Page 104 of Born of Blood and Ash

Chains.

The air I breathed thinned as my eyes locked on the thronebeyond the gilded cage set directly in front of the bed.

No. No. No.

This wasn’t real.

“I’m not here,” I repeated, closing my eyes. I wasn’t here.I’d escaped. I was free. I wasn’t here. I was safe.

Air stirred around me, raising the tiny hairs all over mybody. Lilacs. I smelled stale lilacs.

“I have been so damn lonely, so’lis.”

Every part of my body went rigid at the sound of thatsummery voice. I’m not here. I held myself completely still, keepingmy eyes tightly closed. I’m not here. I’m not—

Arms tightened around me like a vise, digging into my sides.Against my back, his heart pounded faster than mine.

“I just need to hold you,” Kolis pleaded.

“No,” I said—I know I said it. I felt the word rattle frommy chest and claw at my throat. I felt my mouth move.

But I could no longer hear my voice.

I made no sound.

Nothing.

Suddenly, I wasn’t standing anymore. He was sitting on theedge of the bed, and I was in his lap, my feet dangling above the floor. Thatsingle word shook my chest again and scratched my throat. My mouth moved oncemore, but I still had no voice.

Sweltering heat bore down on me as my fingers splayed.

“That you would even speak his name,” he hissed inmy ear.

No. No. No—

Fangs tore into my skin, sending a jolt coursing through myentire being.

I screamed the word now, and it came from the depths of mybeing. It cut up my throat and split my mouth but I heard only the sounds ofhis muffled moans as he drew harder and deeper on the wound. His mouth moved.His body shifted under mine, and…oh, gods, I couldfeel him—

“Liessa.” A voice ofshadows and velvet pierced the golden cage.

I would know that voice anywhere.

“Ash,” I rasped, his name calming my heart andsoothing my throat as my voice returned.

The bars before me disintegrated, and the chests and divanshattered into dust. The arms fell away from me, and the gown vanished…

“Wake up, Sera. Please.”

My eyes flew open with a jolt. I gulped in air. In the softglow of the bedside table lamp, I saw silver streaked with eather,not gold-flecked eyes.

“It’s okay.” Ash was above me, a lock of chestnut hairhanging forward and brushing his jaw. “You had a nightmare.”

Just a nightmare? It hadn’t felt that way. I could stilltaste the fear and desperation in the back of my aching throat. Could he pickup on my emotions in dreams? Gods, that was an idiotic question. Of course, hecould. I was probably projecting all over the bedchamber. And if I hadn’t been,I could’ve said something. My throat felt like I’d screamed.

Screamed—

Panic exploded, dousing my body in suffocating, red-hotflames. I opened my mouth, but only a thin, wheezing sound parted my lips. Ineeded air. Space. Anything. I jerked up, nearly knocking my head into Ash’s. Afist had my heart in its grip. My lungs clenched as my legs tangled in theblanket—

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