Page 110 of Born of Blood and Ash

A thin breath of air made it past my lips. “I already toldyou. I don’t remember. So, you can go ahead and remove that from the list.”

Tension bracketed his mouth as he looked away, and I knewthat what I’d suspected last night was true.

He didn’t believe me.

“Would you like me to remind you?” he said quietly.

I stared at him, my heart thumping as it began to race.

“You were screaming.”

Shit.

A muscle flexed along his jaw. “You were screaming the word no.”

Shit.

I swallowed. “I don’t know why.”

His gaze flicked to mine. “I think I have a pretty goodidea.”

Muscles all throughout my body began to tense as if I waspreparing to leap from the settee and run. It was like the flight responsekicking in, but I could feel the fight instinct gearing up to take over, and Ididn’t want that. Ash wasn’t at fault here. He was only concerned. So, I took amoment to calm my ass down.

“I know you’re worried about me,” I started, and Ash’s gazereturned to mine, “but I’m okay.”

Several moments passed, the silence stretching between us.“It’s all right, you know?” he said. “To not be okay. To not always be strong.”

A jolt ran through my body as my hands curled around nothingbut air. “Nektas said something like that.”

“I’m sure he did. He’s said it to me before.”

I dropped my hands to my lap. “Why…why was he telling youthat?”

“My father. Not knowing my mother. Kolis. Veses,” he said, and my chest fisted with anger at merelythe sound of her name. “I could keep going, but I think you get the point.”

I did.

And I wished I didn’t because it made my heart ache foreverything he’d had to deal with.

That was why I wasn’t going to tell him about the nightmare.He didn’t need that living in the back of his head, haunting him, along witheverything else.

“But you got through it because you had to, right?” I said.“And you were able to do that because you’re strong. You’re a survivor.”

“So are you.”

My brows snapped together. “I am, but that has nothing to dowith survival.”

“It has everything to do with surviving, liessa.”

I shook my head, my palms beginning to sweat. How did weeven end up having this conversation when we had far more important things todiscuss? “I get what you’re saying. I do. But I am okay. I’m not—” Asudden charge of energy bore down on me, pimpling myskin. I stiffened.

A frown pulled at his brow. “Sera?”

“I…I feel something. I don’t know how to explain it. It’slike I can feel the air changing. As if…”

Ash’s chin dipped, and a low growl rumbled from him. “Is itfucking Kolis again?”

“No.” Ash rose as I stood. “But it feels like something iscoming.” Eather throbbed in my chest. “Something powerful and…”

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