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Rathyn frowns. “Is he not pleasing to you?”
“I—no. It’s nothing like that. I just didn’t ever plan on having another human around.”
Rathyn’s ears flick in understanding. “Yes. Of course.”
“Also, he doesn’t want to be here. This was the only way to keep him safe, and it would be better for us all if he could return to his family.”
“As soon as we hear something, we’ll let you know,” Everest says quietly. “But he might want to get comfortable.”
“I’m not sure Luca will appreciate that, but I know he understands.” I don’t know his family well, but from everything Cielo has told me, they are all very close. They see each other multiple times a week, and while Luca has always been a bit of an outsider due to him being Deaf, that doesn’t change the love they have for each other.
It’s something Vyastil had once, before they began to control breeding and wiped out all semblance of affection from our society. And now that I’ve had a taste of it from Luca, I can’t imagine living without it.
This must be torture for him.
“So, since Rath and I have this place,” Everest says slowly, “maybe we can arrange for a sneaky visit from Dante. He couldn’t stay long, but no one knows this cave exists, and as long as we can get our hands on an untraceable portal key, we might be able to arrange something.”
My hearts jump. If I can do one thing for my Luca, let it be that.
“I will attempt to procure one,” Rathyn says. The one he’s using now has an Eretharian signature, so it doesn’t connect to Earth. Which means it’s not tracked. But getting Dante here on one with an Earth signature will be very tricky.
The council has ordered stricter monitoring since Cielo’s brothers escaped to Earth.
“I won’t say anything to him until we’re certain it can happen. I think he’s suffered enough disappointment,” I say.
Rathyn nods, then he stands. “The alert has gone off. We must go.”
Everest gets up with a groan, and Rathyn opens the portal, letting his VySytheh go first, and then I follow. He closes it behind him, and we take a seat as Rathyn begins the countdown with his fingers.
Four. Three. Two…
“Thank you for your time,” Rathyn says aloud. He walks over, and we touch foreheads, then Everest does the same before I take out my own key and prepare for my journey.
As I relax and open my mind, I feel a sudden surge of anxiety and fear coming from Luca. It’s not being sent purposefully. It’s uncontrolled. I push deeper but can’t move beyond what he’s seeing with his eyes—the walking trail behind the cottage.
I waste no time setting the portal coordinates and then step through without more than a quick nod to Rathyn and Everest. The world goes dark before I nearly tumble out into the forest just behind my home.
Panic rushes through me when I don’t immediately see Luca, and it’s only then I sense him behind me, safely within the stone walls. My claws dig into the dirt, then into the stone as I yank open the door and find him curled up on the sofa under the window with the newly renamed kradun at his feet.
His gaze meets mine, and his eyes look red as though he’s been crying.
‘What happened?’ I demand, marching over. I reach out to touch him, but he pulls away, making my heart twist with his rejection.
I know I deserve it, but it doesn’t hurt less.
After a short, agonizing moment, when he realizes I’m still waiting for an answer, he lifts a single hand. ‘Nothing.’
He’s lying, but I know after all of my deceit and all the things I have kept from him, it’s no more than I deserve. And as long as he is not hurt, I will let him keep his secret.
I cannot keep my eyes off him. I am worried about my human, even if I know part of his attitude is because of how I have treated him. He has not lifted his head from where he placed it, his eyes closed, a frown set on his lips.
And he is not allowing me to peer at his thoughts, his mind working hard to keep me out.
Usually he pushes back when he feels cornered, but this time it feels like something more, like he is truly upset about something, and I fear I’m to blame.
He does not want to speak about it, and he does not want me to know why he is feeling this way. It has made me feel…anxious.
Something I have been feeling more and more with each passing day. For me, Luca is a pleasure beyond what I can express, but underneath it all is a deep fear of losing him.
