Page 31

~Vorzyr~

“You’re growling.”

I turned my head toward Kai. “We’ve been waiting here on his doorstep for two minutes already.

Two whole minutes. I’m Vorzyr Titanus, heir to House of Titanus.

It’s an insult. And you’re heir to the elite Maven Coven.

” He gave me a look. “Well, you’re supposed to be.

It’s obvious that’s not gonna happen. You’re too much of a big-picture guy to settle for that role. ”

“First off, kill the Maven Coven heir talk. You want me on point for this and focused, then leave that out of it. You may have noticed that it has the tendency to rile me up.”

“Yet Nyx and Ariana both being immersed in the work of the Guardian Movement hasn’t.” I arched an eyebrow in challenge. “Or has it?”

“You know it has or you wouldn’t be suggesting that. But I don’t want the two of them registering that from me.”

“Well, you’re doing exceptionally well hiding it, especially from Nyx, given that he can read emotions so deeply.”

“It’s not that difficult when he believes said emotions are rooted in something else. He can’t always pinpoint the source.”

“Huh. I see.” I looked him up and down, the way he was standing in all his confident and commanding glory in that sexy leather trench coat of his with the collar turned up that sent a sort of fuck-you to fancy fuckers like his family.

A small act of rebellion, but rebellion nonetheless.

Sometimes it was in the smaller things. I caught myself—I never thought I’d think that.

I was usually all about mammoth power and might.

Displays of strength and all of that. But I guess being around the three of them had opened up my worldview more so.

“What was the second thing? You said first off?”

He looked from the door to me. “The fact that you need to drop the entitlement bullshit before we engage with Cornelius. It won’t do us any favors.

It will just create barriers when this is about getting you answers that he’s key to obtaining, and about building trust and analyzing him and the situation to ensure that we can take the risk of revealing your Primal Celestial Resonance ability in order to help Ariana. ”

It was my natural instinct to bite back, especially with somebody telling me to tone it down, and when it was concerning my expectations of being treated like the regal and mighty being that I was.

But this wasn’t just anybody saying those words. It was him.

And not so deep down, I knew he was right.

“Okay,” I said. “Message received.”

“Good.” He reached out and stroked my hair.

“No matter what happens, we’ll get the answers that have long been denied you.

We’ll find a path through to helping Ari.

If we can’t achieve that through his cooperation, I will find another way.

” His eyes glinted. “Workarounds are my specialty after all.”

“Thank you, Kai.”

We were startled then as a spark of silver power emanated from the door, and then it opened in the very next moment.

“Guess that’s our cue,” I grumbled, not liking the fact that there wasn’t a respectful greeting from Cornelius, and we’d gotten this instead. I shoved a hand through my hair and tried to shake it off. “I’m good,” I told Kai.

He looked skeptical, but didn’t say anything— wow, he really was on his game and utterly centered for this.

And I needed to be as well. There was a lot at stake.

For me and for Ariana. For all of us as a whole as well.

I crossed the threshold first with Kai right behind me.

We walked into a grand, shadowy foyer.

Polished black floors gleamed beneath our boots. The arched ceiling was paneled with dark-stained wood. Twin staircases curved upward along either wall.

My animal senses drew me to the one on the right, and I started as I saw Cornelius fisting Warlow’s hair as he had him shoved up against the wall halfway down the staircase, his gray dress pants grinding against Warlow’s jeans.

Warlow’s plaid shirt was open and Cornelius’ other hand was roaming all over his bare chest, making him undulate, as the two of them kissed ferociously, Cornelius definitely dominating the situation.

Warlow pressed a hand to Cornelius’ shirt and eased him back, panting, “If we don’t stop now, I won’t be able to leave. I can’t be late to Crossborn. And your guests are getting impatient.”

With a grunt, Cornelius pulled back and pushed off him.

“ Getting impatient?” he said, swinging his head right at us.

“Warlow heard you grumbling out there,” he told us.

“Apparently, you couldn’t summon another minute’s worth of patience, dragon.

” He gestured between them. “This is what you get for such impetuousness. An impromptu show between two passionate lovers.”

Urgh. Them being Ariana’s grandfathers was… not the best.

I looked at Kai and he stood there with one hand in his pocket nonchalantly, not showing any sign of being affected at all, or even the least bit uncomfortable.

Then again, I guess that was nothing compared to his level of dirtiness.

