Page 74 of Burning Ice
The newcomers were loud, laughing until they saw Kylix. Voices dropped. One of them, dressed in black and gold, stepped forward with a smile.
“Imperial Kylix.” His voice carried over the music, smooth and sure. “I thought perhaps this time you wanted me again. Or maybe you’d like both of us?”
Kylix’s mouth curved. “Not tonight, Jonah. Wait for Daven. Tell him I sent you.”
Jonah’s grin didn’t fade. “Always next time, sir.” His voice dipped, just enough for those nearby to hear the edge of it. “Unless you’ve changed the schedule. I was told it’s my shift tonight.”
Kylix’s mouth curved, lazy and unbothered. “Was that what you were told?”
Jonah tilted his head, the smile sharpening. “I’m a loyal man. I serve where I’m needed.”
“Then consider yourself off duty.”
“Of course, my lord.” Jonah bowed slightly, but his eyes lingered a moment longer than they should have. The exchange drew a ripple of amusement from the others.
Mirel stood still beside the bar, the words catching under his ribs.His shift.The thought sat heavy and sour. When Jonah turned away, laughter trailing him, Mirel’s pulse beat faster for reasons he didn’t want to name.
Yure and Vandor stood near the bar, passing a red-cinder cigarette between them. Two Luminary guards nearby were already talking, voices carrying just enough to be overheard.
“How’d it go yesterday?” one asked. “Find the prisoner?”
“Nothing,” the other said. “We were out there for three hours, raided half the district. No prisoner. No medic either.”
Mirel caught the exchange and felt the air shift. The laughter thinned, replaced by a strange stillness that tugged at him.
“There he is,” Aviel drawled. He stood by the bar, glass in hand, surrounded by guards. No one spoke to him. “Our frost baby.”
“Hi, Aviel.” Mirel’s gaze slid to Theo, who sat on a stool, back against Aviel’s chest, blond curls a sharp contrast to the tanned hand that had taken possession of them.
“Ever watched the Aureate from this side of the glass?” Aviel asked. His hand toyed with Theo’s hair. “It changes a man. Soon enough you’ll be down there yourself. I can’t wait to see what your element does when the crowd starts calling for blood.”
He tilted Theo’s head up by the curls, guiding him until Theo’s lips parted. The kiss was slow but hungry, Theo moaning softly into the touch. When Aviel finally pulled back, he looked at Mirel and smiled. “Careful, little frost,” he murmured, words curling against his skin. “Some fires don’t stay caged forever. When they break, they take the whole house with them.”
The words stuck like ash. Aviel’s smile was a performance. His eyes were not. Theo’s lashes fluttered against his hand. Mirel felt as if he were standing beside a door that opened to heat, one the house pretended wasn’t there. He looked for Kylix and foundthe same answer as always, a line of fire to stand behind, even when he didn’t understand it.
“Hey, brother.” Cyprian’s voice broke the tension as he and Moargan stepped into the lounge. The Imperial Prince veered toward the bar where Yure and Aviel sat, slid onto a stool, and ordered a bottle.
Cyprian hugged him. “Did you have a good day with Professor Kiba?”
“Y-yes.” His gaze dropped to the white fur draped over Cyprian’s shoulders. “You look… different. The cape.”
Cyprian laughed softly. “It’s what we wear during formal events. You’ll soon have a black one yourself.”
Moargan threw a glance over his shoulder. “Don’t be fooled, Mirel. Under that garment he’s naked and shivering, waiting for me.” He grinned, lifting a glass toward the window. “Come on, lover. Daven’s already in the sand. Air-boy’s a showman. You’ll like him.”
Mirel watched them go, gaze sliding over Archer and Helianth in a far corner. Helianth whispered something that made Archer blush to the tips of his ears. When Archer caught Mirel’s eyes, he smiled and gave a small wave.
Kylix set a hand at the small of Mirel’s back. “Let’s go,” he said. “The show’s about to start.”
“Aviel said something… strange.”
“He always does. Don’t give him the satisfaction.”
“No, I mean…he said the fire doesn’t stay caged. It felt like a warning.”
Kylix snorted. “He’s a sadist, not a prophet. Forget him. Let him play with Theo if he needs an audience.”
Mirel nodded, though the words still scraped at the back of his mind. They left the bright ring of talk and stepped through a glass door into a smaller viewing room. The noise of the loungedimmed, replaced by the low hum of vents and the distant rise of the crowd outside.
