Chapter 19

I rollto my side and stretch. I’m blanketed in blessed, dry heat. I smile to myself without opening my eyes, burrowing deeper into the hot sand before the knowledge of where I am hits me like a sledgehammer.

Fuck. Shit. Damn.

If I’m this comfortable, it must be morning on Lohnyal, and I need to get up now. I’ve got a space shuttle to hijack and no time to waste. I don’t panic this time when I look up and only see the faintest bit of daylight through the semi-transparent membranes of Vozu’s folded wing. Before I try to get out of his embrace, I pat the sand around me, searching for my messaging device. My fingers curl around the warm material when I find it, and I shift beneath Vozu, eager to slip away.

He groans in his sleep, but his wing contracts, tucking back against his shoulder, and I’m able to roll to my knees. A few others are rising from the sand field, but many more remain sprawled on the ground. I look around for Zana. I’m hoping I’m right about him and that he’ll be as eager to show me his home world as I think he is. I don’t spot him in the sand or standing up, so I start walking towards the area where we ate breakfast yesterday.

I go straight for the large bins lined up against the rock face as soon as I get there. I search for one of the water pouches first, and then I grab something wrapped in a cone-shaped container. It smells good, and the red flesh flakes like fish in my mouth. At this point, it’s about eating enough to keep up my strength throughout the day, but it doesn’t hurt that it tastes pretty good, too.

I turn away from the bins and find a boulder to sit on. No one looks too perky this morning. Most of the Lohyna here are moving slowly and congregating in small groups, but I find just who I was hoping to see perched on one of the beams above to the left. Zana seems to be looking out at the horizon. I wonder if he’s feeling homesick. From what I’ve gathered, most of the men who’ve traveled here for the festival wouldn’t have left their eyries before except for a few trips to the ground. It sounds like you only get to leave for an education or work after you snag yourself a nest, not before.

I drink some water and hurry to finish my food. I want to speak to Zana before it gets too crowded and we run out of time. It didn’t take long before yesterday’s trials started, and according to Vozu, today won’t be any different. I hop off my boulder and walk towards Zana’s perch. When I’m standing directly below him, I whistle. Luckily, he has good balance and a pair of healthy wings, because he startles and begins to slide sideways when he hears the sound.

“It’s just me,” I call out as he catches himself.

“Jace?”

“Yes, it’s me. Could you come down? I’d like to talk before the next trial begins.”

Even if I had wings, I can’t imagine I’d be half as graceful launching myself off what amounts to a thick piece of rebar shoved in the side of a cliff. Zana makes it look easy as he drifts down, wings spread until he brings them in to land with a slow turn. He grins at me as he walks over.

“What do you need to discuss, Jace? I can tell you the rules for the next trial. Only certain strikes are allowed.”

“Strikes? I thought we were going to be grappling.” The last thing I need is to end up out of commission before I even leave the eyrie.

“We are.” He smiles again, too wide for my taste.

I rub my eyes and give my head a shake, resolving to worry about the so-called grappling later. “Sure, I’d like to hear about it, but I really wanted to talk to you about something else. Can you take me down to the ground for a quick tour of the eyrie’s shuttles? I assumed since you were the one chosen to meet me and Sohen, you must have access. I’d really like to learn more about all of Fallil Eyrie, not just life up here.”

Zana looks a little stumped. His nostrils thin as the exterior tips of his ears twitch. “You won’t need to work in the lowlands, Jace. You’ll be a respected mate, part of one of the most powerful nests of our generation.”

“Like I said, I’m just curious. I want to learn all I can about Sohen’s people, plus, I’ve spent my whole life in space. I can’t deny that I’m interested in any kind of spacefaring ship, and you have to admit, I didn’t have much time to explore on our trip here.”

This explanation gets me a frown. “If you truly wish to see one of the shuttles again, I’ll take you. There should be time between the trials, but we’ll have to be quick.”

“Thanks a lot,” I tell him as I pat his shoulder. “I really appreciate it. Now you better go over these rules with me if you want me to survive the next trial, otherwise I won’t be anyone’s mate.”

Whatever this is,it’s like no grappling I’ve ever seen. The closest thing to it seems to be capoeira, but with even more air time. This is obviously a case where translation has failed.

Ulya, Ioa, and another one of Sohven’s suitors are the current competitors. I suppose I shouldn’t have assumed the bouts would be one-on-one. Ulya and the other Lohnya with red vossan leap into the air towards each other, their wings working up gusts that shift the sand and dirt at our feet. Their arms clash together. I guess this is the wrestling part. Ulya curls his leg around the other man’s hamstrings as he presses a forearm towards his neck. I grimace. Maybe I should just let my opponents take me out early. I don’t have anything left to prove, and tracheal bruising isn’t on my bucket list.

