Page 33 of Rose and Shadows
There’d been a lot of this when I’d first been liberated from the Chimera Circle lab, and then again after the attack on the Guardian Compound where I’ddiedand been tethered back to life by Cassius.
It was ridiculous and aggravating. I should be able to deal with it, to stop it from becoming physical.
“It’s okay. It’s all okay, Velra,” Lazriel was saying as he both held my hair back and stroked it at the same time. A real sweetheart with me through and through.
“I’m sorry,” I managed to utter, although on a strained breath. I grasped his arm tightly and sucked in much-needed unchallenged deep breaths. “I love you so much, and I’m sorry that I went around you all.”
“This was your turn.” Off my look, he explained. “We’ve all acted unilaterally and you had to deal with all that bullshit from each of us. So, this is just your turn.”
Oh my God.“You’re amazing. You know that?”
“Right back at you.”
He went to sink into me, but then he jerked sharply, his head swinging around, scanning our surroundings rapidly, the urgency of it and the worry in his eyes making my stomach drop.
“Lazriel? What is—”
He was slammed into from the side so viciously that it had me screaming as he went flying across the area.
He landed on his back with such brutality, I could hear distinct snaps and cracks even without the benefit of vampire or wolf hearing. He coughed up blood, spluttering.
“Lazriel!” I screamed, forcing myself to my feet and starting over to him.
But then a behemoth powerhouse figure clad in a charcoal suit with that severe black buzz cut burst in front of him, cutting off my view.
Victor Halrow.
I gasped as he crouched down and ran his fingers over Lazriel’s cheek in a creepily faux tender way. “Missed me, precious?”
Lazriel lurched as he tried to move and ended up choking up more blood instead. “Go… fuck… yourself.”
Victor laughed like the maniacal bastard that he was. “Aww… so much ferocity and passion. I’m going to enjoy taming the former and taking utmost advantage of the latter.”
“Get back!” I yelled, calling my purple power, as my shadows wove rapidly toward him.
He turned his head and grinned at me with twisted amusement. “Perfect. Killing you will work wonders to sever him from the ties of his former life. The necromancer is alreadybeing pulled into The Shadowed and away from you. And the Immortal will be dealt with shortly—gloriously enhanced Dark Fae mind-meddling will see to him.”
I thrust my palms forward.
His incredible speed had him evading me and I gasped as I only just narrowly missed hitting Lazriel directly.
In a blink the madman was right in front of me.
He dropped his fangs.
White light exploded between us before he could lunge, and then Cassius materialized.
Victor burst back at the last second, Cassius’ power missing him only by a hair.
And then he sped toward Lazriel in a blink, snatched him up, then tore away with him.
Cassius bolted after them, but a glimmer of white caught my eye just as Victor tossed something behind him.
In the next second, a portal erupted and Victor sped into it.
I fired my power, trying to grab Victor or Lazriel.
They were out of range, I couldn’t get a hold on either of them.
