Chapter Forty (Killian)
I did it again.
I knew the moment I walked out that I hurt him again. Why did this keep happening? Why did I keep doing this to him? How? Would just not talking to him altogether be soothing to him? I had thought that for a split second, Alexius was about to give in and come back, but he cringed like he couldn't stand having me near him, so I gave up. Part of me wanted to try again as soon as I got back, but I had a feeling that Alexius would be hiding from me in one of the many places in Erini.
I sighed, frustrated as I ran my hand through my hair, walking through the thick jungle of Xolun. It was a sharp change between the temperate climate if Erini and the tropical climate of Xolun. The air was thicker, hotter, heavier. Water vapors hung in the air as a light fog that twisted and turned through the woods as a sheet. Bugs chattered and chirped, joining the birds that flew through the canopy. The monkeys had returned, bouncing on branches and talking to each other. A few rodents shot through the bushes, hiding as I walked past, breathing hard as sweat rolled down from my temples, hair sticking to my cheeks.
I had reappeared to our abandoned camp to find that someone had destroyed the tent. It had been torn apart, ravaged. Without a doubt, it had to Lothos. It looked like his handy work and no one else wanted Alexius that bad. Well, I did, but in a different sense of the word. At least, I hoped so.
I shook that thought out of my head. No point in fretting about that now. I had to focus on the task at hand, which was going to be far more difficult than Alexius thought.
Zenliu was extremely overprotective of his sons apparently and would be both angry and heartbroken to know that his sons would only be safe in the one place he couldn't reach them. Erini was meant for cambions, and while it was fine for friends and family to visit, it wasn't an emergency shelter realm. In fact, the only reason Ana, Remi, and Nico can go in and out is because I'm giving them permission. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to find Erini.
Zenliu wouldn't even be able to go with his sons. Neither would Telulu, who would also be upset to know that her children would be leaving her.
This was definitely going to be hard.
I could check this down as possibly the greatest day of my life-- speaking this heavily with sarcasm, enough to drown the universe.
A voice shouted out to me and I instantly stopped, resting my hand on my sword holster until a figure stepped from the trees. It was one of Zenliu's men, wearing a tanned loincloth that was fringed in silver coins that jingled when he walked.
"Killian." He stated. I nodded. The man turned and brought a hand to his mouth, making a sound that resembled a bird's call. We waited in silence until there were footsteps and two more men stepped into the clearing, one being Keltzu. He looked surprised to see me.
"That was fast." He commented. I smiled lightly.
"Actually, I've come on an emergency. I need you to take me to your parents. Is Zen back at the village?" I asked. Keltzu nodded, flipping his spear around so the point was dug into the soil. He gestured with his head for me to follow and I obeyed. One of his men took up the rear, watching me wearily and the other two remained silent and stoic like a couple of robots.
"So what's this emergency about? Is Alexius all right?" He asked, walking beside me and glancing up at me. I nodded, glancing around through the trees. I could feel a strange chill creeping up my spine and I just hoped it came from the thick fog and not danger. I listened carefully for an extra heartbeat, but I only picked up on the four around me, blood rushing through their veins. The other three were definitely annoyed with my presence, but Keltzu seemed rather calm, though his heart did skip a beat when he mentioned Alexius, signalling his worry.
"Alexius is safe," I told him, watching him sigh in relief, "But you and Zen are not." Keltzu frowned, looking at me in alarm. His men tensed instantly, hearts jumping into overdrive, but I shook my head, waving my hand for them to relax.
"Not because of me. I mean that Alexius made a deal with Lothos concerning your freedom; it's how you escaped in the first place. He told Lothos that he would kill me in return for letting you guys escape as well as Lothos giving Alexius access to information about his father." I explained, watching Keltzu scowl at the news.
"Firstly, I had no idea that was why we escaped. I was suspicious at first, but I had to get Zen out of there, so I didn't ask any questions. Secondly, by father of Alexius... That would mean my uncle?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at the thought. I shrugged.