The other aspect I didn’t anticipate was the sheer noisiness of it all. Red vossan wheezes for air while his wings go wild, and Lohnya wings are loud. Bats are supposed to be quiet or to produce a cute fluttering sound, but that’s not what this is. While the other two are distracted with each other, Ioa takes off and barrels into both of them, tucking his head and hitting them like a missile. Frankly, it’s frightening. He’s got those curved horns to protect his skull, but I wouldn’t want to take a hit like that to the ribs.

I glance to the side. Zana’s standing on my right, but he’s riveted by the bout. He did his best to explain everything to me, but it looks like I’m going to be hopelessly outclassed in this trial.

The entire ball of battling Lohnya drops to the ground in a flurry of wings and legs. My shoulders jump when they hit the ground, and I shake my head. Yeah, not looking forward to this new adventure. It’s about the only thing that could distract me from my upcoming attempt at shuttle theft. I still haven’t worked out exactly how I’m going to pull that off, but failure isn’t an option.

Ulya is the first one among the group on the ground to stand. He spreads his wings and shows his teeth, and all the Lohnya watching start stamping their feet and calling his name. I guess some things don’t change—this feels like any arena fight I’ve been to across the galaxy, just with less booze. I’m still not entirely certain why this was a definitive win, but I’m happy for the first fight to be over. I’m just that much closer to getting us out of here.

An elder calls three more names, and the next bout begins. I don’t watch as closely since I don’t know any of the participants, but this one draws out a little longer before a victor emerges. While the others are stomping, my feet are tapping. I’m ready to volunteer for the next bout just to get it done with.

I get my wish.

“Zana Losla, Jace Cesari, Gullay Vol!” shouts an elder.

Zana strokes his fingertips down my arm and smiles softly like he isn’t about to kick my ass. “Sohen’s watching,” he reminds me with a gentle smile.

I sure hope so. That would mean his fathers haven’t commenced their evil plot to chain him to a bunch of unwanted husbands by barricading him inside a room with six men while he’s in a sex-crazed stupor.

I roll my shoulders and walk out to the expanse of flat, hard rock that will serve as our mat. This is gonna hurt, but the good thing is it begins before I have a chance to think too much. The one called Vol runs straight at me with his arms out in front of him. I can’t go up like them, so I go down. I slide onto one leg and attempt to trip him. It’s halfway successful. I stop the guy, but he keeps his balance. I roll on the ground and get a kick in the back for my trouble.

By the time I’m on my feet again, Zana’s doing some sort of airborne arm wrestling with our other opponent. It’d probably be against the rules if they’d ever imagined someone would do it, but I jump up and grab Zana by the ankles. I’m basically hugging his calves, and I don’t let go, even when he starts shaking his hips and wiggling. I’m a little concerned for the flight down to the lowlands since he seems to be struggling with my weight, but hopefully it’ll be better when I’m not disrupting his balance.

The other man wraps his legs around Zana’s thighs, just like Ulya did to his opponent, and his taloned toes come way too close to my vulnerable scalp. We start to spiral down. I get slapped on the back by the edge of someone’s wing, and the rock slab below us is approaching much too fast. I let go and hope for the best.

I can’t lie. The impact hurts, and I’m talking bone-jarring, teeth-cracking force. I’m stunned for a few seconds before I pull myself together and look up, scrambling out of the way just in time to avoid breaking the other men’s fall. I get knocked down, but at least I’m not totally crushed. Zana’s already up and stomping on the other guy’s shoulder with a display of uncharacteristic glee. He spreads his wings wide before he raises his arms in triumph.

I smile faintly when he spares a glance for me, but I stay down so he won’t have to challenge me. It could’ve gone a lot worse. I made it through our bout relatively unscathed, and I’m glad Zana’s getting the recognition.

Getting up isn’t too terrible, even if my body’s feeling a little battered. Zana links his arm with mine as we walk out of the fighting area.

“You did great,” I tell him. His body’s vibrating with erratic shivers from the adrenaline come-down. I rub his forearm and bump his shoulder with mine. “Are you okay?”

He chuffs and leans into me. “Yes, it was a successful trial. Are you certain you want to tour the lowlands now? I think some time in the pools would be a better choice.”

If the circumstances were different, I’d jump on that offer.

“That sounds nice. Maybe afterwards. I just really want to see how your people run their operation.”

“Let’s rest for a moment first. You’re heavier than I assumed—I need to prepare myself for this flight,” he jokes. Since there’s more truth in those words than I’d like, I’m glad that my plan involves getting back up to the eyrie inside the shuttle and not under Lohnya-power.

We’re still close enough to see some of the action, but far enough away the spectacle isn’t overpowering. Zana hops up on a boulder and rests on one knee, crossing his arms and curling his chest over the other. With his wings hanging down behind him, he looks like a statue, one splashed with neon paint. He’s a good guy. I really wish this all could’ve played out differently.

“Give me a second,” I tell him. “I’ll be right back.”

I left the messaging device back by some scattered rocks and debris near where we practiced after breakfast. If I can move fast enough, I’d like to grab my other equipment, too. I have a rough idea of where it should be. I start jogging as soon as I leave the crowd behind. I go for the bigger stash first.

