Page 20
After a lunch of fried food, and a quick refresh of blood for him, Kroven and I had enjoyed some alone time in bed. Granted, there was a lot more that I wanted to do with him in it other than exchanging blowjobs, but I was thankful to take what I could get. It was probably for the best, considering that we’d be dining with both Exo and Wallace Watson to discuss the blood centers being protested. Kroven had wanted as much time as possible to adjust his expectations of the evening, something I couldn’t blame him for. Something about Exo put Kroven on edge and I hoped that dinner would shed some light on why.
Hard as a tried, I couldn’t make sense of their complicated history. Did Exo have something to do with all the money Kroven said he had? And if so, how the hell had getting it made Kroven feel so guilty that he hesitated to share the ins and outs of it?
I’d also enjoyed the extra time to mentally prep myself for what I was going to say to them. I had absolutely no idea what they would ask of me, though Kroven was kind to think of some hypotheticals. Unfortunately they did nothing to ease the knot of nerves in my stomach. Only kisses and rolling around the bed playfully with Kroven had eased the worry, and I was soaking up every single moment I could with him before the dinner threatened to shatter it.
Opting to shower alone, I went through the thousand of scenarios that could play out over dinner. I just wanted to best represent myself and the perspective of one of the workers at the blood center to demonstrate just how dire it was that something be done for not just the humans working, but also the sangamar that relied on the blood centers.
Hope coursed through me as I eventually stepped out of the shower and started drying off. Wallace Watson was somehow affiliated in politics, as well as connected to the blood centers, and he needed to let whoever he needed to know that these situations at the blood centers were only getting worse and action had to take place for the betterment of all people.
Searching through my duffle that I’d set on the sink before showering, I opted for my lemon yellow button-up, seeking the extra courage wearing it always seemed to give me. I paired it with my light brown blazer and pants to match, loving how my chocolate banana ensemble was coming together.
I was putting on the brown Chelsea boots I’d brought with me when Kroven knocked on the door of the bathroom. “Come in.” Once granted entry, he took in my outfit and displayed a smirk on his face.
“Wow, you look very handsome.”
“Thanks.” I had given up on not blushing around Kroven and how his compliments performed the usual reaction to spiderweb across my face. He was wearing an all red outfit, go figure. Red button-up with a darker red pant that matched his own suit jacket. There was a splash of white in the form of his pocket square tucked away in the breast pocket of his jacket. “You look handsome as well.”
“I can’t wait to tear it off of you later.” He purred .
I stepped forward, stomping as I wagged my finger at him. “If I’m going to survive this dinner, you need to put a hold on that until we get back here, mister.”
“ Mister? ” He mimicked, contorting so he could politely kiss the tip of my still flared finger. “Is this a glimpse into a third Bas form? Have I had the distinct pleasure of finally meeting Bossy Bas?”
I wanted to point out that what I’d just declared wasn’t that different from what he’d proclaimed as Teasing Bas, but he swept me into an embrace as he started to kiss his way from my neck to collarbone.
“I’m really nervous.” I gulped, ending the parade of kisses on my skin as Kroven’s face hovered opposite me. “I’m not sure what to say to make sure they do something about the blood centers.”
“I know it’s a lot to think about,” Kroven nodded, soothing a hand down my arm. “But just speak on what you’ve witnessed and you’ll be fine. I have every faith that this meeting is happening because something will change. It has to. The sangamar deserve to be protected, as do humans like you for supporting them.”
“Do you know what Watson’s exact position is? Knowing a little bit more about him and Exo might make me feel a little less panicked.”
“I know Watson is one of the eleven representatives for Virginia.” Kroven explained, grateful that he was still rubbing my arm for added comfort that was doing wonders on padding my earlier panic. “He represents the district in Piper and a few surrounding areas, from what Exo has told me.” His head tilted, and he took back his arm at the mention of his friend. “Exo is…a much longer story that we don’t necessary have the time for.” I sighed, unable to hold it in and Kroven was quick to take notice even as I plastered a grin on. “I promise I’ll explain everything involving Exo after the dinner.” His face faltered, but he did fa cial acrobatics to cover it before I’d seen it. Too late. “You deserve to know the truth.”
That simple sentence continued to send pulses of concern from the center of my spine to the rest of my body the entire ride to the restaurant, like icy drips of arctic doom that was poised to attack my system. What truth could be so bad that Kroven had to talk himself into sharing it with me? There wasn’t anything he could have told me that would have changed my feelings for him. I was already in way too fucking deep. I’d never felt so connected to another being before. I’d only had a handful of serious boyfriends before, but every one of them paled in comparison to the happy jolts I got from being with Kroven.
