Page 106 of Born of Blood and Ash

I nodded as I lay back down. “We should go back to sleep,” Isaid, pulling the blanket up. “Morning will be here soon.”

Ash didn’t respond, and he didn’t move as I rolled onto myside. After a few moments, I heard a click as he turned off the bedside lamp,plunging the chamber into darkness. The bed shifted as he reclined behind me,curling his arm around my waist. His lips brushed my shoulder, and then hesettled. The tension didn’t leave his body, though.

It didn’t leave mine either as I stared into the darkness.Because I knew.

He didn’t believe me.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

I forced myself to finish the butteryscrambled eggs while Ash wrote in the Book of the Dead.

I had no appetite.

Which was weird because I was always hungry. But there wasthis strange, metallic, almost sour taste in my mouth.

I picked up the glass of juice as I peeked over at Ash’sbowed head. He hadn’t spoken much this morning, not even to ask me where I haddisappeared to when I went out onto the Rise. I assumed his trip to Vathiconsumed his thoughts. He’d be leaving soon, and when he got back, we plannedto go to the Thyia Plains to speak with Keella. His quietness wasn’t because of the night terrorthat had awakened us both in the middle of the night.

I hated that the nightmare had come after such a wonderfulday. It felt as if it had tainted yesterday’s success. And I hated myself evenmore for feeling as if the reception of our public address was somehow lessenedbecause of it.

I shoved another forkful of eggs into my mouth and chewed asI scanned his office. Being back here was strange when I hadn’t thought I wouldever see the space again. It had changed. Though not a lot. There were twochairs in front of his desk, where only one had been before. An end table madeof the same dark wood with hints of red as his desk had been placed to myright.

I glanced at Ash. Plans for additional insulas that Rhainhad dropped off a little bit ago lay on the corner of the desktop.

Swallowing a sigh, I shifted my attention to the tablebefore me. Beside my plate were two and a half glasses, strawberries, a cuttingboard, and a knife.

It was a very odd combination of things.

Ash had put the ledgers there, instructing me to move themaround, open them, and turn pages without touching or tearing them. It was Iwho had brought in the other items. And the other half of one of the glasseswas in pieces in the trash bin.

I had no idea why moving a glass without breaking it was sohard when I had harnessed the eather to free myselfand Ash before I Ascended and could use it to restore life to anentire Court.

According to Ash, it was because I was thinking about it toomuch when it didn’t come to, well, situations where I wasn’t angry or excitedabout something. I was complicating it and not letting it come naturally.

“Your thought is your will,” he’d said.

And that was about as helpful as my no-shitresponse.

“Liessa?”

“Hmm?”

“If you keep chewing on your fingers, you won’t have anyleft.”

I dropped my hand to my lap. “I’m not chewing on myfingers.”

“Little liar,” he murmured.

My eyes narrowed. He had his head bowed and tipped slightlyto the side as he wrote in the Book of the Dead. “How would you even know?You’re not even looking at me.”

Ash lowered the quill and lifted his gaze. Wisps of eather spun in eyes that had become heated quicksilver.“I’m always looking at you, liessa.”

A flush hit my skin as I returned my attention to mylessons. Summoning the eather as I stared at theknife, I willed it to lift—

The knife flew into the air, and I swallowed a shout.

Concentration broken, the knife plummeted back down. Ileaned forward, catching it before the blade stabbed the innocent table.

I peeked over at Ash. His brow was furrowed, and I was sureI was being a distraction. My attention returned to the table. I’d reallywanted the flavored water and had only managed to slice—or smash—twostrawberries, so I quickly chopped one up and tossed it into the pitcher withmy hands. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have it until next year.

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