Genetic Ascension novel Chapter 2465

Chapter 2465: Not all that Tough

Cassarae had reached the point where eating had become more annoying than enjoyable, which was something she had never expected to complain about.

She was stretched across one of the cushioned chairs in the Grimblade courtyard with a bowl balanced against her stomach, shoveling another handful of roasted nuts into her mouth while Xarvenya worked through a platter that should have fed an entire family.

Their bodies burned through so much energy now that meals had become another chore to keep up with, and judging by the food spread across the tables behind them, the rest of Sylas’ family had already accepted the same reality.

Cassarae chewed while staring toward the sky, enjoying what little peace remained after Sylas disappeared with Nosphaleen to deal with whatever new mess had found him.

Isolde and Cedric were farther across the courtyard, while several other Grimblades had taken over the shaded tables near the house, leaving Cassarae with no particular reason to move from her chair.

She had been considering stealing something from Xarvenya’s plate when a thin line suddenly opened across the sky.

Cassarae stopped chewing as a woman stepped through the cut and landed beyond the courtyard, carrying a sword across one shoulder as though crossing between worlds to visit strangers was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

Blood-red eyes swept over the estate, then settled on Cassarae and Xarvenya with enough focus that Cassarae immediately knew this wasn’t some random traveler.

Considering the direction the woman had come from and the sort of people Sylas kept meeting lately, there was one explanation Cassarae found much more likely than the others.

"For fuck’s sake." Cassarae swallowed and dropped another nut into her mouth. "Are you another one?"

Tomoe’s gaze shifted slightly. "Another what?"

"Another woman looking for my husband." Cassarae gestured toward her with the bowl, taking a good look at Tomoe. All things considered, despite the cold radiance coming from her, Tomoe was an exceptional beauty. Top tier, really.

"I’m starting to think I need to put up a sign..." Cassarae mumbled.

Xarvenya glanced toward Cassarae, then toward Tomoe, but didn’t comment as she reached for another piece of fruit. There was something serious in her gaze that made Cassarae pause. Xarvenya was usually quite stand-offish, but this had a little extra something that made Cassarae sit up straight. She was about to ask what the problem was when something moved inside her.

The Executioner’s Blade answered before Cassarae understood what she was feeling, a vibration passing through her Will and down her arm despite the weapon not being in her hand.

Her earlier irritation disappeared as a violent impulse surfaced beneath it, old enough and deep enough that it didn’t feel like a normal desire to fight. Something about the woman in front of her made her Sword Will tighten as though it had finally recognized something it had been waiting for.

Tomoe felt it instantly.

Her attention hadn’t been very focused until that moment, still scanning for tidbits of Sylas’ aura. Cassarae little more than another person standing between her and him, but the response of the Executioner’s Blade changed that.

She had swept across far too much of the universe hunting traces like this to mistake what she was sensing now. Most of the people who carried them had already died beneath her sword.

There had always been one gap in that count, however, one presence that should have appeared on her list long ago but somehow escaped her senses until after Sylas entered her path.

"So it was you." Tomoe lowered the sword from her shoulder, and the interest in her eyes rose by a small degree. "I wondered where the last one went."

Cassarae set the bowl aside and sat straighter. "You’re going to have to be a little more specific, sweetheart, because I’ve pissed off a lot of people."

Tomoe’s gaze moved across her without much concern, assessing Cassarae’s strength and dismissing most of it before she finished.

Whatever had allowed this woman to escape her original scan, it clearly hadn’t been enough to make her powerful, though the coincidence amused her now that she understood the connection.

If Cassarae was Sylas’ wife, killing her would solve the annoying problem of having to keep chasing him around.

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