Page 63 of Rose and Shadows
I nodded, then called my white power gently, while his necromantic energy emanated, his red glow flowing into me as he used me both as a conduit and a power boost to overcome even the most stubborn of magics.
And stubborn it was.
Velra looked on, eyes wide, as I called more power and Sylas spoke an incantation.
“Rescinde larvam. Tutus es. Revela te nobis.”
Drop the mask. You are safe. Reveal yourself to us.
He told us, “I’m using Soul Track in combination with aVeil Lift,just a temporary one for now, so as not to cause any destabilization or distress.”
A few moments later, I felt it—first a rush of intensity and Velra’s emotions from the Soul Brand no longer muted, which was now clear hadn’t been her doing this time at all.
And then I felt… a heartbeat.
Velra choked out a gasp. “This can’t… no… I’m part Wraith, this shouldn’t be possible.”
Sylas’ eyes flamed with his power, indicating he was doing more than just dropping the illusionary magic that had been in effect concealing this miraculous turn of events… he was studying.
He blinked as a curse escaped Velra, then he called his power back, and I snuffed out mine.
Shifting his weight, he drew in an unsteady breath, then stared out at her in a mixture of awe and shock. “You’re pregnant.”
She hadn’t spoken a word.
Granted, a great deal of the hour since the revelation had been spent with Velra vomiting in the bathroom, then telling us to keep out as she then showered and saw to herself in the aftermath.
I had been pacing outside the bathroom door ever since, my only comfort in the fact that I could feel through the Soul Brand that she wasn’t actually pulling away, merely processing. And given the monumental revelation, that was to be expected.
When the four of us had embarked on our relationship, specifically the sexual aspect in this case, it hadn’t crossed our minds—not even the extremely learned ones of Sylas and I—that any form of protection was needed for Velra. Due to her Wraith side, conceiving a baby should not have been possible.
However, the unique way in which her and Sylas’ power interacted had been overlooked in that respect. No, not overlooked. Neither he nor I were naïve when it came to magical know-how. It hadn’t been studied. Velra was the first and only Dark Fae-Wraith hybrid in existence.
And now here we were, life created from death magic. Hence it essentially siphoning Sylas’ necromantic energy—something that it clearly needed to sustain itself. For any other child across the supernatural world, that would have proven the opposite—absolutely harmful. But this child,ourchild, was a very special case.
“A little lighter on the raging footsteps, if you will.”
I slowed my pace at the sound of Sylas’ voice as he sat in the center of the room which he’d since cleared any trace of Velra’s awful—thankfully, failed—spell from, and was now undertaking a Ruminat, his palms upturned and radiating controlled crimson flame. It was a form of meditation that magic-wielders practiced to restore clarity of mind during times of mental and emotional stress.
“My apologies,” I offered.
How he was able to interact while deep in magical meditation was another thing altogether. Sylas surpassed most, though. It was a hallmark of who he was, I supposed.
I managed to lighten my footsteps a little as I continued pacing, warring between my instinct to seal Velra away in an impenetrable fortress to protect her and our child, versus respecting her agency and her ferocious capability to safeguard herself and her new precious cargo.
The former response was what had been my go-to with her months back after I’d first tethered her and the Soul Brand had formed. I wouldnotfall back into the trap of bad habits, of toxic traits bestowed on me from too many years spent on the Celestial Plane.
I felt Sylas’ magic snuff out, and then I stopped pacing as he rose to his feet, blinking out of his deep meditative state.
“There is a way for me to sustain the baby without constant desiccation being a factor, something we can’t afford with me needing to be at optimal strength and power in order to vanquish Morien.”
“And that solution is?”
He moved to speak, but pulled up short as the corridor outside reverberated.
A moment later, the door flew open, then closed in the very next split-second.
And then a masked and hooded figure stood before us.
