Chapter Twenty-Four

I haven’t slept in two nights.

The last solid night’s sleep I got was with Abdiel in the lounge. When I awoke, he’d left for his journey. And since then, all I’ve been able to do is stress in one form or another.

Stress about Drake… the distance between us. The things he’s been doing to these spies and trespassers.

Stress and worry about Abdiel, up on that mountain alone. Wandering, unknowingly into that spot…

Over the years, I’ve done a decent job of keeping the Regnum from stumbling across the clearing by the peak of the mountain. It’s not somewhere people should go, intentionally or by accident. But on occasion, they come across it.

They rarely live to tell what happens when they do.

Drake and I have been trying to keep the mountain patrolled by the Tribe, but there simply aren’t enough of them for so much space. We’re still recruiting, so I suppose we’ll see how many new members we can get.

Worst-case scenario, we might have to start taking in strays again. I’m not completely opposed to it, but Drake isn’t typically a fan of that idea. He doesn’t trust anyone. I suppose he wouldn’t…

For now, it’s all just rampant concern, clouding up my mind until there’s so much racing around in there, I have no hope of ever falling asleep. All of this chaos rippling through me… the Regnum wanting an heir, Drake pulling away from me, Abdiel finding out the secrets we try so hard to keep buried… getting a divorce?

“Fuck this.” I whip my blanket off and stomp over to my closet.

Pulling on some sweats, I grab a towel from my bathroom, heading downstairs. At first, I consider going into my gym to work out. But when I pass the backdoor, my eyes fix on the lake.

I think I see someone out there.

Mischief coiling inside me, I wander to the door and head outside, strolling toward the lake, gaze stuck on a figure I immediately identify.

He’s out pretty far, floating with his eyes closed. I worry for a split second that something is wrong with him, but then I hear his thoughts, vaguely. I haven’t had Empyrean in a few days, and I could definitely use more.

But regardless, I can hear whispers from his mind, all twisted together. Pain and anguish, joy and elation, desire and lust, needy torment. I can’t even fathom what it feels like to be inside his mind sometimes. He doesn’t think like a regular person does.

He’s a maze, a riddle to decode. I’ve spent most of my life trying to figure him out, and I’m beginning to think it may never happen…

Watching him float in the lake, basking in the glow of the moon, my head tilts. He’s dressed… in white linen clothes. The ensemble he usually wears to weekly sermons or on special occasions. Because white signifies rebirth.

Ecdysis is our personal transformation. I remember the first time he told me that.

The first time we tried Empyrean together.

In that moment, we were one. With each other, with Mother. With the universe.

It’s all I can see right now while he swims in the lake, a serpent in white, so lovely and dangerous as the human representation of everything we’ve done to get right here. He’s lodged directly in my heart, wickedly beautiful… quite possibly evil, as he says, yet I wouldn’t want him any other way.

I can’t hate him the way he craves. I can only hate how much I fucking love him, and how much I’ll never stop. An infinite truth.

Dropping my towel at the shore of the lake, I step out of my sweatpants and wade into the water. It’s cool, but refreshing in the night air, still warm. Solstice has come and gone, and now we’re in summer. The most important time of the year.

Swimming out to him, deeper and deeper, I keep my lungs full of oxygen in order to help my cause. I’m not even sure where the bottom of the lake is right now, but it’s nowhere near my feet, that’s for sure.

As I approach him, he barely moves. His fingers flutter through the water, and I watch them; those hands. All the things they’ve done…

You need settling, do you, brother?

My feet kick in the water, gracefully while I keep myself afloat by his side. Yes. I need you.

His eyes creep open, head turning just enough to lock me in place with those marbled irises. You don’t need me. You want me. There’s a difference. A big one.

You see, that’s where you’re wrong, Serpent, I tell him, my fingers sweeping through the water slowly, toward his. I do need you. You just don’t want to be needed, not in the way I need.

He blinks at me slowly, in that way he does. Inquisitive. Seeking.

But rather than answering me, rather than fighting me, like he did last night, he simply turns his face back up to the stars.

And he remembers…

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Drake’s voice shakes, his hands gliding over my flesh. I’m hot everywhere… Burning up and so ready.

