Page 109 of Born of Blood and Ash

It wasn’t the vadentiabut Kolis who had told me, but I smiled and nodded as I quickly looked away. Icould feel his stare on me.

“It wasn’t the vadentia,was it? It was Kolis.” A moment passed. “Why wouldn’t you just tell me that?”

I blew out a breath as I lifted a shoulder. “I just don’tthink it matters, and I don’t want him to be associated with you rememberingsomething about your father.”

“It’s kind of hard for him not to be associatedwith thoughts of my father, liessa.” Hereached over and tucked a curl back from my face. “But I do appreciate theconsideration.”

I relaxed. “It’s pretty tasty. You should try it.”

“I will.” His attention shifted back to the table. “Are youfinished eating?”

“Yep.”

His brows furrowed. “You barely ate.”

“Not true.” I took another drink.

“You only ate half the eggs. Maybe a bite of the muffin.” Hepicked up the napkin I’d tossed over a side dish, revealing the strips of friedmeat. “And you didn’t even touch the bacon.”

I lifted a shoulder. “I guess I’m not that hungry.”

“That’s odd.” Ash’s frown deepened.

“What? Not being hungry?”

“Yeah.” He leaned back and looked at me. “After anAscension, one is typically hungrier than normal because the body is stillgoing through changes. A lot of energy is expended.”

“Oh,” I said, cradling the glass to my chest. “Maybe I’mdifferent because I was mortal.”

“Maybe.” His gaze tracked over my features. “When Kolis hadyou, was food restricted?”

I jerked, caught off guard by his question. “No. Food wasprovided. A lot of it.” My hold on the glass tightened. “You think me not beinghungry has to do with my time in Dalos?”

“Kolis has been known to use food as a form of reward andpunishment,” he said, and my stomach dropped. “I didn’t know if that was thecase with you.”

“No. It wasn’t.” My gaze shifted to the plates. “Iwas…treated more like a guest than a prisoner.”

Cold air blasted off Ash. “A guest kept in a cage?”

“A reluctant guest,” I amended, feeling my chest knot. “Butyou don’t have to worry about that. Kolis didn’t do anything like that.” Amoment passed, then another. No longer thirsty, I placed the glass on thetable. “Did he use food in that way with you?”

“He did.”

I briefly closed my eyes as fury rose, stoking the embers. Ihad to take a deep breath. “I hate him,” I said, folding my hand over his. “Ireally—wait.” I looked down at our joined hands, realizing just then that hisskin didn’t feel as cold as it had the night before. Or this morning, when wewoke, even. “Your skin is a little warmer.”

He reached over and picked up the glass with his other hand.“Feels the same to me,” he said, taking a sip. “It does taste good.” He tippedthe glass back, eyeing the contents. “Probably could get by with one or threeless strawberries.”

“I like it sweet,” I murmured, sliding my hand up the cordedmuscle of his forearm. Maybe it was my imagination? It must have been becauseAsh hadn’t fed since I’d awakened from stasis.

“While I don’t mind that you’re feeling up my arm,” hedrawled, “if you continue, I’m afraid I’ll never make it to Vathi.”

I pulled my hand away and cleared my throat. “I wish I couldgo with you.”

“I wish you would talk to me.”

My head cut to his. “About what?”

“That’s another long list,” he stated. “But we can startwith what you were dreaming about last night.”

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