Page 10 of Obsidian and Frost

Kai Hunter, one hell of a sorcerer prodigy.

A hot piece who was unfortunately also taken and part of a closeknit foursome. Also, we’d gone there once and he couldn’t handle me topping. I couldn’t do it any other way andhecouldn’t compromise on that either.

Fortunately, it had led to a deeper friendship, so it had actually worked out for the better.

And he was helping me with this fucked-up infection. When we had spare time at Arcanum Order, we were working to find a cure.

“Always with the dramatic entrances, huh?” I spoke. “Just couldn’t resist?”

AndIcouldn’t resist looking him over with a flirtatious eye, taking in his sexy brown crew cut with the textured waves on top that made his hazel eyes pop, his hard leather trench coat with the collar turned up. A fitted black tee was nestled beneath and paired with tailored black pants.

“Came to wish you well on your first day at Wraeven.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Ryker sent you to make sure I was actually headed there and not trying to get around it?”

“He’s handed that to Cornelius now.”

Basically, Kai’s grandfather-in-law.

I mean, their foursome—the angel Ariana, the Incubus-Sorcerer Nyx, the dragon Vorzyr, and Kai—weren’t actually married. After everything they’d been through, they weren’t exactly fans of institutions. But point made, nonetheless.

“I would’ve come anyway, Sylas.”

“Missed me?”

“I saw you five days ago.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

His gaze darted to my two suitcases. He knew I packed light, so I saw him quickly doing the math there, figuring out that one was full of my serum.

“The status hasn’t changed. Three injections a day hold off the desiccation. The serum is even still being created constantly in the kitchen on my worktable, thanks to Ariana imbuing it with her power so that the manufacturing of it can be perpetual.”

Thanks to what that maniacal Ancient Vampire-Sorcerer, Corvin, had done to me during a fucked-up encounter that not even Kai knew the full story of, he’d extracted a portion of my necromantic core that had destabilized my magical makeup and then he’d even injected me with a poison he’d developed through his Chimera Circle connections that tried to turn me into some botched form of a vampire, which meant I started desiccating—every few hours now—if I didn’t inject myself with the serum I’d created.

But that wouldn’t last indefinitely.

I’d already begun to develop a resistance to it.

The only way to survive was to find a cure.

That had been made far more complicated by the fact that Corvin was dead and we’d been able to obtain his blood, but not his magic before he’d met his demise.

“Don’t worry, Kai. I’m going to Wraeven Academy, I’m all good with the serum. I’ll keep my head down, be a good boy, and complete this year-long punishment courtesy of Ry. And then I’ll be on my merry way again.”

“You could also try enjoying yourself. In ways that don’t involve you playing dark god of wrath and vengeance.”

I folded my arms across my chest and regarded him curiously. “What do you have in mind?”

He reached into the pocket of his trench coat and pulled out a shimmering black shard about three inches in length.

“What’s that?”

“A token.”

“Token?”

“ForThe Fade.It’s a one-night only created Rifted Cradle functioning as a supernatural party realm that takes place at Wraeven Academy before classes begin. Think supernatural rave meets masquerade and magical chaos and debauchery. It’s conjured by upperclassmen wielding high-level illusion. It’s invite-only and requires one of these tokens to gain entry. They’re distributed in secret, but I managed to obtain one from a fourth-year Shadowmancer. You’d be surprised how many students are entranced by the idea ofyouattending their academy. Your reputation most definitely precedes you. He gave this thing up easily and I didn’t even need to use my persuasive skills.”