Page 126 of Born of Blood and Ash

I glanced back at Kyn. He stuck out his tongue, wiggling itin my direction. “Who did you create?”

“That is none of your business.”

“Okay, then.” I sighed.

“There’s enough room for both of you,” Kyn called out, andthe woman giggled nervously. “And I’ve got two hands and a tongue.”

“But no cock? Shocking,” I retorted.

“You’ll need to earn that, por-na.”Kyn nipped at the woman’s throat, and she gave another strained laugh.

I focused on the woman. I saw a faint glint of eather in her eyes before her lashes swept down. She was agodling. I had no idea how she’d ended up in Dalos,but I had a sinking suspicion that she wasn’t from Vathi and also wasn’texactly thrilled to be where she was.

I thought of Evander and Jacinta. I’d read that situationwrong and killed an innocent god. This could very well be the same thing.

But…

But how much control did this woman even have? Like with theChosen? Kolis gave them a choice, but what kind of choice was it at the end ofthe day? What kind of choice did this woman have with such an imbalance ofpower between her and Kyn?

Footsteps behind me drew my gaze. A bare-chested draken with long, wavy blond hair strode in. “I knew you’darrived,” Diaval said, “when I found him pickinghimself up off the floor.”

Callum followed, his lips pressed together. He stoppedbeside me. Not close, though. He gave me a wide berth. “Give me back mydagger.”

“No,” I said, my attention moving to Diaval.The draken had dropped onto one of the couches,distracted by the Ascended feeding beside him. Or fucking. Man, that hadescalated.

Callum crossed his arms like a petulant child as another draken walked in, one with light brown skin and dark,braided hair. Sax. I watched him walk to stand near Diaval,remembering what Ash had said. This had been one of his father’s draken.

Did that mean…?

“You’re a liar and a thief,” Callum said.

“And the true Primal of Life,” I replied. “Whose temper iscurrently worsening by the second. So how about you shut the fuck up?”

The Revenant turned his head to me. “Rude.”

I moved to put Callum on the floor again, but a soft cryfrom the woman in Kyn’s lap stopped me. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and herbrow was tensed in pain. Kyn wasn’t feeding. He was still staring at me withthe fucking idiotic smirk on his face. My gaze dropped to where his hand was.He was hurting her.

I moved before I realized what I was doing.

“Seraphena,” snapped Aydun.

I crossed the atrium. The woman’s eyes had opened, and herlashes were wet as she ducked her chin.

Kyn’s smile grew. “You changed your mind?”

I stopped in front of them, taking hold of the woman’s chin.She gasped, her gaze flying to mine, and I knew. Perhaps it was because the vadentia was already growing stronger, or maybe itwas just normal instinct. Either way, I knew the moment her eyeslocked with mine.

I dropped her chin and then took her hand. It was limp in mygrasp for only a heartbeat, then it firmed. I pulled her from Kyn’s lap.

“Return to your home,” I told her. “Now.”

The godling didn’t hesitate. She scurried across thechamber, and I hoped she listened to me and fled Dalos.

Kyn, the fucker, adjusted his crotch as he leaned back. “Andhere I thought I’d have to break you in.” He patted a knee. “But don’t be toowilling. That takes the fun out of it.”

It took everything in me to step back and not rip his dickoff and shove it down his throat. It took everything and even more to turnaway.

“Don’t turn your back on me, por-na.”The air stirred as Kyn shot to his feet.

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