Everything looks different under daylight. There must be fifty possible boulders that fit the right criteria. I’ll pick one—just one. If it’s wrong, I’ll get my stealth device, pray for a stick to miraculously appear, and head back to Zana.

I run towards the feasting site and try to locate the bend in the rock face that hides the big viewing area I found the night before. There—it’s off to the right, and there are only two large rocks in the empty area in between. I go for the smaller one. Damn, am I going to be thankful to wear shoes again. Gravel digs into the soles of my feet with every step. This barefoot life is not for me.

I’m as jittery as Zana when I stop in front of the rock. I crouch down and lean over to peer along the bottom edge of the boulder. An exaggerated sigh crossed with a laugh makes me cough—too much rock dust, I guess. I pry my belongings out of their hiding place and tap my fingers on my thigh. I can’t take everything, only what I can hold while still maintaining a strong enough grip around Zana’s neck not to fall mid-flight.

I scoop up the stick-shaped items and one messaging device. I need to be able to reach S’ahveki as soon as possible, and hopefully I’ll be past the block once I leave the eyrie. If not, I’ll keep trying to get through until I hear his haughty voice.

I head back to Zana, leaving my smaller messaging device to its fate. I keep an eye out for any large groups of Lohnya with red vossan. Hopefully I still have some time since the trial isn’t over yet, but the fresh reminder that soon Sohven’s fathers will soon have no reason to wait gets me moving faster.

“Okay, I’m ready,” I say, maybe a little breathlessly. “Do you think you could fly us down now?”

Zana’s folded wings sort of shuffle, and he uncurls from his position on the boulder. “Yes, but are you sure you’re ready? You appear…red, and your breathing is disturbed.”

I wave towards my flushed face with my free hand. “It’s nothing—just a human thing. I’m fine.”

He still looks a little troubled, but he jumps down from the rock. “We’ll attract less attention if we walk closer to the edge.”

Attracting attention will be the least of our worries if my plan goes the way I want it to.

“Okay,” I say and start walking.

It probably takes around ten minutes for us to reach an open area by the edge of the eyrie. Even though I already know none of the shuttles should be visible from here, it makes me antsy to see all that empty, open land below us. I get right up next to Zana, give him a brief nod, and wrap my arms around his neck and then hoist my legs over his hips. He buckles forward a bit under my weight, but then straightens up again. I’m so used to the nudity at this point that I’ve almost ceased to notice it, but Zana’s little moan and the growing stiffness I feel below my thigh remind me that he’s also entering his heat, and I need to be careful how I touch him.

He brushes his face against my cheek, crosses his arms over my back, and then jumps. The free fall portion of this ride is far too long. I cling even tighter as I wait for him to extend his wings and halt our rapid descent. I don’t look down.

I can’t hear much over the sound of the wind, but I do feel him chuffing against my face when his wings finally extend and we swoop through the air. Suddenly I don’t feel as bad that I’m using him right now—no, that’s a lie. I still feel like shit about it, but it’s easier to tell myself that I don’t as he does his best to make me lose my breakfast with a series of spiraling descents.

Luckily, his flying smooths out, and then we circle down in the same lazy way Vozu did. The easy gliding gives my stomach a few minutes to recover. Thankfully, my supplies remain firmly clenched in my left hand. By the time Zana tilts his body so we’re approaching the ground feet first, my heart rate is back to normal, and I’m feeling marginally better.

As soon as he lands, I unlock my ankles and set my feet on the ground. It feels so soft compared to all of the rock I’ve been treading lately. Once I’m certain my legs will support me, I let go completely and stand up straight.

Zana tilts his head and smiles. “Do you want to see some of the buildings first?” he asks.

“How about that,” I say as I point to the nearest shuttle. There are two visible from where we’ve landed, and the one I chose is the studier looking option.

“I think we’ll still need to go to one of the buildings first.”

Zana might not know exactly what’s up, but I think I must be throwing off some suspicious energy. My attempt to act normal isn’t holding up to scrutiny, so I just go for it and run towards the shuttle.

“Stop! Wait, Jace!”

I don’t slow down until my hand hits the side of the shuttle. Up close, I can see it’s a larger model than the one that brought Sohven and I down to the planet, but it’s still a small craft. I jog along the side until I find the outline of a door. I run my fingers along the seam and over the surface hoping to find a hint on how to open it when it smacks me in the chest.

I hit the ground ass first, and the items in my hand scatter. I’m on my hands and knees reaching for my messaging device when I meet a pair of shocked black and yellow eyes. The Lohnya peering out at me from inside the shuttle opens his mouth, but seems too stupefied by the sight of me to talk. I snatch up the Lohnya sticks I stole from Illson and company and jump up.

“Apologies, workman!” That’s Zana, and his voice is coming from right behind me. He grabs my arm and squeezes as he turns me towards him. “What are you doing?” he asks, getting right up in my face.

I breathe out through my nose and shake off his grip before I push my way onto the shuttle. The Lohnya watching from the doorway gets knocked to the side. I reach for the hatch, but Zana’s trying to block me.

