Page 154 of Obsidian and Frost

“Well, I’m sure he got a dirty fuck out of it from you, so all wasn’t lost there.” Off another disgruntled look from Kai, Sylas held up his free hand. “Apologies. I appreciate you doing this and I get that it was beyond inconvenient for you to bring this to me.”

“Seeing as though your emotionally stunted ass can actually recognize that, are you going to do me the dignity of revealing why you need it?”

“I told you. To swap the energy reads of the Nexus Bands—his bracelet and my ring—temporarily.”

“So Velra doesn’t register that you’re doing something dangerous, and is unknowingly keeping track of Vorzyr for atime instead, who’s literally just calm and sitting in meetings right now.”

“Right.”

“You know I meant what you need this façade to hide from her.”

“Plausible deniability, Kai.”

“Sylas—”

“Let me see to this. If I fail, or if it doesn’t pan out the way I intend, I’ll loop you in. Just let me try to head it off first before I put this burden on your shoulders.”

“If there’s the possibility of it being a burden to me, it suggests it can impact me directly.” He studied Sylas, seemingly reading well between the lines. “Or those I love.”

“Thank you for the Band,” Sylas said, stepping back, then calling his magic.

I watched as he swept his dark crimson glow over Vorzyr’s bracelet, then his ring. They both glowed briefly as the transfer took effect, and then he handed the bracelet back to Kai.

“It won’t take long, then I’ll reset them, and you can return this to your dragon love.”

“Fine. You get some time—just some. Then I want answers. If not, you know I’ll seek them out myself.”

“Yes, I’m well aware of how you operate. And I have no illusions about the fact that I won’t like how you go about obtaining said answers.”

Kai grasped his shoulder. “Just be careful. And be smart about it while you’re at it.”

Sylas flashed him a grin. “When aren’t I the latter?”

“On the rare occasion when emotion is ruling your normal heavily compartmentalized state. Given how close you’ve grown to Velra and Lazriel, that could very well be now.”

“All is well, I can assure you. Just head back inside. I need to center myself before I take off. Besides, Cornelius wants tolock in dinner plans with you, Ariana, Vorzyr, and Nyx. You know patience when he wants time with his granddaughter isn’t possible.”

“Fine,” Kai acquiesced.

He’d certainly calmed down since I’d first gotten to know him.

With that, he teleported back into the building, leaving Sylas alone.

Then I watched as Sylas pulled out five syringes from his inner hooded coat pocket and levitated them in the air.

He steadied himself, then snapped his fingers, and all five drove into the flesh of his throat and his upper chest, the milky serum with his magical flecks plunging deep.

Once he was done, he brushed them away with another burst of his magic, and then he choked and staggered back into the wall, clutching his chest and breathing heavily.

He threw his hand out behind him, needing to steady himself more so.

“No fucking misfires or fritzing tonight,” he choked to himself.

He panted then, his entire body trembling, just shy of full-on convulsing.

Several moments passed and then he straightened and released a breath of relief, squaring his shoulders, his eyes flaming with extreme power. “Tonight, you take your last breaths, fools. Your way, something wicked comes.”

A growl escaped him as he called his magic and his palms flamed wildly, and then he teleported out.