"Sort of. He never married Alexius' mother, Ivy. But in a way."
"So then... Alexius is my cousin."
"Yes."
"Why did my father not tell me of this?"
"Probably because he didn't want Alexius to know, but I think Alexius knows now. He just doesn't care. Why would he? Zenliu was never there for him, just like everyone else." I admitted, eyes scanning the trees as I heard the sounds of the village as we drew nearer. Keltzu looked away, surprisingly embarrassed.
"If we had known, we would have helped." He muttered. I smiled at that.
"I'll make sure Alexius knows then." I answered. Keltzu blushed at that, then cleared his throat as we entered the village where the fog cleared to reveal the petite huts. A few of the vendors waved upon seeing me while others whispered and scurried around to make way for Keltzu's grand entrance. We made it halfway to the two-story home of Telulu and Zenliu when both husband and wife came out. Telulu was wearing an emerald green gown made of nearly transparent silks and a scarf holding her dark hair back from her face, silver eyes staring at us in surprise. Zenliu, however, wasn't as silent and glared daggers at me.
"I told you never to return here." He ordered. Telulu sighed, covering her face with a hand at Zenliu's hostility, but I took no offense to it and merely gave a short nod.
"I apologize, Zenliu. I would not have come if it wasn't important. We need to act quickly. Your sons need to come to Erini as soon as possible." I informed. Zenliu glared at me, clenching his fists and ignoring Telulu's soft urges to calm down.
"And I told you that they are not going anywhere. They are safe here--"
"They aren't," I cut in sharply, watching Zenliu's face pinch at the interruption, "Alexius made a deal with Lothos that protected your sons, but the deal has been broken. Once Lothos finds out that Alexius isn't carrying through with their bargain, he'll come after Zen and Keltzu first, knowing he can't get to Alexius. If we can hide them in Erini, they'll be safe even from Lothos. Erini is a Greek realm, not an Ethos realm. His godly presence is not tolerated considering Greeks do not appreciate the Ethos pantheon."
"They're safe here," Zenliu insisted, narrowing his eyes at me, then saying something in his native tongue to Keltzu, gesturing him to come and stand beside him, before he turned his attention back to me, "I am not allowing you to take my sons to a realm I know nothing about. My sons have lived in the safety of our village for years--"
"Safety," Telulu echoed, making Zenliu wince and glare at her now, but she went on, holding her head up sternly, "We've been attacked multiple times. We are forced to move from realm to realm to avoid larger demons preying on us. Have you ever stopped to think that maybe it's our sons they want? It's dangerous for our children to be here, to be chased all over the universe. Zenliu, we're going to run out of places to hide. There are only so many realms in the world like the Amazon back in my realm." Zenliu ground his teeth together, clenching his fists tighter so that his knuckles turned white.
I could see the indecision and anger flaring in his eyes. He didn't trust me, nor did he trust Erini. His sons were precious to him. I saw the way he reacted when they returned to him from their captors.
"Papan." Keltzu spoke, touching his father's arm. Zenliu stiffened, but listened as Keltzu explained something to him. The tone of his voice was sincere, strong, but gentle. I had a feeling he was trying to convince his father as well. Telulu smiled at some point, tilting her head to gaze at her eldest son with pride. Zenliu grimaced, then flattened his palms against his thighs, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment.
"If you'd like," I offered quietly, "I can give you a day to stay in Erini to say goodbye to your sons."
"We'd be more than grateful for that." Telulu replied with a warm smile, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She turned to look at Zenliu expectantly before he sighed through clenched teeth. He cast me a glower. If looks could kill, I'd be hamburger meat.
"Everything was fine until you showed up... I demand to see my sons once the Ethos war is over." He commanded. I nodded quickly.
"Of course. You can visit them or they can visit you until another war begins, then the cambions need to return back to Erini." I explained. Zenliu still looked reluctant, but he had no choice as Telulu announced the plans in their native tongue to the people of their village. A few of them cried out in protest, but most of them seemed to understand and nodded, coming forward to hug Keltzu and shake his hand. I scanned the crowds, but Zen was nowhere in sight. I frowned, looking back at Zenliu, who was sulking with his arms folded tightly over his chest as Telulu stroked his arm, murmuring something in their language that only made Zenliu scowl.