“Stop it! Let go, Zana. You don’t want to be on this shuttle now,” I tell him. The man at my feet grabs my ankle, but I kick him off. “Close this door!” I order. “Now!”

Neither Zana nor the man show any signs of listening to my commands. It’s two against one, and I’m running out of time.

“I’ve got a bomb!” I transfer my messaging device to my free hand and show it to both of them. I’m shaking with the tension coursing through my body, and I think I’m doing an admirable job of impersonating a crazy person. I’d believe it if I heard me. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. Just give me the shuttle—that’s all I want. Don’t make me do anything we’ll all regret.”

The expression on Zana’s face cuts the deepest. The mechanic or pilot, whoever he is—it doesn’t matter so much that he’s looking at me with such fear as he scurries out of the shuttle and runs. Seeing Zana process my betrayal almost makes me tell him the truth, but I can’t. This is Sohven’s life, Sohven’s future, in the balance.

“I’m sorry,” is all I say, and then I finally feel three little depressions situated right by the side of the opening.

I quickly line up my stick-like doodads and push the ends with the heel of my palm. The hatch starts to close, and Zana’s still looking at me like he’s waiting for me to tell him this is all a mistake. It seals with a slight thunk, and I grab the sticks out of the wall, squeezing my forehead with my other hand as I try to catch my breath. I’ve got to get this bird up in the air. I look side to side and rush to my right. There’s an oversized pilot’s stool at the front, so I head that way.

Zana’s either going to get reinforcements from the manufacturing buildings or fly back up to the eyrie and let everyone know what I’ve done, so I need to figure these controls out fast. The Lohnya letters and symbols seem to blur before my eyes. I’m getting close to hyperventilating. There’s no view window in this cockpit, and everything I’ve learned about Sohven’s language seems to have vacated my brain.

I can do this. I know I can. I’ve piloted spacecraft designed by eight different species. I just need to pull myself together and concentrate.

I try again. I can’t decipher all of the labels, but I find one that says strength. That could be power, right? There’s only one talon hole beneath each label, so I jab one of my sticks inside and bite the tip of my tongue.

“Yes!” I exclaim as the shuttle hums to life. My hand hovers between two controls that both look like possible thrust levers. They appear almost identical, a design flaw if they do what I think they will. I pick the one on the right and push it upwards, but all the shuttle does is produce a screechy whine. I quickly drop it and switch my grip to the second one. This time when I push, the craft shoots forward. I’m flying blind right now, but I know I need to at least get off the ground before I run right into one of the buildings or the giant rock formation housing the eyrie.

I shove one of the sticks behind my right ear, grab the second lever hoping it’s the equivalent of a yoke, and pull back hard. I don’t need visuals to know we’re going up now, but getting some sort of imaging online is my top priority. I loosen up on the acceleration and pray I find the right control to activate the broad screen above the control panel. I can only read half of the labels, but I’m stuck between far and eye. I hit the talon-hole below eye with my stick, the screen brightens, and my body slumps forward with relief. Until I see the outline of the fast approaching rock formation, that is.

It’s Fallil Eyrie, and I’m only moments away from ramming right into it.

No one would call my flying smooth, but I manage to steer away from the side of the formation just in time to avoid a collision. I ascend alongside the eyrie without any accidents, and I count that as a victory. I ease up on the speed once I see the image showing the top of the eyrie. It’s difficult to determine exactly what I’m looking at. I wish I had a direct view instead of the topographical outlines currently displayed on the screen, but it’s obvious the terrain is too varied for it to be the correct side—I need to fly around the perimeter to find the widest expanse of flat rock on the formation. That’ll get me to the adults-only section. Then I’ll just have to hope I can land without wrecking this craft, or this’ll all be for nothing.

I try to superimpose my memories of the layout of the eyrie over the different shapes I’m seeing on the screen. I think my best bet is to go straight towards the clear section close to a winding rock face. I’m hoping it’s the same one that shelters the nests.

Here goes nothing. I slow way down and push forward on the lever that controls the steering. We’re going down. I feel it, and the topographical imaging on the screen confirms it. I let up on almost all the pressure on the throttle, holding my breath as I take the shuttle in towards the eyrie’s floor.

I shudder when the craft makes contact with a thud and a screech I can hear through the thick shuttle walls. My hands shake as my mind races, trying to determine what to do next. I leave the sticks and drop my messaging device—I won’t be fooling Sohven’s fathers with it like I did Zana. I don’t attempt to turn off the engine in case I mess it up. There’s no time to be experimenting with the controls when I need to get to Sohven.

“Shit,” I mutter as I bend down to pick the sticks back up once I remember I’ll need them to open the hatch. My fingers feel clumsy, palms slippery with sweat, and it’s a miracle I don’t drop them as I run to the exit.

The hatch opens too slowly. I duck beneath it and start running, spinning as I go to orient myself. I’m not alone. Several Lohnya are watching. Vozu is running towards me from the left, and I don’t know whether to go towards him or take off in the opposite direction.