“I need this,” I tell him, pressing my face into the bed, writhing my ass up against his erection. So long and stiff, like a stone carving.

If he puts it all the way inside me, it’ll probably reach my stomach.

My toes curl at the thought.

“I don’t want to hurt you, baby,” he whispers in my ear from behind me, fingers pressing into my cheeks, bruising in his eagerness. I know how badly he wants it.

We’re teenagers, and we’re virgins. Well, sort of. But I know he wants to fuck me, and I’m sick of waiting. I’m sick of fearing this.

I can’t let him keep it forever.

“Erase the memory, Drake,” I plead. “You would never hurt me… I know you wouldn’t.”

His cock slides into the crack of my ass, and a shiver spreads up my spine. His tongue traces it, moving down, kissing me everywhere.

He’s put his lips there before… stuck his tongue inside me. It feels amazing. Even his tongue is long.

“I need lube,” he breathes, sounding as dizzy as I am.

“There’s some stuff in the drawer.” My face burns with the mild embarrassment of what’s happening. Thank God it’s dark and he can’t see.

I hear him shuffling around while I lie, naked on the bed with my ass exposed. It should feel uncomfortable, but I’m so hard and my balls are throbbing.

I don’t want to remember what I felt the last time this happened, because as terrible as it was, somehow my body responded. I didn’t want it to, and it fucked me up for a long time.

But Drake is the only person I trust. He loves me, and I love him. Whether we’re brothers, or best friends… whether we should be doing this or not, I still need it.

I need him. All of him.

He comes back to me, running slick fingers between my cheeks until I’m trembling.

“I’ll give you my fingers first,” he mumbles, draping himself over me, his warm chest to my back. I whimper when he swirls them around on my rim, one wet digit slipping inside.

“Fuck,” I purr as his other hand comes up to my chest, gripping my pectoral.

His lips are on my neck as his finger pushes deeper into my ass, pausing to let me adjust. “You like this?”

“God, yes…” I gasp, rutting into the bed to get some friction on my aching balls. “More.”

He removes the finger, and when it pushes back in, there’s another one with it. It burns, but I like it. I like the way it hurts. It’s one of those things that’s wrong but feels so damn right.

His fingers work in and out of me, slowly, building up a deep storm in my loins. Then he adds a third, and I groan, out of mild discomfort that has my cock leaking onto our bed.

“This is only a portion of what my dick will do to you, Darian.” He licks my ear.

“I want it.” My voice is a hoarse plea.

“You’re sure?” He sounds hesitant still, and I know it’s because of what happened to me.

I hate it. I hate that he thinks I’m broken. Damaged.

A tear slips from my eye, and I wipe it away before he can see. “Please. Please, Drake. Fuck me.”

“I will do literally anything for you, do you know that?” He pulls his fingers away and sits back.

I think it’s a rhetorical question, but even if I wanted to respond, he’s distracting me by spreading my ass open, dragging the head of his cock up and down over my hole. Straddling my thighs, he holds me down with his weight while my hands linger. I don’t know what to do with them, one gripping the blankets, the other coming up to brush my nipple. It feels good; we discovered that a few months back.

Drake was sucking on them, and it made me come in my boxers. The memory has my dick flinching hard into the soft comforter.

“Making you happy is like foreplay.” He grips my ass in his hands, holding me open while he nudges the fat tip of his dick up to my entrance. It’s nice and lubricated, but still, he has to shove hard to even attempt getting it in. “Relax for me, baby.”

I’m nervous, and I don’t want to be. It’s all in my head, the thoughts keying me up. I let out a slow breath, attempting to mollify my muscles enough for him to break through. Peering over my shoulder, I see Drake staring down at his cock, biting on his lower lip while he presses inside my asshole.

The head finally slides in, and we both groan. It’s the craziest feeling ever invented, a tight burn that feels bad and good at the same time. The good definitely outweighs the bad, though.

“You okay?” He asks, voice rough and aroused beyond belief. I love the sound. It drives me to shift upward to him.

“I want more, Drake,” I beg.

“God, you’re gorgeous.” He lurches in farther, sliding a couple more inches until my back arches.

“Fucking holy fuck…” I purr, fisting the blankets on both sides of me.

