Page 69 of Obsidian and Frost

I blinked, then focused up.

“You weren’t in your dorm and I was concerned after… after what happened inThe Fade.So I tracked you and it led me to a spot a half-acre from the main building. And it just stopped there. So I recreated the circumstances and saw that fight you had with those purist sickos. I couldn’t pick up your scent again because it was blocked—by Sylas. So I trackedhimhere.”

“Blocked by him?”

I nodded. “He’d cloaked it. Cloaked you.”

I looked him over. He was in his same outfit as last night. No bloodstains, no rips—all of which I’d seen on him when I’drecreated that fight with a little illusionary Dark Fae magic. He seemed fine. Well, even.

“You’re okay,” I breathed with a whole lot of relief.

“I am. Thanks, though, for checking on me.” He frowned. “Why were you outside my dorm room?”

“I went by to apologize. For hurting you by taking off like that. And—”

“That’s incredibly sweet,” Sylas’ voice sounded, and I looked through the gap between Lazriel and the door to see Sylas walking out of a room and heading over to us, wrapped in just a robe—a super cozy looking one, actually. It was… odd, but in a good way, seeing him dressed down like this and relaxed. It kind of helped to take the edge off his usual formidable presence.

“You took care of him,” I spoke. “When I recreated the events of last night where you intervened, I wasn’t sure that was what you would do. Especially with the animosity I witnessed between you, how you’d been bothering him.”

“He’s well. Unharmed. Mentally and emotionally well too. I promise you.”

He came up on Lazriel’s left side and leaned against him, the new intimacy between them clear, Lazriel tensing up briefly, before relaxing more into it.

And I smiled. “Good. This is really good.”

“It is?” Lazriel asked, looking confused as hell.

“You found comfort. And you finally made it past that barrier, too.”

He started. “You knew? About me liking—”

“Yeah.”

“What? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I figured you’d mention it when you were ready. It’s not exactly something for me to bring up. As for how I know, when Kai was up at the Guardian Compound a few months ago watching Nyx give his side of mine and his presentation onthe Crossborn Refuge System, you reacted… strongly… to him. Afterward, I overheard Nyx warning you that Kai was not the way to go in order to explore that.”

Sylas choked. “Fuck, no. Absolutely not. Kai dominates and decimates his sexual partners. Not the ideal way to go for a—”

“A fresh one?” Lazriel bit at him.

Sylas winced. “That washisterminology, not mine. I’ve since told him to stop with that.”

“Well… good. Thanks,” Lazriel managed.

Holy hell,this was great news. For Lazriel, definitely. But also for our… situation. He’d found somebody to give him comfort and what he needed sexually, somebody to care for—and he really had so much care to give.

It took some major weight off me, and what I’d tried to go to him in his dorm room to convey.

But before that, there was another matter to attend to.

With the surprise of me showing up here, Lazriel hadn’t even sensed it.

So I stepped back and gestured to the unconscious vampire on the ground a few feet away. “I wasn’t the only one tracking you.” I eyed Sylas. “You’re not cloaking yourself, only Lazriel.”

“The ward around this house is impenetrable.”

“Then how did Lazriel open the door?”