Dorian wasn't sure he liked this conversation.
"If your man touches her while she's high, I'll burn him," he said over their laughter.
Bala straightened and pushed off the desk, going around to the bookshelf where Draven kept his stash of wine and whiskeys. "Bael is a perfect gentleman, Prince. He'll feed her and bring her back. Not to mention we don't exactly want a repeat of what just happened, do we?" she said as she poured four glasses of wine. "And if you threaten any of my men again, I'll knock you so hard out of this tree, you'll forget your name," she added with a smile.
Corbin snorted, and Dorian glared at his Second.
"Do you have any of the potion Draven gave Aydra when she was here?" Lex asked then, averting the conversation.
"I'm sure I can have the surgeon make some up," Bala replied. "Why?"
Lex met Dorian's gaze, and he knew she was thinking the same as he. "We need to get her under before the Noctuans wake," she said.
"Why? What's wrong?"
Dorian stared at the floorboards as he recalled the night before. How he'd found Nyssa in that field screaming. How he'd held and rocked her for what felt like forever until Corbin found them. Dorian’s own tears had streamed down his face at the panic of not knowing how to help her.
He shook the memory from his mind as he slipped on clean pants.
"She's just having a hard time processing their grief," he said, unwilling to share his sister's secret.
"It would be better to give her a night off from having to worry about their cries," Lex added.
Bala nodded, and Dorian saw the hurt spreading over her features as he was sure she didn't realize the beasts had indeed been crying out for Draven since that first night.
"I'll go have the surgeon make some up," Bala said, setting her wine on the desk.
"I'll come with you," Lex said and stood. "Make sure our Princess isn't getting into trouble," she added with a glance at Dorian.
As they disappeared down the staircase, Dorian sank back into the chair he'd chosen. Corbin watched him from across the room.
"Don’t give me that look," Dorian said.
"When are you going to tell them?" Corbin asked.
"Tell them what?"
"That your sister can't hear."
"It's not my secret to tell," Dorian argued.
"And when her life depends on it during this war?"
"I'll help her get it back," Dorian promised. "She'll be fine."
With one gulp, Dorian downed his own wine and then stood to drown the contents of the other two glasses sitting on the desk. His head shook at the bitterness, but he ignored it and grabbed a shirt out of his bag.
"Where are you going?" Corbin asked.
"Taking a piss," Dorian snapped. "Would you like to watch me do that too, or have you had enough of my cock this week?"
Dorian could hear his Second cursing him under his breath as Dorian made for the stairs, but he didn't care.
"You don't know where you're going," Corbin called.
Dorian paused in the door. He hated that Corbin was right. "Why don't you come with me, if nothing else but to watch my ass get kicked for flirting with the wrong person?”
This got Corbin out of his seat.
