by Lina Langley
Until We’re Home
M/M Gay Romance
Lina Langley
© 2017
Lina Langley
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means whatsoever without express written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This book is intended for adults only. It contains explicit sexual scenes and is not suitable for children.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover Artist: Elliot Cooper
http://www.elliotcooperwrites.com
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UNTIL WE’RE HOME
Blurb
Taln has always had issues following the rules in his strict realm. When he gets banished from Minburry Citadel, he believes that it is a death sentence. Instead, he gets sent to Earth.
Taln is confused by Earth. He’s overwhelmed by what he believes to be the magic used to handle the new civilization surrounding him. He would be utterly lost if it wasn’t for Jesse, a stranger who takes him in after he finds Taln on the street.
Taln has no reason to trust Jesse, but he doesn’t see any other way out of the trouble he’s in—and when Jesse shows him things about himself that he would have never imagined, Taln starts to believe that he’s there for a reason. As far as Taln is concerned, everything is perfect on Earth. He doesn’t even mind having to defend Jesse from his abusive and overbearing ex-boyfriend, who seems to show up at his door every other day. His punishment, however, isn’t simply exile—it’s much worse than. Soon, Taln has to decide whether he can stay on Earth with the man that took him in or if he has to go back and save the family that he left behind from the person that exiled him and is out to get the rest of his clan.
Jesse never expects to find a gorgeous man in the middle of the street when he takes out the trash. He seems hurt and Jesse is studying to be a nurse, so he takes him into his apartment just to help him heal. He doesn’t think that it will turn into anything, but after a one-night stand with the beautiful stranger, Jesse starts to realize that he might not just be a performance artist. There might be something seriously wrong with him.
It doesn’t matter how much Jesse wants a repeat of the first night, he knows that getting Taln help is the most important thing. But when Taln’s past starts to unravel in front of Jesse’s eyes and Taln has to make a decision that could change both of their lives forever, Jesse has to choose: can he let go of the best thing that ever happened to him? And if he can’t, can he learn to live with himself?
This story is approximately 57,000 words in length and contains adult language & erotic adult scenes. It is intended for mature audiences. Content warning for domestic violence perpetuated by an ex-partner. This story also contains dubcon.
PART ONE – Taln
CHAPTER ONE
“Taln Lahtinen.”
Taln looked up at the tribunal of councilmen. He had turned eighteen just a day ago. If he had been anyone else, they would be assigning him with a work task, a career, something to do for the rest of his life. Instead, he was getting punished. He had argued his case as eloquently as he could, but the council didn't want to hear it. The town would do whatever it took to get rid of the rest of the Lahtinen clan. Once his sister turned eighteen, she would suffer a similar fate. For now, she could live comfortably inside the walls of the Minburry Citadel.
“You have been found guilty,” head councilman Kirmani said from the podium. The Conjurer, sat next to him, then back at Taln. “And you will be punished in accordance to the law.”
Taln twisted his lips. He didn't expect to be punished any other way. He had seen this display a million times. He had memorized this speech, and he knew that the people that were staring at him from outside the half-wall also knew it by heart. Council meetings were always held in public, though Taln didn’t know why. He had never thought to ask. He had to resist the urge to mouth the next words before Kirmani spoke them. “Do you have any objections?”
For a second, he wondered what would happen if he did object. If he objected, he may have been able to stay, look after his sister. But objecting probably wouldn’t work and he didn’t feel like begging. He had never seen anyone do it and now he never would. It was probably better not to make his fate worse than it had to be.
“I have no objections, councilman Kirmani,” Taln replied.
Kirmani nodded. “Very well, Taln Lahtinen. The court will now decide your fate.”
Taln looked at his hands and waited. he was supposed to be watching them, fear visible in his eyes. He just didn't have it in him. That had always been their problem with him, insolence and a tired indifference that made them very worried.
He had never fit in at Minburry. The first time he tried to run away was right after they assigned him a wife, when he was sixteen. She was nice enough—it wasn’t her he had a problem with. It was them, telling him how he was meant to live. When they had tried to make him teach the rest of the Minburry children fencing, he had simply let them do whatever they wanted. It didn't matter how big the punishment was. He found their rules boring and difficult to understand. Taln didn't consider himself an unreasonable person. When his parents had sat him down and explained why rules existed, he had no problem following them. But the council had never actually addressed him unless it had to do with punishment.
His crime had been burning their letters. Well, the crime he was being punished for. In actuality, there were a litany of crimes that the council had decided not to bring up.
He found them difficult to look at, especially after they had banished his father to Asox. He would never hear from him again. Taln strongly suspected his father had died a horrific death when trying to sail across the ocean. Magic couldn't control the elements well enough to steer off certain death but the Minburry Citadel council would never dirty their hands with blood.
