Page 18 of Amethyst and Iron
He was challenging death itself.
I watched red veins traveling through any part of Velra’s skin visible, and in mere moments, her wounds were healing, including the horrific one in her side.
“He’s spreading my vampire blood throughout her body without the need for a beating heart to distribute it?” I asked Cassius.
“Yes. He cannot bring her back to a broken body. With what he is doing, it could result in Animated Fleshwork being raised in place of her true form.”
I couldn’t allow him to do it at all.
Not like this, not when he could die as well.
I went to rage at the barrier again, but Cassius yanked me back, trapping me in a body hold.
Even though he was weakened and his magic basically inaccessible, he was still an Immortal, so his strength was colossal.
“You intervene now when he’s in the throes of the spell and you could damage yourself, him, and Velra.”
“We can’t just allow him to do this!”
“I agree. There is a way to end the spell without causing harm. Somebody who has fused their magic with his before could perform a similar feat now, but it would have to be done with surgical precision, or—”
“Ariana Martel. Sylas told me that she’s the one who enabled his serum-making to become perpetual. The fact that it’s his spell she’s powering means magical fusion, right?”
“It does. However, there may also be another way without involving her. Somebody else who can assist.”
Silver smoke erupted and a voice ground out, “My granddaughter will not be involving herself in this heresy.”
We both spun to see Cornelius Martel eyeing us as he strode over hand-in-hand with his husband, Warlow Boyd.
Warlow choked as he saw Velra lying there—fucking dead.
No. Stop it.
Temporarily dead.
We were bringing her back.
It wasn’t even a question. It was a fact.
An absolute fact.
But not like this.
“How are you here?” Cassius asked.
“Velra sent Kelsana to us,” Cornelius said. “Her instructions were to call as she returned to campus, but Kelsana panicked and came our way in person instead, hence why the three of you weren’t also alerted.”
Cassius smiled sadly. “Velra realized I would be compromised, so she sought to bring in another source of Immortal power.”
“So this sort of thing wouldn’t happen,” I grunted, gesturing out at Sylas.
Cornelius eased his hand from Warlow’s after stroking his cheek in a sweet act of comfort, then grasped Cassius’ shirt, easing it aside to get a look at the Soul Brand.
“I see,” he said, unsteadily, then swallowed hard, clearly trying to check his own reaction, given how much he and Warlow cared about Velra.
He stepped back then, his right fingertips glowing with his silver power.
He pressed them to his temples then closed his eyes in concentration.