"Excuse me, but where's Zen?" I asked. Zenliu blinked, dropping his arms to his sides as he looked up and around. Telulu frowned and called out to him, but there was no response. Telulu tilted her head, then turned to Zenliu.
"Did you let him go swimming?" She asked, confused. Zenliu shook his head, scanning the crowds.
"I don't like him leaving the village when there's this much fog. His eyes are bad enough. The last thing I need is him drowning... He might've snuck out, though." He muttered, though, he hardly looked concerned. It just gave him more time to stall us so he could think of an excuse not to let his sons come with me. I frowned, however.
It was dangerous. Lothos could still be out there in the woods, hunting Alexius. He'll happen upon Zen and probably try and use him to get back at Alexius for not being his personal marionette. And Zen was very young, hardly a teenager by incubus years. He wouldn't understand danger and from the looks of it, he didn't know how to fight at close range.
"We need to find him," I said, looking at Keltzu, who frowned, "Gather some of your men and let's go into the woods to find him. Once we do, we'll return here and you can grab whatever you'll need to take with you." Keltzu nodded, then made a few orders to the men around him, who gathered closer to listen before nodding. They went to fetch their spears and Keltzu turned his parents, saying something in their language. Telulu came forward to kiss him on the cheek before patting him on the shoulder. Zenliu said something that made Keltzu nod and hold his head a little higher. Zenliu turned to me, eyes sharp.
"Do not let anything happen to them, or so help me, I'll rip the flesh from your bone with my bare hands." He threatened icily. Telulu said something that sounded like a scold, but Zenliu ignored her and gave me a hard stare. I nodded.
"Of course. We'll return as soon as we can." I promised, then turned to Keltzu, who gestured for me to follow him and we headed back into the jungle, sending a couple birds into flight. We caught up with two of Keltzu's men, who informed us that Zen wasn't near the watering hole they used for bathing. Keltzu cursed under his breath, then ordered that we follow him further into the woods.
"I hate it when he does this," He told me honestly, eyes darting around to search the trees before lifting to scan the canopy where a couple monkeys caught sight of us and fled, shrieking in fright, "He's always sneaking off to cause trouble for me." I glanced at him, shrugging a little before looking away to search the bushes we passed. White flowers bloomed outwards, the petals decorated in an intricate purple pattern, drops of rain water sliding off them to puddles below where frogs sat perched on rocks, a lizard darting into the trees.
"He's a child. He's curious." I told him, but that didn't seem to be a good enough excuse for Keltzu because he snorted and shook his head, scanning the trees with narrowed eyes.
"And the last time he was out, he ran into you guys. If that Lothos is still here..." His voice trailed and he grimaced, shaking his head to keep the thought at bay. I understood and fell silent as we continued our search. Every so often, Keltzu would call out to Zen, but there was no response. I frowned, listening closely for the pitter-patter of Zen's heartbeat.
It felt as if we had searched for a good couple hours. The sky had darkened slightly and the air grew a bit chilly almost as the fog grew thicker, making visiblity damn near impossible. We paused to take a break, still scanning the trees. Keltzu's men sat to drink from a canteen while Keltzu called for Zen.
"Maybe he's back at the village by now." I offered, noticing Keltzu's worried expression. Keltzu nibbled his lower lip, ignoring the blood that his fang drew from his lip. He didn't answer, just searched. I started to speak again when a bloodcurdling scream rang out through the forest, echoing off the trees. An icy chill traveled down my spine as I stared at Keltzu, who paled. His men shot to their feet, scanning the trees. The scream faded into silence. Even the bugs had ceased their singing and the birds following the primates that fled to hide in the canopy.
