Page 21 of From Frost to Flame

“I’ve never seen you blush before.” Castor rustled his hair playfully. “I can’t believe you’ve had a mate this whole time.”

“Stop it,” Silas said, swatting him away. Sometimes Castor fell into an older brother mode that was endlessly irritating. “Don’t make me regret telling you.”

“How did Lex react? I can’t imagine a vampire finding out they were soul bound was easy. Long-term relationships don’t interest them aside from their little families.”

“I broke up with him before it ever came up,” Silas said, hoping his casual tone would temper Castor’s reaction. It didn’t.

“You never told him! Silas, you were together for ten years. How did this not come up?”

“I planned to, but it was delicate. Vampires don’t soul bond like us and, according to our history, mating outside of our species has never happened. Our bond is unprecedented. Our people have come a long way, but not that far. Most would accept Lex as mine since he’s done so much for Orion, but no one would want him to be queen. It would only be a matter of time before Alphas challenged my place on the throne. I didn’t want to deal with that, so I was going to step down, then tell him the truth.”

“You were going to give up the throne for him?” Castor softened.

“I was. I had my abdication date picked. I planned a ceremony for the next king to be chosen. After I claimed him, I was going to announce it to the pack. I was ready to step away and just be with him. Lex and I were already discussing starting a family of our own.” Grief for the future he lost crushed his lungs. “Then she found out about Lex, and she took everything from me—again.”

“Wait, The Ravenous One?” Castor’s eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean?”

“She dropped by unannounced, as usual.” A spring breeze cut through the yard and rustled the lilies and tree line that surrounded the lawn. Silas swore he saw tentacles reaching for him from the dark, hidden among the shadowy branches. She was always waiting for him. “Lex was sleeping in my bed, and you know how possessive she is with me.”

Silas struggled to explain. Castor was the only one who knew about his connection with her and even then, he didn’t discuss her visits. It was too difficult to acknowledge her endless shadow over his life. “She threatened to kill him unless I stayed away. I couldn’t let her hurt him. So, instead of telling him he was my mate and claiming him like I planned, when he woke up that night, I ended things.” His throat tightened as he thought of Lex’s heartbroken face. “I hate how much I hurt him, but it had to be done. Thankfully, she didn’t know about our bond, or she would’ve killed him on the spot.”

“Wait, how many years have you let Lex walk around unclaimed?” Castor asked.

“Forty-nine years and six months, as of yesterday,” Silas mumbled. The yelling that followed was even louder than he predicted.

“Silas! What is wrong with you? As the dominant partner, if you reject your mate and don’t claim them for fifty years, you’ll die. You must only have—”

“Roughly six months to live.” They made it to the front porch but didn't enter. Instead, he crossed his arms and faced his brother. “I know. That’s why, every day for the past forty-nine years, I’ve neutralized every major threat to Orion. I wanted to rest knowing I ensured the safety of Orion, our pack, you, and Lex. I’ve been preparing Vega to replace me, though he doesn’t know it yet. I’ve made my peace with my numbered days.”

Castor’s eyes darted back and forth as he absorbed the words. “That’s why you suddenly wanted to collect the compass and lock it away in Orion.”

“I wanted to keep all the realms, and Lex, safe before I died. It didn’t go as planned, obviously.”

“Fuck, Silas.” He took a long breath. “Well, Lex is here now. You can claim him tonight. The fight ahead is arduous, but we can make sure you aren’t predestined to perish in six months.”

“I’m not going to force my way back into his life,” he said, shaking his head. “What’s done is done.”

“The stars already tied him to the one item you’ve been searching for in the last six months of your life.” He gestured up to the sky. “They must have a plan, and it involves you getting back together.”

“Castor—”

“No! You’re my brother. I’m not letting you resign yourself to death. You’re going to make Lex fall back in love with you, claim him, and bring him home.”

“So simple. I’ll get right on it,” Silas scoffed. “I’ll just go up to him and ask if he wouldn’t mind staying by my side for all of eternity to ease the pain of a bond he doesn’t experience. I'm sure that will go great after I broke his heart." He groaned and rubbed his face in frustration. "Every time he looks at me, there’s so much hurt in his eyes.”

“Lex is a sweetheart, but we both can admit his moods are turbulent, even for a vampire. Remember that time one of the ancient vases he was fixingshattered? He burst into tears and set the east wing ablaze.”

“It’s not his fault,” he snipped. “He was only in his twenties when he turned. That doesn’t usually happen, so he’s moodier than most. He does a decent job controlling himself—most of the time. He just has some rough moments.”

“I’m not judging your mate,” Castor said with a laugh. “All I’m saying is a simple apology could suffice for an emotional vampire. They all flit through moods like seasons, and I can see that Lex cares about you quite a bit. I bet telling him the truth would be enough to win his heart.”

“If he knew the truth about The Ravenous One and I, he’d be disgusted.” He shook his head. “He’d hate me more than he does now.”

“Come on, Lex has a bigger heart than that. He’ll understand.” Castor slapped Silas's back. “This is going to work out. I’m certain of it. You just need to try. Turn on some of the charm that originally won him over.”

“Perhaps,” Silas said, not wanting to argue anymore. “Can we drop this now?”

“Sure. Your little Lex is probably annoyed we took so long.”

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