Page 100 of Cursed Heirs

Either way, now wasn’t the time to get into it. I waved my hand, “Whatever.”

He chuckled and so did X.

I stepped up to Ore and rubbed his arm. “How are you doing?”

“As well as I was doing the last time you asked before I went to the Court gathering. And as well as I’ve been doing each time you’ve asked me every two hours.”

“Be grateful. It was every twenty minutes the first day,” X said with a chuckle.

There was nothing amusing about it.

All right, yeah, I got that he was trying to lighten the mood, but I just couldn’t go there.

Especially not with the memory of Orpheus choking up blood still fresh on my mind.

Andwhat I’d overheard of Saryan and Marlowe’s conversation.

“This black magic shit is serious business.”

“I’m aware. You know I am.”

“He’s proven that, firebird.”

Ore frowned. “Is there something more to your reaction, Talon?”

“Yes! Okay?” I cried, pulling back and throwing my hands in the air. And then I was blurting out, “Your father is sick! He’s sick from all that poison he’s siphoning from Alena! He already has too much in his system from his days of fucking around with it in the past, and now hers is gonna push it too far for him.”

“I know that it’s going to take a toll. He won’t be as—”

“It’s worse than what he told you, Ore! Way worse! He will barely be able to operate at all and his mind will be compromised too!”

“What?”

“You’re sure, Tal?” X asked me.

“I’m sure.” I laid my hand on Ore’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I blurted it out like that.”

Footsteps sounded and we all turned to see Saryan and Marlowe walking toward us hand-in-hand.

Saryan’s gaze went to his son’s. “Your phoenix friend is correct. We need to talk.”

20

~Orpheus~

“How long?”

I paced the living room as I awaited my father’s answer.

“Me and Edgar?” he responded. “A couple of years. It happened approximately a year after your mother left me.”

“I thought you were sleeping around?”

“During our parting with him at Electi Academy and me here, we’d entertained an open relationship. But that’s over with now.”

“Fully monogamous, hmm? You?”

“Hard to believe, but yes.”

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