A growl erupted from Lazriel.
“I know, wild one,” Cassius spoke, rubbing his back.
Either side of me, Evira and Zayn squeezed my hands, the three of us disgusted by it also. But we had to keep our focus on what could be done now. Only once we had Winter back with us would we be able to nurse him through the trauma of it all. And Winter had to hold to that also in order to maintain functionality and rational thought—especially against such an accomplished puppet master like Ruxnoth.
“You sent Mia the living equation?” I pressed Sylas.
“Yes. The excellent investigative work done by Winter.”
“And you said she found it viable? Your suggestion? So there is actually a way to see to Winter?”
“To protect all my spells in case I’m ever killed, I infuse the enchanted root of a Methuselah tree into my magical essence—it possesses immortal-like properties. It also has the ability to withstand the impossible. Mia has more experience with using that than anyone. I went to her because the way I’d need to use it to help Winter is more complex than how I employ it. She’s also a Celestial being and that’s a factor in this particular spell.” He eyed Ambrose. “As your black magic will be.”
“I’m duly intrigued. Go on.”
“Thanks to Win trapping that living equation, Kai, Ketheron, Cassius and I were able to determine that what Ruxnoth is doing when he‘warms’Winter is inverting his death-cold statetemporarily. It’s why it wears off… Win’s eternal death nature forces it back, nullifies it.”
“Like, keeps killing the life in it?” Zayn asked.
Sylas nodded. “In a sense, yes.”
“Ruxnoth would be aware of that. He’s purposely using our son’s nature against him as a control method,” Velra uttered in absolute disgust.
“He is beyond even heathen status,” Cassius said, scrubbing his hand over his face.
Evira growled from beside me.
Ambrose sat forward, asking Sylas, “After this is over, you wish me to trap that manufactured warmth, then bind it to the Methuselah root so it cannot be overridden by Winter’s nature?”
“And so when Ruxnoth is murdered so very brutally, and all his magic falls away, that sliver will remain. But with your input and also under Winter’s full control.”
“Wow,” Zayn breathed. “So Win would finally not have to feed to feel alive?”
“Well, there would be another reason to continue feeding—from you only, it must be, with Evira being ice, and Vaxan being venom. He has a taste for it now,” Lazriel said.
“Not the blood, nor for sustenance,” Remnant clarified.
“Right,” Lazriel nodded. “For the pleasurable thrill of it.”
Zayn winced and whispered at my ear, “Well, this is a bit awkward.”
Evira chuckled and eyed him. “Really? For you?”
“No. Of course not, icicle. I meant for his parents. Well, not Sylas, he’s a sexual fiend and TMI about all that.”
I squeezed his hand. “Two vampires, one Celestial, and Ketheron. You were heard all too clearly by most here.”
“My bad,” he told the room.
Cassius smiled. “Your love and care for our son is what matters. All that we really took from that. Do not fret.”
Ambrose confirmed to Sylas, “I can perform it, but I need a supply of the root.”
“Mia will be sending it over.”
“Excellent.”
Remnant clasped his hands on the tabletop and told us, “I know we all wish to see to the Sanctus threat and Ruxnoth himself concurrently, however, given the complexities involved, we should focus on destroying Sanctus first, Ruxnoth second.”
