“Sorry. Busssyyyy.”
“Bro. Did he say bussy?” Tyler asks.
Chadwick elbows him. “Shut up, dude. You know he can’t help it.”
I am lost, but Quilliyn steps in quickly to take their orders as I get to work on prepping to pull espresso shots. A few feet away, Zane grins at me as he kneels down with a sharp metal device to open boxes.
“You okay?” he asks me.
I dip my head in a nod. “Yeees. Thank you.”
“Your English words have gotten really good. Is that just, like, from being here?”
I shrug. “Cum.”
His face darkens with a flush. “Oh. Uh…so you do the clinic thing, or?—”
I stiffen immediately. I know that my Dante is no longer required to go there, but even hearing the name makes me possessive and almost angry. “No. My Dante.”
Zane’s shoulders relax. “Oh. Right. I…of course.” He glances away and gets back to unboxing protein powders as I start working on making my friends’ drinks.
I also make one for myself and enjoy the gentle hum of chatting in the background as Quilliyn talks to them about their weekend. As he does this, I make images of leaves and birds in the foam for them, then pass them over.
Chadwick grins down at his. “You’re so fucking good at this, dude. You could totally start a Snapchat and get famous.”
“Bro,” Tyler says slowly. “We should hook you up.”
I do not understand most of these words, but they seem kind. The three of us sip our drinks, the two of them chatting about social media—which I do not understand either—before they say goodbye to start their workout. When they do, I move to clean the steam wand.
“I have the portal key in your locker,” Quilliyn says to me, still using English. He blinks, then shakes his head and switches to Eretharian. “I know Rathyn wants us to destroy it right away, but I won’t have the maul until I get back.”
“I do not think he will mind. He and Everest have plans that are going to take some time to realize.”
Quilliyn’s eyes narrow, but he does not ask more. I appreciate that I will not need to lie to my friend—and to a member of the royal household.
“I need to get off work early today,” comes Zane’s voice from the side of the counter. Quilliyn and I both jump. It seems we forgot he was there for a moment. “Is that cool?”
Quilliyn shrugs and offers him a smile that I have not seen him give before. It is…interesting. “Whatever you need.”
Zane’s cheeks turn pink. “Uh. Thanks. Anyway, I need to go make a phone call really quick. I’ll be right back.”
He hurries toward the door, and just as he steps out, I watch him crash into a much larger man. A familiar man.
Luca’s big hands catch Zane before he falls on his ass, and their gazes meet. Luca seems unhappy, and Zane’s mouth moves quickly before he elbows past Luca and almost starts to jog away.
I wave at Luca, who nods at me, but instead of coming inside, he turns and follows Zane, disappearing around the corner.
“Does it bother you that he hates our kind?” I ask Quilliyn once we’re alone again.
He sighs. “Sometimes. But there are Vyastil who hate humans. Who think they’re no better than animals. The capital is full of them. And the way some companions are treated…”
He doesn’t finish his sentence.
I understand. I have seen it in the short tenure I spent working for Vyastil elite. Everest was the first one I had seen who refused to accept his position with grace. And the change that was made in Rathyn was profound.
“Do you wish it could be different?” I ask.
Quilliyn is quiet for another moment. “Zane, or all of it?”
