Chapter 22
~Zayn~
The place was hopping.
Adamor was what they’d named it.
It meant diamond-love, something that definitely fit well with how cute Ambrose and Ketheron were together, and also because of the house design itself.
On the outside, it was this big black stone structure with navy glass all over it and even actual diamonds. Really fancy and all “lavish otherworldly couture” as Vax had called it.
The inside had dark stone mirror-like floors with pale gray walls, black crystals and golden flames lighting the place. Dark gray seating was prettied up and given some flavor with sapphire, purple, and ivory throws and cushions. And there were a whole lot of plants around too.
Ketheron had thrown himself into decorating the house for the party with streamers, sparkling fairy lights of all colors strewn all over the place, glowing balloons that glittered, and several Happy Housewarming banners hanging proudly.
I’d overheard Ambrose telling Sylas over a drink that he would be magically transporting the entire house to another location immediately after the party, because with Ketheron sending out an invitation for this housewarming, now so many people in the supernatural world knew about it.
And given the nature of Ambrose’s work, he insisted on his location being unknown.
It was sweet how he’d accommodated the complications it had posed, all for Ketheron, sweet how they accommodated each other.
Like me and my loves. We had that going on in spades.
And I fucking loved every moment of it, everything about it, all that we now shared.
We’d been having a blast tonight, first grabbing some drinks and mingling with the Celestial children.
I’d been hoping to see Taen, a friend of Vax’s who’d helped him out, but he was apparently a recluse, so he hadn’t shown.
The four of us had met a bunch of Ambrose’s proteges, including a contact of Vax’s, Jacob Everett.
He was kind of haughty, but nice enough.
Didn’t seem like he knew how to have fun, though.
He’d just been sitting in a dark corner watching everyone else until Vax had noticed him and we’d all chatted with him for a bit.
Each to their own, though. I had seen Ketheron hanging out with him too, and he'd actually made Jacob laugh, the dark robe of the guy’s hood falling back, revealing his brown ponytail beneath.
After the drinks and initial mingling, I’d had my eye on some dancing.
Yeah, Ketheron had made a makeshift dance floor—at a housewarming. He was really something.
Vorzyr had been the first to step up there, taking Nyx with him. Then the energy had brought a bunch of other guests into the dancing mood.
Including the four of us.
Well, I’d had to wait for Win to finish talking to one of his friends when Evira had already been leading Vax onto the dance floor, so I’d gotten delayed—and distracted watching the show of the two of them.
Vax didn’t dance so much as coil with that serpentine agility and grace, all elegant yet so fucking sexy about it, as he’d moved with her. Evira had brought her own dragon-style energy to the mix, though, slamming him against her, a little ass-grabbing here and there.
Tame compared to what had accidentally gone down between Win and me after I’d managed to drag him onto the dance floor when his catch-up with his Celestial friend, Christalyn, had been taking way too long for me.
No surprise, I’d gotten a little carried away.
Win didn’t usually like public displays of anything, but he’d actually fallen into it with me, and it’d ended up becoming some real dirty dancing, to the point where I’d been seconds away from snagging Evira and Vax and pulling them outside to fuck hardcore in the grass.
But then Win’s parents had walked into the area with Lazriel wanting to dance, witnessed a little too much, and we’d broken it up.
Aside from that, Win was in a really good mood.
Sylas had finished the living warmth concoction and Win was now wearing a clear shimmering bracelet on his left wrist that imbued him with that—on his own terms and without messing with his equilibrium.
He was still getting used to it, drawing in peaceful breaths every now and then, letting out little groans as he adjusted to the sensation.
We’d gone with him to Aetheric Wing up at the Guardian Compound where Rex Crowley had been lying in stasis, and Sylas had spelled a bracelet onto him as well with a mildly adjusted version of what Win had, which had healed his mind permanently.
When Rex had roused, it had been really emotional, especially when the other five necromancers had shown up.
We’d all hung out with them for a while afterward, Win introducing us, telling us all about them.
Evira had finished up an integral meeting to her new role just a couple of hours before we’d come here that had been at Cornelius and Warlow’s place.
Afterward, she’d told us that River and Octana had gotten engaged.
Octana’s father had even “blessed it”, whatever that meant.
