She groaned. “Wha…what happened?”
Memories slowly filtered into his brain.
The party last night. Walking back into the reception room and being greeted like they were royalty. Shots.
One.
Two.
Twelve.
Then the afterparty in the honeymoon suite. Andfire?
“Fuck.” Maldenis forced his eyes open and lifted his head. They weren’t even in the large nest in the bedroom, but rather, draped across the sectional couch in the middle of the living area.
A very trashed living area.
“What the hell happened here?” he gasped.
Two arm chairs were turned over and a third one was somehow on top of the baby grand piano in the corner. Feathers from torn pillows drifted across the floor. One of the window curtains had a giant hole, the edges singed as if they had been burned.
Liora moaned and stirred, rising up slowly. “Why. Are. You.” She stopped short as her eyes opened and focused. “Holy shit. What are those guys doing here?”
“Who?”
She pushed at his chin, forcing him to look behind him. “Them.”
A large scaly figure was facedown on the thick carpet—Hektor, obviously as he recalled no other Drakkonian guests at the party. He wasn’t alone, however, as Charlie’s prone body lay across his back. Maldenis also noticed three of his other cousins passed out on the floor around them.
“Who’s that hanging from the balcony?”
The doors leading out the terrace were wide open, and he recognized the distinct pattern of his cousin’s tail wrapped around the railing. “Makron.”
“Should we go help him?” Liora asked. “In case he falls?”
“He won’t,” Maldenis replied. “He’s used to it. He says he likes sleeping that way.”
“Oh.”
Something else popped into his brain. “Liora, why do I have a memory of your brother singing karaoke?”
She pushed herself up and rubbed at her eyes. “You have karaoke in Vale Crossing?”
“Hektor brought the machine.” Ah, yes, that he recalled vividly. The Drakkon had been so proud of the portable party box he brought back from the Upperworld. “He was singing a song for your sister. And dancing, too.”
“Right. That’s one memory I wish I could erase.” She rubbed a palm down her face. “Oh my gods, this room is a wreck. How much are they gonna charge us, do you think? Perseus is gonna shit a brick when he sees the expense report.”
“I think the hotel owners will probably consider it an honor.” A chuckle escaped his lips. “Besides, we could probably sell one of the cars to pay for it.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Are we really going to keep all those gifts?”
“It would be an insult to return them.”
“Geez, how much is the upkeep for two mansions in Solkaris?”
He grinned at her. “How about, after the year is over, we donate everything to charity?”
She stretched her arms over her head and let out a yawn. “Sounds great.”