“And you’re so goddamn tight, Darian,” he whimpers, like he’s falling apart already.

I’m sure he is… it’s his first time fucking something other than a fist, or a mouth. I fully expect him to come just as quickly as I’m going to.

“Fuck me deeper,” I rasp. “Please.”

He wastes no time giving me what I need, sinking into me, farther and farther, until he melts over my back, his pelvis resting on my cheeks. When he moves in one spot, my eyes roll back in my head.

“Oh God oh God oh God…” My toes curl.

“Was that it?” He hums by my ear, fingers twisting up in my hair.

“I think so,” I croak, then his hips shift, and he hits it again, sending a bolt of lightning zapping through my loins. “Fuck, yessss. Yes yes yes, that’s it. Fuck, baby, more.”

He pulls back, drawing himself out almost all the way before thrusting back in, deep, so deep his balls are on mine, and it’s a fucking fantastic feeling.

His hips work with me, pumping his length into my ass, slow but fierce, a hand sliding up my torso. He squeezes my nipple between his fingers until I shudder. And then he grips my throat.

“You feel like heaven on earth,” he rumbles, stroking every inch inside me while I lose my damn mind.

My hips grind into the mattress, my cock bereft of attention, though it stands firm, harder than it’s ever been before. I think I could easily come without touching it, a mesmerizing thought.

The sounds of our little bed shifting, mixed with our harsh breaths, greedy grunts and groans bounce off the walls. His movements pick up in pace just a bit, just enough for me to know I’m moments from exploding. And he’ll be following me right over the edge.

“Fuck me,” I pant, forcing my eyes open, past the love drunk heaviness of my lids, to watch him over my shoulder.

His snake eyes meet mine while he bucks into me, again and again, hovering his mouth above mine. “I love you, Darian. I’m… I fucking love you, baby.”

My heart bursts in my chest, warmth sheltering me from the inside out as he presses his lips to mine, kissing me hard and desperate while his dick erupts inside me.

I can feel it. I can feel him coming inside, and for a brief moment, it terrifies me.

A string pulls on my subconscious, and I begin tumbling into darkness. That is, until my own orgasm rips through my loins.

It sneaks up on me, the sensation of Drake’s big cock pulsing inside me, pushing me over a climax so intense, I have tears pouring from my eyes.

I think I would be screaming if he weren’t kissing me feverishly. My brain is all scrambled up, and I can’t even think. I don’t remember where I am or what’s going on. All I know is that I’m coming…

“I’m fucking coming so hard,” I cry into his mouth, and he purrs, sucking at my lips hungrily, biting me, licking, lashing, still thrusting.

His hands are everywhere, all over my body, grasping and caressing. As our heart rates even out, the aggression turns treasuring. His kisses go from ravenous to erotic as all hell. Sensual and sleepy, his hands no longer gripping and squeezing, but massaging.

It’s like he’s loving me with his kisses, with his touch.

And we stay like this for a while, breathing one another in, and out.

It will feel like this forever, I’m sure.

I will never love anyone the way I love the boy with the snake eyes.

Ripping at his wet clothes, I fumble to get his pants down.

His lips capture mine, sucking and biting me, his hands on my face, holding me in place while mine go for his dick, and his balls.

“You make me fucking crazy,” I whisper into his mouth, stroking his wet cock in my fist.

Listening to that memory, hearing our first time from his thoughts while we reminisced together was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

I remember that night like it was yesterday, just as I remember everything that’s happened between Drake and me. The good things, and the bad.

But hearing how he remembers it… He was in love with me. I can’t even tell if he still is, but he was. Before things started pulling him away. But I want it back.

I need it.

“You, brother, have been driving me goddamn crazy since the moment I met you,” he growls, kissing my lips once more before pushing my head down.

We managed to swim over to an embankment, hidden enough between some trees, all the while pawing at one another, dicks rubbing together in the cool water of the lake.

And now I’m going to fuck him with my mouth on the muddy ground, and I’ll love every minute of it.

I go willingly with his fingers in my hair, my knees in the dirt as I kiss down his pale skin, tracing the wet curves of his stomach with my tongue. The V-shape in his lower abdomen, each side getting a kiss and a bite.

