A/N: I am glad this is going to be a 3 part book. This is getting kind of long. xD And, I am still not done with it. Anyway, here is the chapter.
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"Orion," I warned, my voice becoming slightly lower as I tried to curb my anger. I took a deep breath and looked at my little sister. "Let go of his ear and go for a run a bit. Emmanuel-"
"Go with her, I know," Emmanuel said, interrupting me. He held his hands up in mock surrender before looking at Theodore and Clarissa. "You two might want to come with us. It's... going to get messy."
"Emmanuel," I warned, still keeping my eyes on Orion.
"I know, I know," Emmanuel said. "Leave before you get mad at me." He grinned and walked out followed by Tasha, Theodore, and Clarissa.
"Sit," I said, pointing at the chair at the front of the table.
Orion scowled and narrowed his eyes at me, causing me to bristle and growl out a barely audible warning. "I am a Prince. Y-"
"Orion, I am about to beat you black and blue," I said, interrupting him, "for yelling at Tasha and making her cry. The best thing for you to do is to just do what I say."
Orion narrowed his eyes at me but did what I said. He pulled the chair out and sat down with a loud huff.
"How much did you drink?" I asked, knowing full well that he had drunk something prior to today and probably more than he should have.
Orion stared at me with his mouth slightly open. He didn't seem to notice or care about the three other people in the room, his attention solely on me. "I have no idea what you are talking about," Orion said, blankly.
"Bull shit," I said, rolling my eyes. "I know that you had a couple, maybe even more than five."
Orion shook his head, stirring himself awake. "And why would you say that?" he asked.
"One, you reek of it," I replied, holding up one finger. I held up another. "Two, you are nodding off, and I think you are drooling a bit." I raised a third finger as he wiped his mouth. "And, four, you haven't said anything or acknowledged the other the others in the room, especially the man that is unfamiliar to you."
Orion, again, blinked slowly and looked around the room to notice others staring at him. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it as he turned his gaze back to me. "So?" he asked.
I shook my head and sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose. I knew that I wasn't going to get anything out of him, not until he was less drunk and hungover. "Grandma Tabitha, can you do me a favor?" I asked.
"Of course," Grandma Tabitha replied, nodding her head. "What do you want me to do?"
"Can you take him to his room, find all of the Drïdin and dump it out in the sink, and put him to sleep for a couple of hours until it has all left his system, so I can have an actual conversation with him?"
"Sure." She got up and went over to Orion who looked about to complain. "Don't, or else I will call your mother. I am sure that she is worried about you. Gods know how long you have been here."
"Only a day," he replied. "Just one day."
"How old am I?" I asked, knowing full well that he hadn't been there only one day.
Orion looked at me. "Seventeen," he replied. "Your birthday is in two weeks."
I shook my head. "No," I said. "I am eighteen. I have been eighteen for two days."
Again, Orion blinked and looked at the clock to see that his name wasn't on it. "Oh," he said, looking back at me. He moved a hand across his face, and I could tell that he knew I wasn't playing around. He knew that I wouldn't lie to him when I said that I was in fact eighteen and not seventeen like he thought I was. "I need sleep, ya, sleep is good."
"Come on, then," Grandma Tabitha said, helping him stand. "Let's get you to bed, so you can be in a better place than you are."
Orion nodded his head and let Grandma Tabitha start to lead me away. "Hey, Ky?" he asked, stopping and looking at me. He offered me a weak smile. "Thank you for not kicking my ass."
I leaned back in my seat and smiled. "No problem," I replied. "Get some rest because you and I are going to be training when you wake up."
Orion frowned but didn't say a word. He turned back around and walked back to his room with Grandma Tabitha.
I was worried, to be honest. I was worried as to what had happened because I had no idea what it was. I knew that it was something bad because it had caused him to forget to put the time and be numb.
I just hoped it was not what I was thinking. Orion didn't need to be rejected as well.
He didn't deserve it. He didn't deserve it at all.