447- The Taste of Freedom
POV Thalyndra Moonclaw:
"Had you tried it before?" she asked, filling another glass for herself, before drinking the țuică. Quite different from me, Aurelka didn't even seem to feel the high alcohol content that it possessed.
"Not that one."
She pushed Myrion further to the side; he looked at his sister with an ugly face but was completely ignored.
"Sit here, let's drink and eat before we dance," she said, pointing to the empty space beside her. She shoved Myrion with her shoulder. "If my brother stops drinking, of course."
"Otherwise?" he retorted.
"Otherwise, I'll have to drag you home before Dad kills you, you imbecile."
Myrion threw his head back, rolling his eyes.
"Aurelka, dear little sister, has anyone ever told you that you're a pain in the ass?"
"I know you love me, you reckless drunk." She planted a kiss on his cheek; he laughed and didn't contest the statement.
I sat down next to the youngest, sideways on the bench, so I wouldn't have my back to Lana and Anton. I observed them out of the corner of my eye, trying to gauge the depth of their relationship, but there was nothing unusual; they acted as if they were siblings.
I looked away, mentally judging myself. What the hell was my problem? Anton could be with whoever he wanted, get involved with whoever he pleased; we had nothing to do with each other.
As if he knew I was thinking about him, he picked up a pitcher that was set in the center of the table and filled one of the empty mugs, pushing it toward me.
"Buttered beer, the house specialty." He gave a quick wink.
I accepted the drink, silent. The beer was much lighter than the țuică and much easier to enjoy.
"What did you think?" he asked, his blue eyes fixed on my lips.
The heat I felt under his gaze cooled the cold beer I had drunk. I swallowed with difficulty, feeling the muscles of my fingers stiffen.
"I liked it," I told the truth, drinking another sip.
If Anton kept looking at me that way, I would need much more than just one glass of beer to calm down.
I would blame the recent traumas I had suffered for my behavior. I wasn't blind, nor was I naive; I knew how to recognize when a man was handsome, but I had absolutely never acted that way with any of the ones I had admired. And it wasn't just because Anton was a wolf; I didn't react that way with any other I had met since arriving in Eldoria.
"Then drink; nothing better than a good dose of alcohol in the blood to enjoy the party," said Aurelka. Myrion shot her a look, and she amended: "Obviously, all with awareness and under control."
"Aunt Lunara said you've been to a party before and that we played together," Lana commented, sipping her own beer. "Don't you remember anything?"
If only they knew that the only memory I had of that day was of the eyes staring at me at the moment. Of course, they would never know, however. I denied with a shake of my head.
"No, and you?"
"Neither." She ran her tongue over her lips. "Anyway, this is an opportunity to remember what you forgot." She pointed with her chin toward the ongoing party.
"Sure," I agreed, awkwardly, knowing that what I had said was a lie.
I focused on the party, on the movement of bodies dancing around the bonfires I had seen Edric and Vladren setting up earlier. I spotted the twins running, closely followed by an elderly woman I assumed was their grandmother, as there were small resemblances.
"Don't Edric and Lunara participate?" I asked after a while.
Aurelka swallowed the liquid in her mouth before answering me:
"They must be around; they love to wander, drink, and talk to everyone."
Myrion pulled the țuică bottle from the table, brought it to his lips, and drank the liquid straight from the neck, as if it were water.
I opened my mouth, shocked.
"Just, please, don't set anything on fire this time," Anton asked.
He set the bottle beside him on the bench.
"As far as I remember, little brother, you were with me when it all happened."
"But I wasn't the one who lit the lighter."
"Still, you calculated that it would be a good idea to test the quality of our father's wood." He looked at his brother.
For a brief second, they stared at each other without showing any reaction or saying a single word, and then they burst out laughing as if the memory of what they had done was the greatest mischief of their lives.
Aurelka slapped her forehead.
"You two are complete idiots."
I leaned toward her to whisper:
"Is Anton also forbidden to drink?"
"No, he can be reckless, but not as much as Myrion."
I raised my eyebrows.
"Really?"
She laughed at my reaction.
"He tried to put out the fire, if that helps a little."
I pressed my lips together.
"I don't think it helps," I joked.
"Stop compromising us, little sister," Anton scolded. "You know we can hear you, don't you?"
Aurelka shot him a look over her shoulder.
"At no point did I say for you not to hear anything, not when I only told the truth."
"That's not the truth," he protested.
"Of course it is!"
Myrion threw himself back and slid to the edge of the bench, laying his head on the tabletop. He closed his eyes and crossed his arms.
"I knew this would happen," said the youngest Eldoria, sighing. "If Dad sees him like this, he'll kill you."
"Our mother won't let him." He snorted, keeping his eyes closed.
Aurelka turned to Anton, pursing her lips and narrowing her eyes, a silent plea to him. The firstborn shrugged, seeming irritated, and held his sister's gaze for endless seconds. Lana and I just watched the scene.
"Fine, I'll help you take him home," he finally conceded.
Myrion gurgled.
"I don't need to go home; I'll rest a little... my eyes, and then I'll find Petronela."
"Petronela? That she-wolf who's like two hundred years old or more?" Aurelka snapped.
Myrion opened one eye to stare at his sister and pursed his lips into a sly smile.
"So what? We're wolves; she may be really old, but she's still a great hot piece who doesn't look more than thirty."
"You're twenty-five years old, for heaven's sake!" She scowled. "That's even repulsive."
"My adorable little sister, I'm a wolf. I wasn't made to have just one female, but to mark the territory in every one that crosses my path... and, considering my above-average beauty, it's not like I need to chase after them. The females live around me, so why wouldn't I take advantage of the opportunities that fall into my lap?"
He seemed even more arrogant than Anton, if that were possible. I was beginning to think it was an Eldoria quality, something in the DNA.
Anton stood up and walked around the table, pulling Myrion by the arm and making him stand.