The restaurant was nice, to put it mildly, and I was glad I’d opted to bring dressier clothes with me. Kroven had hinted that he had an idea that Exo would suggest this particular restaurant before we’d boarded his private plane and his intuition had paid off on all accounts.
After disclosing that we were there to join a party that was already in attendance at the host stand, a pretty blonde woman nodded along when Kroven gave her the name Exodus. There were many tables that had both humans and Orbs enjoying themselves. It also looked like a few human-Orb couples were on dates, something I wouldn’t dream of seeing in Piper.
She led us to a huge table in the back, Kroven quickly explaining that ‘Exodus’ was a name Exo commonly used when conducting business, even though it wasn’t his name. Apparently there was something about a joke involving how Exo could be short for Exodus, but I had stopped listening as we were presented our table and I gawked at the two men we were there to meet.
Wallace Watson was a fairly average human. Short and styled red hair paired with his darker red beard made him very attractive. His navy suit made him look more like a politician than the rest of him did, evident muscles daring to bulge against the confines of their polyblend prison. Watson wasn’t what stood out to me.
It was Exo. I knew I wouldn’t be able to withhold my jaw from dropping, because holy shit . Kroven and Exo might both be sangamar, but they couldn’t have looked more different. As someone who had tended to my fair share of sangamar thanks to the blood center, I thought they were all slender, pale, and of varying heights. Exo wasn’t any of that. The sheer size of his chest made him more likely to be related to The Hulk in species than Kroven. His skin, while still pale, was a shade or two darker than what I’d grown accustomed to. Kroven and I both standing shoulder to shoulder wouldn’t be long enough to match Exo’s own shoulder width, surprised that the suit he was wearing even covered everything.
I’d never seen a jacked sangamar before, never thought they could look like some type of Hulky version of a vampire. Admittedly, he was fairly attractive in his own way. But when I looked at Exo, I felt more fear than anything.
“Kroven, my boy.” Exo said, delicately teetering around the table and chairs to envelop Kroven in a wide hug. If I listened close enough, I could have sworn I heard Kroven’s back cracking. “So good to see you.”
“You too, Exo.” Kroven winced as he came out of the hug, clapping Exo on the back and chuckling as he regarded the only other human. “You must be Wallace Watson.”
Wallace extended his hand for Kroven to shake. “Nice to put a face to the name, Mr. Kroven.”
“Just Kroven, please.” They shook hands and Kroven gestured toward me. “This is Bas Grant. He works at one of the blood centers in Piper. I thought his insight would prove invaluable.”
“Absolutely,” Wallace said eagerly, dropping Kroven’s hand and firmly shaking mine. “Thank you so much for coming, Mr. Grant.”
“You can call me Bas.” Exo and Kroven took their seats opposite each other, and Wallace and I let go of each other hands so we could do the same. “Thank you for having me.”
“This is the fellow you mentioned, yes?” Exo said, taking a swift gulp of his water. Half of it was gone by the time he set the glass back on the table. Exo looked at me acutely. “You’ve witnessed the protests outside of the blood centers?”
Oh, so we were just getting straight to it, okay. I felt Kroven sneak a hand on my thigh underneath the table. I gave him a nod, appreciative of the soothing gesture before I regarded Exo.
“I have. Day by day, it’s getting worse. More people join the protestors everyday, and they get more agitated when there’s an Orb visible.” I dared a glance at Kroven, who just hung his head indifferently. “They were shouting awful things today when I stopped by the blood center I work at.”
“And you witnessed this as well, Kroven?” Wallace said, chiming in and looking disgusted at the prospect of hate I had waxed into the restaurant’s more casual atmosphere.
“Yes,” Kroven cleared his throat. “I opted to wait in the car while Bas informed the blood center of his absence.”
“What were the idiots shouting?”
Kroven turned away at Exo’s question and I could tell that the memory of their words hurt him deeply. Rage thrummed through me like an irritated guitar chord, needing to expel the sound welling within me for fear of breaking my string of morals.
“They were chanting Orb-omination .” I sighed. “Instead of the usual abomination.”
“So they’ve branded.” Wallace shook his head. “This is exactly what I was afraid of. Did they have signs with this moniker?”