Or perhaps it was a facet of his obsessive state, being so on course regarding what we needed to achieve during this meeting that he filtered everything else out.

“Cor,” Warlow urged, fixing his shirt for him that was bunched up a little.

“Civility and patience. They are young, nervous, and on edge considering the subject matter to be discussed here between you today.” And then I heard him lean in and whisper, “And they adore Ari so deeply. She’s happy .

For the first time in so long, and that’s with Cassius being here and the secret of the bargain being revealed. ”

Cornelius drew in a breath. “You make some fair points, sweet boy.”

“So, all will be well when I leave for the Compound?”

“Yes,” he grumbled. “You have my word.”

Warlow grinned and kissed his cheek.

As he moved to pull away, his magic flaming as he went to teleport out to his Crossborn meeting, Cornelius stalled him, grasping his hand. “I’ll come to you when you head to Polaris for your shift tonight.”

“Really?”

“I’ve been away for so long interacting with the Celestial Plane, I can’t stand us being apart for more than a few hours right now.”

“I feel the same.” His eyes shone. “See you tonight.”

With that, Cornelius released him, Warlow gave us a polite chin lift, then he teleported away.

In the next moment, Cornelius was descending the stairs, radiating power and regality all in one shot. “Well then, let’s get started, shall we, gentlemen?”

While I was tense with every step that we took down the hallways of the sprawling estate, I watched Kai studying everything closely, absorbing it in that sponge-like way of his.

Cornelius led us down a long corridor lined with shuttered windows and glass cabinets containing ancient relics and objects from his travels across the realms.

The hallway came to an end at a set of heavy dark oak double doors carved with intricate tree and star patterns. As we stepped inside, we took in what was clearly his study.

A towering bookcase filled the far-right wall.

He walked to it and swept his magic over it, uttering, “Veritas Libertas est.”

In the next moment, the bookcase was revealed to have been nothing but an illusion as it melted away to reveal the entrance to his vault—a striking silver door.

I took in the lock that sealed it, made of gears and cogs. There was a tiny vial at their center containing what I scented to be blood—Celestial blood. It had a strong similarity to Ariana’s.

Cornelius drew a shallow cut across his palm and held it over the vial.

As soon as a couple of drops hit it, the cogs and gears turned, the door beginning to unlock.

“Protected by blood magic,” Kai spoke.

Cornelius nodded, and I saw his cut had already healed. In mere split seconds.

The door opened and he stepped inside, beckoning us to follow.

And then we found ourselves inside his vault.

Wooden shelves were set into the rough gray stone walls filled with spell books, magical artifacts, potions, and Hades knew what else.

Kai was in his element, looking all around, getting a real kick out of being in a place like this.

I mean, he had his lab, but this was a whole other deal. At least five times the size, for one thing.

“The feathers of True Celestials,” Kai breathed in wonder, approaching a dozen of them resting on a silver metal dish on one of the shelves. He stopped just shy of touching them. “Hmm. Powerfully warded.”

“As they must be. Highly secure and inaccessible to all.”

Kai lifted a shoulder. “Not all. Close, though.”

Interest shone in Cornelius’ eyes as he regarded Kai studiously for several moments, before asking him, “You believe you can shatter the ward?”

“Not shatter it. Breach it.”

“Show me.”

Kai eyed him. “What?”

“Show me. Retrieve a feather.”

“You think I’m all talk, posturing?”

“No. Quite the opposite, in fact.”

They stared at one another for a moment.

And then Kai stepped forward and held both palms over the warded feathers.

His rose-gold magic radiated out until it was enveloping them and I could see the outline of a ward, a silver hue of a dome surrounding the feathers.

“Zheiren val’kara. Nuriel thaz’en.”

He was speaking that same ancient language similar to Proto-Indo-European and fused with other ancient dialects that he had when he’d penetrated the ward at the Unity Council. Let shadow precede the light.

The ward flickered at his utterings.

He grunted and pushed harder, speaking, “Kael’shara ven’torii. Zhurai ek’tol kai’neth.”

Remove the chains, I am older still.

A break formed in the dome and it widened enough where Kai was able to reach his hand through, snatch out a feather and pass it through the ward.

It sealed right after he was home free.

Cornelius stared at him intently as Kai held the feather in his hand. “You are more than they know. To understand those ancient magics, let alone being able to wield them, is an extreme rarity.”

“Knowledge is power.”