Page 47 of Tempt

Waving him off, I finish my drink, then set my hands over my thighs. “I wasn’t given a report, so it’s very likely the authorities have handled it. We have a department to take care of those expenses. It’s not worth getting upset over.”

“I know, but…” He hesitates again. It’s so unlike Rathyn to be at a loss for Eretharian words. He never used to speak much, but when he did, it was with purpose.

He is a very different Vyastil now. Everest has made him better.

If I allowed him in, Luca would do the same to me.

“You can speak to me,” I assure him. “You know your words are safe here.”

He meets my gaze, then his ears flick forward, a sign of respect. It warms me just a little. “I’m worried I will not be able to maintain this much longer. It’s hard when I bring my Everest here. It goes against everything I feel to treat him the way the others treat their companions. It angers me to see the other humans in chains and collars.”

I was once a Vyastil who kept a human in a chain and collar. And the shame still sits with me. Even when I realized I cared for Kori, when my small mind opened, and I knew he was far more than the supplier of the cum my body craved. I did not understand what it meant to truly feel for a human until I lost him.

“The more people get close to my Everest, the more I wish to tear their throats out. And he is…far too attractive. People do not leave him alone, and it is becoming harder to resist the compulsion.” He pauses, then says, “I fear I will go into a rut and then everyone will know who he is to me.”

Vyastil like Rathyn are not meant to have a rut unless they have taken herbs to induce one. Our breeding scientists have been attempting to eradicate those pieces of our nature for generations now, and it has been far too long since a Vyastil had an uninduced, unscheduled rut.

If it happens to Rathyn where other Vyastil can see, he will be taken into custody, thrown into the dungeons, and interrogated.

And Everest…it doesn’t bear thinking about what they will do to him. His fate will be the same, if not worse than Kori’s.

“I understand,” I eventually tell him.

His gaze meets mine again. “How can you understand this? Your human was not your bonded.”

The words hurt in their honesty, and as much as I want to tell him about Luca, I cannot. Rathyn does not know that I am a breeder. And that it is happening soon. He cannot know. He’s safer without that information.

“If you feel like you are losing control, I will attempt to remove you from service,” I tell him.

He straightens, fury washing over his face. “You would punish me with dishonor?” His growling song booms through the room, rattling the walls.

“Rathyn,” I tell him softly.

He sits back a little, though every muscle in his body is tense. “I do not deserve such a fate.”

“No, you do not. But it will be worse for you and Everest if you are found out.”

His tongue skates over his lower lip. “And what use will I be for any of this—for any kind of change—if I am removed from service? I will never be trusted again.”

He’s not wrong. Ideas flit through my mind, but I need time to parse them out. And help. I cannot do this alone. “Let me come up with a solution. I may be able to speak to our friend—” He knows I mean the Tarek prince, and he winces. “—and see if perhaps he has something you can take that will dull your urges.”

The choices fight him inside for dominance. He is a proud Vyastil. He was raised and trained to be a warrior. Asking him to dull his nature is like asking him to remove a limb and be sent to the mines. But he knows what’s at risk. He knows this is for the greater good.

And perhaps he also realizes that being a warrior is not everything.

“We will speak about it soon. I have several meetings to attend today, and you are needed at the north village to investigate a portal breach.” It was an alert I received two days ago, and I knew Rathyn would be called in for it.

Portals pop up every so often—some are natural and temporary, some by the Vorthex, some by the Tarek. According to our treaties, we are meant to have the locations of portals not controlled by the Vyastil mapped and documented.

Rathyn nods, but something flickers through his gaze, and I recognize it immediately as guilt.

“Is there something I should know?” I press.

His ears flick back, then he stands. “No.”

It’s not worth it for me to insist on knowing what he’s up to. He will come to me if there’s trouble, and it is still his nature to attempt to protect me as much as he protects his Everest.

I rise and approach, setting my hands on his shoulders, and we press our foreheads together. The piercings I gave him glint in the faint light, and I feel another burst of pride that should have been driven out of me so long ago.