“Well, I will say this for you, my prince,” Quintus remarked as they emerged from the surf, “you do inspire passion in those around you.”

Tiberius briskly shook his head, scattering droplets from his shaggy, dark hair. “I thought he was bluffing.”

“Clearly not.”

“Clearly.” Tiberius paused as the water receded behind them. He looked down and wiggled his toes in the grainy, moist sand. Granules caught in the thin webbing between the digits, only to be washed away with the next wave of salty water. “What is this place?”

His companion looked skyward, squinting slightly as he contemplated the night sky. “From the alignment and placement of the celestial bodies, I presume we have been exiled to Earth.”

“Earth,” Tiberius repeated, drawing upon his years of formal education. Intergalactic studies were a requirement for all Aequorians, especially those in the royal house. From what he recalled, Earth was a relatively small planet located on Orion’s arm within the Milky Way. Comprised of both water and land masses, it was inhabited by a multitude of species. That was all he could remember, however, and at that moment, wished he had paid more attention to his lessons. He’d had no idea they would become so relevant to his personal situation.

Placing his hands on his hips, he looked around. The nearly full moon reflected on the waves, providing enough light for his acute vision to take in their surroundings. They appeared to be along some sort of shoreline. Not far away, the flames of a fire crackled and curled up into the darkness, the sound of music and laughter mixing in with the soft, comforting crash of the waves.

Physically, the place seemed hospitable enough. The air and water were pleasant enough and, while they held more pollution than he was accustomed to, could sustain their Aequorian biological systems.

“I feel ... heavier.”

“A combination of the planet’s gravitational pull and the differing density of localized air pockets,” Quintus guessed. “I suppose we shall adapt accordingly. At least the high priest was kind enough to teleport us somewhere with air and water, as opposed to, say, the sulfur mines of Xenos7.”

Tiberius heard the resignation in Quintus’s voice and turned to look at his friend. Not for the first time in their long journey, he wondered what had possessed his friend to jump into the portal with him.

“You did not have to accompany me, Quintus. The punishment was solely mine to bear.”

Quintus chuckled softly and smiled. “With all due respect, Tiberius, you would not make it to the next dawn without me to guide you.”

“It is good to know I inspire such confidence.” Tiberius smiled back, accepting the gentle jibe.

Quintus was the only one who dared speak to him that way, which was one of the many reasons Tiberius had such great respect for him. In truth, he was glad he did not have to face this new challenge alone, though he did bear the weight of Quintus’s decision on his shoulders. No doubt Quintus sensed that and sought to console him in his own irreverent way.

One born of elite lineage and one from humbler means, they were equally matched in most things. Admittedly, Quintus possessed a cunning and skepticism that could not be learned within the palace walls. Survival in this strange new place would be far easier with his flippant friend by his side. Tiberius would not insult him by saying so, however. Quintus had willingly given up everything to follow him into exile, and for that, he would be forever grateful.

“Holy shit, Sugar! You seein’ what I’m seein’?”

Both he and Quintus turned toward the voice to find two females peering at them in wide-eyed wonder from about twenty paces down the beach. One had inky hair the color of night; the other that of a fiery sunrise.

“Praise Jesus, my prayers have been answered!” That came from the fiery one.

“You prayed for two smoking hot naked men to come out of the water?”

“Maybe.”

“Damn. You’re the shit, girl.”

The flame-haired female stepped closer, raking her gaze up and down their forms. “Hey, handsomes, you wanna party with Sugar and Spice?”

Tiberius quickly analyzed the females, concluding they were of no threat. He did notice, however, that they were scantily clad, while he and Quintus were quite naked. Yet another of the high priest’s little jokes at their expense, no doubt.

Tiberius was about to decline when Quintus stopped him with a slight touch on the arm. “We are in a strange place with unknown customs for the foreseeable future. These women could be useful in helping us assimilate,” he said quietly.

As usual, Quintus was correct.

Tiberius offered a charming, princely smile. “A most generous offer, and one we gratefully accept.”

“Well, all right,” drawled the midnight-haired one. “I’m Sugar, sugar. This here’s my girl, Spice.” Her gaze dropped to their manhoods, her lips curving upward. “Don’t you worry now; we’ll take good care of you.”

The flare of lust in the women’s eyes was not lost on him. Nor, he gathered, on Quintus. Despite that, while he was a healthy male and quite confident in his abilities, Tiberius preferred to learn more about the culture before employing his phallus for any diplomatic efforts.

They followed the females to a section of the beach where a fire blazed. Others had gathered there. Some reclined on the sand; others sat crossed-legged and held sticks near the flames. Several looked up in mild interest as they approached.

He felt Quintus tense beside him when one man waved a long, thin stick over the flames. He relaxed moments later when the male removed the blunt and slightly charred white tip and stuffed it into his mouth.

“Yo, dude. Sick tats, man.”

The one who spoke was male and human, like the others, with unkempt hair and a noticeable glaze to his eyes. Not a threat. He was staring in dazed fascination at the gray stripes on Tiberius’s skin.

“Sick?”

“Sick as fuck, dude. You must really be into tigers. Or sharks. Or tiger sharks.”

From the male’s expression and the agreeable nods of the others around him, Tiberius took the odd words to be an approval of sorts. He made a mental note of that. Understanding the language was imperative to mastering any civilization.

The gaze of the man sitting next to him dropped downward and widened. “Shit, dude. Put the monster away, yeah? You’re making the rest of us look bad.”

