Page 93 of Tempt

And I’m not unfamiliar with being the only Deaf person in a room full of hearing people, so the silence and the strange looks don’t bother me. I have a feeling most of them recognized the thickness in my cries as Eissa was swallowing me down.

I’ve been told by the few hearing guys that I’ve hooked up with and dated that my accent is thickest when I’m getting off. Vyastil probably won’t notice the difference, but I can tell the humans who aren’t high on monster herbs have noticed.

Milling around the room, I feel a little lonely and unsure until I see a mop of blond curls bouncing toward me. Lucie’s smaller, so he’s lost in the sea of tall men until he’s right up on me.

There are a few Vyastil guards keeping a lazy eye on us, but they’re not watching as Lucie raises his hands. ‘You did amazing. Were you scared?’

I scoff as he leads me to a quiet corner with strange-looking cushions to sit on. They immediately conform to our bodies as we settle, and I let out a groan of comfort as I lean back.

‘It was fine. Strange.’

He wrinkles his nose. ‘Never gets easier. Your Vyastil seems nice. He must like you.’

He signs that with a slight droop in his body, and it’s then I see the longing in his eyes. I feel a sudden wave of anxiety in my gut as I lean forward and wave at him to get his attention.

‘Does your Vyastil use that thing on you?’ There’s no sign for it, so I do my best with classifiers to mimic the organism that got the other human off. I don’t remember what Eissa had called it—a tsu-something.

Lucie’s eyes go wide when he realizes what I’m asking, and he shakes his head. ‘No. Never. Dhoryn isn’t the most attentive, but he’s not like some of the others.’ Lucie shudders, and I realize I’m too scared to ask him to clarify.

Before our conversation can go on, though, a shadow crosses my vision, and I realize it’s Everest. He still looks a little out of it, but he’s got a cup of the same drink I was given, and there’s color in his cheeks again.

And god, I can’t believe how happy I am to see him. We’re not exactly close, even with him working for Dante, but he’s my only real connection to Earth, to my family, and for that, I feel a rush of hard, painful emotion.

I can’t stop myself as I jump to my feet and yank him into a hug. It’s strange being naked, cocks out, but we’re both too spent to give a shit. He hugs me back with weaker arms, then drops down next to me.

‘How are you?’ His signs are getting much better now that he’s spending so much time with Cielo.

I shrug and glance over at Lucie, who’s staring at Everest with wide eyes. It’s clear he knows him, but there’s something I must be missing because he looks almost…afraid.

‘Lonely. I miss home. How is Dante?’

Everest’s smile is soft. ‘Good. He and Cielo have been checking up on the café, and they even went on a vacation last weekend. They told me about this spa near Lake Michigan that I’m going to take Rathyn to. Seascape Resort and Spa. I can’t fucking wait.’

The idea of Rathyn at a spa is hilarious. I’d laugh if I weren’t so beat.

Everest’s face sobers after a second. ‘Dante misses you. He’s been worried sick. Literally.’

I know it’s probably not one of his flares since he’s been on the treatment Cielo found for him here on Erethar, but the thought that it could be makes my stomach hurt. ‘I hope this wasn’t a mistake.’

Everest’s eyes cut over to Lucie, and he gives a very small shake of his head.

Right. Lucie is my friend, but he’s also not part of our circle. After meeting Dhoryn, I can safely assume he is not one of Eissa’s allies. He seems very much a Vyastil purist, and he appears to grudgingly enjoy taking cum from his human.

‘Sorry,’ I sign to Lucie. ‘This is Everest. We know each other from home.’

Lucie’s cheeks pinken. ‘I know who you are. Your Vyastil is Rathyn of the Dark Vale.’ He spells it slowly, almost with reverence.

It’s…bizarre.

Everest looks a little uncomfortable as he nods. Then he looks at me before glancing back at Lucie. ‘Deaf-you?’

Lucie shakes his head. ‘My brothers. They⁠—’

He doesn’t get the chance to finish his sentence. Lucie suddenly stiffens, and before I can ask if he’s okay, a shadow looms over us. My heart skips a beat before I realize it’s Dhoryn. His eyes are cold—not as cold as the Vyastil who used that organism on his human, but he doesn’t look at Lucie the way Eissa looks at me. Or the way Rathyn looks at Everest.

“Come,” I see his lips move.

Lucie nods, his face now devoid of all expression, and he rises, following Dhoryn out of the room without another word.