Page 4 of Iced Heat

“Are you their boyfriend or something?” I arched a brow.

“I just realized what they’re worried about,” he whispered back.

“So you are?” I asked and held my breath.

“Uh. No thanks. Liatris is my teacher. That’s unethical. Selt is cool but Liatris would eat me and Teddy…. Well, Teddy thinks too deeply for me. Some things just are. I can talk magic for hours but sometimes the philosophical stuff gets old.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” I asked, relaxing a bit. “Or a girl—A partner,” I said before my brain tried to invent a new way to say non-binary.

“No,” he shook his head.

“Then what?” I blinked, almost turning to Teddy to demand that he tell me everything right this instant.

“Let’s give them the room,” Selt said, and I waited for Feral to tell him to fuck off because it was his bar, but it was Xav that spoke next.

“They’re idiots, sometimes,” Xav sighed. “They’re waiting to see if you freak out or not.”

“Not freak out,” Selt said. “If he’s a bigot or not.”

“Ummm…. About what?” I arched a brow. “Unless it’s going to eat me up in a not so pleasant way, I don’t care what you shift into.”

“Good because he won’t tell anyone,” Teddy laughed.

“They’re all afraid to say it and break an unspoken rule,” Xav said. “This might be my favorite part of having friends. They’re all worried. I’m not. If fate is that sort of asshole so be it but I’m not worried.”

“About what?” I asked. “Okay, you’re freaking me out. What’s going on?”

“I’m trans,” Xav said and I let out a sigh of relief.

“They’re all assholes,” I whispered to him. “Seriously. Made me think you were dying or married or some sort of ten headed monster. Bloody hell.”

“That’s the perfect answer,” Xav laughed and stole a quick kiss before Feral could slide his hand between our mouths again. “Though, it’s too bad I’m not a ten headed monster. That would come in handy in a duel.”

“Do you duel a lot?” I asked in between kisses.

I was warm and fuzzy from the pot but kissing him really made my head spin.

“Not so much now. Most of the dragons back home won’t duel me. Something about not wanting to be ice cubes or something.”

“Uhhh…. I wouldn’t want my fire extinguished either,” I said, feeling like an idiot as soon as the words left my mouth.

Fortunately, my dragon was too high to face palm over it either. Instead, the big guy with scales and fur leaned into my ribs reaching out to whatever beast lived inside of Xav. He was fucking beautiful and smelled like magic brought to life in the middle of winter and maybe a bit like roasted marshmallows. Okay, that last part was probably someone’s coffee drink but now I’d forever relate it to the day we met.

“Never,” Xav whispered. “Besides, I’m more than ice. It’s just my favorite.”

“Should we give them the room?” Selt asked the others but Feral shook his head.

Paying customers were still enjoying late night drinks and snacks and pretending not to eavesdrop while watching us out of the corner of their eyes. Part of me wanted to snatch up Xav’s hand and race out of the heavy double doors but where the hell would we go? Not back to Dad’s. He was cool but we’d never have a moment alone. We’d rented out a whole floor of the biggest hotel in the territory but that meant possibly crossingpaths with Daliah and Rosemary and I wasn’t ready for that yet. Where were Teddy and the others staying? Probably with Dad.

“Don’t do it,” Teddy said, sitting down at the end of the bar and making a beckoning with his hand. He wanted pot and for me to stay. I didn’t acknowledge either and said, ‘huh,’ instead.

“Hand it over and don’t go running back to London. Seriously, don’t. It’s a wedding and her true-mate. She won’t have another one and you’ll never forgive yourself if you miss out on it.”

“I might,” I fought off the urge to cross my arms and rolled a single half-smoked joint down the bar to Teddy. He always liked to say he didn’t smoke pot but in reality he smoked it often enough around me. He just never bothered to buy his own.

“You wouldn’t,” Feral echoed his sentiment.

“Oh, you’re the brother arguing with Daliah because she invaded your house,” Xav said, and I cringed.

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