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I like knowing my bare skin, my cock, and the muscles in my arms and chest are a detriment to him. I want him to miss touching me as much as I miss it.

I stand up and stare out the windows, the ripple effect something I haven’t quite gotten used to. I decide to step outside and get some fresh air, to explore the outside of the small cottage, to see if I can find any of those odd plants or see any more strange creatures.

Plus, Eissa said in the note he left me that as long as I didn’t wander far, I’d be safe.

I may be pissed that he’s gone, but I do understand the fact that I’m in a foreign place, somewhere I don’t fully comprehend. I’m not going to behave recklessly and get myself killed.

I make sure to stick near the cottage, my bare feet hitting the soft ground as I move around it. I see the vine that entangled Eissa and make sure to give it a wide berth as I move around a few trees, their colorful leaves waving in the wind as I pass. In the sky, I can make out the moons of Erethar and remember being in awe last night as I looked out the window to see them shining down on us.

It was glorious. It took my breath away.

In that moment, I felt Eissa, and I sent my appreciation through whatever bond we share. I know he likes to know how I’m feeling, despite not asking me outright. I think he’s too afraid to face me right now.

I think I make him weak.

After sending that through the bond, I felt him tremble before he disappeared, leaving me alone in the cottage again.

I scoffed and then folded my arms across my chest. I tucked myself into my bed and spread my legs before I wrapped my hand around my cock and stroked myself to hardness. I could feel him sneak back in, watching from my mind, so I made sure to send it all over—the lust, the need.

The want.

When I came, I made sure to call out his name in my mind, so he could feel it.

The vibration I felt in my body was not from me.

It was from him.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment and take a deep breath, needing to pull myself out of that memory. It’s not going to do me any good out here.

I turn past a ring of life-sized mushrooms and come to an abrupt stop when I see a human leaning against an outcropping of rocks, tunic pushed up to his neck, cock out, and a red haired Vyastil kneeling before him.

I jolt to the right, tucking behind a tree before peeking out, unsure if this person is supposed to be here. I thought Eissa said that companions only spend time in the city, and that we were alone out here. That was the whole point: to keep me safe.

I feel my warm breath hit the back of my hand as I watch the Vyastil suck his companion. And the companion is in pure bliss, his head thrown back, his lips parted in what I’m sure are moans.

God, I’m jealous. I’d love to be the one standing there, Eissa between my legs.

Not that that’s going to happen, I think sourly as I watch the human shiver, his hands gripping the rock behind him before slumping forward. The Vyastil doesn’t stop, just continues to suckle as the human looks down at him, his hand moving to stroke his monster’s hair before it curls into a fist.

I must make a sound because the Vyastil’s ears twitch and he pulls off his human’s cock and turns to glower in my direction.

My heart skips a beat in my chest, and I turn and run. Deep down I know the Vyastil aren’t dangerous. At least, not any more dangerous than humans, but I know a little too well how badly it can go when I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And I also know how possessive Vyastil can get over the humans they consider to be theirs.

My breath catches in my chest, and pain lances up my side as I realize I’m totally lost, but I’ve made some distance between myself and the couple, so hopefully that matters.

Collapsing against the soft, pink trunk of a tree, I sink down and let my head rest between my knees as I attempt to catch my breath. Eissa’s healing herbs have done wonders, but my insides are still knitting back together, and going for a jog was probably the wrong thing to do.

Luca? Eissa floods my mind with concern.

I’m fine, I shoot back, short and clipped before walling him off. I hate the distance between us, but I’m not in the mood to chat in my head. It’s too confusing—a mixture of words, signs, and images. It makes things easier sometimes, but I like my language best.

When I feel him stop pushing to get in, I stretch my legs out, and the moss beneath me almost curls around my calves. A startled noise rumbles against the back of my throat, but I’m not afraid.

Nothing here feels particularly frightening. The air is rich and fragrant, the woods almost comforting in a way that nothing is back home. I rest my head against the tree trunk and stare up at the light coming through the thick, purple leaves.

And then, out of my periphery, I catch movement. My head whips to the side just in time to see a very human face peering around the tree across from me. When it’s clear I’m not going to get up, the man takes a step around and offers me an awkward wave.