Page 58 of Burning Ice
“He’ll be with Professor Kiba for the day,” Kylix announced. A cup of coffee and a plate of tiganos were set in front of them. He slid it to Mirel. “Eat.”
Mirel hesitated. Part of Kylix wished for defiance, just once, so he could remind them all who Mirel listened to. But then Mirel obeyed without a word, the stiffness in his shoulders plain as he took a quiet nibble from the tigano and started to chew.
Kylix watched the movement of his throat, slow and uncertain, the pulse catching light against the black collar. He liked seeing him swallow under his voice. The taste of last night lingered like smoke. It wasn’t hunger for food that tightened his chest.
More food was brought to their table.
Archer flushed when Helianth leaned close to whisper something too soft to share. The color climbed high on his cheekbones. Cyprian hid a grin behind his cup.
Yure scooped up a tigano, plopping it into his mouth. “I’ll come to headquarters after class,” he said with his mouth full. “See if I can crack that feed you’ve been tracking.”
Kylix nodded. “My boys are already working on it, but I can use your help. Most of us are still trying to find out what the fuck happened at the prison. I’ll keep you posted, Moargan.”
His gaze slid back to Mirel, quiet among the noise. “You finish your plate. Vandor will bring you to class after.”
Someone barked a laugh. The sound rippled through the table, small but sharp.
Mirel’s hand stilled mid-air. It trembled once. He didn’t speak.
Kylix’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t move, but the air near him warmed until the cutlery clicked, room temperature shifting up a notch.
Cyprian’s palm hit the table. “Stop it, everyone. It might be a joke between you guys, but you’re hurting my brother. Meaning… you’re hurting me.”
He leaned forward, eyes bright. “Say it again, and you answer to me.”
Heat lifted off the tableware. No one joked.
Moargan held up his hands in defeat. “I’m sorry, lover.”
“So whipped,” Aviel smirked. His voice carried lazy menace.
Moargan’s lips curved. “There, I stopped my little joke. Tonight I expect compensation.”
Laughter broke the tension again, but it was thinner now. Kylix didn’t laugh. His gaze stayed on Mirel’s hands until they stopped shaking. The next time someone mocked that silence, he promised himself, it would end differently.
Cyprian rolled his eyes. “I’ll take you to your building, Mirel.”
“Thank you,” Mirel muttered.
Kylix noticed the faint flush along Mirel’s otherwise pale cheeks. His chest tightened, something thrumming deep in his core. This winter boy, this feral beauty who had managed to survive all these years in the shadows.
His fated mate.
Something steadied in Kylix’s chest at the acknowledgment. Yes. Mirel was his. His to discover. His to praise, to love, and take care of.
He leaned closer. “Be good today,” he murmured, letting his fingertips brush briefly against the back of Mirel’s neck, a single, controlled touch that conveyed both warning and care before he drew back.
The warmth of that touch lingered. Mirel’s breath hitched, eyes fixed on the floor as if the contact had branded him. A pulse climbed up his throat, small but visible. Kylix saw it and almost smiled. Power didn’t need to shout; it could whisper and still be obeyed. For a heartbeat, the air between them pulsed with something unsaid. It wasn’t tenderness, not cruelty, but recognition.
Helianth grinned. “We’ll watch him. Go play soldier.”
Kylix rose, the chair scraping softly against tile. He walked out of the canteen without turning back. “He’ll be fine,” he said, more to himself than to them. The air cooled as he passed.
The ride back cut through perfect order. Trams slid past banners, the city still shining in morning gold. Yet beneath that polish, something felt wrong. The hum in the grid had deepened, a quiet vibration that pressed against his chest. Zephyr was too still, too bright. The air held its breath, waiting for the next spark.
The sound crawled under his skin, familiar and wrong. The city hid its tension well. Faces smiled, glass gleamed, but Kylix could feel when structure started to rot.
He looked up at the sky where neighboring planets turned on their axis.
