Page 3 of From Frost to Flame

Chapter Two

Lex

Lex ignited his handwhile he trailed behind his first human of festival night. The cerulean flames engulfed his palm and settled at his wrist. Regardless, his brown skin remained pristine and free of burns.

A gaggle of humans dressed in colorful silks, like candies wrapped in cellophane, brushed past him as he kept his eyes on the back of the man’s head. He had chosen his dinner and wouldn’t be changing his mind. A rapid succession of fireworks shook the sky and made the streets flicker as he neared the central square. His prey headed toward all the excitement.

Lex groaned. Snatching up a human in a crowd as large as the square required more effort than he was willing to give tonight.

Luckily, the man crossed underneath an unlit oil lamp that hung over a darkened storefront.

With a flick of his wrist, Lex tossed his flames into the lamp, and it erupted with a loud pop. Glass and burned metal skidded and scraped across the walkway. The man let out a startled scream, stumbled backward, and fell right into Lex’s waiting arms.

“My word! Are you alright?” Lex asked with a thick layer of faux concern. “Are you hurt?”

“Darn thing must have been faulty,” the man said. He readjusted the red and white mask that covered the top half of his face, and he met Lex’s eyes. “Wow. Um. Do I know you?”

“No, unfortunately, you don’t,” Lex said smoothly, letting his hypnotic charm further ensnare the man. He strolled past before tossing a flirtatious look over his shoulder. “Do you want to get to know me?”

It took about a minute for Lex to find himself pressed up and pawed at against a dusty brick alley wall. He heard the giggles from passing humans who mistook them for a random tryst. Stale beer on the man’s breath made Lex gag.

Despite years of being a vampire, he didn’t enjoy feeding. It made his stomach churn with shame and guilt. But it was necessary, so he forced himself to stay put and let the man roam his body with dirty hands that would, no doubt, ruin the crisp white shirt under his black corseted vest.

Hunger and arousal were linked for vampires. To Lex’s annoyance, nothing stirred. His fangs stayed small, and his cock stayed limp, prolonging his torture.

Just think of sex with someone so this can be done with.

Immediately, Silas's tousled salt-and-pepper hair and cocky smirk flashed in Lex’s mind.

Damn it. No. Think of someone else. Anyone else.

With eyes squeezed shut, Lex fought to push the memories away, but it was useless. He could imagine the heat of Silas's breath on the nape of his neck as he purred “Beg for it” in the dark like he was right back in his bed, ropes and all.

Starvation crashed over him, and his canine teeth lengthened into long, tapered fangs. In a flash, he swapped places with the human and slammed him against the wall. His movement was so rough, thin cracks spread behind the man’s back. The human’s scream came as soon as Lex’s fangs sank into the artery that ran along the man’s fragile neck. The terror only lasted a few seconds before devolving into sighs of pleasure.

A small moan slipped out of Lex’s lips as he lost himself in bittersweet memories of Silas bending him over the railing in Orion’s castle halls for any passerby to catch a glimpse. Then, all at once, his lusty memories were replaced with a vision of Silas running through the dark.

No. Not now. Not again.

Lex didn’t know why, but ever since their breakup, he’d been dragged into visions of Silas living his life in Orion. Usually he dropped into some ceremony where Silas was being applauded for his latest great feat.

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