Page 203 of Born of Blood and Ash

“Fuck,” Bele spat, her hand going to the sheath on herforearm. “I feel them.”

It occurred to me then that I’d picked up on the Primal’s arrival before any of them had, just as I had feltKyn’s presence before even his brother did, but there was no time to boast. “Aios,” I said, slowing. “Make sure Reaver and Jadis remaininside. They are in the office.”

Aios nodded, grabbed fistfuls ofher skirt, and without hesitation, took off in the direction I’d come from justas a horn blew at the entrance of the Rise, snapping my head around. My handsfisted. The Primal was at the gates. I started for them but stopped as Kars andRhahar poured out the door.

“Do you know who it is?” Bele asked.

I shook my head. “I want to see them before they see me.” Ipivoted back to the side of the Rise that faced the Dying Woods. “Go to thegates and ensure that no one gets past them,” I ordered.

A savage smile appeared as eatherlit up the veins under her eyes. “You got it.”

Bele was a blur of black and gray as I turned to Rhahar and Kars. “The same—”

“Nyktos is at the Pillars,” Rhahar cut in. “He’s bound to them until he finishes. Thatmeans we back you up whether you like it or not,” Rhaharcut in. “That is our duty.”

“Fine,” I bit out. “Stay below and behind the Rise,at least.”

I didn’t wait for their answer, knowing they would obey.Quickly climbing the steep staircase, I reached the top and started runningagain, heading for the gates. The hair Ash had braided this morning thumped offmy back as I rounded the corner of the Rise, Rhaharand Kars keeping pace with me on the ground below. I spotted archers already intheir nests, shadowstone-tipped arrowheads pointeddown.

Fuck.

Whoever had arrived was definitely not someone like Keella.

Gods, if it was Kyn returning for his payment again…

It would be bad.

Because while Ash had been able to stop himself yesterday, Iwasn’t sure I could.

The front of the courtyard came into view as the areabetween my shoulder blades twinged. Several guards stood at the ready at theclosed gates, their swords glinting in the sunlight. Bele was with them. Mygaze flicked up as an auburn-haired god ascended the steep stairs.

Rhain didn’t look in my direction as he walked toward thelower wall above the gate, but he lifted a hand as if to warn me off. I slowed,hidden behind the narrow wall of the battlement. But if I felt this Primal?

They felt me.

Several guards bowed as I passed. I wanted to tell them tostop, but I kept my mouth shut for once.

Rhain moved to the battlement, where it curved out, andexposed himself from the waist up. He placed his hands on the ledge before himas the not-too-distant rumble of warning came from the sky. “Veses.”

I jerked to a stop so fast I nearly lost my balance, my bodyflashing cold and then hot—red-hot. Something was wrong with my earsbecause there was no way I had heard that name. There was no way she would comehere.

I would’ve preferred fucking Kyn over her.

“I want to see Nyktos.”

At the sound of the sultry, raspy voice, whatever restraintI had snapped.

The world around me blurred in a haze of gold and silver asI headed down the Rise, moving so fast I ended up shadowsteppingto the battlement.

Rhain staggered to the side in surprise. “Fates,” hemuttered.

The Primal Goddess of Rites and Prosperity came into view asI stalked to the ledge.

Veses stood below, her head tippedback, and her long, blond ringlets cascading down. The golden sunlight onlyheightened the beauty of her delicate features.

“You’re not Nyktos,” Veses stated.

“No shit.” I pressed my palms to the ledge, letting thewarmth of the stone seep into me as I saw a deep shadow coasting through thescattered clouds above the road. It struck me then that Vesescouldn’t sense that Ash wasn’t at the palace. My mind raced over the differenttimes Ash had sensed another Primal’s arrival. Heknew the moment they entered the Shadowlands. Either that meant Ash was morepowerful than Veses, even though she wassignificantly older, or my presence somehow blocked that. There was no time toallow for my intuition to kick in as I stared down at the Primal goddess. “Youmust be out of your mind to come here, Veses.”

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