before making his next move.

“I’m not trying to give orders. Believe me; I’m trying to help you.”

He scoffed and spat towards my feet. “Help us?”

“I know how you can help us.” Not wanting to be left out, the last guy finally added his words of wisdom with a tone that was both hilarious and rapey at the same time.

I’m going on the record and saying they had about fifteen teeth between them, and not even their dentist could convince me otherwise.

“Seriously, guys, you don’t want to go down the creeper road. I may look helpless, but I promise you, I’m not.”

“Are you threatening us, boy?”

“Yes, and I’m trying to help you!” I declared boldly. Well, as boldly as possible, while standing butt ass naked in an alley wearing socks and a glove.

“I say we take him inside and have us a little fun,” said gummy and toothless. “Save us the trouble of looking for a new whore.”

“See? That was totally unnecessary,” I protested.

Honestly, I wasn’t afraid. Embarrassed as all hell, yes, but not scared. I didn’t know how to control my powers or summon them at will, but I felt that if push came to shove, I’d unleash a can of whoop ass on these guys. I tried to save them from themselves, but some people can’t be helped.

As if their minds suddenly linked, they took a collective step toward me.

“You’re going to keep your pretty little mouth shut and come with us,” the redhead ordered, swinging his pipe around like it was an extension of his dick.

“Well, keep it shut until we tell you to open those pretty little lips.” His friend on the left corrected. He pulled on his belt buckle as if I didn’t get his innuendo.

“Guys…” I tried again but was quickly interrupted.

“The more you fight us, the more we’ll hurt you.”

The one on the far left took another step toward me.

I began to feel the heat swell within my chest. “That’s exactly the opposite of what’s going to happen if you get any closer.”

“Fine by us,” he sneered, exposing his rotted teeth. “We like them feisty.”

“Not this feisty, I promise you!”

Whatever was building up inside me was reaching its boiling point, and I had no idea if I could control it once it was unleashed. This was when the panic began sitting in. Not for what these guys might do to me or even what I might do to them. But what if I took out an entire city block? What if I hurt civilians while protecting myself from the meth squad? I’d seen the devasting power El’odians wield, and now I’m one of them. I don’t believe I’m anywhere near Q’s league, but even with a fraction of his power, I could harm or kill many people.

I tried to pull my power back, thinking it might be best to go inside the abandoned building and launch my attack from inside. The four concrete walls may help contain whatever was burning to get out.

I felt the embers cool. I felt relief.

“Fine,” I surrendered, “I’ll go with….”

Suddenly, two blazing blades wreathed in white flames exploded from the redhead’s chest as he was stabbed from behind. His blood splattered across my upper body like a bucket of red paint was thrown at me. His body lifted into the air, impaled on the blades like meat on a skewer. His screams were silenced by the white fire that consumed his form, causing it to explode in a shower of bright confetti that danced in the air like fireflies.

His companions echoed his screams and tried to flee. Gummy and toothless tried to get back into the building, but the blood-stained handle made it slippery and difficult to open the door. His efforts eventually paid off, but as he tried to step inside, a white glow enveloped the metal door, forcing it closed with such ferocity that it caught his hand and severed it right above the wrist.

Clutching his stump, he turned to me, causing the blood spraying from his wound to drench my face and neck. I flinched at the onslaught of blood and the pain-riddled screech he let out. But like his friend before him, he didn’t last long. A white beam of light struck him in the chest, pinning him to the wall beside me until he exploded. All that was left was radiant ash.

The last two guys tried to escape by running in opposite directions in the alley. Unfortunately, there was no dodging the swords that found their mark square in each of their backs. Within seconds there was nothing left of them but two shining grease stains on the street.

The two blades flew back to their master’s hands before touching the ground. He spun them around proudly as he stared at me. A crooked smile stretched across his face.

“Hello,” he said.

“What the serious fuck did you just do, Soullen?”

“Umm,” he looked up and down the alley as his blades vanished like smoke in the wind, “I saved you.”

“You killed them!”

“Yes,” he responded as if I accused him of stomping out a few roaches.

“You killed them, and now I’m covered in meth blood.” My whole body shivered at that realization. “What the fuck? I had everything under control. I didn’t need you swooping in to go all Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

I could tell by the look on his face that the reference was entirely lost on him.