“So I guess we’re both insane, then.” I gaze up at him while slipping my mouth over the head of his perfect cock.

“Motherfuckin lunatics,” he sighs, eyelids drooping while I suck him steady, cherishing him with my mouth.

It only takes five minutes before he’s spilling on my tongue and down my throat. And thirty seconds after that, I come in his hand and in the grass.

Something about being out in the woods with him has always turned us into voracious animals. It’s just another part of our dynamic, and it feels too good to overthink.

I just wish I could keep him afterward. But he slithers off like the serpent he is.

Never to be captured.

The sexy lake fun with Drake got me a couple hours of rest. I ended up passing out on the chaise on my back patio, in only my sweatpants, using a towel as a blanket. Not that it’s cold outside or anything, but when I opened my eyes to Gina staring at me like I’m insane, it occurred to me that I probably should have made the extra ten steps inside the house.

The sun is up over the lake as I get out of the shower and get dressed, going to the kitchen for some tea and maybe a piece of fruit or something. I’m really still on edge. Last night helped, but sex with Drake always ends up feeling like a backslide. We don’t get anywhere.

Maybe we’re meant to just be fuck buddies. But that doesn’t make sense, because I’m in love with him. Plus, he’s my brother. Add Abdiel to the mix and I’m back to square one with my confusion.

I hear Gina coming and try to pull a mildly less despondent face, though it’s not really working. I kind of feel like everyone knows there’s something up with me, but it could just be the insecurities that come with a need for more Empyrean.

Her thoughts are faint as she brings a basket of strawberries up to the counter and begins separating them to wash. She’s worried about Abdiel. She wishes she knew when he was coming back.

You and me both, girl.

Bringing the mug of tea to my lips, I sip slowly while I watch her. I wonder what she would think about me being in love with her adopted son. Would she hate me? Would she think I’m a creep for being much older than him?

Would she ever condone our relationship? If I wanted to divorce my wives and marry Abdiel, would she and Paul give us their blessing?

My stomach is in knots. I’ve completely lost my appetite, and I’m even more worried now than I was yesterday.

“Are you alright, sir?” Gina grumbles, pulling me out of my head.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” I blink.

“Because you’re just standing there, staring at me.” She drops a berry into the basket and turns to face me.

My mouth opens, stunned at the brazen attitude she’s giving me. People rarely talk to me like that, except Drake, obviously. Sure, I’ve known Gina for a long time, but still. I’m taken aback.

Does she know something? Has she picked up on the way Abdiel and I have been looking at each other? Did she see us together?

I straighten and resurge my confidence as Head Priest, folding my arms over my chest. “Is everything alright with you, Gina? Why are you being so short with me this morning?”

She glares at me for only a moment longer before her shoulders slump and she sighs, rubbing her eyes with her fingers. “I’m so sorry, Head Priest. I’m just… very worried about Abdiel. It’s not like him to go off by himself like this, and well… you know about the mountain. After his parents and everything, I’m just…” Her forehead lines in duress I can feel in my gut. “I want him home.”

Me, too.

“He’s a very strong boy. Man,” I correct myself, clearing my throat. “He’s smart, and he knows what he’s doing. I’m sure he’s fine, and I’m sure he’ll be back very soon with some stories for us.”

I wink at her, and she smiles, chuckling and nodding along. “You’re right.”

Taking my mug of tea, I pat her shoulder, picking a strawberry out of the basket and popping it into my mouth on my way out of the kitchen. I leave out the front and walk to the far end of the porch, watching as everyone prepares for work, beginning their days.

Some commotion trickles down my way. I see a few people rushing around up the trail, and then I hear a faint thought that sends my heart into my throat.

Abdiel’s back!

I heard it, and before I can even process what’s happening, I’m diving off the porch, ready to run to where he is. But I stop myself.

Fear of how it would look stops me.

My fingers flutter at my sides while I pace back and forth. He’ll come to me first, right? He has to, he lives over here.

I’m dying to rush to him, pull him into my arms and kiss all the breath out of his lungs, but I can’t and it fucking sucks. I hate keeping this a secret. I’ve hated it with Drake for all these years, though I understand why it’s necessary. And Drake doesn’t want anything out in the open; he’s made that abundantly clear.

