Chapter One #2
Marlin pushed up from his chair and stumbled. He hadn’t drunk that much, but clearly, it had still been too much. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself, so he should slow down.
He made his way toward Curran. He wanted to make sure that his best friend’s little brother was okay. Curran looked like he didn’t want to be here, so maybe he should go home. At the very least, he needed someone to keep an eye on him.
Marlin wouldn’t hesitate to volunteer for the job. He’d been keeping an eye on Curran since Curran was a kid. Curran had never felt like Marlin’s brother, thankfully, but Marlin cared about him.
He stumbled on someone’s foot and turned to glare at them. They didn’t seem to care. They giggled, waving at him and trying to catch his hand. He extracted himself before they could pull him into the chair next to them and continued moving toward Curran.
Curran looked out of place. He didn’t have a drink in his hand, and he kept looking around as if searching for an escape.
Maybe he was. It didn’t look like anyone was forcing him to be there, but Birch had seen things in his time as Killian’s bodyguard.
There was always a way to force people to do something they didn’t want to do.
Marlin would make sure Curran was okay. It was the least he could do.
“There you are,” a voice drawled.
Marlin turned to see Birch standing in front of him. He grinned and grabbed his friend, dragging him into a hug. Birch laughed, hugging him back.
“How much have you had to drink?” Birch asked when they separated.
“Not enough.”
“Are you sure about that? You look like you’re not very steady on your feet.”
“I’m fine. How much have you had to drink?”
Birch snorted. “Nothing. I’m working, remember?”
Right. Birch needed to keep a clear head to protect Killian. “That’s a pity.”
“Tell me about it. I wish I could spend time with my boyfriend instead of having to watch Killian’s back, but it is what it is.”
Marlin wrinkled his nose. “You should wish you could spend time with me. I’m your best friend.”
Birch laughed. “You’ve definitely had too much to drink.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I love you, but why would I want to spend time with you instead of my boyfriend?”
Marlin supposed that was true. Birch and his boyfriend had just gotten together, so of course they wanted to spend time together.
Marlin wished he had someone to spend time with like that. Unfortunately for him, his job wasn’t conducive to relationships. Many people tried to climb into his nest, but not many of them stayed. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a serious relationship.
He frowned. Had he ever been in a serious relationship? He didn’t think so, and wasn’t that incredibly sad?
Birch snapped his fingers in front of Marlin’s face, startling him. Birch laughed, but he also grabbed Marlin’s shoulder and squeezed. “Are you sure you’re okay? Because I can ask someone to walk you back to your rooms.”
“Why would I want to get back to my rooms? The party’s just started.”
“And you’re already halfway drunk.”
“You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I always worry about you. As you pointed out, you’re my best friend.”
“Yeah, I am,” Marlin said happily.
Birch shook his head. “All right. I’ll leave you be, but please, don’t drink too much. You have to work tomorrow, and I’m not letting you off the hook.”
“Because you’re spending time with Aaron tomorrow.”
“Damn right I am. I deserve it after tonight.”
“You deserve a lot of things.”
Birch snorted. “Yeah, I do. I’m really glad I won’t have to deal with your drunk ass tomorrow morning. Drink something for me, too, all right?”
Marlin grinned. “I promise I will.” And he always kept his promises.
* * * *
“YOU NEED TO HAVE FUN!” Deryn yelled over the sound of hundreds of voices.
Curran’s head felt like it was about to explode, and he didn’t even have a headache.
No, it was just the sheer amount of noise and people gathered around him.
He’d known that most of the clan would be there tonight, but it was still a lot to take in, and he wasn’t sure how much more he had in him.
He didn’t think he’d ever wanted to run back to his room and hide so badly, but every time he tried, Deryn found him.
“I am having fun,” he said.
Deryn looked at him with wide eyes. “And I’m the new king. Come on, Curran. I know you’re lying.”
Curran was. He wished his best friend didn’t know him as well as he did because he might have been able to get away with it if Deryn hadn’t. As it was, he was sure that Deryn would have more to say tomorrow morning once he was sober. Knowing him, he’d complain about Curran not being fun.
Curran was fine with that. He loved Deryn, but sometimes, he needed his best friend to relax. They didn’t need to love the same things. They were friends anyway, and that was never going to change.
