Tolrek pulled the covers up around Kyan, tucking him into bed. When he was about to turn out the lights and leave, Kyan asked him to stay. He returned to his son’s bedside and sat down. Tolrek studied him carefully, noting the stubborn, wary expression in his eyes.
Kyan traced the pattern on the bedspread, his small figure dwarfed by the size of the bed.
“What will happen with me?” Kyan finally asked, quietly. He bit his lower lip, trying to keep it from trembling.
Tolrek knew that he’d lose the precious trust he was gaining with his child, if he wasn’t straightforward. He leaned closer and made sure he was looking Kyan directly in his eyes.
“You are no one’s bargaining chip. You’ll stay with me.”
“And with Najrina too?” Kyan asked, as his green eyes brightened and relief flooded his voice.
“She already approved of you, so I don’t have much choice,” Tolrek joked, ruffling Kyan’s hair.
“I’m glad I’m not getting thrown away,” Kyan said. “But I’m not sure Darion likes me.”
“He has much on his mind,” Tolrek replied. “Give him time.”
“Alright.” Kyan gave a satisfied nod.“Can I have some water?”
“No more. You’ll wet your bed again, like last night.”
“That wasn’t because of the water!” Kyan insisted. Then he added in a petulant and embarrassed tone, “I had a bad dream.”
“We’ll make time to deal with why you’re having those dreams,” Tolrek assured him. “For now, try to get some rest. I’ll be in my room, if you get scared of anything.”
“I won’t call for you, even if I have a horrible dream.”
“Kyan, I won’t think less of you,” Tolrek assured him.
~~39.1~~
When Darion returned to Ashrom’s home, Tolrek was waiting for him. With Ashrom spending the night at Tezza’s place and Kyan in bed, there weren’t any distractions. Tolrek was glad for that, as he didn’t intend to let Darion side-step the pressing issue any longer.
“We need to talk about today,” Tolrek stated.
“I no longer have any secrets from you,” Darion said, as he followed Tolrek to the living room. “I allowed you to be in that room.”
“And I suppose, for that, I should be grateful!”
“Exactly,” Darion responded coldly. “If my ability bothers you, you know what you can do.”
Tolrek took a deep breath. He’d imagined several ways the conversation could go but he’d hoped it wouldn’t be full of antagonism.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, softening his tone.
“Is that what has you angry?” Darion asked, sounding hopeful.
“Yes. When we got back together, we had a serious discussion about being honest with each other, promising that we’d be on equal footing. Keeping silent about a power like yours does not meet our deal.”
“It’s not something you casually discuss, Tolrek.” Darion rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not ashamed of it but even among other Tildari, it’s a feared talent. I guess I thought anyone who wasn’t Tildari would have difficulty with what I could do.”
“I’m not just anyone!” Tolrek exclaimed.
“I know that but I became used to keeping it from you. It was easy to continue doing that, as the years passed.” Darion sat down on the couch. “If you have questions, I’ll answer them. I won’t hide anything. Not anymore.”
Tolrek took a few moments, to think of what he wanted to ask.
“When did you develop that ability?”
“I found out a few weeks after my twelfth birthday,” Darion told him. “I’d gotten into a fight with a boy at my school.”
He’d slammed another boy against a wall hard enough to give him a concussion. Before Darion had realized what he was doing, he’d taken the fight to another level, gripping the boy’s head in both hands and releasing the currents. Fortunately, some other boys had helped end the fight, before Darion could do more damage.
It was fortunate for everyone involved that Darion’s power had been still in its fledgling stage. Even so, in the end, the other child had to leave the rigorous academy; he’d never completely recovered. Most had thought it was because Darion had bashed his head against the wall. Darion had known the real reason. His parents had also been suspicious and had taken him for testing. His ability had manifested itself. There had been no way to know it would appear, as it showed up unpredictably in a small selection of the Tildari. Sometimes it would skip a few generations. It hadn’t shown up in the Navarr family for almost 500 hundred years.
“Has anyone figured out what causes it?” Tolrek asked.
