Page 95 of Rose and Shadows
“That’s how we do it,” Lazriel chuckled. He grinned at Sylas who flopped down beside him and also possessively hooked his leg around mine. “Dirty bastard.”
Sylas grinned out at us. “Never gonna change. That’s my vow to you.”
I giggled. “That’s some vow.”
Lazriel tickled under my chin. “Love that sound.”
“Careful,” I said, nudging him. “I know how ticklish you are, remember?”
“And where?” Cassius teased.
“Definitely.”
It was too late then now it was out there, and then I was lunging at Lazriel and tickling the crap out of him.
Cassius and Sylas even joined in.
And as mindless as it was, it was just… perfect.
It was time.
It was the weekend now, which meant no classes, for one.
But beyond that, this needed to be done either way.
No matter what.
There was no more waiting, no more delay.
The sweetness of last night, the four of us connecting on every level in the wonderful way we had, Ketheron and Cassius revealing the beautiful home they’d created for us… it had been just what we’d needed to get through this last hurdle.
And that was what it would be—just one last hurdle.
Then we’d be free of it all.
Puritas.
Morien’s threat.
Victor’s insane fixation on Lazriel and desperate revenge fantasy toward Remnant.
The Dark Fae mind-meddling and leverage plot.
The destabilization to the Valley of the Dead because of mine and Sylas’ deaths, combined with Corvin and Morien’s interference.
Our enemies would be gone, it would finally be over and done with.
I stared out at the swirling activity in my dorm room as I perched on the edge of my desk eating a Cinnamon Cloud Muffin that Cassius hadordered infromVantiqe.He’d had the place enforced with his own Celestial-level wards so that it could stay open during Blackline Protocol.
He’d done it for me. Of course he had. It was the sort of amazingly considerate thing that they each did for me.
I smiled to myself. I couldn’t believe how loved and cared for I was by the three of them. And together we’d helped one another, soothed one another, each giving the other a sense of peace that we’d never had before. Not like this.
I ran my free hand over my belly reverently as I watched Sylas typing rapidly on his phone organizing his meeting with Remnant. A meeting that concerned Victor Halrow and the bastard drawing his last breath. But also other things… something we’d been waiting on him to bring up, to divulge, but which he hadn’t yet.
Cassius conjured a tactical glove for Lazriel who couldn’t find his left one, and Lazriel beamed at him as he slid it on. Lazriel was on edge—partly because of the Victor aspect, but also because he was meeting with his mom to discuss an idea he’d had about working in tandem to her when she relaunched the new incarnation of Vyrn Hollow, an idea that Professor Lenos Caldrith had helped him with, which he’d told me about excitedly shortly after it had happened.
Just like he’d told me about the scroll that Lenos had given him for Sylas—another thing that Sylas hadn’t mentioned yet.