“Oh, I know why you’re so grumpy tonight,” Deryn suddenly said after taking a sip of his drink.
The thing was violently orange, and Curran wondered if it was radioactive. It looked like it might be.
“What are you talking about?” Curran asked.
At least the place looked nice. They were in the dining hall where most of the clan ate their meals, but it looked different all decked out for the party. Someone had put a lot of thought and work into it, and Curran felt a bit guilty for not enjoying it more.
Not that he thought that whoever had organized it would care. They were probably three sheets to the wind already. The place looked nice, though.
The main lights weren’t on tonight. Instead, the high, vaulted ceiling was illuminated by projectors that cast orange and pink lights as a call-back to the king’s children.
The tables had been pushed to the side to leave a wide space at the center of the room, but all of them were decorated in orange and pink and laden with dozens of different dishes and drinks.
The air was heavy with their smells, along with the scents and perfumes of the people talking, drinking, and dancing.
Most of them were dragons, but there were a few humans here and there.
“Marlin is here,” Deryn declared.
Curran had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m aware.”
“That’s why you’re grumpy. You don’t want him to be here.”
“Have I ever said that?”
“You didn’t have to. I know you.”
“Then you know I don’t care about Marlin.”
Deryn burst out laughing. “You’re a liar. There’s nothing wrong with being in love with him.”
“I know that.”
“I mean, I don’t blame you. He’s hot.”
Curran narrowed his eyes at his best friend. “I thought we agreed not to talk about that.”
“Did we?”
“I need to get over him, and that’s not going to happen if I keep drooling every time he’s in the room.”
“You can’t help how you feel,” Deryn said with a shrug before taking another sip. “There’s nothing wrong with being in love with him. I just think you need to tell him.”
“So he can laugh in my face?” Curran and Deryn had had this conversation many times already, and Curran didn’t want to rehash it.
Marlin wasn’t in love with him, and he never would be because Curran was nothing more than Marlin’s best friend’s little brother.
Curran didn’t need to think about that while he was at a party and supposed to have fun.
As if he could.
A waiter walked by with a tray filled with drinks, and Deryn snatched up two of them. He offered one to Curran, who tried to refuse, but Deryn pushed it into his hand anyway. “Drinking will help you relax.”
Curran looked down at the glass. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to drink. He just didn’t see the point. But maybe Deryn was right. Maybe Curran needed to relax, and since he didn’t think he could do so on his own, a drink might help.
This one was bright pink. Curran sniffed it, wrinkled his nose at the smell of sugar, and raised the glass to his lips. He downed all of it in one go, coughing and glaring at Deryn when he laughed at him.
“You need to go more slowly.”
“Like you are?”
“That’s the only way you’re going to keep going all night.”
The alcohol felt warm in Curran’s stomach. It wasn’t unpleasant, so when another walked past, he grabbed another drink. Deryn laughed and clinked his glass against Curran’s, and together, they drank.
“This is going to be so fun,” Deryn declared.
It was fun for a bit. The alcohol helped Curran forget about the noise around them and the many people he wished he didn’t have to interact with.
He always had fun with Deryn, so spending time with him was fine.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last long enough.
Deryn’s gaze strayed over to one of the tables, and when Curran noticed who he was looking at, he groaned.
“You’re going to abandon me to try to get in his pants, aren’t you? ” he asked.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Deryn answered.
“You’re drooling all over the doctor.”
“I’m not.”
“Hey, it’s okay to drool over the new human doctor,” Curran said, patting Deryn’s shoulder and stepping away when Deryn glared at him. “You should talk to Palmer.”
“Why would he want to talk to me? He doesn’t know me.”
“So? He seems like a nice person.”
Deryn sighed. “He does, doesn’t he?” He sounded lovesick, but Curran knew how he would react if he pointed it out, so he didn’t.
Deryn always insisted that he didn’t need love or a relationship, but he wanted one anyway. “Seriously. Go talk to him,” Curran pushed. “Maybe this is your chance.”
“You think so?”
“Why not? You won’t find out until you go, will you?”
Deryn licked his lips. He was still staring at the human, who didn’t seem to have noticed. “Are you sure? I don’t want to abandon you.”
“You’re not abandoning me. Besides, you know me. I’ll have one last drink before heading home.”
Deryn wrinkled his nose. “You’re no fun.”
“Yeah, well, I already had fun.”