Keltzu snapped out of his daze and bolted into the woods. His men shared quick looks before rushing in after him. I cursed, moving quickly to catch up to them. While my species was known for being quite fast, it seemed Keltzu and his people had polished their speed because it took everything I had to keep up with them as they shot through the trees like bullets.
Keltzu didn't even pay attention to us. He was pumping his arms at his sides, sweating and breathing hard as his eyes locked on the path ahead of him. He leapt over fallen trees and splashed into puddles, skidding through the dirt.
He stopped after a couple minutes, panting as he did a full circle, eyes flashing around to. His men also stopped to listen and catch their breathes. I searched the trees, listened carefully and caught an extra heartbeat, making me snap my head just in time to see Zen come racing through the trees and slamming right into Keltzu, who caught him by the arms. Zen started to fight him at first.
"No, no, no! No!" He shouted, then stopped when he realized it was Keltzu. He gasped and wrapped his arms around his brother tightly. Keltzu held him close, cradling his head to his chest as he stroked Zen's hair, murmuring something that made Zen whimper and hug him tighter. I frowned, glancing back at the trees, then at Zen, who refused to let go of Keltzu.
"Zen, what were you running from?" I asked, listening for any other heartbeats at the same time. Zen peeked at me past Keltzu's arms and dug his nails into his brother's back in fear as he shook his head quickly.
"Death. He chased me." He stammered, glancing back at the trees nervously. I cursed, turning to Keltzu, eyes narrowed.
"We need to get you two out of here immediately. It's not safe. It sounds like someone's already onto you, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say it was Lothos." I told him. Keltzu nodded and finally pried Zen off of him, but held his hand as he turned to his men and ordered them to take up the rear of our group. No sooner had the words escaped his lips did something shoot out of the trees and pierce right through one of the warriors' throat. The man choked on his own blood, reaching up to the barbed arrow that had slid right through one side of his neck and out the other. He fell to the ground, his partner taking a jolting step back.
"Shit," I barked, "We don't have anymore time! Run!" Keltzu clenched Zen's hand in his own, giving me a short nod before he took off running just as another arrow spun out and caught the other warrior in the back, causing him to yelp and fall to his knees, reaching behind him to rip it out. The hot smell of blood filled the air around me, suffocating me, but I forced myself to ignore it as another arrow shot towards me, but I ducked down quickly. The warrior who'd been pierced in the throat had ceased his writhing on the ground to pass out. The other one had shot to his feet and tried to grab him, but another arrow shot out and struck him straight through the skull.
There'd be no saving them now, I decided with a grimace as he slumped to the ground in death. I whipped around and took off through the jungle, ducking vines that hung down in curtains, pushing past leaves the size of tables out of my way. I moved quickly, hearing the heartbeats of the enemies that drew near behind me.
My boots pounded the dirt, splashed into puddles that sent cold water drenching up to my knees. I could hear the whistle of an arrow flying through the air and ducked, rolling through the dirt as the arrow flew over my head and struck a tree. I got to my feet again and whirled around, pressing my back to the tree, listening as footsteps drew near in an attempt to catch up to me.
A soldier came running out of the woods with a bow tightly gripped in his hand, another hand reaching behind him to his quiver. Before he could withdraw one, however, I swung my foot out and slammed it hard into his chest, sending him flying back into the dirt, his bow flying through the air. I whipped around, jerking the arrow from the tree before throwing it down into the soldier's chest, watching him cry out in pain and grasp at his chest. I winced, then whipped around and continued to run as I could hear more heartbeats speeding up, drawing nearer and nearer.
I raced through the jungle, trying to listen for Keltzu and Zen, but I couldn't hear them. I started to panick. Don't tell me they'd been captured. Not only would Zenliu and Telulu decapitate me and shrink my head to decorate their home with, but Alexius would only have more reason to hate me. Hell, I'd hate me if something happened to those two. It was a terrible flaw of mine to grow attached to people and those two cambions were those kinds of people.
I continued to run, even after I had ditched the soldiers behind me. I knew exactly how to get back to the village, but I didn't dare go back there if Lothos' men knew I was here. They'd follow me to their village and try to hurt those people.