“There was no swooping,” he said. “I walked here. From right over there, in fact.”

“That’s not the point! You didn’t have to kill them!”

Again, he looked up and down the alley as if my assailants were still hanging around. “Why not?” he asked. “They were human and not even the ‘good’ kind of human. Did you not see their thoughts? The one with the red hair wanted to shove his penis up your….”

“I know what he wanted to do!”

“In fact, they all wanted to take turns shov….”

“I get it,” I interrupted again. “But as I said, I had the situation under control.”

Yes, I had just witnessed the murder of four human beings, but I wasn’t upset about their deaths. Not really. It was Soullen’s mere presence that irked me. I couldn’t help but wonder if my blatant disregard for the loss of life was the Skai in me starting to show itself. And was it okay not to care? Those four idiots wanted to spit-roast me like a rotisserie chicken, so it was hard to muster sympathy for them.

“Why are you upset with me?” Soullen crossed his arms and continued. “You should be thanking me instead of yelling at me.”

Was he seriously pouting right now?

“You can seriously ask me that with a straight face?”

“I don’t understand.”

“You killed Steve!” I shouted, crushing down on the cardboard with my fists.

He started to say something, but the words caught in his throat. He paused, looked down, then back up at me. I think he sighed. “Why does it matter? You are Skai. He was Nave.”

“I don’t care! He was my friend!”

We stood there staring at each other. I was still naked and covered in meth blood. He sported skinny jeans, a t-shirt, and a baseball cap. Clearly, he had more luck changing out of his nice suit than I did.

At that moment, none of that mattered. What Soullen did was fresh in my mind, so he became the focus of my rage. That he could take the life of one of his brothers was unforgivable. Even though I was Skai, Steven was my brother. That’s how it felt in my heart.

Soullen cocked his head to the side as he looked at me. “Are you naked behind that?”

“No!”

Tilting his head to the other side, he waved his hand and made the cardboard vanish, exposing the lie. “You are naked!” He sounded irritated. “Why do you get to walk around naked? According to Qua’quelle and the rest of my brothers, humans frown upon such behavior. Apparently, they even have laws against it. Had I known they were lying, I would not be wearing so many articles of clothing.”

“They’re not lying, and this wasn’t intentional,” I said, once again cupping my hands over my junk.

“Why do you cover yourself from me?” Soullen was genuinely curious. “We share the same anatomy, so what do you think you’re hiding from me? I don’t understand. In Aquaiia, we wore very little and sometimes nothing at all. Our form is beautiful to us. Do you feel shame for yours?”

“This isn’t Aquaiia, Soullen! Not everyone is comfortable walking….” Shaking my head, I threw my hands up and gave up. “Oh, fuck it! What are you doing here?”

“I followed you.”

“What? Why?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I saw you leaving the Skai fortress and decided to follow you.”

A car came down the alley and stopped a few yards in front of Soullen. The lady driving didn’t see me at first. But I stepped back, which caused her to notice me. She started screaming at the sight of a naked, bloody guy and lost her mind. Her windows were rolled up, so you couldn’t hear her screams, but she lost it.

Soullen raised his hand slowly and methodically. He uncurled his index finger and pointed at the vehicle.

“Soullen, don’t!”

The car was engulfed in a brilliant aura and vanished in a flash.

“What did you do to her?” I demanded.

“Relax,” Soullen said. “I knew you would protest if I killed her.” He rolled his eyes at the idea of not being able to murder her. “So I moved her somewhere else instead.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know. To one of those structures that house those types of vehicles.”

“A parking garage?”

“That sounds right,” he mused.

“Soullen, what do you want from me?” I was about ready to lose it myself. “You know what? I don’t care. Leave me the hell alone and get out of my sight. I want nothing more to do with you!”

To my surprise, Soullen looked genuinely hurt. It’s not like he said or did anything that tipped me off, but I could see it in his eyes. Those crimson eyes, ordinarily confident and brash, looked meek and far away as if they belonged to a wounded animal. It was only for an instant, but I definitely saw it.

“Fine….” Soullen said as he looked away from me. “I was going to offer to help you with your clothing situation, but as you said, you have things under control. I’ll leave you be.”

