Chapter 10 Cassius #3
She was naturally possessive, she’d demonstrated that several times with all three of us. But this was more than that.
This was rage and the desperation for control trying to drown what was really at the root of it all—fear and helplessness.
Rhyza’s gaze flicked to me, noting my tensing state.
She was certainly a well-seasoned warrior to be able to pick up so astutely on that, because I was very good at hiding my intent when it was called for.
Then she very carefully reached out and clasped Velra’s hand, holding her to her and stroking the back of it softly. “Your love for my son is deep. Honest. True. I can feel it. But there’s also great fear. Careful. We all make mistakes when we allow that to lead the way.”
Velra’s eyes flickered. “I don’t—”
“When Lazriel was tracking his father, he was attacked. Brutally. By an agent of Puritas. Not just any member of that despicable organization, but by Victor Halrow. He is fixated on Lazriel not only due to his born hybrid nature, which Puritas finds abominable, but because of a twisted connection to Remnant. Lazriel is not safe. Halrow is an apex predator. He hunts like no other. When Remnant stepped in and saved Lazriel, that monster responded by hunting The Shadowed protection that had been assigned to our son, and brutally torturing and murdering them all. Twelve vampires who were near-Ancient in their standing. That’s how powerful he is.
The fact that Remnant had to personally intervene to spare Lazriel tells you much else about the threat that Halrow is. ”
She patted Velra’s hand. “Lazriel isn’t prepared.
Because of mine and Remnant’s decision to spare him from the world of his father.
Ancient Vampire blood runs in his veins.
Remnant will teach him how to use that to its full advantage.
He needs his guidance now. And that is how he will survive what is coming. ”
“He doesn’t need to defend himself all alone,” Velra argued. “We’re here.”
“A being can’t be dependent on anyone else to defend them. They have to be capable on their own for any true chance of survival.”
“Also, he needs to learn how to embrace his vampiric roots,” I spoke. “It pains him that he has not.”
“He was feeding from you, Cassius, figuring it out,” Velra argued.
Rhyza smiled at her words. “That’s a good sign. But not enough.”
Velra pulled her hand away like she had burned her.
And I suppose she had in a way.
I grimaced as I felt an awful swell of heavy emotions through our Brand threatening to overtake her.
And then she shoved her hand through her beautiful hair and drew in a steadying breath. “Lazriel didn’t just seek out his father for Puritas business.”
“The necromancer is sick. I know.”
“And others are dying,” I cut in.
“It’s being investigated.”
“To what end?” I asked. “And from what angle? Necromancers are enemies to vampires by nature.”
“Not one who is deeply tied to the son of the Commander of The Shadowed.”
“You mean, not one who can be used by them because of Lazriel’s love for Sylas?” Velra uttered.
“That will be a factor. But it also means that they have a vested interest in Sylas Morgrave remaining alive and finding a cure, being restored and at full power.”
“Full power for what?” I pressed.
“That’s unknown even to me.” She took a swig of her whiskey again, then told us, “You should also know that Remnant won’t allow it to be possible for him to be tracked through Lazriel’s blood again.
He will put measures in place. So if Lazriel was ripped from his father now…
” She looked at me. “Through the use of Immortal power, perhaps, Lazriel would be left without a way to find his father again. Given that it’s just come to light for him that his father is even alive, believe me, that would not sit well with him in the least.”
“That’s emotional manipulation if I’ve ever heard it,” Velra bit at her.
“It certainly is,” I said, moving to her side, not reaching out, but ensuring I was close.
“There is nothing I wouldn’t do to ensure the wellbeing of my son.
Love doesn’t always see reason. It doesn’t always do what’s right, even though it may feel like that’s what’s happening.
” She pressed her hand to her chest. “I’ve been guilty of it myself.
It’s why I can recognize it so deeply in the both of you.
Lazriel deserves to have this depth of love in his life, which is also why I’ve entertained this meeting at all, even though the very nature of it puts us all in jeopardy. ”
“Does ensuring the wellbeing of your son pertain to your recent closed-door meetings with the Shifter Stabilization Unit run by Jaxon Silver and Vorzyr Titanus?” I asked.
“Indirectly.” She put her bottle down on the patio table and folded her arms across her chest. “I have been asked to recreate an evolved version of my former wolf pack, Vyrn Hollow. The details are currently being ironed out, so this information is to stay between the three of us. The SSU is realigning shifter settlements and resources to accommodate displaced dragons. The new version of Vyrn Hollow would provide a home to wolves, dragons, and also hybrids who identify primarily as wolves. Given my experience of being much more open than my other Alpha counterparts, and the fact that I have a wolf-vampire son, Jaxon believed I was uniquely qualified to take on this role. The proposed location for this would be Silverwood Wolf Pack lands. The inclusive pack would also be the first of its kind and function as a political statement to purists out there like Puritas.”
