Page 211 of Born of Blood and Ash

“Okay.”

I closed my eyes. “And I also bit her.”

The hand on my back stilled.

My hands fell to my thighs. I didn’t think he was angrysince my knees were damp from where the frost had melted away. Or at least hewasn’t as angry as before. “That’s probably how I got her blood in my hair. Iwasn’t exactly…precise when I did it. I kind of tore her throat open. Her bloodtastes gross, by the way.”

Silence.

I squeezed my already closed eyes shut tighter. “Anyway, Ithen spit the blood in her face.”

Another beat of silence passed.

“Is that all?”

“Yeah?” Unease swirled.

Ash’s hand swept back down my back. “You aren’t confident inthat answer.” As his hand moved back up, it curled around my braid. He gentlytugged my face out of his shoulder, and his eyes met mine. Only faint streaksof eather were visible. “What are you not tellingme?”

I slumped a little. “I wanted to kill her.”

His brows shot up. “That’s what you were holding back?”

“I mean, I would’ve killed her if Nektashadn’t shown up—even after Rhain tried to talk sense into me, reminding me thatI didn’t want war.” I shook my head. “And I really would have, Ash. I wasthat”—I held up my thumb and pointer finger, spacing them less than an inchapart—“close.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Only because Nektas was there.So, I’m not sure that counts.”

“It does.” His other hand ran along my jaw. “I wouldn’t haveblamed you if you had.”

My mouth dropped open.

“I held back with Kyn, but it seems you’ve forgotten that Ikilled a Primal in anger. And I don’t regret doing it,” he continued. “I cantell you right now that Nektas wouldn’t have beenable to stay my hand. Not when Hanan was standing between you and me.” He ranhis thumb across my lower lip. “But he was able to reach you. So don’t feel toobad about it.”

I let what he said sink in. Ash hadn’t walked that linebetween vengeance and justice as well as I believed. And that made me feel alittle better about what had almost happened, as messed up as that was.

So, I let go of the guilt and shifted my focus to what hadpreyed upon my mind as I stood out on the balcony. “As much as I hate to admitthis, I think Veses was telling the truth aboutcoming here to get you to talk me into taking Kolis’s deal.”

He tucked a shorter strand of my hair back behind an ear.“What makes you think that?”

I fixed the collar of his tunic. “Like I said before,she…cares about you—in her own twisted, messed-up way.” I quickly moved pastthat point before I slipped into a rage spiral. “She said I would regret nottaking the deal.”

His jaw flexed. “Did she say this before or after you handedher ass to her?”

My lips twitched as I glanced down at my hands. “After I…” Ifrowned, staring at my nails. I had thought I’d gotten all the blood out fromunder them, but a tiny speck of dark red remained. It wasn’t that which causedmy spine to straighten, though. “My nails grew.”

He looked down at my hands. “They look normal to me.”

“I know, but they lengthened and sharpened.” My eyes widenedas I remembered what had happened when Aydun first showed. What had Nektas said then? Something about the…claws coming out.“Today wasn’t the first time that happened. I wonder if that means I’ll be ableto shift sooner than you could.”

Lifting my left hand, he kissed the center of my palm.“Wouldn’t that make you special?”

“More special than you. Yes.”

He chuckled. “That’s okay. My fangs are still substantiallymore impressive than yours.”

I grinned, thoroughly enjoying his teasing because, gods, Ireally hadn’t realized how badly I’d missed the side of him I’d seen in themortal realm. When he was just Ash, able to shed the weight of responsibilityand forget the cause of the blood drops inked into his flesh for a littlewhile. But that was who he was. He was once more that Ash.

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