“How the fuck you been, buddy?” Bhric asked the fire demon standing at his side.

Rhett leaned over the pool table and lined up his shot. The females sitting at their table tittered and commented on his sexy ass. Bhric would make sure they got an eyeful before the night was through. Perhaps they could take them to the back room and skip the game. He needed a good fuck.

“I wish I could say balls deep since I left,” Rhett complained with a scowl. “I left to get your sister out of my system, and look where that landed me.”

Bhric tried to be objective about the fact that his friend was so open about wanting his sister. He and Breslin shared a closeness, rivaled only by a Fated Mate, and it was tough to listen to a male state his desire. “Watch it, arsehole, or I will pound you into next week,” Bhric warned.

Rhett took his shot then stood, flaring his hands. “Hey, calm down. It’s different with your sister. She’s not a conquest I want to hit and quit.”

Bhric shook his head in disgust. “Ugh. I doona want to hear aboot my sister in that way. I prefer to think she’s still a virgin.” Rhett’s growl filled the bar, and when his skin glowed from the fire dancing beneath his flesh, the females scurried. “What the fuck?” Bhric barked.

Several deep breaths and the glow vanished from Rhett’s skin. The fire demon threw him an apologetic glance. “If I didn’t know better, I would swear I was falling victim to your fated bullshit. Fire demons don’t have Fated Mates, so there is no excuse for my possessiveness towards Breslin. Anyway, let’s change the subject. I see I’ve missed a lot while I was gone.”

“Aye, you have. We could have used you when the Sheti attacked the compound. Both times,” Bhric acknowledged as he walked around the table, searching for his next move.

Bhric enjoyed the atmosphere of the small bar. It was a better place for catching up with a friend, as opposed to the loud music that blared at Confetti Too. Bhric knew Rhett liked to play pool and Howlers was the best realm bar for drinking and billiards.

“Zeum has changed so much. There are kids everywhere, for fuck’s sake. Not to mention, all the little damn gnomes. Mostly, I’m shocked how many warriors are mated now,” Rhett admitted as he took a sip of his drink.

“Tell me aboot it,” Bhric murmured and took his shot. He missed the ball altogether, and stumbled into the pool table.

“Hey, you might want to ease up on the liquor. Better yet, don’t. I need your handicap if I’m going to beat you,” Rhett said with a chuckle.

Bhric noticed the females had wandered back and were watching and waiting. Yep, that’s what Bhric liked about the place. The booze was flowing, and the sex was rampant.

“Are you going to Angus’s mating ceremony?” Bhric asked then motioned the waitress for another round.

“Did he finally return to Khoth?” Rhett asked as he paid the sexy shifter for their drinks when she walked over.

“Aye. Kyran and Mack are there now, visiting. I havena heard the final date for their ceremony. Apparently, Keira doesna want to mate him, so no one knows what will happen. Poor bastard’s been searching and pining for her for centuries, and may not end up with her,” Bhric relayed and gripped his glass snugly.

Bhric sent a pulse through his palm, and his power flowed to the lowball. Seconds later, the glass frosted. Much better than ice cubes that watered down a drink.

“Khoth is due for some long-needed changes. I know several males who are anxious for some dragonettes, the poor bastards,” Rhett chuckled.

Taking a break from their game, Bhric and Rhett took a seat at the table, and Bhric downed his scotch then motioned to the waitress for another.

“Och, I still canna believe Angus is the King of Khoth. And possessing the power of fertility? Zander would have killed to have that ability when the mating curse plagued the realm. The Tehrex Realm wouldna be in such a perilous position today,” Bhric expressed, and his current predicament edged its way to the fore. He didn’t want to think about that right now. Where was that fucking waitress with his drink?

“Nah, things happen the way they do for a reason. No use worrying about shit you can’t control. Besides, imagine how events might have unfolded. Zander may have never met his Elsie,” Rhett pointed out, sipping his cocktail.

“Damn, bro. Is that a drink or a nipple?” Bhric asked as he accepted the glass from their waitress, number five by his count. “You may have a point, though. The realm wouldna be the same withoot Elsie and the other females. They’ve made our group a family.”

