Page 180 of Obsidian and Frost

His eyes darted to Cassius.

It was very brief, but it was rare for me to ever miss a thing.

“What was that?”

“What was what?” Sylas asked, trying to play it off.

“That shared knowing look between the two of you.”

“We’re here to have a nice, calm dinner. For Cassius to bond with the three of us. Let’s just focus on that.” He gestured at the perfectly set table, all the hearty food that had been prepared. “Look at all the effort he’s gone to.”

My hand shot out and I snagged his wrist. “Don’t manage me.”

He glared back at me, not liking the way I’d put my hand on him, the dangerous challenge in it. I could see his resistance to responding in kind.

“I couldn’t trace them back to their commander, clan leader, or whomever they are truly working for.”

“Why not? What happened?” Velra asked.

“They’re being shielded by a powerful force, one that was even cloaked so I couldn’t even discern that much.”

“All right, so it was a no-go. Why not just tell us that, then?” I released him with a grunt and pushed my plate away. “Let me answer for you. Because you’re keeping some secret about it. Some major thing that’s probably gonna hurt you in some way or involve you heading out on some suicide mission.”

“Sylas, is that the case?” Velra pushed, albeit in a calm, even tone. The opposite of mine right now. “I thought we’d moved beyond this now? Has something happened to create this setback with you?”

“It’s not a setback,” he ground out.

“Then what the fuck is it? What the ever-loving shit is going on with you lately?”

“Lazriel,” Velra urged, stroking my arm. “Take a breath.”

I intended to do what she’d asked, until Sylas turned his attention back to his plate, then said, “Can we get back to dinner now?”

I lashed out, smashing my hand into his plate.

It careened across the kitchen and shattered to shit against the wall by the cupboards, the food spraying all over and dripping down the stone.

Sylas shot to his feet, seething at me. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, so take it the fuck down!”

I started forward.

But then Cassius was there, shoving his hand against my chest, using his Immortal strength to hold me at bay.

“Enough,” he rumbled.

Velra stepped in front of Sylas, partially blocking my view of him as her shadows formed a wall between us.

“I need to do a Blood Trace,” Sylas called over to me. “Like we talked about weeks ago. But it now holds a great deal more weight and immediate relevance to our current circumstances than it did when I suggested it then just for your own peace of mind.”

“What… a… I don’t understand. A Blood Trace… that was to discover if my father was still alive. What would this—fuck—not only do you think he’s actually alive, you believe he has something to do with this protection that’s been put on me?”

“I believe he has a great deal to do with it.”

“Wait… these vampires safeguarding me dropped the codeword my mom and I use, they said she was the one who’d sent them… but if what you’re saying is true that means she not only knew my father was alive, but she’s actively working with him and protecting him?” I stepped back from Cassius. “Maybe she’s with him right now. Maybe that’s what hergoing to groundact is all about. I assumed she was searching out other former pack leaders or something through some directive agreed upon during the Shifter Stabilization Unit meeting she’d been immersed in for days on end.”

“We don’t know any of that yet,” Velra said, coming to me and stroking my arm, then my hair. “Nothing is certain, okay?”

“Yeah,” I murmured. “That’s true.”