“Where’s Sohen?” I shout. Maybe I’ll get an answer. My chances are better amid all the confusion of my arrival than later once everyone realizes what I’ve done. “Are the grappling trials over?” I’m thinking the gazlas might be watching in that area I found last night with the giant projection.

“Jace, stop! Wait for me!”

I swallow hard when he calls out to me. Do I trust him? Do I wait for Vozu?

My body must believe he’ll help me, because I can’t seem to move as I watch him come closer.

“Do you know where he is? I’ve got to find him, Vozu. I have to.”

He slams to a stop right in front of me, grabbing my upper arms for balance. He presses his forehead to mine, and it pushes me to the edge of breaking. A little more kindness and I’ll shatter.

“I’ll help you, Jace. Tell me how.”

“It’s Sohen—I need to find him.”

“The trials are over. Illson and the Onava gazla told me to come to the nests along with several others from Sohen’s prospective mates. They’re on their way now, but I was looking for you.”

“I need a weapon. Get me a harpoon or something else I can use and point me towards the nests. I’m going to go get him,” I say as I step back and look up.

Vozu slaps my shoulder and tips his horns down. “Hurry.” He lifts two fingers towards the broad rock face that rises through the center of the eyrie. “There—the main entrance to the nests is over there.”

I nod and take off. I run as fast as I can, feet slapping against the hard stone as I pump my arms and race towards the tunnel that leads to the nests. They’ll take him to the nest meant for him and his mates—the second one, where Illson marked me with the vossan.

I’ve trained for this. It shouldn’t be so hard to breathe, and my side shouldn’t ache, but I just feel so damn slow. I don’t see them, any of them. That means they’re already in there with him while the hormones flooding his body have him half out of his mind. He was already desperate last night. I’d forgive him for anything that might happen—that’s not the problem. His fathers know him well. He wouldn’t forgive himself, and he wouldn’t leave if he believed he’d mated with the others. Sohven’s a man who keeps his promises.

I almost run past the tunnel opening, but skid to a stop and turn back. Low murmurs and soft noises echo in the distance as soon as I step inside. I try listening harder to pick up their words. When I realize I’m standing still, I exhale sharply and get moving again.

It feels dim again inside after the bright Lohnya sky, but I know the floor is smooth and obstacle-free, so I go all out and sprint. I whip around a bend in the tunnel and narrowly avoid colliding with a group of Lohnya wearing red vossan.

“Jace?” someone asks. Talons scrape across my arm as I twist away and come face to face with Sohen’s outraged parents.

His fathers stand beside the misty-barrier leading to the nest. One of them is ushering one of Sohen’s suitors through.

“You’ll join him shortly. Sohen’s heat is too advanced to delay the mating any longer,” says Illson. “Grab him,” he says to someone else. He’s looking behind me, so I know I’m out of time.

I don’t stay to argue. I leap towards the doorway, slamming my body right into the other man’s and pushing us both through the insubstantial barrier. We hit the floor hard. My elbows crack against the smooth surface and I cry out. The man beneath me seems to be stunned, so I scramble to my feet and look frantically for Sohven.

“Sohven! Sohven, where are you?”

He doesn’t say anything, but I’d recognize that deep moaning call anywhere. I turn around and he’s there, wings spread, arms tangled in the heavy ropes hooked to the ceiling. His entire body is locked with tension. Muscles pop with definition, and his chest heaves. He groans again, but he doesn’t seem to see me. His head falls back as his hips thrust, and his thighs and stomach glisten, covered thickly with mating fluid.

The sight of him like this makes me so furious I almost choke. I can’t seem to breathe through the rage that consumes me.

Then I fight past the paralysis and go to him. I grab one thick wrist and urge him to unwind his hand from the rope. “Come on, Sohven. Let go.” He pushes his hard cock against me and mouths my ear as I tug at his arm. “I’ll give you what you need, but you have to come with me. Follow me, big guy, and I’ll take care of you.” I wish I had a knife so I could just cut him free, but luckily, he seems to want to touch me too much to stay wrapped up in the ropes.

As soon as he has one arm down, he’s stroking my back and cupping my ass. He sucks hard on my neck, and I know that’ll leave a mark, but it’s the least of my problems; we’ve got company. The others are in the nest now, and they’re coming towards us. I’m sure they think they’re here to help, and that this is just the beginning of our new life together.

“Now, Sohven!” I wrap an arm around his thighs and yank him towards me. My arm slips free, and I grab his hip. He’s so slick, even back there. “Make me your mate,” I tell him, and then I take a big risk. I pull away and start running, praying to whatever entity that created this massive universe that he follows.

I could fucking cry when he lets out a rumbling growl and lunges after me.

“That’s right. Come get me and don’t let anyone stop you,” I tell him as I head for the doorway. “Just a little further.”

“Jhevase,” he moans, the sound so damn sweet.

