Chapter 26 Lazriel
~Lazriel~
Nyx kept smiling over at us.
His sleek black horns glinted in the light of the room, as did his layered blue hair which brushed his tight navy shirt.
Tight was the theme with him, his black leather pants beyond form-fitting.
He was leaning back a few seats down, his feet hanging over an empty one in front of him, chilling and confident all at once.
I sat with my arm around Velra and her holding my hand and stroking my wolf claw pendant around my neck as we listened to Warlow delivering his briefing on Crossborn.
We were in the Great Hall inside the Guardian Compound.
The room was a phenomenon all on its own, all white stone and curved walls. A huge circular amphitheater took up most of the area. At the center was the Speaker’s Circle, a raised platform where people addressed the rest of the room.
I nuzzled against Velra a little more and grinned at Nyx who tossed me a wink, clearly happy for us.
Velra wasn’t normally a fan of public displays of affection, but here in this smaller space and with me just having my arm around her, she was not only welcoming it, but actually encouraging it. And it was really nice.
The contentment rolling through me was reflected in the update that Warlow was giving us as he stood a few feet away in the Speaker’s Circle dressed in his usual down-to-earth jeans and plaid shirt combo.
It was grounding being back here in this place, where we worked to make change, to do something good for hybrid beings like all of us here. And it was exactly what I needed right now with the mind-fuck of everything that had happened lately.
The threat against me.
My mom being unreachable through throwing herself back into the political sphere and being stuck in that ages-long Shifter Stabilization Unit meeting. And now, even though that was done with, she was off the grid.
My awakening with Sylas and all the intensity that had come along with it.
The push and pull with Velra, until she’d then come to me and connected the way I’d wanted for so long.
My bloodlust getting the best of me when Immortal blood had overwhelmed my senses and I’d then fed on Cassius like a fucking maniac.
And over the last few days… Sylas. Him being… weird. Kind of withdrawn, I guess. I mean, he was still present, still hanging with us. But there was something off.
And through all that, I’d also been trying to juggle the intensity of classes being in full swing at Wraeven Academy.
With said classes, it had taken a while to get back here, to my work with Crossborn.
At the start of the year, Warlow had worked with the Academy to carve out time in our schedules and to arrange things with our professors, so we could come here and still participate.
This team meant a lot to the both of us, so being back here was no small thing.
I’d even spent the last few nights in preparation, going over the next stage of the implementation of the system that I’d come up with.
Hybrid Integration Curriculum Initiative (HICI).
It involved revamping Academy and Coven curriculums across the supernatural world to include specific hybrid-focused learning.
Unlike the project that Velra and Nyx had developed together, Crossborn Refuge System, which was a transitional sanctuary program for hybrid beings, it wasn’t a massive physical thing that people could see and identify.
My system was unseen and integrated into the lifeblood of learning across the supernatural world.
Or it would be soon. Once it was fully implemented.
Unfortunately, change like that took time. Overhauling massive systems, especially the archaic ones of the Covens, was a huge deal.
After this meeting, Velra was headed out with Nyx to visit the third site of their CRS facilities that had been created now. Nyx had graduated from Maven Academy a while ago so he was working on that and with Crossborn fulltime, traveling the supernatural world and overseeing it all.
Applause rang out and Velra clapped her hand against mine to join in, making me smile, as Warlow announced that we had a dozen new members coming in, currently being fully and deeply vetted, wanting to join Crossborn.
Our team had been so small and contained until now, but we’d already made such great strides that it had not only drawn attention, but also given hybrids the courage to step forward like we had.
I looked over at Branok Vire, a Basilisk-Vampire hybrid who was a powerhouse in multicolored regal-like robes, his shock of white hair bound with pink cords. He was the one who’d been in charge of recruitment, and he’d clearly been doing a bang-up job. I gave him a thumbs-up and he winked at me.
We also had Seralyn Vale, a Light Fae-Dark Fae hybrid—talk about a complicated combination there for her.
She’d been heading Public Perception and Relational Reformation to try to shift the perception and stereotypes associated with hybrid beings, and to basically kick the asses of the prejudiced.
She sat in a poised, graceful kind of state and flipped her flowing black hair aside every now and then while she listened to Warlow.
And then there was Kael Dravon, a Djinn-Werewolf hybrid, who was a bold fucker like Nyx—his auburn hair spiked in a crazy-ass way, always wearing some sort of low-cut sheer shirt or tank and showing off his red and orange tattoos that swirled all over his body.
