"It wasn't an issue back then," Ash said curtly.
"Yeah, well, it's a serious issue to me," Vane said, nearing them. "Julian, how did you meet your wife?"
Julian shrugged. "My brother the sex god cursed me into a book for two thousand years. Grace got drunk on her birthday and summoned me out of it."
Vane rolled his eyes. "That's useless. Kyrian? What about you?"
"I woke up handcuffed to Amanda."
Vane could work with that. "So I need to get a set of handcuffs?"
"Not on a first date," Ash said with a smirk. "You'll scare her to death if you handcuff her."
Kyrian scoffed. "It worked for me on a first date."
Ash gave him a bored stare. "And so did having an insane Daimon out to kill the two of you. But I don't think Vane wants to go that route."
"So what do you wolves do to date?" Nick asked.
"We don't date," Vane said. "When a woman is in season, we fight for her and then she picks who mounts her."
Nick gaped. "Are you kidding? You don't have to buy her dinner? You mean you don't even have to talk to her?" He turned to Acheron. "Dayam, Ash, make me a wolf."
"You wouldn't like being a wolf, Nick," Ash said. "You'd have to eat raw meat and sleep outside."
Nick shrugged. "That sounds Like a typical Mardi Gras to me."
"What else?" Vane asked them, interrupting Nick's recitation of his Mardi Gras habits. "What did you guys do when you were human?"
Kyrian thought about it before he answered. "Well, in our day," he said, glancing at Julian, "we took women to chariot races and plays."
"Oh jeez," Nick said. "You guys are pathetic. Chariot race, my ass." He stepped forward and draped an arm around Vane's shoulders. "All right, listen to me, wolf. You get some cool clothes and impress her with a lot of cash. You need to take her somewhere good to eat. There's a place down on Chartres where you can get a two-for-one dinner"
"Nicky!"
They all turned to look at Amanda, who stood between the curtains, glaring at them.
"What?" Nick asked.
"Don't you dare tell him how to date." Amanda came over and handed her daughter to Kyrian. "Have you ever noticed that Mr. Suave here seldom dates a woman twice? There's a reason for that."
Grace clucked her tongue at the men as she joined them. "I swear, we should make all of them take a rudimentary dating course. It's a wonder any of you got married."
Julian offered his wife a devilish grin. "I didn't hear you complain when" She covered his mouth with her hand, then placed her son in his arms. "You two go home before you get into any more trouble."
"And you," Amanda said to Ash, "are old enough and wise enough to know better." "I didn't do anything," Ash said, but there was a gleam in his silvery eyes that belied his denial.
"Yeah, right." Amanda shooed him toward the door.
Ash sauntered out as if greatly amused by the women.
Nick started out after him, but Amanda grabbed his arm.
"You wait here."
"Why?" Nick asked.
Amanda pulled a set of car keys out of his shirt pocket. "Because you are going to loan Vane your car tonight."