Page 233 of Born of Blood and Ash

The dishes began to rattle, and thin fissures appeared inthe marble tile. A blast of thunder shook the chamber, exploding the glasses onthe table.

“Oh, no.” Ezra threw up her hands, causing her short, ivorywaistcoat to rise above her slender hips. “We just repaired the Great Hall fromthe last time.”

I shot her an incredulous look as a laugh built in mythroat.

“It was horridly loud—the stone and hammers,” she said. “AndI swear they only banged those damn hammers when I got a few minutes to read.”

“Really, Ezra?” Marisol said under her breath. “Is now agood time to mention that? When another god is about to appear?”

“God?” Ezra laughed lightly. “That is no god coming. It is aPrimal.”

Lord Faber’s mouth dropped open.

Cracks ran up the walls and over the ceiling, sending dustfalling. I winced, thinking there would be far more banging hammers in Ezra’sfuture.

A gust of cold wind whipped through the dining hall asshadowy mist began seeping from the small cracks in the floor.

“What have we done to anger the gods?” Lady Faber whispered,staring up at me as her husband and daughter helped her to her feet.

“It wasn’t you.” Nektas lookedpointedly in my mother’s direction.

She didn’t move.

“Does he really need to do all of this?” I asked.

Nektas smiled. “He does like tomake an entrance.”

The air warped a few feet to my right and a ball ofcrackling eather appeared. The orb expanded, thinningand stretching to roughly accommodate the height of a damn giant. Icy powerdrenched the dining hall as the tear in the realms split wide open. Thick mistrolled out, pooling on the floor as Ash arrived, dressed as he had been whenI’d left him in the Shadowlands: black breeches and a loose, linen shirt. Helooked every inch a Primal of Death.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR

Ash’s eather-streakedgaze immediately found mine. “What happened?”

Pursing my lips, I crossed my arms. “Was that reallynecessary?”

“I felt your anger but decided to let it go. I knew you wereokay.” He frowned, glancing at the others. All of them had lowered themselvesto their knees, including my mother. At least, I believed she had. I couldn’tsee her anymore, so she was either on her knees or hiding beneath the table.“But then I felt your pain.”

“I’m not hurt,” I told him.

Ash was in front of me in a heartbeat, his hand on my cheek.“It was not physical pain.”

My breath snagged. “This one-way-sensing-emotion thing is sodamn annoying.”

“What…?” Ash’s eyes narrowed as he finally became aware ofCallum’s body. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

“That’s what I was trying to figure out before you decidedto show off,” I told him. “Well, before I did that to him anyway.”

Ash’s gaze swung back to mine, and his voice was barelyabove a whisper when he spoke. “I know it cannot be him who caused thatreaction.”

“It wasn’t,” Nektas interjected.“And you arrived at the perfect time. I was about to explain to her so-calledmother who her daughter is.”

Eather swirled madly through Ash’s eyes, and his jawhardened.

His gaze remained fastened to mine as he said, “Rise.”

I tensed because I knew that tone of voice.

Gowns whispered over marble, and feet shuffled as I touchedhis arm. “Ash.”

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