He was rough around the edges with his attitude, but just beneath it he was a really nice guy.
“And that about wraps it up,” Warlow finished.
He snatched up the document I’d handed him to further develop HICI, and looked out at me.
“I’ll read over this and get back to you.
” He gestured at how thick the document was and grinned.
“Always happy to see this level of dedication to our work here. Well done.”
I gave him a chin lift, and as he stepped down from the Speaker’s Circle and people started filing out as he did, Velra squeezed my hand. I must have had a wide-eyed look on my face because she chuckled and told me, “Don’t look so surprised. You put a bitching level of effort into that proposal.”
“A bitching level, huh?”
She tickled under my chin, making me squirm.
“Aww, I love how ticklish you are,” she said, doing it again, then moving to my chest.
I pushed out of my seat. “Stop, woman. You’re driving me crazy.”
She rose to her feet too. “In a good way?”
I slid my hands down to her hips. “Even with the tickling, still in a good way, yes.” I beamed out at her. “Always in a phenomenal way, love.”
A throat cleared and I craned my neck to see Nyx standing there. “Sorry to break up this heartfelt scene, but we need to head out if we’re gonna cover everything before your evening class.”
“Fuck, yes, don’t miss that. It’s Combat and Power Synergy with Professor Drenn Voxe, the Dragon-Wolf hybrid.
I already have him for Instinct & Invocation: Harnessing the Inner Beast and he’s the greatest. He really embraces both sides of himself and in a really positive and fun way.
He’s not all about repression of the animal or our natural instincts, he’s fully about rolling with it.
You’re gonna love him. And the class itself—we get to kick ass. ”
Velra chuckled. “With you so excited, how could I dare to miss it, sweets?”
“Aww,” Nyx said. “Unbelievably cute.”
I grinned out at him. “I know, right? So cute.”
“Even enjoying being referred to as cute. Wow, you definitely have it bad,” Nyx rightly observed.
I focused on Velra and brushed my lips over her cheek. “When it comes to you, I absolutely do.”
I pulled away before it became impossible to leave it at that, and then I eyed Nyx. “I’m sure you’re reading the fuck out of me right now to make sure being with me is all good for Velra.”
“Already done actually, Laz.”
“And?”
His lips quirked. “You make her happy. You help her.” He leaned in and whispered, “Keep it up. She deserves this. And rein Sylas in if need be. You certainly have that power over him.”
As he pulled back, I stared at him stunned. He’d read much more than I’d thought possible, even seeing Sylas in me, and to that depth of insight too.
He winked at me, then I said my goodbyes to Velra, and the two of them headed out.
The meeting had been efficient and actually run a lot shorter than anticipated, so now I had over an hour to kill before my next class. I had three prior to Combat and Power Synergy with Velra and Sylas together.
My phone buzzed in the pocket of my forest-green hoodie. That’s right, I wasn’t wearing my tactical gear today. Just my hoodie over a white tee and a pair of dark gray jeans.
I pulled my phone free and eyed the text that had come in.
To the Group Chat.
Cassius: Dinner at my apartment tonight?
I jolted at the message.
Not what I’d been expecting.
It was actually shocking, to be honest.
I knew Velra had added him to this thing, but this was the first time he’d actually sent a message, instead of just reading them.
And it had been days.
Taking days to do things was kind of his thing.
Velra: Sounds lovely. What a nice offer.
Sylas: Need help with the cooking?
Cassius: What have you heard? Was it Kai?
Sylas: Do you really have to ask?
Cassius: I gratefully accept your offer, Sylas.
Sylas: I’ll be there an hour before dinner. When is it?
Cassius: Is eight appropriate for first dinner?
Velra: It’s perfect.
Perfect.
That had me smiling.
I sucked in a breath, hating that my hand was shaking as I typed my response to them—to him. That was why it was fucking shaking. Because of him.
Lazriel: What’s first dinner mean?
Cassius: Something Ketheron and I started… he often needs to eat twice.
Velra: Adorable.
Sylas: Who knew you could be so accommodating?
Cassius: Prepare yourself. I will demonstrate more of that tonight.
I knew he didn’t mean it as anything sexual, definitely not as an innuendo. I doubted he was even capable of it. But I still received it that way and I had to use a lot of effort to shake it off.