Soullen’s Anavi began to swirl around him, and I knew he’d be gone in a matter of seconds. I hated the fact that I needed him. I had no idea what I was doing when it came to my powers, and getting back to The Club would be a lot easier if I wasn’t running around butt-ass naked, covered in blood.

“Wait,” I shouted, a little more desperate than I intended. I watched as the light surrounding him faded. “I….I guess….I guess I could use your help.”

I wanted to slap the smirk off that little fuckers face.

“What was that?” he asked, leaning into me as if he didn’t hear me.

“You heard me, Soullen. I’m not repeating myself. If you want to help, help. Otherwise, I will figure it out on my own.”

He stood there as if considering my request, but I knew that little asshole was fucking with me.

“I will help you under one condition,” he smirked.

“Forget it! I rather walk back naked and get arrested on suspicion of a quadruple homicide.”

“I don’t know what any of that means,” he rolled his eyes. “Just hear me out before jumping to conclusions.”

I didn’t respond. I folded my arms over my blood-stained chest and waited for him to continue. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction, but considering my predicament, I probably looked like an idiot more than anything else.

He laughed at me, confirming my idiot suspicion. “I will help you if you agree to let me walk with you, and you don’t bring up that nasty business with Steven.”

“Seriously? That’s what you call it? Nasty business?”

“Do we have an agreement, or should I leave?”

“Fine!” I sneered thru clenched teeth.

Soullen wasted no time. He approached me with his hand extended and eyes lit up like two white bulbs. The Anavi he summoned moved from his hands to my body. It whirled around me almost dizzily; then he snapped his fingers.

Just like that, I was dressed and blood free. His Anavi was gone.

“Is the snap the key?” I asked in earnest.

“I don’t understand.”

“Forget it.”

I looked at myself and ran my hands over my body to ensure everything was covered. Soullen provided me with the same clothes he wore and a second glove. We looked like twins. Skinny jeans were never my thing, and these felt tighter than any jeans I’ve worn before, even when I was trying to show off the assists. As I walked by him to finally leave that damn alley, I realized there was one thing he failed to provide.

“You couldn’t give me some underwear?”

“Underwear?” Soullen sounded confused. “Why would you want those? I find them restricting and cumbersome. I prefer to give my genitals the freedom to….”

“Yeah, I get it!” I interrupted. “I don’t want the imagery of whatever you’re about to say in my head. Besides, with these jeans, there’s very little freedom to do anything.”

Soullen followed me to the main street and immediately started asking questions.

I ignored him.

My silence didn’t stop him. He would ask a question, wait a couple of minutes, and then ask me something else. Soullen’s barrage went on for ten minutes, and he would not get the hint. Or he didn’t care and figured eventually I’d give in.

“Jacob, you agreed to talk to me if I gave you clothes.”

“Wrong,” I chuckled. “I agreed to let you walk with me, and we’re walking, aren’t we? I never said anything about talking to you.”

Soullen shoved his hands in his pockets and sulked. How he got his hands in those tight-ass jeans will forever remain a mystery. And I couldn’t believe this millions-year-old god-like being was actually sulking.

“He really loves you, you know,” he finally said softly.

Oh, that little fucker! He knew I wasn’t going to let that comment slide.

“What are you talking about?” I asked thru gritted teeth.

“Qua’quelle,” he shrugged. “He loves you. A love I don’t understand.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I looked down at him and flicked the bill of his cap up so he would look at me.

The coldness of his eyes was replaced with curiosity and sincerity.

“I love my father and bro….” He broke off and looked away from me for a moment. “Loved. I loved my father and brother.” Yes, he was a little shit, but my heart broke for him a little. “I understand that type of love. It makes sense to me. Qua’quelle’s love for his people makes sense to me. In the days of Aquaiia, he loved his people and city and would give his life for them, which I understand, but what he feels for you, I don’t comprehend. It’s all-consuming. You became the spark that ignited an ocean.”

My heart swelled to the point of bursting. I had no idea. I only regretted hearing it from that little psychopath and not Q himself.

“How do you know all this?” I’m sure he heard the frustration in my voice. “Q is not the type to sit down and talk about his feelings like that.”

He smiled as if my words pulled a memory from the depths of his mind. “No, he’s not. Do you remember that time you followed Q thru the mirror like an idiot and ended up in the Nexus?”