I had no choice. I doubled back and went for the army's old camp site. I came up behind the destroyed tent, frowning as I scanned the area more closely this time. The barbed arrows the archers had used were sticking out of the ground and a couple trees. It looked like they had used the place to practice destroying the enemies. I reached out, lifting up a torn flap of the tent, only to reel back as Keltzu came charging out with his spear, only to pull up short, the tip of his spear touching my cheek. He scowled at me, jerking the spear away as I rubbed my cheek, watching Zen poke his head out from behind Keltzu, then come forward timidly.
"What're you two doing here?" I asked with a frown.
"We can't lead those bastards back to our village," Keltzu snorted, putting a hand on his hip and digging the end of his spear into the dirt, "They'd hurt our people. We came to hide here." I nodded, then glanced around, listening carefully. Keltzu did the same, his breath practically held until he sighed and put an arm around Zen, drawing him close into a protective hug. Zen didn't fight it and just cuddled up to him, mumbling something in their language. Keltzu listened, then looked up.
"He said he was out hunting when Lothos' men found him. They were trying to take him back, but he took off running. He said he tried to hide from them before, but they have a tracker with them who found him each time. We'll be found again if we stay here too long. We need to move out." He explained, making me nod in agreement.
"It'd be safe if we just teleported," I admitted, "But I still need to tell your parents."
"Why not teleport to village?" Zen asked, confused.
"There's a range limit to teleporting," I answered, leaning back against a tree and sliding down to sit for a moment, giving my trembling legs a break, "You can only teleport to different realms or countries. Your village is probably a good ways away, but not enough to require teleporting."
"That stupid." Zen huffed. I smiled, reaching up to slick my hair back from my face as I took my hair out of my ponytail, only to tie it back again more tightly.
"It was designed to keep us from being lazy." I told him, making him scrunch up his nose. Keltzu rolled his eyes, then searched the trees nervously before looking back at me.
"You wouldn't be able to teleport to our village anyway. My father has a barrier set up around the village so teleportation is useless." He sighed, frustrated. Zen pouted thoughtfully at that. Keltzu ruffled his hair, kissing him firmly on the forehead, making Zen purr at the attention. I cleared my throat, averting my eyes as I listened for any extra heartbeats, but it was just mine, Keltzu's, and Zen's.
"We may just have to teleport to Erini," I admitted bitterly, leaning forward to rest my arms across my knees, "I could send Nico and Remi back here to let your parents know, and then have them bring them with them. I just have this itching sensation that your dad's going to castrate me."
"Mmhm," Zen agreed, smiling at first until he realized that what I said was a bad thing and smiled sheepishly now, "If it make you feel better, papan probably is mad at me also. Told me to stay in the village, but was bored, so went to go hunt. I try to stay near where Keltzu was, but the boar went in other direction." Keltzu sighed at that, shaking his head and ruffling Zen's hair a little more roughly this time before slipping an arm around his neck to pretend to strangle him.
"You are not a hunter, Zen." He scolded, making Zen scrunch up his nose and tilt his head back to look up at Keltzu in offense.
"Keltzu hunter! I can be hunter too!" He protested. Keltzu rolled his eyes, but responded to his brother with a kiss on the nose before he looked up at me, letting go of Zen, who wiggled away and brushed his arms off, trying to regain whatever masculinity Keltzu had just stripped him of.
"We should go now," He advised, glancing around, "Just send your Nico and Remi to my parents."
"All right," I agreed, rising to my feet, "Just take my hand. I have enough juice to teleport us all without your help." Keltzu nodded, then took Zen's hand before taking my own. I closed my eyes tightly, blocking out the natural sounds of the forest around us before teleporting us to Erini. It was a relief to feel the salty ocean breeze on my face as we appeared on the edge of the cambion village.
