Page 266 of Born of Blood and Ash

He didn’t even flinch.

His hand didn’t waver.

“Come back to me.” He tilted his head, and a lock of hairkissed his cheek. “Will you do that? Please?”

A shudder went through me. I was never able to deny him whenhe said please. No matter what. No matter what form I took—unless it was forsomething I wasn’t ready to share.

I stepped toward him and then stopped. I wasn’t even surehow I’d turned into this or why it had happened, so I didn’t know how to comeback to him.

“All you have to do is will it.” A charge of energy passedbetween us as his fingers sifted through the fur on my cheek. “Like you do whenusing the eather. Just want it, liessa.”

Something beautiful.

Something powerful.

Closing my eyes, I nuzzled his palm and then concentrated. Iwanted it, so I willed it.

The change came at me faster than before. Silvery lightappeared all over my limbs and then washed over my body just as it had donewith Ash. The process was far more fluid. Tendons loosened as my bonescontracted, snapping back into place. My fingers thinned and lengthened, and myjaw shrank. I felt my hair slide over my shoulders, but I never felt theroughness of the road beneath my bare knees.

Ash didn’t allow that.

He swept me up in his arms and rose. He didn’t speak as heheld me tightly against him, his cool body a relief against my overly hot skin.For several moments, I just focused on his thumb smoothing back and forth alongmy side, but inevitably, the reality of the situation rose.

“I…” Wincing, I cleared my throat. “I don’t know whathappened.”

“It was your nota.” One hand ran up my back,slipping under my hair. “The nota is still you, but it’s the mostinstinctual part of your Primal being. Just like with the eather,it can respond to your emotions or a potential threat.”

“Great,” I murmured. “So, what you’re saying is that thenext time I’m anxious, I’m just going to shift into a cave cat and eventuallyend up naked somewhere?”

“Not necessarily, liessa.”His tone had lightened, but only for a too-quick moment. “It has to be prettysevere for that to happen. At least, now. After the first time you shift, youhave more control over it.”

That would be a relief, except for the fact that I clearlyhad no control over my anxiety, my breathing…or my own head.

Turning, I looked down at his arm once more. I couldn’tbelieve I’d hurt him. I couldn’t believe I’d done any of that.

Shame scalded my cheeks. “I’m…I’m sorry.”

His arms tightened around my waist. “Liessa,you have nothing to apologize for.”

Gods, that wasn’t true. “I scratched you.”

“Barely.”

“You bled.”

“You’ve stabbed me before,” he reminded me.

“But that was intentional. Kind of.”

A rough chuckle teased the wisps of hair at my temple. Thesound of his laugh caused the corners of my lips to tip up, but the humor wasall too brief.

I really couldn’t believe what had happened. That I hadfreaked out like that and lost control. That he knew I was afraid of himfeeding. That I was even afraid of that. That I could somehow forgetthat it was Ash I was with.

That he knew a piece of me remained in that cage.

“I’m tired,” I said hoarsely, and it was true. A bone-deepexhaustion had settled over me.

Without saying a word, Ash shadowsteppedus back to the bedchamber and then took me to bed. I was sure I had dirt on me,and the gods only knew what else, but I rolled onto my side and folded my armsover my chest.

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