The Opelux and Other Monsters || Book One

CHAPTER 65 - ORION

As we exited the bathroom, the scene in front of me stopped me in my tracks.

Gauwin, Aeryn, and Vialla stood with their charges in the middle of the Infirmary.

It was confusing. Though, I supposed it was no different than how Rilyin was with Tritteon. The royals could have been their parents. There were tears from the two women. Prince Sorrell was slightly more reserved—but only slightly. He held Gauwin close and kissed the top of her head, his eyes shut tight like he couldn't believe she was actually there.

"I cannot believe you did this," Tritteon whispered, so close I could feel his head at my back. "If I was not standing right here, seeing it for myself, I would not believe it."

"It's like they are their children," I said, unable to shake my confusion.

"What were you expecting?"

I frowned. "Not this. They truly love them."

"Their Highness' are decent human beings. True, there are times you will come across the occasional lowlife who mistreats anything beneath them. But that is not them."

Aeryn stooped into Princess Aundran's tight embrace, angling his neck just enough that I spotted the blackened lines identical to Tritteon's just below his hairline—two intertwined, black circles, a four-pointed star inside the left one, two small circles on the outside of the right.

I threw a shield around Tritteon and I. "What does it mean?"

"What?"

"The brand. He has the same one you do."

"The star represents the highest recommendation for Guardianship, the circles represent sponsorship, and the two dots declare our sponsors to be royalty."

I felt a headache coming on. He said it with such ease. It was simply how things were, no big deal. Like it was some sort of commendation.

"What does your brand do?"

He didn't reply.

I pulled my eyes away from Aeryn and looked up at Tritteon's hesitant face.

"Do not do that Orion. I cannot sympathize with you. It is not the same thing."

I punched him in the arm for the compulsion

"How is it not the same thing?"

"I was very dangerous before I learned control."

"You know what I can do. Daniel seemed to think it was the reason for mine."

He canted his head. "Fair."

I couldn't hold back a small smile. "You are pretty scary."

His chest swelled a bit. "Yes, I am."

"But it does do something, doesn't it?"

He searched my face for a long moment, and then nodded. "It is not only an informative tag."

I waited.

He sighed. "It contains a tracker, as well as a command that I am never to touch my teeth to another person's skin."

I eyed my thumb, a deep, blackened indent gouged into the pad. "I suppose I see the wisdom in that command."

He ran the back of his fingers down my forearm. A pleasant shiver buzzed through me. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It wasn't your fault," I mumbled.

"But I feel responsible."

I gave him a smile. "That's because you're a good person."

He chuckled through his nose. "When all this is over, you and I are going to take a load off at a favorite place of mine."