Laughing, she hugged them each in turn, calling them by name.
Urian snorted. “I still don’t know how you can tell Atreus and Patroclus apart. I gave up and simply refer to them as ‘twin’ most days.”
“Uri!” she chided. “That’s mean, especially coming from someone whoisa twin.”
“Aye, but I look nothing like Paris.” That was the beauty of being a fraternal set.
“It’s all right, Tanny. Atreus and I don’t mind. Solren gets it wrong about half the time himself. We just don’t bother to correct him.”
Cupping Patroclus’s chin, she tsked. “Perhaps we should write your names on your clothes.”
Ophion scowled at Urian as he noted the bruises on his face. “Another fight?”
Urian didn’t comment. “If you’ll excuse me …” He stepped past them so that he could head for his room at the end of the hallway.
Once there, he closed his door, but still he could hear them gossiping about him.
“Leave him alone, Tanny.”
“I need to return his chalmys.”
“I wouldn’t. I’m sure Urian’s going to feed and you’ll just make him mad if you intrude.”
Urian heard her pause in the hallway just outside his door with Ophie.
“Oh!” Tannis gasped. “I didn’t know Urian had found someone.”
“He hasn’t,” one of the twins whispered loudly.
Clenching his teeth, Urian bit back a curse as he glanced toward the chilled bladder his father had left for him by his bed. He’d had no idea that his younger siblings had figured out what he was forced to do in order to live.
Damn you, Apollo.
And damn me.
Pain and humiliation shredded him that he was relegated to this. Not even a xoron would accept money to feed him. How sad was that when even a whore couldn’t be bought? He was a complete outcast even among other outcasts.
Urian shoved the bladder into a drawer. He’d rather starve than resort to it.
Honestly? He’d rather die.
Disgusted and ashamed, he pulled his dagger out and drew it across his forearm until he’d opened a deep slice to alleviate some of the pain he felt. Yet it no longer soothed him the way it once did. The agony now ran too deep.
And that was the problem. His lows kept getting lower and his highs kept getting lower, too.
At this rate of rapid descent, it wouldn’t be long before he’d have to fall down in order to get up.
More than that, his father would have conniptions if he saw him cutting himself again. He’d already threatened to tie him to a rock like Prometheus if he saw so much as a single scar on his skin.
“So help me, Urian! I’d beat you, except you seem to like the pain of it too much for it to be a deterrent!”
It was true. No one could break him because he was already shattered. In so many, many ways.
Suddenly a shadow fell over him.
Expecting his father or one of his irritating brothers, Urian looked up, ready to battle.
Until he realized it was Tannis materializing in his room, and he saw the sympathy in her dark eyes.