"Uwah," Zen exclaimed in awe, letting go of Keltzu's hand to take a few steps forward, his blue eyes wide, "Is cold here! And there's a sea, Keltzu! Sea! I never seen a sea! Or huts like that!" I smiled a little, glancing at Keltzu, who seemed dumbfounded by the sight of the place. I felt a little guilty bringing them here without letting Zenliu and Telulu know, but I think they'd rather their sons be safe than being hunted down in the jungle like common animals. I took a step forward, gesturing to Keltzu and Zen.
"Come with me. We're going to Mallurak's house first. They don't have anymore room to let people stay, but I can probably talk Wulf into letting you guys bunk with him, or maybe Urk. For now, we'll talk to Mallurak and get you guys something else to wear." I added, glancing at their loinclothes. Zen scowled, confused.
"What else would we wear?" He asked. I smiled.
"You'll see. Follow me." I said and they obeyed. I approached Mallurak's petite two story cottage, smoke curling out of the chimney and into the sky like black snakes coiling together. I knocked on the door before giving the handle a twist, relieved to find it unlocked.
"It's Killian!" I called into the house, pausing for a second before Gracie came out of the kitchen, grinning from ear to ear as if she had just finished laughing before she caught sight of us. She paused, glancing Keltzu and Zen up and down before she sighed, wiping her hands on the apron over her sundress.
"Awesome. Wait until my sister calls. Oh, Leane, you'll never guess what happened to me this weekend. First Mallurak actually cleans the bathroom himself and then a cranky incubus bunks on my sofa, and then two painted Indian warriors showed up in my living room. And let's not forget the mud that the vampyre tracked onto my nice clean floors." She said in a mocking tone. Keltzu gave her a weird look, looking down at himself before looking up, his arms folded over his chest.
"We're South-American. Metzuli to be exact." He corrected her. Gracie held up her hands in defense.
"My mistake. South-American then. And what manner of demon are you? Cuz, last I checked, no humans have horns like that. At least, none that are visible." She added, pointing to her head.
"They're South-American incubi. They go by incubos. The singular is incubo." I responded, watching her nod slowly. She pinched her chin between her forefinger and thumb, scanning us up and down before shrugging. I smiled in relief at her approval, then paused as I caught a whiff of something heavenly wafting from the kitchen. Zen picked up on it too and sniffed at the air, none too shyly coming over, then stopping by the sofa to look at it oddly.
"What this?" He asked, poking at it. Gracie cocked her head.
"It's a sofa. Used for sitting and sleeping," She replied, then looked at me with an arched brow, "I take it he doesn't speak very good English." I smiled apologetically.
"He may look about eighteen to you, but he's actually quite young. Going by human years, he'd probably be about eight. In incubus years, he's well over a couple hundred years old." I explained, watching Gracie nod in understanding before she threw her hands up.
"Forget it. I'll never get used to this whole aging thing. I give up. He's a kid. Just tell me that and I'll be satisfied. Anyway," She went on, putting her hands on her hips, "We're just finishing with lunch right now."
"We?" I asked. Gracie smiled, folding her arms over her chest proudly.
"Yup. Alexius and I. I convinced him to help me make a roast. That's what smells so perfect. So you can get these two dressed in something... Well, I would say normal, but that's probably normal for them, so just get them some pants at least." She added, waving a hand at her face before disappearing into the kitchen.
"Pants?" Keltzu echoed, frowning at me. I nodded, gesturing for him to follow. He started to come after me until he noticed that Zen had wandered off to the book shelf and was pulling things out and putting them on the floor. Keltzu scowled, walking over and grabbing Zen a bit roughly by the elbow, pulling him away so he yelped.
"Wait, I was getting to the shiny things!" He protested, but Keltzu ignored him and dragged him along behind us as I led them up the stairs just in time to see Mallurak, who pulled up short and just stared for a second before blinking and averting his eyes.
"Oh, hell. I'll just open up a motel. Welcome to the Cambion Inn. Now serving meals, giving you sleeping space, and showers. Best part? It's all for free." He muttered sarcastically, making me shake my head. Keltzu scowled at him, folding his arms over his chest after he let go of Zen, who was admiring the photos on the walls.
