Page 104 of Rose and Shadows
“Lazriel spoke to you, huh?”
“He… excuse me?”
She took my hands in hers. “My sweet and thoughtful warrior angel, always tryingsohard, learning and growing for me, for us, for our family. I know you love me. Just as you know I love you. So fucking deeply.”
“Yes, of course. I just—don’t you need the words spoken?”
“Do you?”
“No. I already feel it. It is already sure and steady.”
“Exactly.” She tightened her hold on me. “It’s different for us with the Brand. But for Lazriel, he needs verbal reassurance. Partly his abandonment issues, partly just because of how he is. He also needs the physicality. Sylas… he goes by feeling, but recognizes the need in others for it to be verbalized. And Lazriel advising you and I to speak what we already know is him needing to lock in our familial unit, how he knows we’re safe and solid.”
I gazed down at her in utter reverence. “You are truly remarkable.”
“And so are you. All right? I want you to recognize that. You’re done, Cassius. You’ve been working so hard for us, you need to focus on your own needs as well now.”
“I am. This… what we all have… it fulfills me. Fully.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “It’s not effort to me… not in a negative sense. I cherish it, all of it. Something, as a former warrior of the Celestial Plane, I never thought possible. These are my choices, it’s my will, my path, and my love for you all. Being a Fallen… it’s not a disgrace to me anymore. Being lesser in terms of my power… it means nothing to me. It doesn’t factor in now that I have built this new life—something the three of you are integral to.”
She beamed up at me, then took me in a deep kiss that I rose to in an utterly all-consuming way.
When I eased back before the need to take her down to the grass and ravish her entirely took me over, we were both panting.
Regrettably, we had to return to task. “So, now that is all suitably settled, are you ready to continue our search?”
She squared her shoulders, her gaze hardening as she entered her warrior mentality, strength surging forth without her even calling her magic.
It seemed like quiet strength, but it was not.
And soon, when we found those who had betrayed and abandoned her, those who were now escalating those wrongs against their own daughter into actions that harmed the entiresupernatural world, that strength of hers would roar in powerful fury.
We rematerialized againfrom Velra’s teleportation.
This time it was far from being in the middle of nowhere.
Her watch was blazing in warning.
We were right upon our targets.
The location had my stomach roiling in utter disgust.
Because it had been warped into cruelty and a horrific nightmare brought to life.
Sanctum Sands Beach.
It was a special beachside zone where all species could come together safely and peacefully.
The warm peach-gold sand was magically temperature-regulated. Crystalline tidepools dotted the shoreline and cliffs enveloped the space with resting pavilions situated atop them.
There was Tenebra Cove, a crescent-shaped beach alcove specifically developed as a vampire sun-safe zone that was shielded by a dome that filtered sunlight into a harmless ambient glow, allowing vampires to walk, recline, and swim freely. Black and silver parasols and chairs lined the area interspersed with beverage carts.
There was also Tenebra Walk, which was the sun-shielded entry point for vampires to reach the Cove from inland.
As a result of the efforts of the Shifter Stabilization Unit, a dragon-friendly zone had become a new addition to the area also. Darkened volcanic sand was located to the east side of the beach, along with sand craters for dragons in their non-human form to lounge and relax. There was even a magical surf that reacted to draconic energy and produced steam arcs.
