Page 39 of Gratification in Gluttony

And how Jude laughed. When Toni hung up the phone after bidding Jude farewell, the human was still laughing.

Chapter eleven

All Around the Kitchen Island, the Elas Chased the Pyclon

The club seemed louderthan before, and the lights were so bright. Toni searched the dance floor, but he didn’t see any of his friends. Even Oliver and Libbi had disappeared, and he checked his phone to see if anyone had messaged him. But there was nothing.

It wouldn’t have been the first time that a group hang had ended with them each dispersing to hook up or head home, but he’d never been completely abandoned like this without any heads-up before. Worry gnawed at his gut as he fought his way back to the bar, searching for Rusty’s pink fur or Gem’s bright orange top.

“Toni!” Zef’s voice was barely audible amidst the cacophony of music and voices, but Toni somehow caught it. He whipped his head around in search of the Mantodea, and panic seized his chest when he heard them say, “Toni, I cannot find you, but Gem is hurt.”

“Zef?” Toni hollered, making the people around him flinch. “Zef, where the fuck are you?”

“Toni, can you hear me? I am waiting near the doors. It is of the greatest importance that you find me.”

Toni fought his way through the crowd until he spotted Zef’s white hair and fluttering wings. “Zef!” He waved his arms over his head and Zef copied him with four of theirs.

“Gem is ill,” they said.

Finally, Toni stumbled out from the mass of bodies and nearly rammed right into the Mantodea. He startled when Zef placed two hands on the front of his shoulders to steady him. Their touch was cool and soft and fleeting. The moment Toni had his balance, Zef pulled away.

“Come,” they said seriously before turning and barking, “Move!” to the people in their way.

Toni had never heard Zef speak so forcefully before, but it worked. Bodies parted, and Zef charged through, Toni right on their heels.

“What happened?” Toni demanded the moment they were outside.

“Rusty claims that Gemae’s drink was tampered with, but I did not see it. There was an altercation—”

Toni didn’t hear the rest. His vision bled red as a vicious snarl ripped its way up his throat. He was committing murder tonight, and no one would be the wiser. He knew people, after all. He could hide a body where it would never be found, and he wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep over it. Not if Gem was hurt.

He spotted Oliver, Willow, and Licorice first, and he shoved past them. “What the fuck happened? Where’s Gem?”

“Toni.” The sound of Gem’s broken voice erased the haze of murderous rage clouding Toni’s vision, and a wounded noise scraped his throat as he hauled Gem up and gathered him in his arms.

Gem sobbed, five arms coiling around Toni’s body until he was entirely trapped in his best friend’s desperate embrace. Tucking his face into Toni’s neck, Gem trembled and blubbered wordlessly. Rusty shifted beside them, head down, eyes locked on the one hand Gem wasn’t using to hold Toni. It was clenching Rusty’s hand, and Toni felt a spark of annoyance, though it faded quickly as he focused on Gem.

“It’s okay, Gemmy, I’m here now. I got you. What happened? Are you okay?”

“I wanna go home,” Gem whimpered. “Toni, I wanna go home.”

“Of course, baby. I’ll get you home. You don’t gotta worry, now. Toni’s here.” As he half-carried, half-dragged Gem out of the alley, he spared the Pyclon another irritated scowl. “I got him from here.”

“I’m going to Lust anyway,” Rusty said, following them thanks to Gem’s death grip on his hand. “I can get him home.”

“No,” Toni said sharply. “I have a place close by. Just a few tram stops from here. There’s no need to take him all the way to Lust when he can crash there.”

“He said he wants to go home,” Rusty insisted, surprising Toni with the pushback.

Sure, Rusty was a stubborn little punk, but he didn’t usually care about anything enough to stand up for it. In Toni’s humble opinion, this wasn’t exactly the time for the Pyclon to grow a backbone, so he sent him a warning growl as he led Gem toward the tram stop.

In response, Rusty’s tail puffed up, and he flashed canine. “You’re drunk, asshole. I’m not. Let me help!”

“I’m sorry,” Gem sniffled against Toni’s gills. “Don’t be mad.”

And just like that, Toni’s temper cooled by several degrees. “Hey, no one’s mad, baby. Everything’s okay. Just hold on to me. I got you.”

It took longer than Toni would have liked to get Gem back to the penthouse Toni’s father had bought for him, back before their falling out. He never used it, unsure if his father would use it against him somehow or try to call in favors. But Gem’s needs trumped Toni’s wariness.

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