I sucked in a breath—or several—to re-center myself.
And then I pulled out my phone and scrolled to the number that I needed.
My finger hovered over his name.
Fuck it.
I made the call.
My breath caught in my throat when I heard it connect.
“What can I do for you, Zayn?” his commanding voice rumbled.
Even in those few words, I could hear his displeasure with me.
“Sylas, I need your help.”
10
~Vaxan~
The battle raged on.
My focus was razor-sharp.
My reflexes were lethally precise.
And my instincts were at the peak of my primal sensory perception.
I was most definitely back in top form.
Not just physically, which was only half the battle for one such as me, but mentally also.
I had control.
I had power.
The space reverberated with magical intensity.
Liber Pugna, which translated to “free fight” or “unrestrained battle”, was the section insideCombat Conclavewhere students could spar at will.
Sparks of power all around reflected off the black tile walls.
The floor was scuffed and scorched from recent battle. Very recent battle—the very one that I was immersed in now.
A vampire was sprawled at my feet, grunting as he waited to heal from a broken femur and a dislocated shoulder.
A Shadowmancer was a few feet from him, her long purple hair fanned across the stone as she lay there panting with her magic having been compromised by my petrification.
I stood in the center of it all, my left hand extended with my venom streaming in a sharp, controlled arc at a kneeling sorcerer struggling to hold it off.
To my right, I countered the assault from a Light Fae mid-air, her caramel-colored stream solidifying into brittle gray stone.
I thrust my palm forward and her stream shattered to dust, the impact sending her careening several feet back and jarring against the far wall.
Just as I was about to dispose of the sorcerer, my primal senses registered a new presence. Somebody teleporting in and materializing swiftly.
That familiar coconut scent washed over me most appetizingly just a second before I felt the air move. I spun into the arrival, and snatched the fist coming at me, looking upon her in the very next moment.