A man was not supposed to burn letters from the council. It showed a supreme lack of respect, he had been told, for their rules and regulations. It showed that despite their best efforts, Taln Lahtinen could never be part of their society. They were very sorry indeed, but they had tried.
They were talking for a while, but Taln wasn't listening. He was looking at the dirt under his nails.
“Do you understand your punishment, Taln Lahtinen?”
He looked up at Kirmani. His eyes were a light shade of yellow. He wasn't to look into the elder’s eyes. What could they do? Try him and punish him again? They were going to enforce their nonsensical rules, but he wasn’t going to make it easy for them.
He smiled at the councilman. “Could you repeat it, please?”
Kirmani looked back at him, his eyes narrowing. Taln didn't understand why he was angry. It wasn't like he hadn't already won.
“You're banished from Minburry Citadel,” Kirmani replied. “You will be sent to a different realm.”
Taln didn't say anything. That was what he had expected. He also didn't expect to survive the trip to whichever different realm he was being sent.
�
�The Conjurer has decided that you will be sent to a realm called Earth.”
He had never heard of that realm before. If it was anything like the rest of the realms his people were banished to, it was sure to desolate and impossible to get out of.
“You will arrive there via magic,” Kirmani continued. “The Conjurer hopes that being in this realm will allow you to see why our society must function the way it does. She hopes that one day you may be able to return.”
Taln's ears perked up. That was new. He had never heard of anyone being offered the chance to return. Maybe Salisei would be okay until he found a way to come back. If he found a way to come back.
“I can come back?”
Kirmani sighed, but it was The Conjurer who spoke. “You may return, once you have learned your lesson. Isocrice will take you to your destination. Do you wish to say anything else?”
“I’m fine,” he said, looking right at her and smiling.
The Conjurer’s eyes narrowed. “Your father would be proud.”
Taln’s smiled widened. They looked at each other for what seemed like minutes, but couldn’t have been more than a few seconds.
Kirmani broke the silence. “Do you understand your punishment?”
Taln sighed. “Yes, Councilman Kirmani.”
“Isocrice, take him away.”
He noticed that Kirmani wasn't saying his name anymore. That was the first thing that happened once someone was punished. They were able to keep their last name, since it indicated which clan they came from. Their first name, the one the council had given them when they had been born or had arrived in Minburry, no longer belonged to them. It was against the rules to use the name once a person had been banished from town.
As Taln was led away from the council, his hands in invisible shackles stuck to his sides, he resolved to use his own name until the day he died.
* * *
Taln had only ever seen Isocrice's dwelling from the outside. Unlike most of the people in Minburry, she lived independently, at the very edge of town.
It was small and unassuming, much like its owner. Anyone who had seen Isocrice would never assume that she was one of the most powerful people in the realm.
“Come in,” she said when she saw him standing at the door. Taln nodded and stepped through the portal. A bed and a small trunk pushed up against the wall. Isocrice leaned over some stones, rubbing her hands together. The rocks vibrated before they created a spark. Blue and black flames unlike anything he'd ever seen grew within the hearth She walked over to where he was standing. She moved her long, slender fingers slightly, lifting up his shirt without touching him. The burning sensation on his chest made him wince, but it didn’t last long.
He looked down. A black mark marred his skin—a small triangle with a curved side and a small line next to it.
“What is that?”
“You need it”
Taln shook his head. “What for?”
“To understand. You must step on the stones,” Isocrice said, her voice soft.
“Understand what? I'll burn my feet,” Taln protested. “Isn't banishment enough?”
“You must step on the stones,” Isocrice repeated, not looking at him.
Taln sighed and moved towards the fire. To his surprise. it wasn't particularly warm. Strange, flickering images danced within the flames.
“You must stay very still,” Isocrice said. “You will feel the need to move. If you move in transit, you could expire.”
Taln nodded.
“And you must be careful once you're there,” she said. “Earth is a dangerous realm. I fear the Conjurer may have made a mistake...”
Taln watched her. It was a crime to speak against any of the Conjurer's judgments. Isocrice quieted down quickly.
“What about my sister?”
She looked at him. “This is what you chose.”
He nodded again, though he wanted to argue with her. It wasn’t that he had chosen to leave his sister, it was that he had no other choice. He was being punished because he refused to do things he didn’t understand. And he wasn’t going to plead for an opportunity that wasn’t likely to materialize.
Salisei could probably look after herself. Just like he could.
“Good luck, child,” she said.
He nodded again and took a step towards the fire. He hesitated before putting one foot over the fire and then the other one. The reaction was almost instantaneous: he felt as if he had stepped off a ledge that would lead to his certain death. He wanted to fight it. Instead, he put his arms by his sides and braced himself for an impact that never seemed to come.