“That’s it. Come show me who I belong to.” I wait just long enough to grab his outstretched hand, and then I pull us through the swirling fog, or smoke, or whatever the hell it’s supposed to be before the others can stop us.

His fathers stare, but I don’t look back. I take their son, and I run. It’s easier said than done. Sohven’s unable to concentrate, his hands roving and his mouth hungry to taste me every which way he can. We stumble forward, and Sohven cries out when we step into the daylight again. He tucks his face into my neck, and then tries to bite me again as he rocks his hips. The knuckle that suddenly pushes at the rim of my hole has me jumping in place.

“No!” I hiss. “Not yet. We’ve got to get to the shuttle. Soon, I promise.” I yank myself free and pull ahead. “Come on—catch me!”

Sohven’s dads are gaining on us now. I can hear their shouts echoing from the entrance of the tunnel. I need Sohven to run. Fuck, I need him to fly.

That gives me an idea. Sohven’s legs don’t seem to be able to carry him, not well enough for us to outpace his fathers, but the whole reason we came here for this ritual, the one thing he talked about like he wanted it bad enough he could taste it, was the mating flight.

I snatch his hand back and look directly in his eyes. “Listen to me. We have one chance. Look behind me. There’s a shuttle waiting for us, and if you want me to be your mate, we have to get on it. You’re going to fly us there. It’ll be our mating flight, and when we get inside, you can do anything you want to me. We’ll screw six ways til Sunday until this heat passes, but you need to get us there.”

A flicker of awareness lights his drugged out eyes. Then he grabs me, hauling me up against his stomach and chest, arms closing around me so tightly I can barely breathe. His massive wings extend, snap back, and begin to pump, and we’re airborne.

His cock is trapped between us, thick, hot and slick. Soon my stomach is coated with the mating fluid that just keeps coming, seeping steadily from the head of his dick. I can’t help but respond. Luckily his wings keep working as his hips rock against mine.

“Jhevase,” he moans into my ear. I’m moaning, too. There’s just no help for it, no stopping it.

“Shuttle,” I force out, my mouth dragging across his jaw.

I thrust up against him, but there’s no real rhythm to it. The heated glide of skin against skin and the familiar shape of him has me chasing more and more sensation. I’m ready to drown in it. Maybe humans don’t experience heat, but I’m still stupid with wanting him.

I force myself to turn my head and get a look below. We’re heading the right direction, even if our progress is ungainly and we’re slower than we should be. Sohven’s hands are kneading my back, and it doesn’t take a genius to deduce what he has in mind when a big palm slips down to my ass.

I pull myself up higher on his body so I can get my mouth right against his ear cavity. “Shuttle!” I remind him. “Take us down to the shuttle.”

We’re close enough to escaping that I’m able to focus again. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to pilot us off Lohnyal with Sohven in this state, but I’m going to try. Sohven’s wings flap in great, sweeping motions interspersed with awkward jerks. His gazla father is flying after us, but I don’t know what he intends to do. Is he going to knock us out of the sky and cripple us both? I don’t see any good options for him here, so I try to ignore the pursuit. Another quick glance down has me slapping the back of Sohven’s neck.

“Down! Get us down!” I shout. We’re only a few meters out from the shuttle.

I unwind my legs and try to free myself to encourage him to tilt his body upright and land. He releases a shocked cry and holds me tighter, but it seems to have worked, because he gets his legs under him, and we’re touching down safely.

“Let me go—get in the shuttle!” I pound at his chest when he won’t loosen his hold on me. I finally fight my way out of his arms and promptly fall on my ass. It seems to be a pattern today.

A dark, taloned hand appears at the edge of my vision. “Let me help you, Jace.”

Vozu.

The feel of that warm, solid hand is such a relief.

“Thank you,” I tell him as he pulls me to my feet. He’s got the harpoon I asked for in his free hand, and he tosses it over when he sees me eyeing it.

“Take me with you,” he says.

Before I can answer, a big, hard body barrels into me, and I fall backward into the shuttle. I can barely see sunlight beyond the Sohven’s frame. He steps back to block the open hatch, wings outstretched to fill every opening.

I blink away the pain from the fall and push myself up onto my elbows. I roll and reach out to grab one of Sohven’s ankles. “Move—get in. We need to go.”

He looks back at me, and his horns hit the top of the hatch. I motion towards the interior of the ship as I get up. He steps inside warily, wings and ears twitching as he watches the people surrounding the shuttle. I’m guessing that by now we’ve amassed a crowd. Vozu jumps up and swings himself through the opening with a grin for me, but I can’t leave in good conscience without making sure he knows what he’s giving up.

Sohven lunges back, fingers bent in order to swipe Vozu with his talons. I throw an arm up to block him. “Stop. Vozu’s a friend. He doesn’t want to be my mate.” Well, that’s stretching the truth, but he won’t be if he comes with us, so same difference.

Vozu seems to be ignoring both of us. He jams his talons in the holes beside the hatch and the door starts coming down, and none too soon. Illson gets a foot aboard, but I lift up the harpoon and aim it at him.

