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“So everyone here is Félvér?” Viktor clarified.
“Yup. Let’s see, we’ve got more Wolves out there, a few with Demon blood – you’re going to love them, most of them are incubi like Slavian – a couple of Dragons, I think she’s a Mage…” Anton trailed on as I blinked rapidly, processing everything he said.
If so many Félvér hung out here tonight, how many more were out there? And if they had other magic outside of Iron Faes’ elemental magic, how would we take them on in battle?
“We’re pretty progressive here you know, not like the other realms who are all ‘pure blood is the only way to maintain power’ bullshit. Plus the Félvér have way more fun than you Fae,” Anton finished, his finger wagging as his words slurred even more.
I bristled at his insinuation that the other realms were so rigid in their beliefs. Before I could open my mouth to protest, Viktor’s elbow dug into my side, and he topped off everyone’s glasses in rapid succession.
“I’ll drink to that.” Slavian chuckled, lifting his glass before downing it. “Let’s break out the herbs now, Anton.” He reached for a bag and pulled an apparatus from beneath the table. Takinga pinch of herbs in one hand, he stuffed it into a small opening before lighting it and bringing it to his mouth. He sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled a plume of smoke into the space. It smelled sweet and earthy, like rain on a spring day.
“My turn.” Liliana eagerly held out her hand for the apparatus.
“Not so fast, beautiful. You’ll hurt yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing. I’ll help you.” He placed the apparatus to her lips, then flicked a mote of fire to his fingers. “When I put my finger here, you breathe deep into your belly. Hold it for a moment, then exhale slowly.”
Endre’s eyes were hard as he watched Slavian and Liliana flirt, a muscle feathering in his jaw. Liliana’s green eyes locked on Slavian’s gray ones as he placed his flaming finger on the herbs. She inhaled slowly, then stopped as he took the apparatus from her. She held for a beat, then released a tendril at a time before forming an O with her mouth and blowing rings in Slavian’s face.
I leaned over to Vadim. “You know she’s done this before, right?”
“I do now,” he huffed and I followed with a low laugh. She clearly kept a lot from us.
“How long until Endre snaps?” Viktor joined our hushed discussion.
“Why is Endre allowed to snap but I am not?” I quipped.
“Because when we found Izidora, you found a temper. Endre is too nice. My bet is he won’t break in public,” Viktor snickered.
Vadim grinned wolfishly. “If he wants Liliana, he has to earn her. It’s not his fault that she wants to test him. Deep down, she wants him to succeed, and I think he knows that. I bet he loses it in the next hour, especially if Slavian keeps touching her.”
“If Endre hadn’t had his heart set on her for the past six or so years, I think he would have dropped her rather than keepfighting. He is a stubborn male. I give him until the end of the night,” I chimed in.
“Six years?” Vadim exclaimed in a hushed whisper.
“To be fair, he never said anything, but Kazimir and I always knew,” Viktor shrugged.
Endre declined the herbs, so he passed them along to Vadim. “This shit better make me forget that last statement,” he grumbled.
Slavian leaned forward with his fiery finger to light Vadim’s pull. He repeated Liliana’s motion, but instead of holding, he came up coughing and wheezing.
“Happens to everyone their first time,” Slavian laughed and then passed the apparatus to me. I debated for a moment before deciding that if I truly wanted to let go, I needed to act like it. So I put the herbs to my mouth, inhaled deeply as Slavian lit them, held my breath as he pulled away, then exhaled slowly through a wide mouth, only coughing slightly at the end. Viktor ended up joining as well, leaving Endre the only one without a hit.
Anton refreshed the now-burned herbs, then puffed a few times. Slavian refilled all our glasses, offering another cheer before we all chased the herbs with more liquor. My whole body tingled, and I felt like I floated rather than sat on the couch as the drink and smoke sank into my bones. Thoughts of Ruslan and Izidora disappeared from my mind, and all I could focus on was what was right in front of me, which a moment later included three females and a male pushing through the fabric that separated us from the main area. Zoya followed them in, her bronze skin shimmering as if every speck of light in this place reflected off of her. I blinked a few times, noticing that every newcomer’s skin shimmered in some way. I shed my suit jacket, then rolled up my sleeves, turning my arms over and examining a similar sheen on my own skin.
The three other females pushed past Anton and seated themselves between him and Viktor, lashes fluttering in our direction. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Endre eye a redhead appreciatively, scooting toward Vadim slightly and away from Liliana. I guessed he was intent on playing games if she was.
“I’m Taya,” the redhead introduced herself, then gestured to the females beside her. “This is Aliana and Natasha. And he is Atros.” She jerked her head to the male who sat beside Anton, taking hits of the herbs.
“Lovely to meet you ladies.” Vadim leaned forward, rubbing his palms together and licking his lips. Endre and Viktor shrugged out of their jackets and lounged casually against the couch. “Can we get you anything to drink?”
“Oh, no, we’re perfectly fine. We’ve already had a lot of herbs,” the black-haired female, who I assumed was Natasha, trilled.
“Natasha, switch places with me, I want to sit next to that one,” the blonde said, her hazel eyes glued to Viktor’s torso.
“Ugh, you always go for the tall ones, Aliana,” she replied, but instead of switching places, she settled herself between Vadim and me. His eyes went feral as he looked her up and down, stopping on the low cut of her skin-tight dress before returning to her face. “And what are you?” he asked.
“Demon,” she flashed her teeth with a low laugh. Vadim only grinned as he yanked her to his lap. She straddled him, and I decided I’d had enough of watching them.
Anton passed the herbs to me, and I took two long drags, this time easing the smoke out of my mouth without a cough. Zoya sat on his lap, and he lazily stroked her bare skin, his fingers like a blur as I watched. The male sucked on his neck on the opposite side, and Anton tipped his head back to rest on the wall behind him. “The Félvér are looser than you rigid Fae, Kazimir. Relax and enjoy the ride,” he moaned as Atros stroked his groin.
