Page 151 of Rose and Shadows
Then with all the big shit we still had to see to in Morien andPuritas.
All those involved too.
“What was what?” Velra asked, gazing at me sleepily.
I nuzzled against her cheek, then turned to Sylas on my other side. “What was it that Ambrose said to you?” I ran my fingers through his mussed up hair. “I mean, I did have blood coming out of my ears when he invoked that bitch of a spell to convey whatever it was to you.”
He tickled my lips, making me twist away into Velra, which had her giggling and Cassius grinning as he looked on with amusement. “Pouting at me? You should know better by now. You know that’s a fuck-me signal to me.”
“Everything’s a fuck-me signal to you,” Velra threw at him, her eyes glinting.
“Not everything, Dark Beauty, but you biting back at me and challenging me in your delectably no-holds-barred blunt way certainly is.”
“Hmm… the pouting, however?” Cassius spoke. “Not so.” He eyed Sylas pointedly. “It cuts at your heart and most definitely has you verging on giving him whatever he wishes.”
“Oof, Cas’ on-point observational skills for the win!” I cried. I nudged Sylas. “He’s got your number, big time.” I pursed my lips at him again, gazing up at him as he was half leaning over me, his arm still wrapped around me. “You sexy necromantic heartthrob.”
“Careful,” he rumbled.
“Yeah? Or what? You want to take a run at the Graverun King?”
“Oh, abso-fucking-lutely.” His eyes softened as he ran his knuckles along my jawline, sending a rush of heat through me. “Just not in the violent and brutal way you’re getting at.”
“A little violent and brutal?”
His lips quirked. “Maybe just a little.”
“Stop,” Velra said, nudging me, then slapping Sylas’ bare thigh. “We’re cooling off right now. All this talk is—”
“Getting you nice and slick for us again?” I teased.
“Lazriel,” Cassius uttered.
“Fine.” I leaned over and pressed a kiss to Velra’s cheek. “Sorry, love. Rest up. I’m just fucking around—no… screwing—I mean—”
She giggled. “Got it.”
“Bad—or pointed—word choices notwithstanding,” Sylas laughed.
Unfortunately, the levity dissipated all too soon, and a tenseness took us as Sylas straightened, his expression becoming serious.
Wait… but also… reverent?
It wasn’t bad what he was about to say, then? It was just… a lot?
“It was about our child,” he spoke. “What Ambrose had to convey to me was about the baby.”
“What?” Velra said, sitting up ramrod straight, grasping my arm, and Cassius taking her hand in his.
Sylas held up his hand. “It’s all right.”
“How? How is itall rightthat the black magic virtuoso himself imparted some creepy warning about our baby?”
Sylas raised an eyebrow. “Creepy?”
She gave him a look.
“Right,” he said. “But this wasn’t creepy. Nor was it some portent of doom. Ambrose is connected to energy, instances, anything that skirts the balance of nature, that challenges the constraints of power, magic, life and death.” His gaze flicked to each of us in turn. “Things that push the limits of possibility.” His lips quirked as that gaze dropped to Velra’s belly. “Orrewrite it completely.”