“Wow,” Velra breathed. “That’s really something.”
“It absolutely is.”
“Yet, after being offered this, you went underground for a while?” I questioned.
“Remnant reached out to me and asked for my permission to reveal himself to Lazriel.”
“Is Lazriel in danger from other enemies also, namely those connected to this Jason Strickland he’s spoken of to Velra before?” I asked.
She flinched at the question, eyeing her whiskey bottle. She reached for it, then drew back and steeled herself as she responded, “There are a couple of outliers we’ve yet to dispose of. They were in the process of being hunted until recent events redirected focus elsewhere.”
“He is actually dead, though, right?” Velra asked. “I mean, with people coming out of the woodwork, it’s best to be sure,” she added with a noticeable edge. Likely, she was also talking about Sorin. He’d been imprisoned in The Void but escaped and… killed her.
I clenched my fists and forced myself to focus on the immediate.
“Yes. He’s dead.” She heaved a labored sigh.
“His stepfather. A man I married to strengthen my standing as Alpha in our wildly sexist pack—and the species outlook as a whole back then. Once my control over the pack was stabilized, I built alliances so I could leave that marriage, and that fool behind. As I was on the cusp of that, of gaining a great deal more power as well, Lazriel’s vampiric abilities were revealed—publicly.
Jason was furious. It caused anarchy and uproar in our pack, and even neighboring ones.
Jason inflicted those scars on Lazriel using a blade imbued with holy water and silver and enhanced by magic from a sorcerer contact of his.
He wanted to mark the shame into Lazriel—for not being a pure wolf.
And for my relationship with Lazriel’s Ancient Vampire father resulting in his hybridized nature.
” She smiled sadly. “But my boy was never a shame to me. He is what I am most proud of in this life.”
“Strickland inflicted those scars?” Velra choked.
“Yes. I was called away to deal with a volatile situation—a war brewing—that night and he used the opportunity to maim Lazriel.” Emotion welled in her eyes.
“Permanently.” She tugged at her hair. “Lazriel was too new to his abilities—especially the dual nature of them—so he wasn’t able to properly defend himself.
That monster went in for the kill but was stopped by my Beta returning to our pack lands and overhearing Lazriel’s screams. He was run out of the pack and believed to have been killed by other wolves that night. ”
“Believe to have been killed?” Velra questioned. “You said he was dead.”
“He is. The architect of his death was Remnant.”
Well, the two of them were certainly parents not to be trifled with. Their actions were calculated, brutal, and merciless in the protection and service of their son. And I respected it. As would Sylas, especially.
“And these other enemies then, allies of that bastard?” Velra asked.
“What of them?”
“I want their names. Addresses too, preferably.”
Oh, no. “Velra—”
“Names,” she ground out at Rhyza.
“Is this what you believe Lazriel would want?” Rhyza asked her.
“Well, him heading off on his own isn’t what I wanted, is it? It isn’t what any of us fucking wanted!” Her shadows flared, starting to swirl around her hands. “None of this mess is! None of it!”
I was in front of Velra in the next moment, grasping her hands.
She tried to pull away, but I used my Immortal strength to trap them against my chest with a single hand.
With my other I reached out behind me to Rhyza. “Names.” I snapped my fingers and generated a scrap of paper and a pen. “Write them down.”
I grunted as I felt Velra’s shadows pushing harder against me.
It wasn’t pain, per se, as it took a great deal to actually hurt me.
But it was the emotional anguish driving this explosion of ferocity, which I could feel powerfully through the Brand. The actual marking on my chest was tingling sharply.
I hissed as her frost breached her control and traveled from my upper chest where I had her hands trapped, to my throat, creating an uncomfortable freezer-burn sensation that sent a harsh chill through me.
“It’s all right,” I told her. “Breathe. Just take your time. You cannot severely damage me, remember? Do what you need to get control. I will hold it until then.”
“Let go… I don’t want you to be—”
“I won’t be. Hear my words, little shadow. I am here with you now. And I will never forsake you again. I am here. And I will not let you go.”
A moment later, I felt the piece of paper being pressed into my hand, and I looked to see Rhyza lifting her chin.
“Thank you.”
“Be well,” she said.
I turned back to Velra and wrapped my other arm around her.
And in the next moment, I was teleporting us away.