But Abdiel is different. He deserves a real relationship. He deserves a King, not a sordid affair.

Pacing the porch for what feels like hours, I’m so antsy I could fall down, and I’m so excited to see my prince, I could physically implode.

What I’m not prepared for, however, is the parade of drama he’s seemingly brought back with him.

I finally spot Abdiel, strolling down the path toward housing, smiling, as usual. But with a strange girl by his side.

A young girl, likely close to his age, with long, wavy strawberry blonde hair, wearing a University of Washington sweatshirt and a backpack slung over her shoulder.

And because this person is clearly an Outsider, there’s a pack of people following behind them, including at least three visible patrolmen from the Tribe on their ATVs. I don’t see Drake, yet, but if he gets wind that there’s an Outsider on our land, especially being led in by one of our own, he’ll be appearing any moment.

Gina comes out of the Den behind me, but I don’t wait to see her reaction before I’m stomping down the steps toward Abdiel, his little friend, and the anxious family members practically chomping at the bit.

As I approach Abdiel and the girl, I hold up my hand to the Regnum and the patrol, signaling that I’ve got this. But really, I don’t.

I have no fucking clue what’s happening right now.

Abdiel steps up to me, and he’s still smiling. So sweet and wholesome, if not a bit na?ve, with no real awareness of the kind of shit he’s stirring up right now.

“I’m glad you’re back, young servant,” I address him, politely, a hundred million degrees watered down from what I’d like to be doing. But we have an actual audience right now.

“Me too,” he breathes, then bites his lip. My dick stirs, and I shake myself out of it, eyes flitting briefly to the stranger.

I’m kind of hoping that if I just ignore her, she’ll go away. But unfortunately, no such luck.

Abdiel turns over his shoulder, like he’s going to introduce her, or give me a much-needed explanation, but before he can, Gina stomps past me, grabbing him for a giant hug.

“Thank God you’re safe,” she whispers, squeezing the air out of him while he chuckles.

Then Paul pushes his way through the crowd, jogging up to envelope the both of them. I smile at the heartwarming scene, until my reluctant gaze flicks to the girl once more, narrowing in suspicion.

Her eyes narrow at me in return, and I hear her thinking… about me.

That must be him. The Head Priest… Abdiel’s secret Daddy. He’s definitely hot, I’ll give him that, but I don’t trust him.

My jaw clenches. Who the hell is this rude little girl on my land??

“Abdiel, I’ll need a word,” I tell him as he finally manages to dissect himself from Paul and Gina’s welcoming grip.

He glances up at me, his smile fading as worry and guilt line his eyes and he nods. “Yes, sir.”

Ignoring the flinching of my cock at those two simple words, I nod at the patrol, telling them without words to keep an eye on the girl until I decide what to do. With my hand on his back, I guide Abdiel inside the Den, bringing him somewhere we can speak privately.

“H-how have you been?” He stutters while we walk toward the lounge. “Is everything okay?”

“Debatable,” I grumble, opening the door and pushing him inside, before stepping in and locking it behind us.

When I turn to face him, he looks nervous. I can almost feel him shaking, his thoughts jumbling together. There’s so much we need to discuss, but first thing’s first…

Stalking up to him, I grab his face, wasting absolutely no time pressing my lips to his. He gasps in my mouth from the unexpected force of the kiss, his hands flinging to my waist, holding on for dear life while I unleash.

My breaths are harsh in between sucking him so hard I might bruise his precious mouth, nipping it for good measure in between our tongues swirling like they missed each other. They missed each other so bad…

“I missed you.” I push him until he crashes into the desk. “I fucking missed you, my prince, oh my God, so so much.”

“Mmmf,” is all the comes out of him as our tongues tangle, lips sucking, teeth biting.

I can’t help the breathless chuckle that flees as I grind my hips into his, purring at the feel of his erection, already nice and stiff for me. “Did you miss me?”

“Are you kidding?” His firm hands land on my ass, pulling me into him harder, parting his legs so we can really rub our stuff together. “I missed you the second I left. I thought about you constantly.”

