Page 274 of Born of Blood and Ash

I stared at her. “That is…actually the weirdest thing.”

“I say this with the deepest respect possible,” Belereplied. “Fuck you, meyaah Liessa.”

“All right.” Aios tugged on Bele’shand. “Let’s go before you end up getting thrown through a wall.”

Bele blew me a kiss, and I smiled as Aiosdragged her toward the doors. I started to turn back to the portraits when Iheard Aios say, “Can you give us a moment?”

Thinking she was talking to me, I turned, only to realizeshe was speaking to Bele.

“A moment where I can’t be involved?” Bele asked.

“Yep.”

“Why—?” Aios cut Bele off with akiss.

“Please?”

“How can I say no after you kiss me?” Bele grumbled. “That’san unfair tactic.” She stepped back, looking over Aios’shead toward me for a moment. “I’ll be outside.”

“Thank you, love.”

I looked away and saw an all-too-familiar heated look fillBele’s stare. Several moments passed before I heard the library doors close.

“What’s up?” I said, looking over my shoulder.

Aios’s face flushed prettily. Shecame forward, and her chest rose with a deep breath. “Was Nyktossurprised you shifted already?”

Not expecting that question, I faced her. “Yeah, I guess so.Why?”

“It’s just that I’ve never heard of any Primal shifting assoon as you did. Bele just did it recently, only once, and even her shifting sosoon was a surprise.”

“The embers were already mature when placed inside me,” Isaid with a halfhearted shrug.

Aios nodded, clasping her hands.“With Bele, she shifted because she was upset. We were talking about everythingthat happened when Kyn attacked.” Her gaze moved from me to the portraits. “Itwas the first time Bele actually brought it up and talked about how she feltwhen she heard that I had…that I died.” She sent me a quick smile. “She’s notbig on opening up—like someone else I know.”

A faint smile reached my lips. “I guess Bele and I have morein common than we thought.”

“Yes.” She was quiet for a moment. “You know, when you weretaken, I knew Nyktos would find a way to save you.”

I raised my brows. “You did?”

“I wasn’t awake yet when Nyktosleft the Shadowlands to bring you back, but I heard how he couldn’t be talkedout of it. Not even Nektas could convince him to waituntil the Shadowland’s forces could join him,” she said, causing my chest tosqueeze. “None of that surprised me, though. His reaction—his need to get toyou as soon as he could—that is. I’ve seen the way he’s looked at you—from themoment he brought you here. Even when he was angry. I saw how he looked at youthe night of your coronation, and I knew what that look of want that goesbone-deep meant.”

“You did?” I whispered.

“He looked at you in the same manner I used to catch Belewatching me during one of our off periods. It was how I knew I looked at her.”Her smile was sweet. “His love for you was so clear, etched into every inch ofhis flesh.”

My breath caught.

“And I saw it on your face. I saw it long before then,” shecontinued, sending a dose of surprise through me. “I heard it in your voice thenight of your coronation when you asked if I’d ever been in love—what it feltlike.”

I remembered exactly what she had told me. “You said itfeels like being home, even in an unfamiliar place.”

“Was I not correct?”

“You were.” My eyes searched hers. “You spoke then in thepast tense—”

“Remember when I said yes and no as my answer to whether myrelationship with Bele was new?” she said. “We’ve only recently rekindled.”

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