I gave him a death glare. “Yes, I do.” Admittedly not my proudest moment. “He went there to link with the council to ensure he didn’t use his position to protect me in any way.”

“Correct. When Qua’quelle linked with us, I got to feel what he felt for you. We all did. Brothers fall in love with each other all the time, but this was different. It was overwhelming. I look at you, and…you’re nothing special, so I don’t get it.”

“Hey, now!” I slapped him upside the head.

He laughed, and I forgot he was a terrible person for a moment.

“You are special to him, Jacob DeRosa. Very special indeed.”

I smiled despite myself. I didn’t want Soullen to see he was bringing me any joy.

“Can you explain it to me?”

I laughed. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s not something you can explain, Soullen. It’s something you feel with every fiber of your being. You wouldn’t understand. You’re just a kid.”

“Hey!” he began to protest. “I’m….”

“Millions upon millions of years old,” I interrupted and rolled my eyes. “I get it. But you were asleep for all that time. You were still a kid when you went into the ground to sleep, so you woke up a kid. One day, you’ll experience love, and you’ll understand. One day, when you are older. And I’m not talking about the borrowed experiences you feel when you link. I’m talking about the real deal.” Why in the world did I wish for love for this kid?

“Speaking of, why haven’t you linked with your brethren?”

I was taken aback by his question. “How do you know I haven’t linked?”

“Well, I found you naked in an alleyway, which tells me you haven’t mastered your powers. You feel very strongly about the death of Steven, and I can tell you’re still very much in love with Q. I don’t know if those feelings would be as strong had you linked. Maybe they would be, I don’t know, but all that tells me is you have not merged. You also would have received the memories and experiences of your parents, but it appears that hasn’t happened either. Why?”

“That’s none of your business!” I said matter-of-factly.

We walked silently for a few more blocks before he started up again.

“How was Qua’quelle when you awoke? Did he seem okay?”

Frustrated, I stopped dead in my tracks, grabbed his arm, and spun him around to face me. “Do you suffer from some Naverian version of multiple personality disorder?”

“I don’t understand.”

I wasn’t surprised.

“Back in Raz’s office, you were giddy at the thought of Q being devasted when I awoke, but now suddenly you care if he’s okay? What is your deal?”

Yanking his arm free from my hold, Soullen said, “That’s none of your business.” He pointed behind me. “Besides, this is your stop.”

I turned and saw The Urbarra House for Young Men stone plaque. I thought I was walking around aimlessly with Soullen in tow, but apparently, he was leading me back to The Club the whole time.

I wanted to finish our conversation, but Soullen was gone when I turned back to face him. I don’t know how he did it, but he managed to vanish without anyone on the busy street noticing. That was the most bizarre encounter I’ve ever had as a human or Skai, including when Q revealed his true form to me. What was Soullen up to? What game was he playing? I was fucking annoyed!

I headed into The Club. The lobby was packed with young men either waiting for their appointment or filling out applications in hopes of gaining membership. The desire on their faces reminded me of the Kingsland guys hoping to pledge to The Brotherhood. The difference was these guys were lost, looking for direction and purpose and maybe a second chance at getting things right in their life.

I stood there for a moment, watching them. These guys had no idea what they were getting themselves into. I wondered what they would do if they knew what I knew. Would they still be so eager to give up their lives to the Skai? Or would they run away screaming like Jason did when the Brothers revealed their true form to us in the Pit?

“Jacob! Perfect timing.”

I turned to see Sunny approaching with a smile on his face.

He stopped, took one step back, and looked me over. “Okay, that’s a look,” he snickered.

“Very funny,” I said. “In time for what?”

“Raz is back and finishing up a meeting. He will want to talk to you now that you’re back.”

“Right. About that…can I take a shower first?”

He laughed. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“It’s a long story.”

I’m sure Soullen did an excellent job cleaning me up, but the fact that I had blood splattered on me left me feeling dirty. The only way I could get over it was by scrubbing myself with a bar of soap. I’m sure it seems irrational considering our powers, and maybe this was something left behind from my human days, but I desperately wanted a shower.

“Knock yourself out, Jacob. Hell, I’ll even join you.”

I looked at him curiously but followed him downstairs to the gym locker room. Along the way, I was stopped several times by brothers who wanted to welcome me to The Sanctum. I had to accept this would be a thing until my presence was commonplace.

