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‘Cielo,’ I sign a C tapped near my chin.

My brother looks like he’s going to cry, his eyes glassy, his nose turning red. ‘Yeah. I like him.’

That makes me snort. ‘I know.’

‘You don’t understand. I like him.’ He signs like twice, so I know he means he wants to climb Cielo like a tree.

I can’t help but roll my eyes. ‘I know,’ I reply again. But then, of course, it makes sense. He wants Cielo, so the idea of letting another Vyastil touch him must be killing him. ‘Can you tell them you can’t do it? You’re in a personal exchange with a Vyastil?’

He shakes his head. ‘They’ll ask for documentation, and I think part of Cielo’s punishment is that he’s not allowed to have cum. He won’t even take mine.’

My face screws up. ‘Why not?’

‘He’s afraid to break the rules,’ he repeats. ‘No cum. No humans.’

‘That’s bullshit.’ I feel a white-hot surge of anger in my chest. Cielo has already been through hell and back, and from what Dante’s told me, it was for no reason other than helping to save Rathyn’s life. It’s monstrous that they’re punishing him that way, and it makes me feel furious all over again to think that Cielo’s been conditioned to follow their rules, even here on Earth.

‘Yeah,’ Dante agrees. ‘And I don’t think anyone will notice or care, but he seems terrified, and I don’t blame him. You saw what he looked like when they were finished with him.’

I give a stiff nod in response.

‘I can’t tell the clinic I want to be with him because he might get arrested or something. And I have no other excuses to get out of it.’

‘Lie. Pretend Deaf,’ I suggest. ‘They’ll fire you like they did me.’

‘I should have tried that years ago,’ he replies, then says, ‘I need to go. I need to open the shop. You should stay and work out more. I’m sorry I asked you to leave.’

I reach out, squeezing his shoulder. ‘No. Let me drive you.’

‘It’s okay. I already ordered a car. Dinner tonight. You can tell me what happened in Vegas.’

The reminder makes me want to punch a wall. ‘Maybe.’

He waves at me as I start to move back, and he asks, ‘Are you okay?’

I should tell him, let it all spill out, but instead I just let my hand push forward from the side of my face.

‘Will-will.’

Dante seems to understand and just nods. ‘Get some sleep when you get home. If you need me, I’ll be at the shop until close.’

My head bobs just once as we say goodbye, then the Uber pulls up, and Dante climbs inside, casting me one last wave before he’s gone. The silence and stillness settle around me, and I glance back over my shoulder at the gym doors, debating if I should go get a proper workout in.

But I’m tired.

And if I run into Zane again, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep my mouth shut. And the last thing I need right now is a fist fight in public on my record.

five

EISSA

I don’t often feel settled in the human world, so it’s not a unique experience for me to feel entirely unsteady as I stare around the open space of my home by the lake. It’s my sanctuary away from both the humans in public office and the royals who have spent more moon cycles than I can count forcing me to do their bidding.

I know I’m a pawn to them. I’ve always known. For so long, it was a simple matter of fact. I was hatched and reared to do their bidding—to better the Vyastil population so we do not lose our status on Erethar.

Our position is precarious as it is. We have pushed the Tarek deep into the Outerlands, but anyone willing to admit the truth knows that if they want to fight us, the war will not end in our favor. Not without human help.

And it is only because the Vorthex prefer to live in the sky that they show no interest in our lands.