Page 50 of Amethyst and Iron
My hand fisted in his shirt and he stroked the back of it soothingly as I tried to reconcile it all.
Agony.
Terror.
Hopelessness.
Grief.
Then… solace.
Pleasure… rough pleasure… Lazriel?Yes.It was him—them.
The relief of feeling that was all too short-lived, though, as it gave way to panic.
Desperation.
And… failure?
Then…loss.
I lifted my head. “Lazriel’s gone.”
He swallowed hard. “Yes.”
“What about the bracelet I made for him?”
“He left it behind.”
I started.
“I know. He intends to seek out information onPuritasto aid us from The Shadowed, specifically, through his father. He is running on emotion and—”
“No. He’s not being reckless.”
“You don’t think so?”
I shook my head. “Recklessness for Lazriel would be doing something like going after Sorin alone. But him seeking outinformation… that’s him thinking strategically. Carefully.”
“What about him leaving the protection of my apartment and tearing off on his own?”
“Wolf mentality coupled with him knowing very well that he would be stopped if he’d suggested it. He believes he can help, but he’s being sidelined.” I saw him move to protest. “Yes, I know, for his own safety, but still.”
“I see.”
“That doesn’t mean we’re going to let this happen. We act together. No matter what.”
He grimaced and looked at Sylas. “It was actually only Lazriel who pushed for that when you… died. I intended to sacrifice my life for yours. Sylasdiddo so.”
“This… what the four of us are building… it’s a work in progress. Each of us has spent our lives lone-wolfing it, Cassius. It’s not an easy thing to break through. And it’s definitely so tempting to retreat to it in moments of crisis.” I reached out and stroked his hair. “We’ll get there. We’ll figure it all out.”
“How can you be so sure?” he asked, so vulnerably that it hit me deep.
“Because… it’s worth it, isn’t it?”
A smile spread over his face. “It most certainly is,little shadow.”
“Now, about Lazriel… what’s the status with trying to track him down?”
