Page 43 of D'Vaire or Nothing
“How would we know?” Artair asked the fire mage. He couldn’t help teasing him. “This is the first weekend it’s been open and only to our extended family. Not even the public has been here yet. We just discussed this with Owen.”
“It’s a rhetorical question,” Reece retorted with a roll of his azure eyes. “Please, Fate, don’t send any more bears into my life.”
“Rude thing to say for a mage with a fiery bear as an elemental,” Owen muttered.
“Anyway,” Reece stated firmly. “It’s a karaoke bar.”
Riker grabbed Artair’s hand, so the alpha laced the fingers of his free hand with Lochlan’s as the earth mage led the march through the casino. “Let’s go, karaoke sounds like fun. We’ll sign Artair up for the first song.”
“No, we won’t,” Artair replied. “I don’t sing, and I definitely don’t do it in public.”
“Then we make Owen do it,” Riker said as Reece led their group toward the street entrance.
“Bears don’t do karaoke,” Owen remarked, wariness in his brown eyes.
“Look, a bear is singing tonight,” Reece responded. “Either it’s you, Owen, or you talk your alpha into heroically volunteering to take your place.”
“Artair, I love you,” Owen said.
“I love you too, Owen,” Artair replied. “Do you want some help picking out your song?”
“Maybe I’ll go upstairs and hang out with the elementals,” Owen grumbled, but he kept walking with their group instead of making a beeline for the elevators. Artair didn’t question why. Although Owen had some latent anxiety about the mages insisting he sing, they were too kind to force him to take the stage.
“Good call, Edgar needs practice throwing rocks,” Riker teased, speaking of the elemental he’d summoned at sixteen.
Edgar was a sweet pile of stones, but he could be belligerent. Unfortunately for Riker, he saved those moments of pique for his sorcerer and had spent many years hurling heavyobjects at him. Lochlan had stepped in to mediate, and now Riker and Edgar were close. They rarely argued any longer, and Artair couldn’t recall the last time Edgar had thrown anything.
They arrived at the bar, and Artair grinned at the smallest of the imp population, Illsisatro Orxarias, who was belting out a harmonious tune onstage.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun,” Riker enthused. “Where do we sign up?”
“I’m not doing it,” Owen insisted.
Reece shook his head and studied the bear with pity. “Riker is talking about signing himself up, not you. Want to do one together first, Rike?”
“Sure,” Riker responded. He turned and wrapped his arms around both Artair and Lochlan. “Want to go find some seats while Reece and I get signed up?”
Lochlan took Riker’s mouth in a deep kiss that had Artair smiling and his beast roaring with delight in his head. At the end of their caress, Riker was a little dazed, so Artair pressed his mouth to the mage’s and dipped his tongue in to tease him. The scent of honey overwhelmed his senses.
When Riker whimpered, Artair supposed he’d pushed the mage far enough. But Artair wasn’t done. He cupped Lochlan’s nape and held him close as he reacquainted himself with the water mage’s taste. Unlike Riker’s sweet surrender, Lochlan was aggressive, and Artair was the one who wanted to whine in delight.
Somehow, Artair kept it together, and as he lifted his head to grin at his mates, he hoped to hell no one would notice how much snugger his trousers were in the crotch area.
“Wow. Tough choice. Sing or go upstairs and bounce on a mattress with you two,” Riker whispered.
“Rike, let’s go,” Reece demanded.
Artair’s smile grew. “Guess your brother decided for you. But don’t worry; we’ll make up for lost time later.”
“As long as you both promise we aren’t getting any sleep tonight,” Riker insisted.
“We rarely get any sleep on the weekends; why would this one be any different?” Lochlan asked. “Go get signed up, we can’t wait to hear you sing.”
“Love you, Loch. Love you, Big Guy.”
Riker dashed off before Artair or Lochlan could respond. “He’s in trouble for that,” Artair told Lochlan.
“Agreed. I think I should borrow his magical dice idea, but every scenario tonight puts him at our mercy. He’ll have no choice but to—”
