Chapter Seven

Oh God.

Oh God, oh God holy crap.

What the fuck...

I blink and shake my head for the fiftieth time, climbing down from the bush I nearly fell out of a few minutes ago.

Watching that... Seeing what just happened in there.

Holy shit what the fuck?!

My hands are shaking, and it isn”t until I get my feet on solid ground once more that I realize I haven”t taken a breath in too long. I suck air in and hold, rubbing my face with my hands. When I close my eyes, I can still see it...

I can still see them. Together.

I shift on my feet, my erection solid and painful between my legs. I had to tuck it into the waistband of my pants. I would laugh if I wasn”t still so... shocked.

That was the hottest thing I”ve ever seen in my entire life.

Head Priest, and The Alchemist... fucking.

So Darian and Drake fuck…? They”re brothers...

I”m not sure how that makes it hotter, but my dick is leaking on my stomach.

I bite my lip. They”re not brothers by blood or anything, so I suppose it isn”t as taboo as one might think. But still... Head Priest is married. To women.

But what I just witnessed, the chemistry happening in that room. I”ve never seen anything like it, especially not between Darian and those five girls.

We”re missing a key point here, though. I”m so focused on the incredibly hot sex, I almost forgot about the drugs. That”s right...

Drake shot Darian up with something. Maybe it was medicine?

I”ve never seen someone react that way to getting a medical injection. His eyes nearly rolled back in his skull. His face flushed as he pulled Drake on top of him, gazing around the room like he was seeing things I most certainly couldn”t see in there.

And then the two of them made this sort of eye contact. It was as if they were speaking without opening their mouths. I tried desperately to hear what they were saying inside the room, but they rarely spoke actual words. For the most part, they were silent, just staring at one another. In tune together; in sync.

It could be a brotherly bond of some kind. Or the bond of two lovers.

I”m not sure, but either way, I”ve never been so turned on in my life. My balls are aching and heavy, and I fear if I don”t relieve this pressure soon, I might explode.

Rushing closer to the lake, I duck behind a large tree, which is far enough from the Den that I know no one will hear or see me. Plus, it”s late, and no one”s really out right now. People don”t start staying out later until after solstice.

Leaning my back against the tree, I glance around one last time before pulling my cock out. It”s beyond hard. The veins pulse when I wrap my fist around it and tug, my head falling back on the bark as I whimper. It already feels amazing.

Swallowing, my eyes droop shut as the sounds from inside the lounge echo in my brain. The gasps and grunts and pants of lust and pleasure. Of two men together...

I”d never seen it before tonight. I’ve never watched any two people fucking, let alone two men. I mean, I’ve certainly heard it before, men and women together that is. And I”ve seen Jordan hook up, since he does it constantly.

But two beautiful men... All hard lines and slopes of muscle. Stubbled jaws and hungry eyes and large hands... Big dicks.

”Fuuuck...” I whisper-moan, jerking harder and faster.

It only takes about three minutes before I”m soaking my hand.

I slap the other over my mouth to stop myself from crying out loud. The world twirls and the moon reflects off the lake as I come and come and come, picturing not one this time, but two people I shouldn”t be fantasizing about.

As soon as I catch my breath once more, I look down at my cock, my hand covered in cum, which is also on the ground by my shoes, and I shake my head.

What”s wrong with me? I just jerked off outside the Head Priest”s home. I”m not sure what I”m doing anymore, but I need to get ahold of myself.

Tucking my dick away, I fix myself up and gaze out over the lake, its calm waters unmoving. Everything is at a standstill while I contemplate the state of these fantasies. Because now, I”m no longer just crushing on Head Priest, but also his brother.

The Serpent who seems so cold, so manipulative. So... unusual. He”s a quietly unnerving person, although he”s never personally done anything wrong to me, or to anyone I know. People on the Expanse love him, and he”s a key part of business operations for The Principality; for our lifestyle.

But then we”ve all heard the rumors...

The gunshots.

