Page 96 of Obsidian and Frost
“Wow, that’s really something.”
“I suppose it is.”
She gave a nod of agreement. “Tonight? After classes, before Circle lockdown protocol?”
“I’ll come to your dorm room.”
“Perfect.”
Itwasperfect. Because it would allow me to take control of this situation.
Something I was already in the process of doing.Myway.
My underhanded way that would protect them and be absolutely inconspicuous, rather than their intent to track the vampires who Lazriel’s mother had hired to protect him and then interrogate their leader. Something that could rattle Rhyza’s deal with them, that could compromise Lazriel’s protection. Their approach was too aggressive. Especially when we possessed barely any intel—something I would be fixing later tonight when I met with a contact of mine. Well, after I’d performed a favor in exchange for the information.
In the meantime, while I pursued answers, I would use thisDeath Sensetracking to stall—and to calm them at the same time with them believing action was being taken.
“You’re heading out to that sorcerer group after classes?” Lazriel asked me.
He’d asked three times now—all today.
“Yes,” I responded. “Is that reality getting lost in translation somehow?”
He shifted his weight on his chair. “No. Just disappointed, I guess. I thought the three of us could go out or something. Hang beyond just eating lunch.”
“And we will. Just not tonight.”
“Fine,” he gritted out.
Velra and I exchanged a look.
I reached out and laid my hand on Lazriel’s, the one that wasn’t currently clutching the glass of whiskey—spelled whiskey that gave it a major kick.
I didn’t get much further than that, when an interruption came our way.
In the form of Kelsana Torl.
She gave me one of her flirty smiles as she’d been doing since the moment I’d arrived. Fortunately, I’d shut it down quietly and had a word with her and our interactions were now reserved to just a brief smile or a glance here and there. While to others it had appeared that she was attracted to me, that she wanted me, that wasn’t actually the case. She hadn’t even realized the full extent of it until I’d explained. It had happened before. Many times over. Especially from Dark Fae beings, vampires. Fortunately, in the case of both Velra and Lazriel, their hybrid natures prevented that from occurring.
But with Kelsana, it wasn’t attraction or sexual desire, it was about what I was—an experienced, highly-skilled, powerful Necromancer. She was drawn to what I represented to her, especially as a Dark Fae. An apex predator that didn’t bow. It was her hunger for dominance, control, and proximity to raw power.
A growl rumbled from Lazriel and as she turned her attention to Velra, it ramped up in ferocity.
I squeezed his hand, and it lessened a little. Not quite enough to be civil. But enough for him not to react aggressively.
Kelsana’s gaze flicked to him and she swallowed hard, then stopped at Velra’s chair and spoke quietly. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I just came by to ask you something.”
Velra frowned up at her. “Okay…?”
“We both haveHarmonic Discipline: Dark Fae Magic & Ethical Focuswith Dark Fae Professor Kiera Rae in a few minutes, and I was wondering if you’d sit with me?”
“Sit with you?” Velra asked, as shocked as we all were.
“Yeah. I’m… my track record for using Dark Fae magic responsibly and ethically isn’t exactly the best. It’s why I no longer attend Maven. I don’t have the best… instincts. But I’m trying to get better.Youalready are that, you already operate that way. Would you… help me? Even if I could just observe you, it would do wonders.” She wrung her hands. “I know after what I said that first day here, something I am so very sorry for, that you have no reason to want to help me or to—”
“We’ll sit together.”
Kelsana started. “We… really?”
