I laughed. "Not much different. Except there would probably be more people telling us what to do."

He wrinkled his nose then. "Ugh! Never mind all that then. As you know, I can't stand to be told what to do. I like my freedom."

We clinked glasses again. "Me too, brother, me too."

Sure, I liked money. I liked making it. I just didn’t want to make it for the old man. Nor did I want to get into royal politics. Unlike others in my family, I wasn't obsessed with getting our crown back.

Let other men fight for the crown. I didn't want it. Hell, I wasn't even the oldest brother. The crown, or the lack thereof, was of no consequence to me. No, I needed something else to fill the hole in my chest. I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me. I needed some air, some space, something. I pushed out of my seat and tapped Xander on the shoulder. "Mate, I think I'm done."

My brother frowned. "What? We just got here. It's only been a few hours."

I laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm done. Tell Nick for me, would you?"

He studied me. "Something's up with you Lex. You're not talking to me."

"Nah, I'm good."

He went serious then, and I knew he could sense it. I was off. He and I had always been thick as thieves. We weren't twins, but that sense of when the other was in trouble, we both felt it. That's what happened when you shared the darkness. You knew when the other one was going under.

"I'll come with you."

I shook my head. "Nah, stay. Have fun."

Xander chuckled and then shrugged. "You know, fun for me is waking up at five thirty in the morning and chasing the sunlight. This is not conducive to that."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't you have classes starting soon?"

He nodded. "I have to teach a bunch of runts how to do what I do. But chances are, none of them will be extraordinary, or at most, there will only be one."

"Ah, you’re such a cynic."

"No, I’m a realist."

"I hear you. Look, let me find Nick. I'll say goodbye and then I’m just going to head home."

He gave me a nod. "Fine. Call me in the morning, yeah? I'll pick you up and we'll go for a run."

I grinned at him. "You're going to let me kick your ass again?"

"You never kick my ass." He gave me his trademark smirk.

"Oh, yes, I do."

"In that case, you're on. I should probably stop drinking then."

"You realize I can still kick your ass hungover, right?"