“I didn’t realize we were having a drinking contest, but maybe you should slow your roll,” Rhett drawled as he relaxed in his chair.

“Fuck off. Doona start with me, too. I can handle my liquor,” Bhric spat.

“Chill motherfucker. I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just that the night is young and I don’t want to carry your drunk ass home.” Rhett retorted with an insouciant grin.

Bhric appreciated that Rhett kept his sense of humor and rarely got bent out of shape over stupid shit.

“Anyway, I’m surprised you say that about the females. I mean, weren’t you guys already a family? Half of you are related,” the fire demon conveyed.

Bhric finished another drink then ordered a double. “Aye, we were always a family, but there was distance at Zeum. We fought skirm or patrolled together, but we weren’t exactly close. We kept private matters to ourselves, and dealt with them, or not,” Bhric explained, and again, was reminded of the big secret eating at his insides.

Rhett waggled his eyebrows with a smile. “What kind of private matters? Anything about your sister?”

“I’ve told you no’ to ask me aboot her. Trust me, Dark Warrior secrets are never anything pleasant,” Bhric shared, thinking about the horrors their group had faced.

Bhric thought Gerrick had been through some shit when he described losing his first mate, but then he learned about Jace’s sexual slavery and Kyran’s deviance that led to the unfortunate death of an innocent female. The hits continued with Rhys’s torment in hell, and, most recently, Santiago going rogue.

They wouldn’t have made it through their trials without the females and their support. And, thank the Goddess that it hadn’t involved endless nights of group hugs and personal disclosures. That shit gave Bhric the hives. Regardless, the females proved time and again the power of love and acceptance.

“You just need to accept that your sister is a sexy little vamp,” Rhett informed Bhric, interrupting his thoughts.

Bhric’s fingers curled around his lowball. “You have a serious death wish, Glowworm. Speaking of, how did you camouflage yourself from the humans when you went to Earth?” he asked as he looked at the radiance of the male’s skin. There was no mistaking that Rhett wasn’t human.

Rhett held up an arm, and Bhric noted the iridescence under the bar’s dim lighting. Bhric recalled the way Rhett’s skin glowed during combat, and how his orange eyes darkened to red with his rage. Without battle-lust fueling him, Rhett’s skin was translucent, and the fire that flowed through his veins could be seen.

Bhric believed Rhett bled fire until a skirm took a chunk out of his arm during a fight and crimson liquid flowed from the wound. Granted, it was bubbling and boiling, but it was blood, nonetheless.

“My eyes were easy enough to hide with sunglasses or colored contacts. Cailyn gave me makeup that did a great job of camouflaging my skin, but that shit took forever to apply if I went to a human bar. For the most part, I stuck to realm establishments. Speaking of which, Pedro and Francisco said you’re still banned from Old Absinthe House,” Rhett shared with a laugh.

“I canna believe they’re still pissed. I remember that siren was a sexy lass. Och, her voice was irresistible,” Bhric murmured with a shudder as he recalled how her words enthralled him. “And here I had planned a trip to good ole NOLA in the spring. Oh, well, ‘tis their loss?” Bhric snarked.

Bhric didn’t understand why some held grudges. It was one insignificant fight, and he paid for the damages to their property.

Bhric’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Grumbling, he pulled it out, and when he saw who it was, he slammed the device on the table. Fuck that female and her delusions. Pasha was a liar, not to mention, blackmailing him. Damn if he’d elevate her standing in the vampire community. He was never going to agree to mate her.

He’d slept with her, but Pasha wasn’t his Fated Mate. He refused to mate with anyone but his Fated. He didn’t care what she claimed.

“Whoa, buddy. What did the phone ever do to you?” Rhett asked.

“Nothing,” he replied and motioned for the waitress. “Another Macallan, now.”

“You sure about that, hun? You’ve had a lot more than your usual,” the waitress pointed out, as if he needed, or wanted, her opinion.

A lecture was the last fucking thing he needed after the text he’d received. “Doona question me, witch! I’m a fucking Vampire Prince,” he growled then shoved the female towards the bar.