As if Octana would let that stop her now with how far she’d come beyond his control of her.
The fucker had to play it really safe from now on, so that’d clearly gone into him being cool about it.
After him mobilizing forces like that and Ryker bringing the hammer down… yeah, he really had to watch himself.
A couple of days ago, Vax had met with some key figures in the Basilisk Dominion to sort the situation going on there of them calling on him.
He’d told us that he was gonna step up, do the whole sovereign thing, but he wanted to do it carefully without causing a war, without his people suffering from his parents’ wrath as a result.
So it was in a delicate kind of stage right now.
With Evira’s help, he’d also been securing support from other heads of state, realms, even some of the big covens like Maven and Lotus.
Ryker had pledged his support via the Guardian Movement, so that was absolutely major.
Me, Vax, Evira, and Winter had cleared out our dorms yesterday—yeah, even that magical painting Win had made for me—because our house was where we’d be at from now on, no more living on campus.
It was a big deal for me because I’d been there for basically four years.
But I loved this change. It was more than I’d ever imagined.
So, we were also supposed to be done with the remote learning thing, but we’d delayed it a bit, because Win had been antsy.
I didn’t think he felt he could properly relax until Ruxnoth was dealt with.
It kept distracting him, where he’d be studying in hyperfocused mode, but then abruptly stop before finishing what he’d been working on, then not touch it again until ages later.
He’d go and work on his jewelry-making instead, or head off to Sylas for some more training.
“Keuric Glastor?” I heard Win uttering with clear disgust over in the corner as he talked with Christalyn again.
They were sitting on the couch, while Vax and Evira were just a few feet from them talking with Ariana.
I’d left the area to deal with a text that had come in from Charlie at Requital.
It had been about an upcoming mission he wanted me to be a part of.
Win screwed up his face, and could barely get the words out, as he said to Christalyn. “You’re telling me that the two of you are—”
“Gross,” she groused, shoving a hand through her long blonde hair. “No. I’m just assisting him. He came to me desperate, having seen the error of his ways. He wants to learn how to be—”
“An actual person?”
“Essentially.”
“If you’re sure you want to be a part of that.”
She laid a hand on his shoulder. “I’ve got it. But thank you, gentle one.”
I smiled to myself and turned away, intending to grab all of us some party snacks.
But as I moved, I damn near smacked right into Sylas.
I only didn’t because he stepped back in time.
“Shit,” I choked.
His lips quirked.
And then he settled in, sliding his hands into the pockets of his leather hooded coat. “So, are you going to accept?”
“Accept?”
“The upcoming mission I’ve assigned to you?”
I started. “Wait… you assigned it?”
“Charlie is seeing to the operational specs, but I’ll be the one taking point in the field.”
Yes. It was happening.
He was coming back to mentor me now. It was finally time again.
“Winter no longer requires intensive training, just sessions here and there. It opens up time for us to see to this now.”
“You’re gonna… really?”
He chuckled. “Yes. Really.”
“I’m here for it.” I straightened, telling him earnestly. “All of it.”
“I know you are. And I’m looking forward to it.”
I grinned. “Me too.”
He held his hand out and we shook.
“Well done, Zayn. All right? You’ve come a long way. Not only with this. With my boy. In yourself. I’m impressed.” I saw a glint in his eye, then he said with a kind smile, “I’m proud of you.”
My breath caught in my throat.
He knew about my parents, them basically disappearing from my life, knew how I kind of saw him, despite it never really being spoken outright. But he sure was good at reading people.
I swallowed thickly. “Means a lot. Thank you.”
The moment settled just before Lazriel rushed up and slid his arms around Sylas’ waist from behind. “My necromantic heartthrob.”
Sylas grinned at him over his shoulder. “What are you about to convince me to do?”
Lazriel nuzzled against his neck. “Dance with me.”
“I thought you were dancing with Velra?”
“She cut it short, said I was—” he pulled up short as he caught my eye. “Uh… couldn’t handle me in public, you know?”
Enough said.
And fully understood, given what had happened with me where the whole dancing thing had quickly spiraled a little out of control—a little. It was me, the bar was just a tad higher. Or lower? Either way, I didn’t give a fuck. I was who I was. And, yeah, now that was okay with me. More than okay.