“Yes.” Kroven and I spoke in unison, and I lightly laid my hand on top of his, the one still residing on my thigh. I traced a pattern along his pale knuckles, and he gave me a feeble smile that only hurt my heart more.
“Do you think this is enough to convince them that we need ORBIT?” Wallace gave Exo a stern gaze full of hopeful highways.
“What the hell is ORBIT.?” Kroven mirrored my confusion.
“That’s the silly little name Wallace has given to the hypothetical board of creatures he wants to assemble within the House of Representatives.” Exo scoffed, waving a hand in his comrade’s direction.
Wallace ignored him and addressed Kroven directly. “It stands for Other Realm Beings Integrity Trust. I want to assemble as many representatives for varying creature species that can bring issues concerning Orbs’ way of life directly to the lawmakers. Orbs deserve to have a voice in what happens to them,” Wallace was passionate in his words, and hope radiated like beams of positivity throughout my bones at how much he believed his decree. “They deserve to set the standard on how they’re treated in society. This world we inhabit isn’t just for humans anymore, and it’s about fucking time every person on the planet makes their peace with that.”
“Cheers to that.” I said, lifting the water that was already at the table and taking a quick sip.
“I fear we’re going to need more to convince them,” Exo finally said with a grunt. “I think we’re going to need irrefutable proof. Photo evidence, maybe even video evidence to convince them to let ORBIT exist.” Exo said the name of the creature committee like he hated how easily it rolled off the tongue.
“Sadly, I think you’re right.” Wallace exhaled sharply.
“So…you’re going to come to Piper?” Kroven shook his head. “I could have told you all of this over the phone if you were just going to need to fly into town anyway.” Agitation perfumed off his words, and I wasn’t the only one who noticed .
“I’m sorry if I wasted your precious time, Kroven.” Exo sighed. “I wanted to hear everything in person, as I’m sure Wallace did as well. You act as if you hate being here.”
“I don’t hate being here ,” Kroven stood up abruptly from the table, his chair rattling backwards off key. The nearby mix of humans and Orbs that adorned the restaurants were awarding us their attention. “You know exactly why I don’t like being within D.C.”
“Ahh, blaming me again? Can we finally move on from the past? I’m willing to if you are.”
“That depends. Are you ever going to apologize?”
“For saving your life? Never.”
“Fuck you, Exo!” Kroven slammed his fists on the table as he stared his friend down. “I’m done feeling obligated to whatever you ask of me. I’m done . Understand?”
Exo sighed, giving awkward smiles to the patrons of the restaurant that were still invested in the outburst our table had created. “I’m sorry for what I did to you, Kroven. Truly. It was wrong. I see that now, but I can’t take it back. Don’t turn your back on the rest of the sangamar because I was an idiot who acted rash that day.”
Wallace and I shared an uneasy glance, one that said ‘glad we’re humans and not involved in this’, but all I wanted to do in that moment was comfort Kroven. I’d never seen him so full of overflowing rage. I wanted to snuggle him into the mattress of the huge bed waiting for us back at the hotel.
Extending an olive branch in the form of his unfurled hand, Exo offered it to Kroven. “I’m sorry, Kroven.”
Several awkward beats transpired, but luckily for us all, the attention from the other people trying to enjoy their dinners was mostly gone. Kroven stared at Exo’s hand for a long time, long enough to really make Exo sweat. Or maybe he was really thinking about weighing the option of cutting Exo out of his life for good. A spiral of exhaustion proceeded Kroven as he grasped Exo’s hand and shook it once for finality.
“Fine.” He glanced at me and I instinctively stood up from my chair. “Come to Piper and see it for yourself, but kindly leave me out of it for once. My boyfriend and I are leaving.”
Wallace’s eyes bulged, but not as much as Exo’s did. “I’m sorry, your what ?”
“I won’t be clarifying further. You heard me.”
And then Kroven took my hand to leave. I mumbled a quick “Nice to meet you both!” before he was pulling me out of the restaurant. It wasn’t until we were outside, storming down the sidewalk that Kroven started to cry.
Not knowing what else to do, I pulled on my hand so he was forced to stop walking and he was whirled around to face me. I pulled him in for a loving embrace and felt his racked sobs pouring into my shoulder as he cried. I rubbed his back, swearing that everything would be okay and that I was here for him. He nodded once and then his cries filled my ears again, the night around us stilling as my handsome sangamar pulled the trigger on all the emotion he’d been harboring since we touched down in the city.