Beside him, Quintus smirked. Tiberius suspected his friend’s thoughts ran in a similar vein to his own. Humans, while similar in general anatomy, were smaller and weaker than their kind. Judging by the vexed, somewhat envious expression on the male’s features, that distinction encompassed phalli, as well.

“Alas, we find ourselves without proper vestments.”

Several of them blinked, then one’s eyes cleared in understanding.

“Someone stole your duds? That’s harsh, man. Hang on. I hit the jackpot at the Goodwill; got some spare threads in my van for when I wake up naked and lost, too.” He winked. “I can hook you up. Follow me.” The male rose somewhat unsteadily, handing his primitive cooking stick to another. He then turned and walked farther away from the ocean, swaying slightly as he went.

Tiberius and Quintus followed warily. The natives seemed friendly enough, but until they could properly assess the situation, it was best to remain cautious and alert.

“Name’s Jay, by the way,” the man said as they came to a somewhat dilapidated vehicle, one of six in the mostly empty parking area. Two of the vehicles were rocking steadily with steamed-up windows and soft moans emanating from within.

Jay slid open the door and leaned inside. He rummaged around briefly then held out assorted garments to each of them. “Not ideal, but they’ll get the job done.”

“You are most kind.”

They accepted the clothing and began to dress in trousers cut off at the knees and brightly colored shirts with odd graphics. Questionably fashionable yet surprisingly comfortable, the garments did seem to be similar to what the other males were wearing. Like understanding the linguistics, blending in with the natives was crucial, at least until they got their bearings.

“What did you say your names were?” Jay asked.

Tiberius leaned forward in a slight bow. “I am Tiberius, and this is Quintus.”

“Sick names, man. You’re not from around here, are you?”

“No.”

“Thought so. Sucks you got mugged on your first day.”

Tiberius and Quintus exchanged a glance. “Mugged?”

“Yeah, dude. Someone steals all your shit and dumps you in the ocean, that’s some seriously bad welcome mojo right there. But whatcha gonna do? Haters gonna hate, and Golden Beach got a lot of haters. You guys got a place to stay?”

“No.”

“No worries. You can crash with us till you get on your feet.”

“Thank you. You are most kind.”

Jay shrugged and looked away as if embarrassed. “Hey, we’ve all been there, man. Just paying it forward, you know?”

Loud, angry shouts carried up from the beach, interrupting anything more Jay might have said.

“Ah, shit, that’s not good,” he said, hurriedly closing the door then sprinting back toward the shore.

Sensing danger, Tiberius and Quintus followed.

A large, muscular male held Spice’s jaw in his grip, yelling only inches from her face, “I ain’t paying you to party with a bunch of deadbeat stoners.” He punctuated the statement with a powerful shove that pushed her backward into the sand.

Sugar lunged forward to help her and was met with a hard backhand across the face, sending her sprawling, as well.

Enraged by the much larger male’s treatment of the females, Tiberius and Quintus advanced until they were within arm’s reach.

“Bitches better learn your place,” the large male said, then turned to look at Tiberius and Quintus with a scowl. “What the fuck are you looking at? Don’t think you’re getting any for free—”

Tiberius wrapped his large hand around the man’s neck, cutting off his words as he lifted him several inches above the ground. “That is not an acceptable way to treat a female,” he said simply before tossing him away. “I suggest you learn some respect.”

Those around the fire goggled and gaped.

“Big mistake, motherfucker,” the man rasped, stumbling to his feet. “You’re fucking dead, you hear me?”

Tiberius cocked his head. “Are you threatening me?”

“You fucking deaf, man?” The man whipped out a blade and charged. “I’ll fucking gut you! Nobody messes with Marcel’s livelihood!”

Tiberius executed a smooth, graceful step-and-turn, avoiding injury. Grabbing the attacker’s wrist, he applied slight pressure, crushing the bones and forcing the man to drop his weapon in the process.

Quintus was there a moment later, following up with a swift jab to the throat, effectively ending the irritating, high-pitched howls of pain.

“He cries like a girlchild,” Quintus noted calmly, looking down at the now-prone figure.

“Verily,” agreed Tiberius.

“Dude! That was badass!”

“You totally kicked Marcel’s ass, man!”

“Holy fuck. Is he dead?”

All eyes turned to the man in the sand. His eyes staring unseeingly heavenward, the expanse between his head and torso noticeably flatter than it had been only moments earlier.

Tiberius exhaled. On Earth for less than one segment of the sundial and they had already killed a native! This exile was not starting off well.

Without preamble, Quintus reached down and hefted the expired human over a broad shoulder. They exchanged a glance, and Tiberius granted his permission with a slight nod. Disposing of the evidence was the wisest course of action, followed by a swift departure.

So much for discreet assimilation.

He turned, ready to walk back into the sea and locate the portal. Surely, the oceans of Earth were vast enough to support more than one entry/exit point. Before he could take a step, though, he was stopped by a light touch upon his arm.

“Thank you.”

Tiberius looked down to see Sugar looking up at him, not with fear or anger, but with something else.

“Ain’t nobody ever stood up for us like that before. Especially not against Marcel.”

Spice appeared on the other side of Quintus, looking equally awed. “Yeah. I guess we belong to you now.”

Belong to him? The words rang through him as he inclined his head to the two women. If they wanted to belong to him, that was fine. Tiberius always took care of what was his.

Mere moments on this strange new planet and his life had already changed so much. He couldn’t help wondering what would happen next.