Page 24 of Born of Blood and Ash

I blinked once and then several times, but the shimmerylines of silver remained. My heart rate kicked up, and the streaks and flecks brightened.

How had Ash and Nektas notmentioned this?

I pushed back from the vanity and forced a dry swallow.“Well. Okay, then.” I nodded jerkily. “This…this is also who I am now. I candeal with it.” My chin lifted. “I will deal.”

And I would.

Because I had to.

The realms depended on it.

CHAPTERFIVE

“So.” I drew out the word as Ash placed abowl of sugar-dusted strawberries on the table he’d moved closer to the couch.He’d done it so, as he’d put it, his Queen could be more comfortable while weate. “When were you going to mention my eyes?”

“I did,” he replied, placing several more covered plattersdown. “I told you earlier that they were beautiful.”

“I just assumed you were being sweet.” My stomach grumbledas the aroma of herbs and spices rose. Exactly when had I last eaten? I had noidea. “It didn’t even cross my mind that you were saying it because they lookbroken.”

His deep, melodic chuckle skated over my skin. “Your eyesdon’t look broken, liessa. They are asbeautiful as they were before. Just slightly different now.”

“But they’re different than any other Primal’s.Even Bele’s eyes became silver after her Ascension.”

“I’m not sure why that is, but I imagine it has to do withyou once being mortal.”

I watched him lift the lid from a plate of chicken, thenanother with beef. As he revealed another platter containing several helpingsof different vegetables, my gaze lifted. I tracked each striking line of hisface until I reached the curve of his jaw. “How did you get the scar on yourchin?”

An eyebrow rose as he glanced over at me. “That was a randomquestion.”

“I know.” My cheeks warmed. “It’s just something I’ve alwayswondered, and I thought I might die without ever learning the answer.”

Ash’s hand froze with the knife poised over the chicken. Oureyes locked, and his chest rose with a sharp breath. The aura of essencebrightened behind his pupils, seeping out.

Concern blossomed. I reached for him, hesitating for only aheartbeat before placing my hand on his arm. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “It’s just that, for a fewmoments, I forgot how close I came to losing you.”

My heart stuttered as I squeezed his arm. “I’m sorry. Ididn’t mean—”

“Don’t apologize. There’s no reason to.” He leaned over andplaced a quick kiss on my forehead. “It happened when I was younger, a fewyears after my Ascension and before I was able to keep my temper in check whilearound Kolis.”

My shoulders tensed. Of course, the scar was connected tothe false King—also known as The Fucking Bastard.

“Kolis ordered me to sentence a god he’d recently killed tothe Abyss. The god didn’t deserve his death or the punishment. I refused,pissing off Kolis while being too close to one of his draken.”

Gods, I hated Kolis.

“I thought the bastard was asleep,” he went on, slicing thechicken. “I was wrong.”

“Was it Naberius?” I asked,thinking of the large draken with the black scalestinged in red. “He was sleeping most of the time I saw him.”

Ash smirked. “That would be him. Nab is nearly as old asKolis.”

Nab? Nap would’ve made a better nickname.

“He’s also one of the crankiest sons of bitches you’ll evermeet.”

My attention shifted to the bare shadowstonewall above us. “I saw a couple of his draken. Diaval was one of them.”

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