“No. There are a few theories but nothing definitive. Our scientists are still doing experiments. Only about 3% of us with Tildari blood have this kind of power.”
Tolrek digested what Darion told him and then asked the larger question that was on his mind.
“Have you killed others in the same way?”
“Yes; some of us become executioners. Meric was my sixth. Number five began to take a psychological toll on me. That’s one of the reasons I went to work in Vaironia. It was a gift to be required to shield my strength. Beilon doesn’t even know about what I can really do.”
“If he’d known, he may have ordered you to kill me, when I was rebelling,” Tolrek speculated. “It would have sent quite a message.”
The two were silent for a while.
Tolrek grasped Darion’s left hand.
“I wonder if we could sense certain things and that’s why we were drawn to each other,” Tolrek mused.
“It’s a possibility.” Darion gave Tolrek’s hand a light squeeze. Then, he sent a charge through his lover, making him flinch. Tolrek’s entire arm went numb.
“Clearly you don’t need the glove to bring out the power,” Tolrek remarked drily, as he rubbed the feeling back into his arm.
“Not at all. That’s for theatrics; I came up with the idea.” Darion gave a dark chuckle. “Even the condemned deserve a final macabre show.”
“If I annoy you, will you liquify me?” Tolrek teased.
“I don’t need the full power to keep you in line,” Darion responded, laughing. “Some quick blasts will get the point across. At any rate, it should disturb me but it really doesn’t. I’ve made peace with it and I’ll use it whenever it’s necessary.”
“If you’ve made peace with it, why did you hide away, after what happened this morning?”
“That was less about using my power and more about the events of the past few years. I don’t like being ineffective and Meric was an obstacle for far too long.”
“If Meric used some of your DNA too, you could have children out there with this ability.”
“That disastrous possibility crossed my mind.” Darion let out a long sigh. “I’m going to deal with the more immediate issue. How does this affect our relationship? Do I scare you now?”
“Definitely and not much does that to me. However, you seem in control.”
“I am in control. You don’t have to fear me. Neither does Kyan.”
Tolrek leaned back against the couch, his hand clasp with Darion’s. Darion studied his face for a few moments, glad to see the doubt and anger were gone. He leaned over and kissed Tolrek lightly. Tolrek pulled him closer, deepening the kiss.
“I’m so damn tired,” Darion said, when their lips parted. The magnitude of the series of exhausting events had finally fallen on him.
“Come on, let me take care of you.” Tolrek stood and led him to their room.
He set the luxurious tub to fill with the water, while he undressed Darion, removing more than clothes. He spoke to him in calming tones, driving away years of frustration, concern and shame.
“You won’t have those nightmares anymore,” Tolrek murmured, as he unbuttoned Darion’s shirt. “You’re not buried under anything.”
Darion took a deep breath, as Tolrek slipped the shirt off him.
“I still have to make amends with my parents.”
“And that will happen soon. In the meantime, just be here now, with me.”
Tolrek reached for Darion’s pants, loosening his belt and then undoing his zipper. The suggestive sound brought a smile to both of their lips.
~~39.2~~
Relaxed from the long hot bath they’d shared, Darion and Tolrek lavished attention on each other in bed. Having spent the last five minutes giving Tolrek an agonizingly slow blowjob, Darion changed his focus and kissed his way up Tolrek’s stomach, causing his lover to shiver. Darion laughed, enjoying the effect he was having.
“It’s been a while,” Darion said.
“Yes, so you’d better impress me.”
“Oh, I can do that but you have to earn it.”
A challenging gleam entered Tolrek’s eyes.
“Straddle me,” he ordered Darion and the negotiator complied.