"You're a sarcastic shit. I can tell we're gonna get along famously." He told Mallurak, who raised an eyebrow. I almost expected Mallurak to be offended, as the ahnz demon had put up with plenty of his own personal shit that he'd become quite bitter for a while there, only to have Gracie soften him up.... a bit. However, Mallurak smirked and dropped his arms to his sides before holding a hand out to Keltzu, who eyed it suspiciously.
"The name's Mallurak. Cambion of the ahnz." He introduced. Keltzu hesitated, then reluctantly shook Mallurak's hand, looking intrigued by the gesture of greeting as he looked up at Mallurak with interest.
"Keltzu. Cambion of the incubos." He replied. Mallurak nodded, then glanced behind us at Zen, who was reaching up to take a photograph off the wall until Keltzu whacked him in the back of the head, making him yelp.
"Sorry," Keltzu apologized to Mallurak, grabbing Zen by the shoulders and wheeling him around to face Mallurak, who scanned Zen up and down, "This is my little brother, Zen. He's... young."
"Very young," Mallurak agreed, then looked at Zen, "Hello. I'm Mallurak. It's nice to meet you, Zen." Zen blinked, then looked Mallurak from his toes all the way to the top of his head. He tilted his head from side to side to get a view of different angles before he decided that Mallurak was worthy enough and looked him right in the eye.
"Hi hi." He greeted. Mallurak actually cracked a smile at that, then looked up at me as I cleared my throat.
"Gracie told us to find them something a little more appropriate to wear. I was hoping you'd have something for them until I can fetch them some of their own stuff." I told him. Mallurak sighed, shrugging and putting his hands up in surrender.
"Sure, why not? I'm already letting everyone use my beds, my shower, my food. Use my clothes. Hell, use everything else while you're at it. You're the ones who pay for all of our stuff." He added, glancing at me. I smiled at that before we followed Mallurak down the hallway and into his bedroom. It was a lovely master bedroom with wood floors and neatly placed furniture. The room was painted with an oceany sort of feel to it. The walls were painted a navy blue with white borders that matched the aqua green bedding and dark wood furniture. The dresser was placed near a closet that was already open to reveal enough space to walk in and choose from the racks.
Mallurak went to the closet to look inside. Zen, being the curious thing he was, forgot all about the manners his brother was showing and went straight to the dresser to stare at the pictures with interest. Framed in silver and black, the photos depicated vacations, of the happy couple just posing for memories, photos of family, and one showed the palace Mallurak had lived in back in the ahnz realm.
"Ooh," Zen said at the photo of the palace, picking it up, only to have Keltzu snatch it from him and put it back, "What that? So big!"
"It's a palace," Keltzu told him, firmly, then grabbed his brother's hand before he could reach for something else, "Stop being so nosy. This is not our home and you must show respect. They are showing us kindness and it is only fair to return it." Zen pouted at that. Mallurak walked out of the closet, holding a couple pairs of pants and shirts and a sweatshirt, a smirk on his face.
"It's all right," He told Keltzu as he placed the clothes on the bed and went to a cupboard near a door that led to the bathroom, "Kids are always curious. I have several half-brothers, so I understand. So long as he doesn't break anything, he's all right." Keltzu hesitated, then reluctantly let go of Zen's hand. Zen went right back to poking around, admiring everything with a child-like awe that made it hard to believe that he was an incubus, a sexual demon that devoured lust and raw sexual energy. Of course, Zen had only ever had sex with Keltzu. Though incest was common, according to Nico, having a single partner was rare.
"You two can shower in my bathroom," Mallurak told them as he handed Keltzu a couple of plush green towels, "Once you're done, feel free to change in here. I'm going downstairs to make sure Gracie made enough lunch for everyone."
"Everyone?" Keltzu asked, frowning. Mallurak nodded, wiping his thumb across the corner of his mouth with a smirk.
"Oh yeah. You're about to meet the other cambions."