Page 206 of Born of Blood and Ash

Veses rolled her eyes beforerefocusing on me. “I was right, you know. About you. I knew you weren’t her.”Her lips spread into a cruel smile. “Let’s not forget what Kolis promised ifyou turned out not to be Sotoria.”

My fingers straightened as Ehthawngrowled.

“By the way, does Nyktos know howthat one was freed?” she asked, nodding at where Rhain had come to stand a fewfeet behind me. “Have you told him how far you were willing to go to convinceKolis that you were Sotoria?”

My heart stopped, barely aware of the curse echoing fromRhain.

“I heard all about that.” She tsked under her breath as shestepped forward. “So don’t pretend you’re better than me. You’re nothing morethan a caged whore.”

A storm built inside me as the wind picked up around us,playing with her ringlets. It wasn’t even the whore part that caused my skin tofeel as if it were suddenly too tight. It was the caged part. Because, in mymind, I saw bars made of the gilded bones of the Ancients, and my heartlurched, then sped up. My fingers curled, pressing into my palms. Eather hummedin my ears, and my throat shrank—

The clean whisper of shadowstoneswords being drawn pulled me from my thoughts. Time slowed. Or maybe mythoughts raced too fast as the scene taking place around me became clear.Swords were being drawn in the courtyard below and before the Rise. Bowstringswere pulled taut, and the crushing feeling of suffocation shifted deep insideme, coming from the same area in my chest that had cracked open the night I’dattempted to flee the Shadowlands. What seeped out was hot, endless fury.

I caught the slight twitch of the muscle above her right eyeas dark, ominous clouds gathered overhead. I saw the unconscious flinch as theair around me charged, filling with the luminous, silver-tinged gold light. AndI…

Gods, I wanted to lash out. To make her eat her words. Tolevel her.

“Now,” she continued smugly, her chin rising once more,“I’ve come to speak to Nyktos and hopefully talk somesense into him. Because despite your failure to realize how this willend for you, it doesn’t change reality.”

Eather throbbed beneath my skin as Ehthawn’sspiked tail thumped off the road.

“And in case you don’t know how this will end, let me breakit down for you,” she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “It endswith you on your knees and every hole being used to serve every god, draken, and dakkai.” Veses winked, and I heard a swift inhale behind me. “Maybeyou’ll like it.”

I laughed, and the sound reminded me of a summer storm. “Yousilly bitch.”

Her brows shot up. “Excuse me?”

I shot forward. Veses threw outher hand as silvery streaks of eather poured into herveins, but I was the true Primal of Life, and I knew how to fight dirty.

Catching her arm, I grabbed a fistful of those blondringlets and yanked her head down as I raised my leg. My knee connected withher face, and the sound of bone crunching sent a surge of satisfaction throughme. She yelped, the shock of pain causing her to lose her hold on the essence.

I jerked her head back. Shimmery bluish-red blood gushedfrom her now-crooked nose. “I think you forgot something.” I jerked her headback until we were at eye level. “I’m no longer caged.”

Her eyes flashed pure silver a heartbeat before I twisted,lifting her by the hair. I spun and threw her. She screamed, hitting the stoneof the road and rolling in a tangle of red and long limbs.

Blond strands dangled from my fingers, burning away as eather crackled over my hand.

“Ouch.” Bele laughed.

I stalked toward Veses as she roseonto her hands and knees, tendrils of eather drippingfrom my fingertips. I drove my booted foot into her side, knocking her down. Igrabbed her hair again, flipping her onto her back as I moved to stand overher. She grunted as I knelt, digging my knee into her chest.

“I could forgive you for your poor choices in men, yourpathetic insults, and even for loving someone as hideous as Kolis.” Currents ofraw, powerful energy built inside me, fueled by rage. It was the kind of powerdesigned to create life, but that was not what I intended to use it for. Iinhaled her rose scent as I lowered my head to her blood-streaked face. “But Ican never forgive you for how you hurt Reaver, and I will never forgive you forwhat you did to Nyktos.”

Her all-silver eyes widened as I felt her essence.This time, it wasn’t anger that threaded through the eatherin her. It was fear.

“Tell me.” My voice was a scorching whisper. “Tell me whatyou see in my eyes, Veses. It’s not life, is it? It’sdeath.” The essence swelled inside me as I swung my right hand down—

“Sera.” Rhain caught my arm, and my head jerked toward him.The glow of gold-and-silver eather danced over hisangular cheeks. “Don’t kill her.”

Veses swung her arm, eather spitting from her fingertips. The heat of the energystung my cheek as I caught her wrist an inch from my face. I twisted until Iheard bone break.

“Bitch,” she gasped.

“And exactly why should I not kill her?” I asked Rhain.

Rhain still held on to my arm. “You know why.”

Fury dug its claws into me as I met his stare. “And youknow why she deserves nothing less than death,” I hissed, my voice low.

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