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“You felt that?” she asked, and I pressed my erection against her backside in answer. “You felt that.”
Charlie, once settled, announced, “I hate this. My butt is in a draft, and cold air is whistling straight through my crack.”
Clawdia and I chuckled quietly, and she pulled him closer to her, entwining their legs. If I moved my hand on her stomach, I’d touch his.
“Good night,” my soul pair whispered just as my eyes started to get heavy. “I love you both.”
Warmth enveloped me, and I smiled in the darkness.
* * *
I openedmy eyes to see a desert.
Sand brushed across my bare feet, and as the suns blazed down on me, sweat beaded on my forehead. Squinting, I looked around for shelter and spotted a collection of buildings in the distance.
As I started running in that direction, my feet burning with each step, I noticed that my clothing was torn and ragged, not at all protective as I ran in the suns.
It didn't feel right.
Where am I? Why am I here? Why am I not dressed for the weather?
The sand turned to gravel under my feet, and I ran through the town. The people—huge, dark, and scaled—stared at me. Their disgust was evident from the sneers on their faces.
It was only then that I recognized where I was. The realm in which my brother Thos was being kept as a slave.
No longer in the confused, sleepy state of mind, I stopped, gathered my wits, and ignored the whispers and stares of the populace.
Clawdia claimed her dream with the akari was real, real enough that she was in mortal danger when they were attacked, that she could die in the dream and die in real life. I wasn’t sure if this was the same kind of dream or if I needed to have the same power as the akari.
Or maybe some dreams simply were more real than others. But I didn’t want to leave anything to chance. If there was an opportunity to save my brother, I would do everything in my power to do just that.
I’m coming, Thos. This time, I won’t fail you.
Turning on my heel, I looked at the beige stone buildings, trying to remember something that might lead me to him.
"He looks different to the one that Creath owns," someone whispered in the crowd. My gaze shifted over them to find the culprit. They stood against a wall, a hood pulled over their head to cover their eyes, but their companion stared up at them, about to reply.
"I'm looking for him. Creath. Where can I find him?" I demanded.
"And why should we tell you? Are you one of the akari-freed titans come to save more of your own? You’ll leave us in ruins with your destruction. No, we won't be telling you anything."
Akari-freed?
I didn't have time to ponder it as a roar erupted in the distance. A roar I recognized from my previous time here.
I set off running following the sound of the cry. The populace parted automatically, avoiding me as though I were diseased. I didn’t care. Thos was waiting for me to rescue him. This time, I wouldn’t leave him to his fate. I wouldn’t be pulled away. I would take him in my arms, hug him, and thank the gods they allowed me to save him. And if he’d claimed the human that he protected too, I would embrace her and introduce her to my own soul pair.
Recognizing the large barn, I threw open the large doors and charged in to see a human female lying face down in the hay, a large open wound on her back, pouring blood from the welts of a whip. Above her, tending to her, crying over her, was my brother. The sight of him warmed my heart and reminded me of the childhood we had in Tartarus, when we were free and a family.
"Thos," I said, drawing his attention.
He hadn't noticed me enter, despite the loud and dramatic door throwing. He jumped up, fierce and growling, protecting the human.
I raised my hands to show him I meant no harm and watched as his stance changed from protective to cautious. "Zaide?"
Turbulent emotions turned in me. He could see me. He responded to me. Maybe it was a dream, or maybe I had been transported like before by the gods. Maybe I really could save him. I rushed over and pulled him into my arms, hugging his stiff body in a tight embrace. "It's me, little brother. I'm here. I will save you."
His body sagged, and the tension leaked out of him. He patted my back tentatively, and I felt as though I took my first clean, refreshing breath since I was taken as a slave. I hadn't realized how damaging being without my family had been. Relief and happiness flooded me at having my loved one back in my arms. It almost brought me to my knees.
