Page 232 of Born of Blood and Ash

Fury gathered in the back of my throat, tasting of ash. Igripped his chin as the air around me charged.

“Sera,” Nektas called. “Hewouldn’t have been able to shadowstep into thisrealm. He was brought here.”

I inhaled sharply. Nektas wasright. I’d been too angry to consider that. “Who brought you here?”

Callum didn’t answer, his gaze focused on the eather singeing his flesh.

“Did he come with another?” Nektasdemanded of those at the table.

“Not that we are aware of,” Ezra answered. “He’s been herefor a couple of days, though.”

My brows raised. “You’ve been here that long? What the fuck,Callum?”

“There was a lot to tell them,” he rasped. “You know, likehow you looked behind gilded bars.”

That was it.

Callum knew it, too. His eyes flared wide. “Shit.”

Eather erupted from my fingers, burning the skin of hischin. I willed the essence inside the Revenant like I’d seen Ash do. I pushedit in, flooding him.

Callum jerked wildly, his arms flying out from his sides. Ascream of pain tore from his throat as the eatherpounded through his veins. His body stiffened as the silvery-gold stream of eather pouring from his mouth cut off his scream. His eyes sizzled,then popped. Thick globs of watery red liquid spilled down his cheeks and overmy fingers.

“I think…” Marisol gagged. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Callum went limp.

I released him, watching him fall to the floor in a crumpledheap, smoke drifting from his ears and the charred holes where his eyes hadbeen.

A body hit the floor behind me, and Lord Faber shouted asMarisol yelled, “Mother!”

Nektas’s heavy sigh echoed throughthe chamber as I knelt, wiping my fingers clean on the front of Callum’s tunic.I rose then and turned.

“Is he dead?” Ezra asked as she clutched Marisol’s back.Lord Faber held his wife’s prone form in his lap as Marisol knelt beside them,dabbing a damp napkin at her mother’s temples.

I focused on Ezra. Her white knuckles were the onlyindication that she wasn’t as calm as she appeared. “Unfortunately, no.”

“Unfortunately?” my mother repeated, her eyes wide and theskin at her mouth white as she stared at my hand.

“He’ll be back to his obnoxious self sooner rather thanlater.” I glanced down, thinking I had missed some gore but hadn’t. She wasstaring because gold swirled along the flesh of my hand and arm. Probably myface, too. I willed the eather to calm. “Well.” Isighed. “This wasn’t how I expected to break the news. I’m sure you are all abit confused.”

“Confused?” Mother laughed in a way I’d never heard herbefore. She sounded nervous and…horrified. “What are you?”

I stiffened, bracing myself against the old, familiar sting.I’d known it was coming, but fuck, it still burned.

Nektas stepped forward. “This isyour mother?”

I cleared my throat, blinking rapidly. “Yes.”

“I see the resemblance.” A curtain of red-streaked hair fellover one bare shoulder. “And yet you clearly don’t know who your daughter is.”His head straightened. “But you’re about to find out.”

I started to frown, but then I felt it. The throb ofawareness I didn’t just feel in the center of my chest but also in my bones andsoul.

Uh-oh.

The chamber started to shake, stirring Lady Faber from herfaint. “What is…what is happening now?”

Marisol grasped her hand. “I’m not entirely sure.”

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