The Alchemist runs the Tribe, and well, it”s been said that they”re trained to kill. Kill who, I”m not entirely sure. But the Expanse is a very private place. We haven”t had intruders set foot within our territory a single time since I”ve been alive, and I”m glad for that fact. It makes me feel safe.

Still, I don’t know what has to happen to keep it this way. I suppose the only person who does is Drake. The man I just watched inject something into our Head Priest and then fuck him so hard he was practically weeping.

It looked as if Darian had seen the face of God.

Who knows... maybe he did.

By the following afternoon, I”ve jerked off five more times, and as spent as my body is, I”m still desperate for more.

More information, more answers, more... of them.

I”m off today, which is good because I”m not sure I”d be able to walk around Head Priest, serving him food and drinks, all the while remembering what his face looks like while he’s taking his brother”s dick.

A shiver of elation runs through me.

I know it was wrong to spy on them. I”m not supposed to be doing any of the things I”ve been doing for the past week, but that doesn”t stop me from wanting it. From acting on these fervent yearnings.

Maybe I”m a bad person.

Maybe I need to pray more.

Maybe I need to get laid.

It”s like Jordan always says, I”m too wound up. Sex is obviously a great tool for relief, I saw it on Drake and Darian when they were done. Though it did look like Drake left in a bit of a hurry, and Darian didn”t appear pleased by it.

I can”t help wondering what”s going on with them. I wonder if they”re in love, or if Head Priest is going to leave his wives for his brother. I don”t know how people in The Principality would feel about that...

Sure, everyone is accepting of love in all shapes and forms, but the Regnum has been clamoring for years about Darian impregnating one of his wives. They believe it”s important for an heir to be born, just in case something happens to him.

I”m sick of hearing about it personally, so I can only imagine how Darian feels. I just don”t think it”s necessary for him to have a child if he doesn”t want one, but I don”t dare voice that opinion. A majority of the Regnum is on team baby, and they”re relentless.

After what I witnessed last night, I finally understand why he”s been avoiding it so hard. I feel for Darian now, more than ever. I wish he would just tell everyone the truth. I”m sure the secrets are weighing on him, and it can”t feel good.

Deciding on taking a walk to clear my head, I step into my boots and leave the trailer. It”s overcast today, though warm enough not to need a jacket. It”s springtime on the Expanse, and everyone is bustling, preparing for a fruitful summer and a bountiful harvest.

Summer is the best time here. The weather is perfect, it rains a lot less than the rest of the year, and everyone is generally in high spirits. Mother blesses us all year round, but it”s this season during which love is in abundance, in all forms.

Trudging along, I wave to a few people here and there. Most are working on chores, laundry being hung on clotheslines, flowers being tended to in the gardens. The children are having class outside today, and from what I can tell, they”re learning about trees.

I remember those lessons. We”re taught about nature right from the start, because the earth is everything. I recall reading for hours about different flowers, where they thrive and what they could be used for if needed. The ecosystems class was always interesting, but I preferred learning which plants you can eat. How to make certain ingredients and whatnot.

Now that I”m thinking about my future, after Paul and Gina started mentioning it a couple of months back, I”m thinking more about what I love to do. I enjoy singing and cooking. And as much as it isn”t really a career, I do love to serve people. I think I just like to give, and to make people happy, though I”m not exactly sure if there”s work in that...

My walk takes me through the trails, past housing and toward the mountain. I see the farmland coming up and I have to marvel at what we”ve built here. Fields and fields of crops, either being planted now, or already growing. The corn fields, which we turn into a maze for the kids after harvest, the berries and fruit, potatoes and grain. The barley, hops, and grapes for beer and wine.

It”s not what I want to do with my life, but I admire the farmers. They keep this whole place going. Without them, we”d have nothing.

Once I”ve past the crops, I can see the base of the mountain up in the distance, which means I”m getting closer to the Field of Influence. I immediately spot two members of the Tribe, posted up for watch.

Lorn and Xander. They”re dressed in combat boots, camo pants and jackets, with bandanas covering most of their faces. They”re each straddling an ATV, with machine guns strapped over their shoulders.

