Page 5 of From Frost to Flame

“Oh, please. He may as well have had a tail,” Julian teased, nuzzling Lex playfully until he shoved him off in frustration.

“Silas didn’t have a tail when he wasn’t a wolf!” He cursed himself for taking so long to find a bar that Julian circled back to his love life.

“Jules, he’s embarrassed. Leave him alone,” Mora scolded as she tried not to laugh.

“I’m not trying to judge you, but it’s clear you only ever enjoyed feeding when it was with him. If you admitted you weren’t over the furry king and told us why you were so stuck, we could help you move on. We tell you everything about our relationship. Why can’t you talk to us about Silas?”

“To be fair, I often ask you to share less with me,” Lex muttered. Julian wasn’t wrong. Just the thought of tasting Silas's blood again made his mouth water and face heat. Biting him was the only time he understood the joy of feeding, but it didn’t matter. It was over.

“If Lex is shy about being stuck on his old flame, we should leave him alone.” Mora leaned into Julian, pressing her freckled cheek into his side. “We said we wouldn’t push too hard.”

“I am not stuck. There’s just nothing to say.”

“Well, if you’re so over your ex, why don’t we stop here?” Julian offered with a sly smile, nodding to the lounge next to them. “I’ve always loved this place, and we haven’t been in ages.”

Lex stared at the brick building. Floating over the glass and iron door were glowing purple letters that spelled out M-A-G-E. The place he met Silas was literally the last place he wanted to be, but he wanted to prove Julian wrong. “Sure. Why not?”

“Lex, we don’t have to go,” Mora said quickly. “Jules is just being an ass tonight.”

“I’ll be fine,” he said, already crossing the threshold. “Like I said, he never crosses my mind.”

It was much quieter inside Mage in terms of drunken human squeals, but nonhuman chatter filled the air. Sultry music hummed as a siren sang of love from the back of the room. Couples and throuples of nonhumans were strewn on black sofas and booths in the shadows. Some shared drinks, some kissed under the lights that oscillated from blue to purple, while others scurried upstairs to have sex in one of the many private suites.

They grabbed three stools at the corner of the bar and ordered from a handsome bartender who, with a wave of his hand, conjured three full glasses of vodka on blood ice in a flash of teal smoke. The liquor hit Lex’s tongue, and his muscles relaxed.

This can just be a lounge. I can be here. I just need to focus on my drink.

Before he could take his second sip, the prying restarted.

“Can we at least discuss why you haven’t had sex since Silas, if you’re oh so over him?” Julian asked as he tapped his glass on Mora’s. “Was the sex too good or what? You two did fuck all the time like you were...” he paused, then continued with a shrug, “vampires, I guess.”

“Or wolves in heat,” Mora offered with a giggle.

“Exactly! I understand grieving good dick for a while. When Mora and I ended things with Finn, it was difficult. Is that what it is?”

“Who says I haven’t had sex?” Lex was in an extended dry spell, but he was certain he hadn’t told them that. After living with them for a century, he knew better than to give them the opportunity to set him up.

“Our bedrooms share a wall. We may have noticed it’s been quiet over there, aside from you and your many toys.”

“My toys get the job done,” he said, gulping from his glass to survive the ongoing interrogation. The vodka went down smooth and eased him just enough to not strangle Julian.

“Oh, please. Judging by the multiple rounds, they aren’t satisfying you. I say we find you a sexy companion for tonight. The suite will be on us.”

“What Julian is saying,” Mora interjected, shooting Jules a stern look, “is that for some, playing with toys is good enough. We are skeptical whether they’re actually enough for you, and we want you to be happy. So, we thought we could help you find someone to bring home. I saw a siren on the way in who had the prettiest black feathers. She looks like your type.”

“That’s why you two insisted on coming to a lounge tonight,” he said, finally understanding their plan.I walked right into this one.“I know you’re trying to help, but I promise I’m fulfilled. I have my books, and I paid a good price for my fake dicks. Worry about yourselves.”

“Nice to see you haven’t changed,” a man purred behind him.

“Vega?” Lex choked on his drink in surprise as he turned to see Silas's Beta looking down at him. His sandy blond hair was tied up in a messy bun with a silk olive-toned ribbon. His nails were painted with shiny black lacquer, and golden rings decorated a few of his fingers. His viridian toga had golden stitching, and his pants were the same fitted black most werewolves wore. His skin was pale with golden undertones and his face was so foxlike, Lex was always surprised he didn’t shift into one. Vega was striking, and he knew it.

The visions of Vega on his knees at Silas's feet made his heart ache. His hands grew hot as his emotions flared, but he was determined to hold his flames in. He wouldn’t give Silas's new partner the satisfaction of witnessing him lose it in a jealous, vampiric outburst. Being overemotional was the second most annoying curse that came with being turned.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen you off your knees,” Vega said with a glint in his eyes. “You’re taller than I expected. Not by much, but still.”

“Funny, as always,” Lex muttered. When werewolves were in their human form, their eyes gave away their wolfish nature. The color was too otherworldly and, like true predators, they rarely blinked. Lex shifted under Vega’s unblinking eyes, which were gold at some angles and green at others. “You wolves usually stay away from the festival and its noise. What brings you out tonight?”

“Curiosity.” Vega nodded to the crowd as he leaned on the bar. “And you? Out for the typical vampiric festival feeding frenzy?”

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