At least, so long as we don’t sit complicit in the bullshit going on in both worlds.
But the thought also terrifies me because I have never been a fighter before. Nothing was ever worth it. Not until the moment I saw Cielo lying in a heap in Everest’s arms, looking like he was inches from death.
Now, I will do anything for him.
The gym parking lot is a little full when we get there, which isn’t great for the super-secret meeting we need to have with Quilliyn, but as we walk inside, I see that it’s mostly humans who are on the machines.
There are a couple of Vyastil on the StairMasters, but they don’t look over when we enter. The woman behind the desk looks new, and she regards Cielo carefully before smiling at me.
“Checking in?”
I scan my badge on instinct. “Is Q working?”
She pulls a face. “I think he’s at the barista counter.”
Something about her tone bothers me, but Cielo seems unfazed. I don’t know if it’s because he’s used to hearing thattone with humans, or if he’s distracted. Either way, I make a show out of taking his hand and tugging him close as I push away from the counter.
“Excuse me. That needs to—I mean,he—” she corrects quickly, “needs to check in.”
My eyes narrow. I almost call her out, but it’s probably better that I talk to Quilliyn first before throwing a fit. I nudge Cielo. “Scan in, baby.”
Cielo looks confused, probably because he’s not working out, not to mention he kind of works here, but he takes his little card out of his coat pocket, scans it, and walks off as it beeps.
I fight the urge to flip her off as we make our way past the mirrored rooms with all the classes and through the swinging glass doors that lead to the juice bar and the coffee station.
Quilliyn is at the counter staring down at a piece of machinery I don’t recognize, but his gaze darts up when we enter, and he smiles. “You’re not working today, right?” he says to Cielo. “The espresso machine is down, so I sent everyone home.”
Cielo immediately begins to speak Eretharian, and I say nothing because I know he needs to rely on his own language in a situation like this.
As he speaks, Quilliyn’s face gets darker and darker, and when Cielo goes quiet, he lets out a heavy sigh. He says something back, then catches my gaze and clears his throat. “I think I have something. Dante, did you understand any of that?”
I snort. “Uh, no. But I know we’re here to ask about—ah—a couple friends of ours, so…”
“No one here is unsafe. I promise,” Quilliyn reassures me. He leans on the counter and glances over at the juice bar. There are two employees, but they both look too busy to give a shit what we’re talking about. “I have a friend who can rent them an apartment if they’re comfortable living together.”
Cielo nods frantically. “Same veeellage.”
That must mean something to Quilliyn because he looks relieved. “You have a portal key?”
Cielo nods again, and someone at the barista counter coughs loudly. I glance over, and it’s then that I recognize the mop of curls under a hat.
Zane.
He’s not looking over at either of us. He seems very invested in the fruit he’s chopping, but all the same, I lean in close to Quilliyn.
“When did you hire him? I thought he was, like, a trust-fund kid,” I murmur.
Quilliyn follows my gaze and smirks. “He told me his parents cut him off financially. He had a job, but doesn’t anymore. It was a favor to his parents, which he has lost.”
“What about the new hire at the front desk?”
Quilliyn frowns. “Cat?”
I shrug. “I didn’t catch her name.”
“Did she say something unkind?”
I debate telling him, but it’s not really worth the fight right now. People have opinions, and there will be time to work on changing them after we save Cielo’s brothers. “It’s not important.”
