“No. Drink. Just drink, dammit.”
“Gonna miss … gonna miss you, Gem.” I’m fading, being pulled from my body. It feels like astral travel, but it’s not. This is gonna be permanent. I don’t know where fallen stars go when we die.
“No, you’re not, Orion.”Slap!A slender hand connects with my face, but even that feels like numb tingles. “You don’t get to leave me like this. Fuck you, Atlanta.”
“Don’t want to, Gem.” Pushing the words out is fucking laborious. I just wanna go back to sleep.
“He needs to drink?—”
“I know, Zhang. I’m trying, okay?”
“Try harder.”
Gem growls. He sounds like an angry kitten. “If you don’t drink this, I’ll have no choice but to go home. Father’s going to make me marry, and that marriage will need to be consummated. I bet my new husband will have a big fat?—”
The last vestiges of my strength roar through me. I sense the cup by feel rather than sight—my sight is shit right now, but the cup is pulsing with God power. The first sip burns like scalding hot water. I try to pull away, but a thick hand keeps the cup to my lips. All I know is that’s not Gem’s hand.
“Baby, please. I know it burns. Keep going.” That’s Gem’s voice, but he doesn’t need to coax me, I’m all in now.
Ignoring the burn, I drink until my veins swell, and my skin tightens. The heat spreads, but I don’t stop for air. I want to get as much of this in me as possible before I pass out. That’s what you do, drink until you’re knocked unconscious. I don’t even stop when I need to breathe so badly that my lungs burn too.
The thought of leaving Gem, of having to entrust him to someone else, is enough to push myself beyond the lava-hot pain. My throat must be burning away, has to be. Nothing can stand this heat and live to tell about it.
Slowly, the rotten scent assailing my senses drifts away, replaced by a much sweeter smell. Something uncorrupted. There’s a steady pounding in my chest, it’s my heart as it takes on the power it’s being forced to pump through me.
It hammers and hammers and hammers.
Then it stops.
My body folds like an accordion, and the sickening crack that my scarred skull makes as it meets the stone is the last thing I hear before I’m dragged into darkness.
CHAPTERTWELVE
Treyu
Ihave been summoned. It’s weird that Gemini doesn’t show to “escort” me, but all that bullshit was on non-existent orders he thought Zhang would implement. It’s not that I don’t think he’s right, but I’m all about loopholes. I take the opportunity to travel back myself.
I’m not looking forward to leaving my family, but I would rather return to the palace on my own terms. I make promises to return as soon as I can and head out at the last minute possible to make it in time for the palace curfew.
Being a prince already sucks a lot.
I take a road less traveled to give myself some “me” time before it all starts. I need to clear my head. Dad’s words haunt me. He made me talk, not even giving me the standard Orion week to stew because as he said, “I’m not allowing you to return to the palace with your head full of what I can see on your face.”
I’d tried to hide it. Guess I didn’t succeed.
He didn’t go gentle on me either, thus proving he’s the right man for a guy like Rigel Orion. All of us, for that matter. Orions are stubborn as fuck. We need people in our lives who won’t let us get wrapped up in our shit. His arms were crossed, and his expression was out for war. I was resting in my room, still sore, but able to move without cursing the Gods.
“Let’s hear it. What’s your plan?” That’s what he led his attack with.
I was unprepared, only able to stutter nonsense sounds. I gave up and glared at him—something that’s not done. We are a military house through and through. Just because Dad’s not an active member of Pleiadian security that doesn’t mean he doesn’t hold rank. And Father’s made it clear that his is always above mine.
“No, you don’t. I’m not above tallying your belligerent behavior for punishment later.”
I sat up straight and pulled up my metaphorical socks. “I’m sorry, Dad, but I can’t think about it let alone figure out what I’m going to do next. It’s too painful.”
“I know, but if you close off your heart, existence will crush you.”
It already did once. The heart is important to star energy. A broken heart can make you fall. Mine was born broken. I let what I did to my mother eat at me until it was too late.