Taln never imagined that a long fall would allow him to think so much.
It felt eternal. He thought about his sister, whom he hadn't said goodbye to. He thought of his friends, Asa and Kold, not knowing where he went. They were the only thing he could feel a twinge of regret about.
He stopped being able to think as he came to a sudden stop. Pain shot up through his legs and onto his extremities, to the tips of his fingers and onto his teeth. He tried to swear under his breath but was unable to. His mouth hurt too much.
He had landed on a gray surface near several tall green containers. He stumbled backwards onto the floor.
“Yo! Are you okay?”
He turned to his right. He expected to be banished to a realm with creatures, not other people. He found the way the person spoke odd, but he was surprised he was able to understand them without much effort.
“Dude,” the man said again. “Jesus. A fall like that had to hurt. Did you jump from that building up there? Do you need an ambulance?”
Taln stared at the man, finding it surprisingly easy to focus on him instead of the overwhelming amount of noise around him. He looked to be a little older than him, maybe twenty-one. He was tall and slim. He wondered if all the beings in this realm were this pleasant looking for a second before he shook his head.
“Can you talk?”
“Yes.” Taln climbed to his feet and inspected his palms which were covered in fresh scratches. He tried to conjure up some magic to heal himself, frowning as he did so, but nothing happened.
The man took a step towards him. He was standing very close. “Are you sure you don't need me to call an ambulance?”
The stranger hadn't left his side. Taln continued to look at his hands. “What's an ambulance? Will it take care of these scratches? They burn.”
The man made a noise that Taln wasn't sure he had ever heard before. It came from the back of his throat and was accompanied by a huge smile. His eyes closed when he did so. It wasn't an unpleasant sound; it was just strange.
“If all you have are hand scratches, consider yourself lucky,” the man replied. “You don't need an ambulance for that. Are you sure you didn't hit your head?”
He touched his head with his hands, which made them hurt. “Fairly so.”
The man licked his teeth and looked at some sort of device he had wrapped around his wrist. His fingernails were painted white. “Look,” the stranger said. “If you promise not to murder me, I can take a look at those scratches for you. Like, in my house. I'll have to go in a little while, though.”
Taln looked at him, not saying anything. The stranger smiled at him.
“So do you promise?”
“I’ve never exterminated anyone. It is not my trade,” Taln replied.
“Alright,” the man said. “A performance artist. Cool. Come on.” He took a few steps into the alleyway before turning right and taking a jingly device out of his pocket. He put the metal device into a wooden portal and pushed it open.
“You're lucky I was taking out the garbage,” the stranger said. “Otherwise I wouldn't have spotted you at all.”
Taln craned his neck, taking in the stranger's dwelling. From the outside, it looked small, unassuming. Inside, it was full of furnishing and doors to other rooms. The man must be some sort of royalty in this realm, Taln decided. How lucky to have fallen in with such a person.
“Thank you for your kindness,” Taln said as he looked at the odd devices in one nook of the room.
The man looked at him for a second and frowned. “Yeah, no problem. You look a little... lost. I wouldn't want to leave you alone out here. What's your name?”
“It's—” He could almost remember his name. He remembered the way his mouth moved when he said it, but it was just out of reach, the sounds too difficult to actually pronounce. He felt his heart quicken as he thought about his promise to himself. “It's...”
“Alright,” the man said. “Whatever. I'm Jesse.”
“Jesse,” Taln repeated, trying to focus on something other than his anger at himself. “I've never heard that name before.”
Jesse looked at him for a second, frowning. Taln had never seen anyone quite like him before. He had very short brown hair and wide, round brown eyes. “Give me a second.”
Taln didn't understand what he meant. He had found that to be the case with most of the things he had said so far, so he simply nodded his assent. The man's abode didn't feel threatening, though he did find it foreign, and there was an odd plant smell that seemed to permeate the walls and the furniture. Plus, he was kind. He did take longer than a second. When he came out of the room, he was holding a little red box in his hands.
“Show me your hands,” Jesse said.
He extended them, worried for a second that the invisible shackles were still on him. He was surprised when nothing stopped him.
“This is going to sting. Just try not to move, okay?”
He nodded as Jesse started to get contraptions out of the little red box. Jesse grabbed his hand with his thumb and index finger. As he had been instructed, he tried not to move, but everything in his body screamed out against it. Touching was forbidden in his realm. It was the one rule he had never dared break.
Jesse's fingertips sent a shiver down his spine, something Taln had never felt before. His heart raced. He wondered if he was sick. Maybe the fall had affected him after all and he was set to expire.