Chapter 6 Cassius #3
My own blood exploded on my tongue as he kissed me deeply, hungrily, and desperately.
It was all too much then, colliding spectacularly, and I lost control finally, and cursed out into the room as I filled him.
He threw his head back and roared against my mouth as the sensation sent him over the edge and he spurted all over me again.
He sank into me, clutching at me and burying his face in my chest.
I held him to me, drawing slow circles on his back that basically had him purring for me, as he pulled soothing moans from me while stroking my hair. “They are spared. They will heal, and they will go on. Just like you and I shall also.”
“I know,” he murmured. His voice hardened. “We’ll make sure of it.”
“Yes, I assure you that we shall.” I kissed his cheek. “For tonight, however, we will allow this solace for us both.”
He let out a weighty sigh. “Yeah. Solace,” he uttered, tiredly.
I smiled and sank into it until we both allowed sleep to take us.
“Cassius! Wake up! Cassius!”
I jolted awake as something smacked into my face.
Blinking, I scrambled to grasp hold of it, finding a pillow.
My pillow. From the other side of the bed where Lazriel had been sleeping beside me last night.
I looked. He wasn’t there.
I spun to my side to see Ketheron standing over my bed.
“He has taken his leave.”
“What?” I groaned, forcing myself into a sitting position and rubbing my eyes.
Lazriel certainly had tremendous stamina, even for one such as me, he had proven a match.
“Lazriel. Lazriel is gone.” He held out something on his hand and I took in the sight of Lazriel’s bracelet, the one with the forest-green gems that Velra had made for him.
The one that enabled her to ensure he was safe and to also track him in an emergency.
The one that he held so dear, that was unbelievably precious to him.
I took the bracelet from Ketheron, swallowing hard.
“Cassius,” he pushed.
I put it down on the nightstand beside me, shaking my head vehemently, “No… he can’t. The ward, Ketheron.”
“You are incredibly drowsy this morning. Did he keep you up all night, because that has been known to impact your mental faculties?”
In a manner of speaking, one I wasn’t going to confuse him with.
“He was upset. We… both were.”
He grimaced. “I am sorry.”
“Now, what about the ward?”
“He had your blood in his system. He used that to pass through. I smelled you and him fused in that manner in his scent by the front door.”
“Hades,” I uttered, throwing the covers aside and climbing out of bed.
“Did you ingest his blood? That would be incredibly easy to use to track him. Almost immediate results would be generated.”
“No,” I murmured, as last night came back to me. I’d cut him, intending to complete the blood sharing, but he’d eased me away from tasting him and taken my attention with a ferociously passionate kiss instead. “I didn’t.”
“He has no magical signature. I’ll track him like a wolf would—or a vampire. Scent-tracking.”
“No. You can’t leave here without protection, due to Puritas being active again and spewing threats all over the place. You are the ultimate hybrid, Ketheron.”
“I cannot be killed. Your point is moot.”
“Not so. You can be hurt. You can be taken.”
He shuddered.
“I’m sorry,” I said, stroking his arm. “I just needed to get through to you immediately before you sped off with your supernatural abilities to track Lazriel. Besides, he ingested my blood, it’s possible that I can track him via my own magical signature.”
“Tracking him that way… he would have needed to ingest a great deal, and if he’s ingested anything else in the meantime, it will very likely compromise your ability to do it at all.”
“Either way, I will see to him. While I’m gone, you will head to work at Haven Initiative and stay close to Ariana any time you step outside those bounds warding the institute. Are we clear?”
“Yes,” he murmured. “You are right.”
“Good. Now go get ready.”
As he took off to do that, I scanned the room for any clues as to why Lazriel had left my bed and the apartment as whole.
And that was when I caught sight of his phone on my dresser.
I winced.
Given the way he’d breached the ward, he’d obviously left his phone behind on purpose so he couldn’t be tracked that way—or spoken with.
I strode over there and snatched up the device. It was locked.
Not for long.
I swept my hand over it, my magic sparking, and I bypassed the locking mechanism.
I jolted as a message chain came into view, one still open.
I checked the timestamp.
The conversation had occurred just before his wolf run at the Compound with Warlow yesterday.
Lazriel: Need your help. It’s Lazriel.
Kelsana: How did you get my number?
Lazriel: I have Wraeven wired. It wasn’t difficult.
Kelsana: Fine. Help for Velra?
Lazriel: Yes.
Kelsana: How is she? Warlow told me she’s stabilized, but there are wards up that have made it impossible to visit in person.
Lazriel: She’ll heal. At least physically.
Kelsana: I’m here to help, all right? Please tell her that.
Lazriel: You can help me now. To prevent this shit from ever happening to her again.
Kelsana: If you’re planning to go after Puritas alone, she won’t like that. It’s too dangerous. Vengeance usually only breeds more pain and chaos.
Lazriel: Damn, you should put that on a bumper sticker. I need a tracking spell. One that can be fused to the results of a Blood Trace.
Kelsana: That’s no small ask.
Lazriel: But it can be done.
Kelsana: Who was the caster? Who was the Blood Trace performed on?
Lazriel: Blood Trace was on me. Caster was Sylas.
Kelsana: Dammit. Seriously?
Lazriel: You wanted to help Velra, this is the way to do that.
Kelsana: I’d need a direct connection to him. Blood, magic.
Lazriel: I have his blood.
Kelsana: I’ll see to it.
Lazriel: Meet me on the northern grounds just outside the Guardian Compound. One hour. Our interaction will have to be quick. Come prepared.
Kelsana: See you there.
No. No. No.
The Blood Trace.
He had headed out to do what Sylas had intended.
To track down Lazriel’s estranged father.
Remnant.
A member of The Shadowed.