Humming, I pry myself off of him, knowing we can’t do this right now. Not with all those people out there, wondering what to do next. Speaking of which…

I give us both a moment to breathe before I straighten up, running my fingers through my hair. “Who is this person you’ve brought me, young prince? An Outsider?”

Abdiel’s eyes are still hooded with his arousal, but his brows are now knitting together in unease. “Yes, sir. She’s an Outsider. I met her on the mountain.”

I don’t want him to fear me. I feel bad that he’s worried about what I’ll do, so I reach out and brush his silky curls away from his face. Taking a lock between my fingers, I twirl it while my other hand runs up his chest. I just missed touching him, beyond belief. I love the feel of him beneath my fingers.

“So she was on our land?” My brow arches.

He swallows visibly. “She was. But she didn’t mean to—”

“Abdiel, how could you bring a stranger here without consulting me?” My eyes fall to his puffy lips, needing to be kissed by me, for hours. This isn’t how our reunion was supposed to go.

“She was in danger. She needed help,” he tells me, sincerity in his tone and thoughts. He’s such a kind heart. Sometimes I’m surprised he even eats meat.

Lars used to scold him for naming the animals.

“People from the outside can’t be trusted, Abdiel,” I sigh.

“Her name is Rhiannon,” he jumps in, eyes pleading with me to hear him out. “She’s smart and kind, and she ran away from the outside world.”

“We don’t know her, my love.” My tone holds no room for nonsense or negotiation. “We can’t trust her.”

But Abdiel is one of two people who will argue with me, zero fucks given.

“Aren’t those the exact kinds of strays you and Drake used to bring in, though? Who became the Regnum… our family?” He gives me a pointed look, pulling away from my touch to make his stand. “The Principality was born on strays, was it not? My parents… Gina, Paul, Lucy, Perry… Pete.”

He blinks his wide, mossy eyes at me, making it virtually impossible for me to put my foot down. He has a point…

I was just thinking about bringing in new strays. I can’t write this girl off just because I don’t know her, and because she doesn’t trust me for some reason. The feeling is mutual.

But we don’t know each other. Not yet.

Letting out a breath, I leave Abdiel, wandering to the door and opening it, peering out into the hall. One of the patrol, Jeremy, is up the corridor, so I bark at him, “Bring me the girl.”

Jeremy nods and dashes away as I come back into the room with Abdiel.

“Thank you, my King,” he whispers, a small smirk curving his mouth while he runs the tip of his thumb back and forth over his lower lip.

That mouth is hypnotizing.

“You’re not off the hook just yet, baby,” I say firmly, shifting from the stiffness happening in my pants.

“I love how you’re looking at me right now,” he breathes, and I rumble a seductive chuckle.

I want to pull him on top on me on the bed right this instant and let him fuck me for hours. But unfortunately, a monkey wrench has been tossed into the plans.

My brow lifts. Can you hear what I’m thinking, my prince? About what we should be doing right now?

He laughs. Yea… But Rhiannon is worth the minor setback. She’s great. Trust me?

I roll my eyes and nod.

A quick knock on the door signals that she’s here. I can already hear her before I open the door, and I’m on edge. It’s been a while since we’ve accepted a stray, and there’s a reason we stopped actively recruiting Outsiders. Drake will have a lot to say, I’m sure.

The small girl gazes up at me as I step aside, motioning for her to come in. I nod at Jeremy, and he takes position across the hall while I close the door.

Blinking at the tiny creature, I assess her for a moment. She’s not dressed very girly, which I suppose I can appreciate. She’s like Lauris or Emithel that way. Her hair is red, but not like Gem’s. This girl’s is almost pinkish blonde, and she doesn’t have the freckles of Irish heritage that Gem has either.

Her eyes are huge and quite sparkly, an interesting shade of green, with some blue to it. The rest of her features are almost elfin. If we’re being honest, she looks like she could be related to Abdiel. Though of course, he’s much larger than her. She’s almost the same size as Emithel, who’s by far my smallest wife.

Listening to her, I hear her thoughts running wild as she looks around the room. The first thing she’s wondering is if this is where Abdiel and I sneak around. She seems very protective of him when it comes to our relationship, unnecessarily so, since she doesn’t know me, and barely knows him.