“No. We’re leaving. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will,” I promise.

He lowers his foot, but Illson watches me until the hatch is completely shut. Then my eyes close briefly as I sigh.

“Maybe you should fly this thing,” suggests Vozu, sounding much too amused considering the circumstances. Sohven’s still staring daggers at him, and we have an angry mob outside that probably knows more about their own tech than I do. His dads managed to block my messaging devices, after all. The situation is entirely serious.

I start walking towards the cockpit. “You don’t have to come with us. If you leave, it’s unlikely they’ll ever let you back. If you go now, you can pretend you were irrational because of your oncoming heat—blame my irresistible human pheromones. You can still have a life here,” I tell him as I pick up my messaging device and one of the sticks from the floor. I sit down on the pilot’s stool to find Vozu facing me with his horns pointed all the way down and a grim expression tightening his mouth.

“I want to find my nestmate. I want to learn more about what’s up there.”

I set one hand over the throttle. “I can’t guarantee our medic can suppress your heat. I don’t want you to suffer.”

“If there are other humans aboard your ship, I don’t think that will be a problem.”

My mouth opens, but words don’t follow. Poor Pavok.

I pull back slowly to give anyone out there time to move out of our way, and then I grab the other lever and yank it back too. We’re gaining altitude, and according to the readings on the screen, it’s all clear ahead. I accelerate, and we’re leaving Fallil Eyrie behind.

The whole time, Sohven’s been draping himself over my body. He’s mouthing my shoulder now while he fondles my dick. Not optimal piloting conditions, I can tell you that. This is when coveralls come in useful. I need both hands to keep us on track, so there’s not much I can do except grit my teeth and bear it.

“Vozu, I need your help. I can only read some of the labels on the controls. Can you tell me what I’m looking at?”

He reads them all one by one while Sohven stays glued to my back and his hands rove all over the front of my body. It’s one of the oddest situations I’ve ever experienced.

“So do you think no float is the artificial gravity?” I ask after he finishes his label rundown.

He gives me a blank look, and I realize I’m in trouble.

“I’m sorry, Jace. I was meant for a nest. I’ve never been inside one of these shuttles before.”

Sohven gently bites the back of my neck. He rests his arms over my shoulders and starts jabbing different controls with his talons. “Hold on,” he says, letting go and pulling a restraint across my lap. He grabs Vozu and they head for the passenger restraints along the bulkheads. Something drops behind me from the overhead, and additional restraints fall over my shoulders. I clip them to the belt at my waist and look back. Just as the others get locked in, the shuttle tips back and takes on some real speed.

The vibrations get pretty heavy as we ascend, but I don’t mind. It’s a sign we’re getting closer to home. The screen flashes with notifications I can’t read fast enough to comprehend, but no alarms are blaring and the shuttle doesn’t jerk off course.

The ride up feels long, but it isn’t, not really. When an orange light flashes twice throughout the cabin, my restraints automatically unlock. I stay in place as the back support retracts into the overhead, and then I get up and go to the others.

“It looks like we made it. I’m going to try contacting S’ahveki again. My messaging devices were blocked in the eyrie.” I lean against the bulkhead and put in my access code and S’ahveki’s comm code. It goes right through this time, and I only wait seconds before his familiar voice fills the cabin.

“Cesari, is the vacation already over?” he asks.

“You could say that. I stole a shuttle for you, Lohnya-built. You just have to come get it. I’m not sure where we are, but I know you can track us down.”

Indistinguishable noises are muffled further when S’ahveki must turn away from his corresponding device. “You just have to keep things exciting, don’t you? Are both of you uninjured?” I hesitate long enough that my captain knows there’s something wrong. “Tell me,” he demands.

“We’ve got a new companion with us. His name’s Vozu—tell Pavok to start looking into heat suppressants. That’s sort of a side effect of Lohnya mating festivals.”

“And Onava, is he affected as well?” asks S’ahveki.

“He is, but I’ve got that covered. Speaking of, I’ve got to get back to that. Cesari out,” I say as I end the communication.

“Damn right, you do,” Sohven whispers raspily as he walks by.

He goes to the control panel and slides around a few levers I didn’t even notice earlier. He straightens and stretches his arms over his head, twisting to display his abs. “I’ve set our course,” he says as he walks back to me. It’s more of a stalk, really. I swallow and my stomach starts to flutter as he gets closer. “You don’t need to worry about the controls. I’ve waited, Jhevase.” He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against him. “You promised me anything,” he reminds me in a low voice as his lips ghost over my hair.

I sneak a quick look at Vozu, but he doesn’t seem concerned with whatever Sohven did. He turns away and slides onto the pilot’s seat, giving us the semblance of privacy. Sohven takes my chin in his hand and turns it so I’m looking into the green slits bisecting his black eyes. I link my hands behind his head and pull him down so I can kiss him the way I’ve wanted to since they separated us the first day we arrived at the eyrie. Maybe it’s my imagination, but his lips taste even sweeter than before.

