Page 125 of Alastair

“Do forgive me for focusing on the war instead of you, old friend,” I told him. “How unspeakable of me. What do you say we retire to the private lounge and catch up over a drink?”

Konnar smirked before drawing me in for a short embrace. When we pulled apart, I noticed Lazarus glaring daggers at him. For quite some time, he had seemed to dislike my friend. Anytime I had mentioned Konnar in the past, Lazarus had been grumpier than usual.

“Laz is so fucking jealous right now,”Daman told me using our mind link. He and Warrin stood beside the bar, waiting on their drinks—club soda for the ice dragon, and my brother had ordered a vodka cranberry.“I can feel his bitterness toward Konnar.”

“You should give Kon a kiss on the cheek just to fuck with him,”Bellamy added.

“Twenty bucks says Laz will punch Konnar in the throat,”Castor said.

“Only twenty bucks?”Raiden chimed in.“You’re cheap tonight.”

“All of you, get out of my head.”

Konnar offered a hand to Lazarus. “It’s nice to see you again.” He had the ability to read people’s thoughts. Even mine. However, he respected my privacy and didn’t intentionally do so. But could he read the minds of angels too?

“Nice is an interesting word choice,” Lazarus responded, looking at his outstretched hand but not taking it.

Konnar withdrew his hand.

“Pardon my friend here.” Michael gripped Lazarus’ shoulder and shook him. “He’s forgotten his manners.”

“Manners?” Lazarus’ scowl deepened. “Says the one who has no sense of personal space and barges in whenever and wherever he wants.”

Amusement shone in Konnar’s purple eyes as they shifted to me. He motioned to the door to the VIP area. “Shall we?”

I nodded and walked with him in that direction. The angels walked with me, weaving through the dancing bodies.

“You could’ve accepted his hand,”I told Lazarus.

He didn’t respond, but his jaw tightened.

I turned my face away from him so he wouldn’t see my smile. I got a weird satisfaction from his jealousy. It made me think of how I’d been toward Michael in the beginning—jealous of their closeness and irritated by the idea of anything more than friendship between them. He must’ve felt the same about Konnar.

We entered the VIP room in the back. Smoke wafted in the air as a group of Fae lounged on a long couch, a golden bowl of incense burning on the table in front of them. The incense heightened sexual appetites and smelled sweet with an underlying floral note.

A werewolf knelt between the legs of one of the males and nipped at the faerie’s inner thigh.

“Good pup,” the faerie said, sliding his fingers through the wolf’s shaggy blond hair. “You deserve a treat.” He then leaned forward and kissed him, passing an aphrodisiac to the wolf in the form of a small tablet as their mouths joined.

The werewolf’s eyes rolled back as he softly whimpered.

Intoxication. Lust. A place for all your cravings. The name of the club was fitting.

Konnar led us through another doorway and into his own private lounge. A bar sat along the back wall, and lights lined the shelves of liquor, decorative bottles of specialty blood, and ambrosia.

The bartender nodded to us as he wiped off the counter. A seventy-inch flat-screen was mounted on another wall with a sitting area in front of it—couches, armchairs, and a large round cushion on the floor.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” Konnar said. “If you’d like a drink, let Michael know.” He then smiled at the archangel. “My bartender Michael. Not you.”

“Call me Mike to make things easier,” the bartender said with a warm smile. “What can I get for you?”

“How kind of you to offer,” Michael responded. “Though, I must decline. Pleasure doesn’t bring me here tonight.”

Konnar watched him. “That doesn’t mean pleasure won’t find you anyway.”

Wait… was he flirting? Given the way Michael smirked, he wasn’t the only one. I’d be damned. Konnar very rarely flirted with anyone. Why meathead Michael of all people? He wasn’t even his type. Regardless, I definitely picked up on the vibes while observing their body language.

“I believe my best friend is crushing on your best friend,”I said to Lazarus.