Dray punches his brother hard on the arm. Dyle winces, frowns and rubs his bicep.
“Hey, man, I’m only asking!”
“Show some fucking respect and stop with all the questions,” Dray says.
His two brothers look suitably chastised, grinning at me more sheepishly now.
“We heard you were here,” Dyle explains. “We thought you were going to be at the academy for Aeron Day.”
“Change of plans,” Dray says, smoothing down his hair and tying it away from his face again.
“Are you coming to the tournament?” Damson asks next, bouncing on his toes with obvious excitement.
“Nah,” Dray says, “I’ve got better things to be doing.” He winks and motions his head in my direction.
“You’re not competing?” Damson asks Beaufort with obvious disappointment. Beaufort shakes his head.
“What tournament?” I ask the two brothers.
“They didn’t tell you about it?” Dyle asks, clearly outraged on my own behalf. “It’s held each year before Aeron Day. There’s dueling and jousting, and Beaufort usually kicks everyone else’s asses.”
“Allthreeof us kick everyone else’s asses,” Dray says sulkily.
“Danders’ competing.”
“Is he now?” Dray frowns. “Maybe we should be competing then.”
“Who’s Danders?” I ask.
“The brother closest to me in age, and the biggest pain in my ass,” Dray mutters and the other two brothers snigger.
“Have you been to the tournament before?” Damson asks me.
I stare at him. “This is my first time in Onyx,” I say.
“Oh,” he says. “Well, you should come.”
Then the two men are bowling away again – a ball of fizzing, uncontrollable energy, so like their brother, it’s uncanny. I feel like I was just hit by a tornado. I can’t imagine what it must be like when all seven of the Eros boys are together.
“We’re not going to the tournament?” I ask.
“Because that sounds super hot,” Fly says.
“Hot.” Beaufort scoffs.
“The realm’s most powerful shadow weavers fighting each other for our entertainment? Uh-huh.” Fly slides his tongue along his lip.
“I thought you hated sports,” I say to Fly.
“I hatecompetingin sports,” Fly points out. “I’ve never had a problem with spectating.” He grins at me, and I bet I know exactly why Fly enjoys it so much. “Besides,” Fly says a little haughtily, “it’s usually us suckers from Iron Quarter having to provide the entertainment for this lot.” He tosses his head. “It would be kind of interesting to watch them entertain us for once.”
“Can we go?” I ask, just as intrigued as Fly.
“If we go,” Beaufort says, “they’ll probably make us compete.”
“Is that bad?” I ask. “Could you get hurt?”
Beaufort scoffs, and Dray chuckles. “Didn’t you hear what my brothers said, Little Kitten? We’ve won this tournament every year for the last three.”