“What do you want first?” I ask when we pull apart to breathe.

He nuzzles his face against the crook of my neck and bites the bottom of my ear. “You, inside me.”

There’s no furniture in the shuttle. It’s bare of everything except for three of those passenger-sized depressions along each bulkhead. Sohven steps away, slinking backwards until he turns around and slaps his hands against the port bulkhead. He lets his palms slide down, and if his talons screech a little as he lifts his wings and presents me with an absolutely magnificent view of his ass, I’m not about to complain.

“Come, Jhevase. I need you,” he begs, and I shudder at the raw aching in his voice.

I move closer, spellbound by the way his hole glistens. A drop of viscous, translucent liquid rolls slowly towards his balls, leaving another wet streak along his supple, gray hide. I stroke a finger over its path, and Sohven keens, a wild, eldritch sound that seems to splinter right through my brain. I think it cuts directly through my prefrontal cortex, because whatever was keeping me under control goes missing. I give my stiff dick a few strokes, and then I press the head against his hole.

He shoves back before I thrust, engulfing me in one violent motion. He’s stubborn like that. He wants to claim me first no matter how we come together. He doesn’t let up, and I don’t either. It’s noisy and messy and brutal, but it’s also unbelievably perfect. His muscles clench around me, making an already tight fit almost unbearable, but it’s just on the right side of too much.

I want to get even closer, to feel more of him. For the briefest moment I regret that I’ll never be able to burrow deeper. This is just pretend—my sperm isn’t fertilizing any Lohnya eggs—but I don’t truly want that. I only want to feel down to my bones that I’ve given him all of me. I finally understand what he needed, why he wanted the mating ceremony at all, and I promise myself I’ll find a way to make it happen.

I bend over him, crossing my arms over his stomach as my chest presses against the ridges at the base of his wings. I hold on as I work us towards our climax. When I reach down to grab his shaft, I can barely keep it in my hand, it’s so slick. His appendage pulses and snaps around my thumb. I cry out as my hips buck forward and I spill inside him. It’s too soon, too fast. My mouth stays open long after I lose the breath to form his name, but I keep coming, my body jerking like a puppet. My cheek is pressed to the dark velvet marking a thin line down his spine.

We could be anywhere. It really doesn’t matter—I’m with him.

He’s still clenching and squeezing, still rock hard in my hand. I start to pull out, but he fights to keep me in. I hiss when he tightens around my oversensitive shaft. I withdraw all the way and watch the way my come leaves a pearly trail in its wake as it flows slowly from his hole. Now that’s art if I’ve ever seen it.

I focus and start stroking him, desperate to give him even half the pleasure he wrung out of me. I lower myself to my knees before I lean forward and lick up his crack, coating my tongue with the mix of both of us. He pushes back against me, and I follow the silent command, teasing and kissing his rim before I apply myself in earnest.

A heavy hand clamps down on my shoulder, talons digging into my skin. “Enough,” he says. I lift my face away, dazed, his flavor still fresh on my lips. Maybe the artificial gravity is failing, because I must be floating. “Lie down,” he tells me.

I sit back and get my legs out in front of me. I end up lying on my back sideways at his feet across the cold deck, my muscles feeling like all the strength has been bled out of them.

Sohven stands above me. His wings are open and broad, the red markings whose mirror I wear on my own skin on full display. I like seeing him like this, nothing about him small or restrained. A flash of him looking down at me from the wrecked ship on Sannaveh blurs with the Sohven in front of me now. He’s never looked better.

In one swift motion he’s down on his knees. He lifts my legs and pushes them back, exposing me for the taking. He presses the head of his cock against me, making me wet with it. Then he tilts his hips and thrusts up so his shaft slides across my balls as his appendage breaches my hole. I can feel him filling me with his mating fluid, making me ready.

“Look at me, Jhevase.”

I pull my gaze away from his thick dick and meet his eyes. My mouth feels so dry—parched. I want to taste him, to nurse the red, angry head of his cock until he comes all over my tongue. I moan, eyes still on him even as they start to water. His appendage burrows deeper inside me before it withdraws, and then he pulls back before giving me all of him, cock and appendage combined. I shiver and writhe on the deck as he pushes his way completely inside, until I’m full to bursting, until my own dick starts to rise again, helpless to do anything but surrender to Sohven’s will.

He moves slowly at first, his control made of sterner stuff than mine. He picks up speed with each smooth, slick thrust. I reach for him, and he leans forward, letting me clasp my hands over his shoulders.

“That’s right, just like that,” I tell him. “Remind my body that I’m yours.”

He stills for just a moment, and I like to think that he’s remembering when he’s said the same words to me. Then he lets go, and we’re both lost to this thing between us, the intensity that burns so hot it leaves nothing behind. I cling to those dark eyes, to their flash of green.

He doesn’t have words when he comes. Not until it’s done. He’s still hard inside of me, already rocking his hips like he’s ready to go again, when he says it, the most important word, the only one I need in order to know exactly how he feels.

“Jhevase.”