Page 293 of Born of Blood and Ash

Horror rose. Gods and godlings, mortals and servants,embraced death. The fall from Mount Lotho would killa god. It would likely even do serious damage to a Primal.

“You sick bastard!” I screamed, willing the eather to the surface to try to catch the ones I could, butthe essence merely sparked and flickered. The delay was costly, and the fallwas too quick. “Stop!”

The chilling song ceased.

My furious glare fixed on Kolis as another echo of deathhaunted me. “Why? Why would you do that?” I shouted. I didn’t know if I wasasking about those he’d called to their deaths or if I was demanding to knowwhy he’d taken my family. I wasn’t sure why I was asking either. I knew theanswer. He was a walking nightmare. Still, I screamed, “Why?”

“You should know,” Kolis said, his voice no longer carryingthe winds of summer. Now, it brought with it the nothingness of death.

“Other than you being absolutely demented,” I seethed, “doyou even know why you are this way?”

A heartbeat passed, and then Kolis was directly in front ofme. I didn’t even see the blow coming. His fistslammed into my jaw, the force cranking my head back.

Pain erupted, and blood filled my mouth, but I somehowmanaged to keep my footing.

“Did you really think that would hurt me? A Primal amillennium old?” Kolis’s laugh sounded like dry bones rubbing together. “Yousilly cunt.”

Head ringing, I straightened and faced him, spitting amouthful of blood directly in his face.

Kolis smiled, and there was nothing fake about it. He lickedthe blood from his lips. “Tasty.” Crimson shadows blossomed under the flesh ofhis chest. “I should thank you for Ascending a Primal to take Embris’s place. I would’ve chosen someone different, butshe…” His smile spread, and red swirled in his eyes. “She will be so lovelywhen she kneels before me and pledges her allegiance. Not as fulfilling as whenyou do, but still enjoyable.”

It was almost like his words were a different sort ofsiren’s call to me. Common sense jumped right off the cliff, along withHolland’s advice. Rage was an unending fire in my blood, even as instinctwarned me that I needed to be careful. I had to put space between us. Kolis wasold. He was stronger and faster. I had been weakened substantially, and thepain from my numerous injuries was no longer so dull. Tiny stings and sharppricks joined the throbbing in my jaw, but all the drowning anger and sorrowwas far greater, as was the knowledge that I was no longer afraid of him.

The palace trembled under my wrath, and I launched myself atKolis, summoning the eather.

All he did was lift his arm, and it was like I fuckingjumped throat-first into his palm. “As much as it pains me even to admit this, Seraphena,”—his grip on my throat tightened—“I admire yourtenacity. If things were different, you would’ve sat at my right hand as mymost vicious ally.”

“Thanks,” I bit out, grasping his wrist. “My life iscomplete hearing that—”

He squeezed, silencing me and cutting off my next breath.“Your mouth, however, is a different story.”

I managed a smirk and lifted my left hand, extending mymiddle finger.

Kolis sighed. “I shouldn’t be surprised that you’d throwyourself at me. That’s what whores do.”

Then he threw me down with enough force to knock the trappedair out of my lungs again. The impact hurt, but I could still breathe. Wheezingand coughing, I rolled onto my side.

“And that is all you are. A whore with stolen power.” Hestood over me, planting one foot on either side of me. He grabbed my hair,wrapping the strands around his fist. Jerking my head back, he forced me tomeet his stare “A mortal pretending to be a Primal, who doesn’t know herplace.”

“Or doesn’t know when to shut up?”

“Acknowledging the problem is half the battle, isn’t it?” Hesmirked. “You thought yourself so much better than me, didn’t you? Just like Eythos. But look at what you’ve done.”

I flinched.

“You killed tonight, Sera. You murdered coldly and withoutthought or care,” he said. “You’re no better than me.”

I couldn’t think about that right now: the truth in hiswords. I grabbed his arm, my nails breaking off as they dug into his flesh. Isummoned the eather, but…it only pulsed weakly. Myheart stuttered, and my gaze flew to his. Fuck.

“What? Come on, Seraphena. Lashout at me,” he goaded, an achingly frigid smile playing on his lips. Out of thecorner of my eye, I saw guards beyond the interior archway leveling their bows.“Fight me like the Primal you think you are,” he pouted. “Or can’t you get itup?”

“That sounds more like your problem.” I gave him a bloodysmile.

His nostrils flared. “You fucking—”

Holding on to his arm, I kicked out hard, slamming the heelof my boot into his stomach. He bent over just as a high-pitched whistle hitthe air—several of them.

Kolis looked at them.

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