“Relax,” Rin said before his brother could respond. “I’m not going to get in your way. When have I ever?”
“You stopped trying to save me a long time ago,” he agreed.
“Us,” Rin corrected, moving to clap him on the shoulder. “If we’re going to be devils, we may as well be them together.” What one of them was responsible for, so was the other. They were accomplices. Always.
“It’s Devils,” his brother grinned wickedly. “Devils of Vitality.”
“Pretty sure we’re not part of that little group.”
“That’s only because we’re better at it than they are,” his brother explained. “True Devils know it’s safer in the shadows. In the dark, you can get away with anything.”
Rin hummed. “Can I get away with not going to Fornication?”
His brother shoved him lightly toward the door. “Not a chance.”
“Sila doesn’t have to go,” he complained.
“Maybe, butyoudo.”
Rin flipped him the bird as he exited the locker room.
Chapter 22:
“What’s up with you?” Calder bumped shoulders against Rin as he came up to the circular table they were all crowded around. “You’ve been in such a good mood all week. Something happen this afternoon?”
Rin ground his teeth and forced a smile, shaking his head in the negative as he took a deep drag from his beer. He should probably slow down, this being his fourth already, but his nerves were shot and the loud beat music blaring through the speakers and the stifling heat from the packed club were playing on his last nerve.
Fornication was a club located between all three main campuses in the city, so students from the Academy, Vail, and Gift constantly flooded the place. The music changed every week, but the drink menu was a classic and they carried alcoholic brands from all over the galaxy.
The overstimulation of the club always gave Rin a migraine, and over the summer whenever he’d been asked to come, he’d convinced his brother to go in his stead. Which was why he was so irked that he’d been tricked into switching back and being forced to come here. And all while his brother had apparently been playing the part of happy-go-lucky-idiot all week.
“Did you hear more of the rumors?” Daylen asked sympathetically. “Thought you said you weren’t going to let those get to you?”
“Yeah,” Calder clapped him on the back. “Kelevra’s just busy, right?”
Is that what his brother had told them?
Fucking hell.
“To be honest, I’m still shocked you’re interested in him,” Brennon joined in.
The four of them kept coming and going, heading away to meet up with other people only to return to their main table when they were done. They’d already been here for over an hour.
Rin downed the rest of his beer and then popped open another. He was drinking Scan, a brand exclusive to the planet and three times stronger than any beer he’d had back home. It was only a matter of time before he got wasted, but even knowing that he couldn’t bring himself to care or stop.
“Dude,” Calder twisted his mouth in displeasure, “stop pestering him about that.”
“Yeah,” Daylen jumped in. “So what if he fell for the Imperial Prince?” He leaned his elbows on the table and tapped his bottle against Rin’s. “If you’re happy, man, I’m happy for you.”
“Plus you have loads of time to change your mind anyway,” Calder reminded. “It’s cool he agreed not to rush the wedding.”
Rin didn’t actually have a choice and couldn’t change his mind, but sure. Although, maybe the talk on campus wasn’t just talk after all. Maybe Kel really had gotten bored of him and he was finally willing to leave him alone.
And if that bothered Rin? Well, it was only because he was worried about what that’d mean for him and his brother.
Obviously.
“What does being a Royal Consort even entail?” Daylen asked.
