Page 96 of Rose and Shadows
I sucked in a breath, then spoke to the room, “I’m really excited about the idea of moving toGlacialis Arx.For us and for our baby... raising our baby there together.”
Sylas stilled with his typing and eyed me in surprise.
Lazriel grinned excitedly.
And Cassius gave me a knowing look, having already felt my processing of the pregnancy through the Soul Brand.
“Is that so?” Sylas spoke with a lift of his lips, cautiously hopeful.
I gazed between them. “Absolutely. In fact, I have some ideas for the nursery, how we should ward the place, which Academy we can send him or her to, what their abilities might be like, howto introduce the Cloud Muffin thing and when…” I trailed off at their stunned looks.
“I have a notebook full of parenting approaches,” Cassius announced.
Lazriel, Sylas, and I stared out at him.
He lifted a shoulder. “It will prove useful, I am sure.”
I beamed out at him. “Of course it will. That’s really lovely.”
“Yeah, that book I sent you about emotional intelligence has really had some major knock-on effects,” Lazriel said.
Cassius ruffled his hair.
Unfortunately, the levity was too short-lived, as I saw a spark in Lazriel’s eyes as he looked over at Sylas.
He couldn’t hold it in any longer.
It was coming.
Now.
He stepped up to Sylas and snapped, “Of course, none of this is gonna work well if you’re fucking off ninety-percent of the time down in the Shadow Tunnels, and cut off from above ground by going against whatever Ryker’s orders were in that scroll Lenos handed over to me.”
Sylas moved to speak, but Lazriel slapped his hand to his chest and continued heatedly, “I knew my dad was offering you something like that—a place in The Shadowed, and, yeah, maybe even to take his role as leader. But this… us… the baby… it changes things. Or at least it should.”
“History isn’t going to repeat itself. I won’t leave you like your father did to—”
“Urgh, I’m not making a comparison between his treatment and relationship with me and mine with yours. Don’t… don’t ever say that again.”
Sylas’ gaze flicked to mine and then Cassius’ knowingly. “You know what I mean,” he told Lazriel, realizing he needed to tone that aspect down.
“No. This is about our baby and you as one of its dads.”
Sylas drew in a weighty breath, then revealed, “Remnant asked me to become Commander of The Shadowed.”
“That makes strategic sense, especially given his clear intent to be granted a reprieve from such a heavy burden so he can further his relationship with Lazriel and Rhyza,” Cassius spoke. “Having a powerful necromancer as Commander would ensure full protection for the vampiric underground in a way that could not be achieved through anyone else.”
Lazriel glared at him.
Cassius held up his hand. “However,it would also be detrimental to you, Sylas, And our familial unit. You would constantly be torn between two duties which do not mesh well.”
I pushed off my desk and walked over. “But this is also something you’ve wanted for a while—a way through the red tape and constraints that have been plaguing you, hindering what the Guardian Movement calls yourvigilante activities, but which is you seeking justice and righting wrongs that they can’t.” I eyed Lazriel pointedly. “We understand that, don’t we?”
“Yeah, of course,” Lazriel admitted, stepping back from Sylas. “But it’s just—it’s also—”
“There’s another way,” Sylas cut in.
“Another way?” I asked.
