Page 72 of Essa

"Your balls are hot, or this place is as hot as your balls?" I ask.

It's a strange expression. I don't remember his balls being particularly warm, but then again, I'm used to the hot. Maybe they're too warm for him.

"His balls are sticking to his legs because he went commando thinking he'd get to fuck you when this was all over," Seth tells me before taking another swig from his canteen. His eyes skate over my body, making it seem as though neither of my males is taking this mission as seriously as they should. "My junk is nice and snug in some boxer briefs, and I think I'll still be able to fuck you when this is all over."

I roll my eyes as I keep moving across the cracked earth. Leave it to my males to be thinking of fornication when we're this close to something we've been working on for months. I don't call attention to how it's their way of dealing with the complicated feelings being back at this place brings up.

"Why do either of you think I will want your sweaty balls anywhere near me?" I have to fight not to laugh at my own question, but I hear twin snorts from the men behind me, telling me they found it as humorous as I did.

An arm wraps around my waist, and then Seth's pressed up against my side, his tongue lashing across my neck as though he's eager to taste my sweat. Okay, his point has been made because I would enjoy licking the sweat off both of them. Not their ball sweat, though. They can keep that to themselves.

"This is a reminder that I'm helping you and not consenting to watching the three of you do whatever this is," Phial grumbles from behind us. I cringe internally at how many times he's heard the word balls in the last few minutes. My males distract me too easily.

"Don't watch then," Adam says, and I can see his smug smile in my mind without needing to turn to face him. Seth is still beside me, though I doubt he'll stay like that for long with how hot it is and how our body heat can't be making it any cooler for him.

"Don't watch," Phial mutters before getting louder. "I believe it was the three of you who asked for my assistance in this."

"And you assisted, so go invisible and sunbathe on a rock or something," Adam says with a chuckle. "Isn't that something lizards like to do?"

Seth shakes his head but doesn't join in on the conversation, and I'm not about to butt in unless the two of them start fighting with one another. We've grown accustomed to one another in the few months since Adam and Seth joined the crew. Even Adam, who used to be all snapping teeth and growling like some kind of untamable wild animal, has proven to be domesticated.

Sure, he still likes getting underneath Phial's scales, but that's something Phial enjoys doing to him as well. It's made living with them easier since they take out most of their annoying nature on one another instead of spreading it out amongst the rest of the crew.

"Essa, are you to let him talk to me this way?" Phial asks, his footsteps padding on the hard ground until he's standing at my side, forcibly pushing Seth away. I glare at him, but Seth shakes his head again as he laughs. "Tell your male I'm not a lizard."

Unfortunately for my scaled friend, the mother has not looked favorably on him today because a creature that's most definitely an Earth lizard sits on a rock close to where we're walking. I think for a moment that my males won't see it, but Adam notices it almost immediately, lunges for it, and has it in his hands before the poor creature can flee.

"You're telling me this doesn't look like you?" Adam asks, holding the lizard up so we can all see it. Although his coloring differs from Phial's, he has the same facial structure and double eyelids.

"I'm a fully grown male, and that isn't even big enough to be a Sytharian when they first hatch," Phial says, glaring at the Earth lizard like it's wronged him in some way by looking a little toosimilar to him. "He has too many fingers as well. How am I to think this is what you think I look like when you can't even count–"

Phial is cut off when blood spurts out of the creature.

"What the fuck?" Adam asks, holding the lizard away from his body so the creature doesn't do anything to him. "Where the fuck did that come from?"

"Did you hurt it?" I ask, trying to get close to the creature to comfort it or offer it aid if my male has done something to hurt it. When I get close, there's nothing wrong with it, but there's blood pooled in the corners of its eyes.

"Are you holding it too tightly?" I ask, scowling at Adam, who looks like he's as upset about maybe hurting the creature as I am at him maybe hurting the creature.

"I don't think so. One of Adam's kids had a bearded dragon. I know how to hold a lizard without hurting it."

"His child owned a dragon?" I ask, my eyes going wide with this new information. "I thought those were human myths."

"What?" Adam looks at me like I've grown a second set of horns, and now I'm even more confused.

"You said she owned a dragon," I tell him, my tone a little sharper than it needs to be.

We shouldn't be playing around with the lizard at all, considering the explosives Phial rigged to blow are on a timer, but I think we're probably far enough away at this point. At least, I hope we're far enough away.

"A bearded dragon," Adam laughs. "It was like the size of this guy, no wings, no fire breathing."

"Stupid name then if it wasn't even a dragon," Phial cuts in, his lips pulled down in a frown as he observes the creature in Adam's hands. "Should you let it go now? You've already made it bleed. Maybe it wishes to go to its home."

"I didn't make it bleed," Adam says, sounding a little unsure, like he thinks he somehow hurt the creature without meaning to.

"Just set it down. I don't think I can offer it any–" I stop speaking as more blood shoots from the creature's eye and lands on my shirt. I stand to my full height, taking measured steps away from the creature. "Is it attacking us with blood?"

"From it's eyes?" Phial asks, his tongue sticking out in disgust. "You compare me to that?" He points at the creature as he looks from Adam to the blood-shooting reptile. "Disgusting."

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