Loyalty Or Honour (Book 3)

Chapter Seven

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The loud banging on the door awakes Orion from his slumber and he blearily opens his eyes. The room is pitch black, no light coming in from the windows with the barest of material covering them. Silence trickles past and Orion wonders if the loud banging was a figment of his imagination. He tries to return to the deep sleep he had been in previously. Moments away from slipping under the banging commences again. Orion groans loudly but tugs himself out of bed and stumbles to the door, wiping sleep from his eyes.

He shakes himself awake and fingers the knife he strapped to his wrist before he fell asleep. It is always wise to prepare. "Who is it?" He speaks his voice thick from fatigue.

"Orion, just open the door." Ross grunts out, his voice sounding extremely strangled. Orion hesitates, imagining several different scenarios when he opens the door; one being that Ross has a knife to his throat and someone is ready to ambush him. He silently considers his options. "Orion! Open the damn door!" Orion stills the smile that rises to his lips. The likelihood of it being anyone dangerous is now incredibly unlikely. Ross would not lose his temper in such a situation.

Orion pulls the bolts back and swings the door open. Jacqui's grin meets him. Orion frowns, taking note of her painfully rosy cheeks and the glassy film across her eyes. He takes a little step forward and the stench of alcohol thrusts itself up his nose. He crinkles it up and moves his gaze to Ross who also looks a little worse for wear. "And you wonder why I refuse to drink with you all." He mutters under his breath. He quickly checks the corridor for any other inhabitants but it is thankfully quiet. They do not seem to have woken anyone else up yet.

"He is your responsibility." Ross firmly states, his words only slurring slightly. Orion now allows his gaze to fall on the dark head of his younger brother. He has his arms around both Ross and Jasper and it is clear the purpose is to remain upright. Hunter cannot meet his eyes.

"Where is Zandar?"

"He went to bed, told us to bring you the boy."

"I really wish you would stop calling me that." Hunter moans. "I'm not that much younger than you."

Orion ignores this. "Well I told Zandar to keep an eye on him. He is his responsibility not mine. We pay for our own mistakes here."

Jasper laughs and Orion glares at him until the noise abruptly stops. "Zandar..." He hiccups and giggles quietly to himself. "said you would say that. He told me to tell you..." another hiccup falls from his lips and Orion closes his eyes and counts to ten. "...that you asked Hunter along and he is thus your responsibility and you should have been watching how much he drank." He hiccups again and Hunter's forehead creases in unison with Orion's, both in annoyance.

"Bring him in then." Orion agrees in defeat and steps back to allow the elephants to stomp in to the room and deposit Hunter on the bed. "Go directly to your rooms and do not make a sound. Do you all understand me?" He stares them all down and they all mutely nod their heads and sway down the corridor. They do not get far before one stumbles into another and giggles echo out of their mouths. Orion shuts the door to the noise and makes out the figure of Hunter sat up on the edge of the bed, head in hands.

Orion lights a candle and studies his brother. "I did not take you for a fool who drinks too much."

"I was not planning to but they kept handing me drinks. The last ones tasted foul." Hunter says with a remarkably clear voice.

"Is your head spinning?"

"It is just a little unclear." Hunter glances up and winces at the bright light of the flame until his vision adjusts. "Why are you looking at me like that?"