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“He is aware of what he must do? Of how he must present himself in front of others at the capital?” Rathyn asks. “Of what Jyrion might ask him to do in front of a room full of strangers?”

“I have given him as much information as I can. Whether he will comply remains to be seen. But at the moment, this is all we can do.”

Rathyn nods again. “Then please let him know I will ensure he spends time with Everest whenever we’re given leave to be on Erethar for extended periods.”

“Thank you,” I tell him.

He leans in to press his forehead against mine, and then I feel a familiar tug. Luca needs me, and it takes no effort at all to head back into the room and be by his side as he tries to get Dante to understand why he made the choice he did.

It all feels like a disaster, but I have to trust that for the first time in a while, I’m doing the right thing.

twelve

LUCA

I’ve never been through a portal before, so it’s scary from the moment Eissa and I step up to it. My brother said it’s loud, like a low hum, and he put my hand to his throat, and I felt the vibrations there as he mimicked it.

I feel the same things right now beneath my bare feet.

I’m clothed in nothing but the sheer tunic Everest left for me, and it leaves nothing to the imagination. When Eissa told me I needed to wear this as his companion, I scoffed, but then I remembered the five cum deposits and how unwilling he was to negotiate on allowing himself the pleasure.

So I put it on and wore it as confidently as I could.

My body is not fully healed, still bruised, battered, and aching, but I feel much better than I was. I don’t think anything is broken anymore, and the dizzy spells I was getting before we left have finally dissipated. The only thing hanging heavy on my shoulders is the fact that I’m leaving my family behind.

I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to anyone except for Dante, and while I did my best to put on a brave face, I’m not sure I can do this. Without any idea about when I’ll be able to return home and see them, I feel fear for the first time in a very long time.

But I am going to do my best to make myself useful here. And if I can’t make myself useful, then I will do everything in my power to make myself wanted. It’s not like Eissa can really hide it from me. Not anymore.

I see the way he looks at me.

Or the way he tries not to.

Right now, his eyes are turned away, his ears fluttering as we stand side by side, but I catch him eyeing me in his periphery. I tug on the necklace around my neck, and the chain that extends down brushes against my stomach.

On the end is a large ring, but there’s nothing on it, and I wonder what it’s for. When I asked, Eissa didn’t explain. But the flutter of his ears and the tightening of his tail told me I would probably soon find out.

‘Are you afraid?’ he asks as he activates the portal, and I scoff, forcing myself to look like I don’t care about anything. But then I feel the pressure of his tail touching my lower back, and I glance down, seeing his hand extended toward me.

I stare at it long and hard, telling myself not to touch him, that it would be a detriment to my mental health, but then he signs, ‘For your safety.’

That makes my heart jump in my chest.

‘Are portals dangerous?’ I ask, and Eissa shakes his head.

‘No. Humans and Vyastil travel through them all the time. They can just be…disorienting.’

The sign he uses for that is different than what I’d pick, but I can tell what he means by the movement of his lips.

I turn my gaze away and extend my hand.

It takes a moment before he moves, and then I feel it—his soft skin against mine, the brush of his thumb against the back of my hand. There’s a slight movement in his skin, a whisper of a thing, and then it’s gone.

His fingers curl around mine.

I swallow nervously and hear him in my head.

It is okay, my Luca. It is safe.