As I saunter over to them, their conversation comes to a halt and they look up, on alert until they notice it”s me.

“Hey, Harmony.” Lorn tugs his mask down around his neck. ”How”s it goin, brother?”

”Hey, guys.” I wander over, checking out their setup.

”Haven”t seen you around these parts in a while,” Xander says, leaving his mask up, dark eyes narrowed in my direction.

”Yea, I was just taking a walk,” I explain. ”It”s my day off, so...”

”Day off?” Lorn huffs, pulling a cigarette out of his jacket and sticking it between his lips. ”What”s that like?”

Xander chuckles along as Lorn lights his cigarette and takes a drag.

”Hey, you guys know what you signed up for, right?” I grin, eyes unwittingly falling to the very large gun on his back.

”That”s true.” Xander nods. ”Plus, the perks are worth it.” He glances at Lorn, who grins a wide, devilish thing, taking another drag of his cigarette.

I stare at them for a moment, wondering what they”re talking about. I”m sure they”re well compensated for putting their lives on the line, working crazy hours, enduring all the training and the secrecy. The Tribe keeps us running too, but in a very different way.

”Um... is Drake around?” I ask, and the second the question leaves my lips, I immediately want to take it back.

Lorn and Xander go still. They gape at me like I”ve lost my mind for five full seconds, before Lorn mutters, ”What do you want with the Serpent, Harmony?”

Well, you see, Lorn, I watched him fuck his brother last night, and now I really can”t stop thinking about him.

”Paul and Gina suggested I talk to him,” I answer as evenly as I can. ”About classes...”

”Chelsea handles class registry.” Xander squints at me again. ”Unless... you thinkin’ about the lab?”

”I don”t really know...” I reply with more uncertainty in my tone than I can control. ”It”s just something I was considering.”

The two of them share a look for a moment, then their eyes of trepidation come back to me, the tension between the three of us easily palpable.

”Well, there”s a wait for The Alchemist.” Lorn tosses his cigarette onto the ground and stomps it with precision. ”As I”m sure you”d expect.”

I nod. “Of course.”

”But we”ll let him know you stopped by.” Xander glares. It”s not a happy-looking expression, nor is it one that instills confidence in him doing what he says he will.

I”m not surprised, though. You don”t just wander up to the Field and get invited into the lab to speak with The Alchemist. It”s a process, I guess. And honestly, I didn”t know I wanted to talk to him until I got here. What would I even say?

I”ve never spoken a word to Drake in my life. He makes me even more nervous than Head Priest does. But in his case, it”s not because of fascination, or a crush. It”s because he”s the Serpent. A strange creature who lurks in the shadows. Who knows everything about you from a look and uses that knowledge to get what he needs.

That”s the impression I get from Drake. He”s smart, but not necessarily in a good way.

”Thanks, guys,” I breathe, readying myself to walk away from whatever is happening here. ”Good catching up. I hope to see you at reflection one of these nights.”

”Yea, sounds like a plan, Harmony,” Lorn says with a little wave, before tugging his mask back up. He”s more pleasant than his colleague.

Xander just stares, watching me closely as I decide on my next move. I was going to hike the mountain a little. But the way the guys are watching me, now I”m not so sure it”s a good idea.

We”re entitled to the mountain. The Field of Influence and the lab areas are protected by the Tribe, and authorized personnel are the only ones allowed in. But the mountain isn”t part of that.

That said, people avoid White Trumpet Mountain. There are things up there... things that Head Priest warns the Regnum from stumbling into. He says if you”re going to go up there, make sure you”re ready to face what you may find.

I”ve always wondered what that means. And my curiosity is close to piquing. I want to know what”s up there, and why Drake lives there alone.

But then, that”s where it happened...

I close my eyes for a moment and rub the back of my neck, where the hairs are standing straight. I can”t go up there. I shouldn”t.

Reopening my eyes, I turn away from the guys and walk back in the direction I came. I”m not doing this today. The mischief that burns inside me is one thing, but to willingly go wandering up a mountain where the bodies of my parents were found...

That”s a part of my curiosity to be avoided.