Page 15 of Born of Blood and Ash

I arched a brow. “A harmless spell?”

“Yes.” A grin softened the hard lines of his face. “You weresummoned by the riders, were you not?”

I nodded. “Yeah, they wanted me to prove myself worthy.”

“The spell is to ensure that they’re not prevented fromtesting the true Primal of Life,” he said. “Eythoshad to do the same.”

I was a bit relieved to learn that I wasn’t a special case.“It would’ve been nice of them to explain what they were doing instead ofknocking me unconscious.” I crossed my arms. “Because there’s nothing likewaking up in some dark cave in the middle of the Abyss.”

“I doubt you were in the middle of the Abyss. You werelikely on the outskirts,” he said, as if that made a difference. “I would’vewarned Ash that this could occur, but it happened so long ago that it slippedmy mind.”

“You getting forgetful in your old age?”

Nektas chuckled. “I’m notconsidered old. More like…” He tilted his head. “Middle-aged.”

My brows shot up. “Really?”

The wind swirled across the balcony again, carrying with itthe scent of rich, damp soil. Chin tipping back, he closed his eyes. “It feelsgood to have the fresh wind against my flesh.” He inhaled deeply, his lasheslifting. “All because of you.”

“Me?” I squeaked. “I really didn’t do anything.”

“All because of you and him.” He looked past me tothe bedchamber. “This breeze I can feel? The life that has returned to theShadowlands? My daughter touched a blade of grass today and will soon see cleanwater coursing through the lands.” His vivid blue gaze, luminous with eather, returned to mine. “That is what your strength ofwill and his love has given my child. That would not be possible without thetwo of you. You survived. He persisted.”

A knot clogged my throat. I turned my stare to the stars asI worked it free. “We didn’t know it would work. All Ash wanted to do was saveme.”

“If either of you had faltered, if you were not as brave asyou are or willing to love without condition or expectation? If he hadn’t beenso determined to save you or refused to believe that what he felt for you thiswhole time was love?” Nektas said. “You would’vedied, Liessa. And his pain would’ve turnedthe realms to ruin. That is not nothing. That is everything.” He fell silentfor a moment. “You didn’t give up. Neither did he.”

Swallowing around that tangle of emotion, I ignored theprick of pain as my fang scraped the inside of my lip. “I didn’t want to diewhen he brought me to my lake. I…I stopped wanting that once I knew what itfelt like to really live. Knowing that I’d finally be able to become somethingother than what my duty symbolized,” I admitted, my voice hoarse. “It wasn’tfalling in love that changed that. It was that I could feel such anemotion when all I’d ever really felt was either anger or nothing at all. It wasthe realization that I could become someone—” The breath I exhaled wasragged. “Someone who mattered.”

Nektas listened quietly as Icontinued, curling my fingers around my hair. “But I was prepared to die. I’daccepted it. I didn’t give up. I gave in.”

“So did Ash. You both gave in.”

I thought about that. “I suppose that’s one way of lookingat it.”

“It is the only way.” Nektaswatched me closely. “I don’t think it’s possible for anyone to be asuncomfortable when being praised as you are. Accept the praise. You have earnedit.”

I let out a short laugh. “Yes, sir.” I peeked over at him.His bemused smile tugged at my lips, and it made me think of something. “Didyou know? That Ash and I were heartmates?”

“There was no way for me to know that,” he said, loweringhimself from the railing in one fluid step. “But I knew he felt more than whathe believed was possible when he had his kardiaremoved.” Starlight glanced off his broad cheek. “I saw that in the way hespoke about you. How he cared for you. So, I began to suspect such, even withmates of the heart being so rare. Or perhaps I hoped for that since I didn’twant to lose either of you.”

It took me several moments to speak around the rising knotof emotion. “You know, you didn’t even ask if I passed the riders’ test.”

“I don’t need to ask.” Angling his body toward mine, hepropped his hip against the railing. “I know you did. You are worthy, Liessa.”

“I’m beginning to think you’re just trying to make meuncomfortable now,” I muttered.

“I would never.”

“Uh-huh.” Something occurred to me. “Do you remember what Eythos’s abilities of intuition were like?”

“I do.” He turned toward me as the wind tossed his hairacross his chest again. “I assume the ability is also developing in you?”

I nodded.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.” I laughed, loosening my grip on the railing.“But mostly, I wanted to know if you knew how it works. Because it’s like…onesecond, I feel this strange sensation and just know something. And the next, Ihave no idea, especially if it has anything to do with me.”

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