As one might expect, the locker room had its fair share of extremely attractive naked guys walking around. Again, I was the center of attention as several of my brothers came up to greet me. Some did the customary human handshake; others did the forehead thing like Raz. This caused a lot of exposed cocks to brush up against me, but at that point, I didn’t care.

Sunny was out of his clothes in no time while I struggled to peel off the skinny jeans. He leaned against the tile wall, dick in the wind, laughing at my struggles. I already knew he had a fantastic body just by the shorts he wore, but seeing him naked painted a fuller picture, and it didn’t disappoint. I said it before, and I’ll say it again, there must be a universal law that if you have a twinkish body, you automatically have a big dick. Even soft, I could tell his cock would give my nearly eight inches a run for its money. The fact that his pubes were trimmed short and neat helped with that.

“Why are you wearing those ridiculous clothes anyway?” he finally asked.

“Trust me,” I huffed as I struggled to free my right leg. “It wasn’t by choice.”

“Sure, whatever that means,” he continued to laugh.

Zac came around the corner, towel drying his hair with another wrapped around his waist. “Oh, hey guys!” His youthful smile lit up the room. “When did you get here?”

“Just now,” Sunny said and playfully flicked the side of his head.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“To remind you to get your assignments done before you jump online and start streaming video games.”

“I already got half of them done,” he insisted.

“I want all of them done. You got me?”

“Yes, I promise,” Zac said and gave Sunny a thumbs up.

Finally freed from my cloth prison, I left Sunny behind to continue his chat with Zac and went to the showers. The hot water felt amazing against my skin. I stood there momentarily to enjoy the sensation before grabbing the soap to scrub my face and chest vigorously.

Sunny entered the shower room and stood under the showerhead next to me. He probably thought I was nuts scrubbing away like I’d rolled around in a pile of shit. But it felt great to see the soap and suds covering all the areas where the blood hit me.

“Why did you give me that weird look?” he asked.

“What look?” I inquired, letting the water hit my face to rinse off the suds so I could look at him.

“Upstairs. You gave me this weird look when I said I’d join you.”

“Oh, that,” I laughed. “I didn’t get why you would need to shower. You’re a Skai and could snap your fingers and get it over with.” I snapped my fingers to illustrate my point.

Sunny looked at me like I was an idiot for a good reason.

“Jacob, you’re a Skai, and you’re showering.”

This was true.

“Yes, we’re Skai, but we still enjoy certain human pleasures,” he said. “A hot shower still feels amazing, and I haven’t stopped taking them since I got my wings. I still jerk off too.”

The water in my mouth spewed everywhere as I burst out laughing. “Are you fucking serious?”

“Yes! I try to stroke at least every other day. More so if Zac isn’t in the room.”

I wasn’t questioning the fact that he jerked off. I was surprised by how casually he put it out there. It was like he was talking about clipping his nails.

“Are you telling me you plan on stopping?” Sunny asked.

“Honestly, I haven’t given it much thought, Sunny. I’ve had other things on my mind.”

“You won’t. It feels too good. Especially now as a Skai, where every sensation is enhanced about a thousand times. Yeah, no way anyone is giving that up. I mean, I still have plenty of sex too. Do I need to? No. Does it feel better than when I was human? Hell yeah!”

“You’re hilarious!”

“What? I’m serious! It’s not just me. Many of our brothers partake!”

“I believe you,” I assured him thru my laughter.

“Same goes with food. I’m not giving up pizza, especially now that I can eat and drink and don’t have to worry about going to the bathroom anymore. Yes, please! I’m telling you, Jacob, once you get used to….”

His words trailed off as his eyes grew wide, and a look of horror washed over his wet face.

“What the hell?” he said, pointing at me.

I looked down as the ring of Askyli around my neck snapped into place, instantly choking me. Four additional rings wrapped around my wrist and ankles. I looked at Sunny in terror, but before I could say a word, I was flung across the shower room into the far wall. Massive cracks webbed from behind me. Tile fell to the floor, the room shook, and the lights went out. I heard a pipe burst and felt water spraying everywhere. I concentrated on trying to breathe.

The darkness lasted but a moment. It was quickly replaced by an eruption of fire that illuminated the room. A figure, wreathed in flames, flew from the darkness towards me.

I was afraid.

Very afraid.