Folding my arms over my chest, I cock my head to the side while I wait for her to pay attention to what’s happening. Abdiel says she’s smart, but so far, she only seems distracted and inherently cynical, like all Outsiders.

She isn’t doing much to impress me right off the bat.

Abdiel steps nervously between us, eyes coming to mine first. “Um, Darian, this is Rhiannon.” Then he turns to the girl. “Rhi, this is our Head Priest, Darian. Leader of The Principality.”

Rhi?? A nickname already, and they just met?? What is this nonsense?

Rhiannon steps up to me, wearing a polite smile, though I can still hear how incredulous she is. But apparently, she’s willing to give me the benefit of the doubt, for Abdiel.

Aw, how sweet.

“Very lovely to meet you, Head Priest.” She extends her hand. “I’ve heard only wonderful things about you from Abdiel.”

I glare at her small hand for a moment before Abdiel clears his throat and I reluctantly shake it.

“And yet you don’t believe any of them, do you, Rhiannon?” I call her out based on what she’s thinking at this exact moment.

Her eyes widen, and her mouth drops open, her hand slowly tugging out of mine. “Well, I…” she stutters, peeking at Abdiel, who appears equally uneasy. “I’ve just never encountered any sort of community like this before. You’re from the outside, right? I’m sure you can understand.”

She has a point. I nod, remaining suspicious as I feel her out. “Where are you from?”

“Portland. I’ve been going to the University of Washington. Living in Seattle…”

“And why have you decided to leave?”

She freezes for a moment, unpleasantness slinking through her thoughts. There’s something she doesn’t want to talk about, something she doesn’t wish to relive, and so she lies, “I couldn’t deal with school anymore. The people were unkind, as most people are out there. I’m really not a fan of how the world is going, so when I met Abdiel and he told me about your community—” I peer at Abdiel while she speaks, giving him a scolding look. His forehead lines with guilt. “—I thought it sounded amazing. I mean, you guys don’t use money.” She scoffs in disbelief. “Do you know how incredibly bizarre that sounds? But it’s awesome.”

“It is.” I wander to the desk and lean up against it. “I haven’t had money in twenty-five years. It’s entirely unnecessary.”

Rhiannon grins and looks to Abdiel. “That’s what he said.”

I can’t help giving him an appreciative look. “Alright, Rhiannon. I’ll be blunt. I don’t trust you.”

Abdiel mumbles, “Darian…”

But I hold up my hand to stop him. “Don’t take it personally. I don’t trust anyone from the outside. We’ve been scorned before. That said, I trust him with my life.” I nod in Abdiel’s direction. “So if he trusts you, then I’m happy to have you as our guest until we decide what to do with you.”

The girl pales. “What to do with me?”

“You’ll stay in Abdiel’s trailer.” I ignore her, glancing to him. “You’ll stay here.” His face flushes, the sight of which might make me rock hard if I’m not careful. “Abdiel will show you around the Expanse, and you can work with Gina on chore duty. Even our guests must contribute.”

“What do you do, Darian?” She asks in a stubborn, bratty tone that fills my limbs with rage.

My back straightens as I tower over her. “I’m in charge, tiny girl. This is my land, my family… my prince. It’ll do you good to remember that.”

Much to my surprise, she doesn’t back down, aiming her angry little glare up at me.

“Alright, alright. Enough.” Abdiel comes in between us. “Thank you, baby.” He places a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll get her settled in my trailer and bring my things over. I’m sure Gina will want me to get back to work soon.”

I tear my burning eyes off the girl long enough to peek at him. “No work tonight, beautiful. I want to hear all about your journey.” He gives me a sweet grin, tugging his lip between his teeth.

The girl’s thoughts are distracting me, and I break my gaze on Abdiel to squint down at her. “Run along now.”

She’s practically seething as Abdiel drags her away, out of the room to go on with their business.

As soon as they’re out of hearing range, I grab Jeremy. “Let the Tribe know we have an Outsider staying with us. Top priority is watching her every move. She doesn’t take a breath without us knowing about it, understand?” He nods. “Does my brother know she’s here?”

“I don’t think so, sir.”

“Well, then… I suppose we’d better alert the Serpent.”