“Touch me one more time and Charlie will kick your princely ass out of here. Keep an eye on your friend,” she snapped towards Rhett, who nodded his agreement.

“I don’t know what crawled up your ass, but you need to ditch it. Rack ‘em,” Rhett demanded as he grabbed his pool stick, glaring at Bhric.

“There’s not a fucking thing up my ass, except that female’s tongue later,” he replied as he pointed to a hot shifter at their table and winked.

“Is tossed salad on the menu?” Rhett asked one of the females in their group.

“Mmmm, for you? Definitely, baby. And, I promise to be thorough,” the shifter purred and slid her tongue across her lips seductively.

Bhric stood and stumbled into Rhett who gave him a sideways glance. “I like a female who takes pride in her work,” Bhric replied and took a couple of unsteady steps then slung his arm around the leggy blonde. They were making eyes all night, and his dick was itching for action. Leaning toward her, he whispered, “How ‘bout you, darlin’? Are you as talented as your friend here?”

She tittered and smiled up at him with adoring eyes. Suddenly, his head flew forward, carrying his unsteady body with it. As he plowed onto the pool table and rolled across the top, he realized he’d been hit. The power behind the force told him a male mustered up the balls to strike him. Dickhead was going to regret that decision.

He landed on his feet, but staggered before gaining his balance. “You assed out motherfucker,” Bhric snarled.

“Stay away from my sister, douchebag. She’s not going to be another conquest for your overinflated ego,” the male demanded.

“Seems to me, that’s her choice,” Bhric retorted.

A fist flew his way, and he snatched his pool cue and swung, breaking it over the male’s back. As the female shouted to her brother to stop, Bhric sensed Breslin enter the establishment. He didn’t have to turn his head to know his twin was nearby. He always felt her presence.

“You stupid arseholes,” Breslin shouted as she stepped in between him and the shifter. “What the hell are you doing, Bhric?”

“I was playing a game of pool and enjoying the company of these fine females,” Bhric replied, and swung an arm around his sister’s shoulder.

Breslin’s amber eyes burned with the flame that lived in her veins. She was pissed off, and Bhric wondered how she knew where to find him.

“He’s trying to get his salad tossed. You wouldn’t be interested, would you?” Rhett added with a wink.

Breslin’s head jerked Rhett’s way, her auburn hair fanning with the movement. A flame danced on her palm, and she slapped Rhett across the face, holding it on his flesh for several seconds. Bhric waited for the smell of burning flesh, but Rhett’s eyes rolled back in his head, and he groaned.

“Damn, Princess, I like your version of foreplay. Is that a yes?” The fire demon was playing with fire, literally, and had a death wish.

Charlie, the owner of the bar, stomped towards their small crowd, shotgun in hand. No doubt loaded with a silver buckshot, the only bullet that would injure a supernatural.

“Enough of this shit. Get out of my bar and don’t come back until you know how to handle your liquor,” he shouted, his six-two frame taking a stance between Bhric and the agitated brother.

“You’re walking a tightrope, brathair, and when you fall, it isna going to be pretty. I doona know what’s going on with you, but you need to get your act together. And, you,” Breslin snarled at Rhett, pointing a finger to his chest, “doona call me again. I’m not Bhric’s babysitter. If this shite happens again, I’m holding you personally responsible.” And with that, Breslin turned and stormed out of the bar without another word.

“I think I’m love,” Rhett sighed as he watched Breslin walk out.

“Yeah, she likes you, too, you fucking nark. What were you thinking, calling her?” Bhric asked as they headed towards the exit. He heard the female’s brother threaten his retreating back but ignored him. “This should cover any damages,” he said to Charlie and threw a wad of cash on the bar as they left.

“I thought she’d come in and save the day, then I could take her back to Zeum, and save her,” Rhett confessed as they stumbled out the door and onto the sidewalk.

The night had gone from bad to worse. The fight hadn’t released Bhric’s tension. He needed to kill a skirm or fuck a female. On second thought, he’d stick with the skirm. Those demon-spawn needed to die, and sex was what landed him in his current mess. A female was the last thing he needed.