“Right. And in this particular case, this goes badly, you screw me over, we all lose.” I smiled. “So, let’s get to it, shall we?”
His eye twitched, but he didn’t speak to it directly.
I settled onto my back on the metal table, managing to suppress a shudder at the cold of the table against my bare skin in my shirtless state.
That became the least of it when the magical scientists eased my hands down by my sides and secured them into the hefty restraints built into the table—a table that was screwed into the concrete floor.Lovely.
Once they did the same to my ankles, my pulse picked up, my breathing quickening of its own accord, muscles straining and tightening.
“You will feel the rush of your magic flowing through your veins soon enough. Focus on that,” Remnant said, coming to stand at my right side.
Was he… trying to comfort me?
That hadn’t seemed like part of the deal.
Was he making that effort for Lazriel?
I didn’t have any time to think about it as one of the sorcerers came toward me with a very long needle that was shimmering blindingly bright with silver magic.
So, this was The Shadowed’s way of unbinding me without Cornelius needing to be here in person. They’d created a serum-version of it. That made sense, given that the unbinding process was nowhere near as involved or prolonged as the actual binding itself. And I was obviously all about the serum solutions. Color me impressed.
“Ready?” Remnant asked me.
“Yeah. Do it.”
He gave a chin lift to the sorcerer, and then the guy injected the solution, the needle puncturing the skin of my throat and sinking deep.
For the first few seconds after he was done and all the solution was seeping through my veins, there was a soothing coolness I felt at the injection site and spreading.
All too soon that evolved to a pins and needles sensation that traveled through my body rapidly.
And then sharp pangs assaulted me.
I grunted as pops of magic had me jolting in the binds—Cornelius’ magic trying to unlock what he’d sealed in me.
“It’s releasing,” I heard Remnant assure me, seconds before the pops abruptly ceased, and then a rush of mind-numbing power flooded me, like an eruption from within.
It was euphoric as fuck and it had my eyes rolling back in my head, and me squirming on the table with the intensity.
Shocks of my crimson magic sparked from my fingers and I choked, emotion threatening to get the best of me.
My power!
My fucking magic was back!
It rolled through me, filling me, releasing from its bound state, and eager to infuse me again—where it fucking belonged.
Such an undeniable part of me.
Before I could fully absorb the reality of it, three of the magical scientists lined up on my left side, holding a single palm up.
They each conjured in unison and then rectangular gems materialized—amber, fuchsia and turquoise.
The three necromantic cores that were going to be transplanted into me.
It was bittersweet.
In so many ways.