Tolrek propped himself up with several pillows, making sure he was comfortable. Then he motioned for Darion to move forward. Understanding what Tolrek wanted, Darion edged up until his cock was against his lover’s mouth. Tolrek licked the tip of Darion’s hardened cock, flicking his tongue against the slit that was leaking fluid, a familiar tangy promise of much more. Darion’s thick cock rested against Tolrek’s cheek, as the rebel turned his attention to his lover’s sensitive nutsack. Popping one heavy testicle into his mouth and then the other, Tolrek enticed Darion into a spiral of pleasure. As Darion’s nuts started to tighten, Tolrek slowed down the action and gave him a languid handjob. Darion stared down at him, his gaze intense, as he tried to hold back.
When Tolrek felt Darion was no longer too close to the edge, he invited his lover inside. Darion worked his hips in a confident rhythm, deeply fucking Tolrek’s mouth. Soon, realizing that he was going to come, Darion tried to pull away, wanting to change the pace. Tolrek issued a warning, the accommodating blowjob changing to a flash of teeth that threatened sensitive flesh. Darion flinched and his brow furrowed; his eyes pleaded for Tolrek to be careful. Tolrek gripped Darion’s ass, forcing him to remain in place. He rolled the head of Darion’s cock against the roof of his mouth, knowing how much Darion enjoyed that particular action. Unable to resist, Darion came, strings of pearly essence shooting into Tolrek’s throat, his delectable fluid seasoning Tolrek’s mouth. Boosting Tolrek’s arrogant pleasure, Darion cursed and gripped the wooden headboard, twitching through the last moments of his orgasm. When Tolrek finally allowed Darion to pull away, he blew out some air, the coolness of it compared to Darion’s overheated skin made the negotiator shudder.
Darion gracefully arched his muscular body over Tolrek and kissed him deeply. Some of his remaining essence traveled from Tolrek’s mouth into his. Their mingled flavors spurred him and he was eager to share another round of pleasure. He reached for the sex oils on the nightstand. He sat near Tolrek’s hips and squeezed a copious amount of oil on his hands. Releasing some of his energy, he sent a hum through Tolrek, surprising and delighting him at the same time.
“I didn’t know you could…”
Tolrek’s words trailed off, as Darion added more power to what he was doing. The vibrations rumbled all the way to Tolrek’s prostate, setting off a reaction that soon had Tolrek coming. Vibrant white burst onto Darion’s skin, showering his hands with his lover’s seed. He took the sensual gratification to another level, leaning down and sucking the last few drops out of Tolrek. He gave Tolrek a sly glance that was accompanied by an egotistical grin. His lover laughed brokenly, still riding the pleasurable waves caused by Darion’s masterful attention.
After cleaning off the evidence of Tolrek’s enjoyment, he used the sex oils to make Tolrek internally ready for him. Then, Darion stretched out on top of him, putting his full weight on him. He groaned, as he slipped inside Tolrek, and his lover sighed with gratification. They didn’t hurry, letting the minutes tick away as they kissed, teased and delighted in each other’s bodies. When Tolrek signaled he was ready for another orgasm, Darion obliged. He pumped forcefully into Tolrek, using his muscular back, hips and thighs to their greatest advantage. Their need to release reached its peak. Darion gripped Tolrek tightly, whispering his lover’s name, as they came together.
When Tolrek awoke in the morning, he found Darion awake, perusing him appreciatively.
“We’ll never leave the bed, if you keep looking at me like that,” Tolrek said.
Darion smiled in agreement. Then he admitted what he’d been considering, while he’d watched Tolrek sleep for the past few minutes.
“Thank you for trusting me with my power,” Darion told him. “I know you’ve seen how destructive it can be. But last night, when I used a bit of it, you weren’t repelled.”
Tolrek tenderly stroked his lover’s cheek, his hand pleasantly scratched by the stubble on Darion’s face. Then he suddenly flicked Darion on the nose, making the negotiator complain.
“Tolrek!” Darion rubbed his aching nose.
“Serves you right, D. All of these years, we could have used your power to our sexual benefit! Instead, you’ve held out on me.”
“I’m really sorry,” Darion said, laughing.
Tolrek moved closer and draped one arm possessively across Darion’s chest.
“No more hiding anything.”
“No more,” Darion affirmed.
Read Vaironian Tides, Chapter 40
