Page 294 of Born of Blood and Ash

That was all he did.

The arrows shattered into dust, and the guards’ headssnapped abruptly.

I briefly closed my eyes against the pulse of death.

“How quickly loyalties change,” Kolis remarked with a shrug.“Embris would be rolling in his grave, as they say.”He twisted the hair in his grip, sending a fiery wave of pain across my skull.“Still nothing?”

My pulse pounded, and I could feel the eatherstruggling to ignite inside me.

Kolis chuckled darkly. “That’s what I thought. Pitiful.” Heyanked my head back until sharp, stabbing pain shot down my spine. “I want youto know one thing, Seraphena.” The dull gleam of redbone appeared along his jaw. “It was neither Kyn nor Embriswho entered Wayfair. Who listened to the pleas for mercy. Nor was it they whokilled the Queen of Lasania. It was me.”

Everything inside me stopped once more as a tempest of furysurged through my veins, and pulsating rage roared in my ears.

“I was the last face they saw. The last voice they heard.”His head lowered to mine, and I shuddered, feeling his lips against my cheek.“And it felt so good to place my hands on them and hear their necks snap.” Histongue snaked along my cheek to my ear. “You brought this on yourself.”

My mind clicked off. There was nothing Primal or mortalabout what I did next. It was pure, animalistic, unbridled rage. I snapped myhead forward, not even feeling the strands of hair I tore out in the process,and went for the closest part of him, sinking my fangs into the side of histhroat.

Kolis roared and jerked his head back. His flesh ripped,spilling even more blood. It coursed down his neck and my chin. I didn’t evenhave a chance to swallow it.

Suddenly, I was flying.

The floor was up, and the sky was down for a few briefseconds. I crashed into a pillar and fell forward, stunned as agony radiateddown the length of my body.

Get up.

I needed to get up and breathe. I flattened my palms, andlightning streaked the sky, momentarily turning night to day. Breathe in. Ineeded to get up because this was the true Primal of Death. I may have thoughtI’d faced him before, but I hadn’t. I’d squared off with a weaker version ofhim.

Kolis stopped, looking up as heavy thunder rolled. Helaughed. “You are so incredibly easy to provoke,” he said, voice thickening.“So incredibly easy to play.”

Hold. I took the time to rest and take stock of thesituation while he blabbed on. Using eather wasn’t anoption, but I wasn’t weaponless. I pushed onto my knees. Breathe out.Another bolt of lightning cut through the sky. Hold. The air cooled,the temperature dropping until I could see my breath.

“Perfect,” he said. “Nyktos canfeel you right now, even though he’s at the Pillars. Blood isn’t that powerful.The blessing of a heart bond, though? He can feel everything and do nothing.”He paused. “I do hope he sends his draken. I wouldlove nothing more than to send Nektas’s body back tohim.”

The lightning. The temperature. It was Ash.

“Believe it or not, I enjoyed escorting souls through thePillars. Seeing their lives. Their pain. How they loved. Hated. Their mistakesand successes. I lived vicariously through them for eons,” he said. “But I donot miss being tied to them.”

I shuddered and breathed out. Tiny snowflakes had begun tofall, swirling gently to the ruined floor. Silvery flashes of light beganpulsing in the valley below.

“You’re nothing but a fledgling Primal without my nephew byyour side,” he continued. “Or a so-called Fate to make sure your mouth doesn’tget you into trouble.”

I lifted my head, meeting his stare as realization sank in.All of this… Kolis had set a trap, and I had rushed right into it.

“Ah, I see you’re finally figuring it out.” He raised hisbrows, and crimson shadows swirled across his cheeks. “Admittedly, you killing Embris did catch me a little off guard. I didn’t thinkyou’d be able to harness that kind of power yet. That angered me.” Chunks ofstone lifted and slid away as he strode toward me. “But having you unleash yourrage and take quite a few people’s lives in the process was also surprisinglyarousing.”

“Fucking creep,” I rasped.

“What did you say?”

I rose to my feet, holding my breath for five seconds. “Isaid, you are—”

Kolis shot forward and grabbed my throat. He lifted me,slamming me into the wall. “I’m sorry. What did you say? I couldn’t hear you.”

“Fucking creep!” I screamed.

His eyes flashed pure crimson as he pressed into me. Fuckinggods, he hadn’t been lying a few seconds ago. My stomach roiled. “I gave you achance, Seraphena. All you had to do was give me whatI wanted. I would’ve left you and my nephew alone. I wouldn’t have gone afteryour family. I would’ve had my everything.” His mouth brushed my chin when hespoke, his voice as soft and gentle as the most peaceful death. But his bodyshook with anger. “I would’ve been happy!” he shouted. “I would’ve been wholefor the first time in my fucking life!”

I tried to turn my head away, but he tightened his grip.Over his shoulder, I saw a draken drawing nearer. Ididn’t know if it was one of his or one that now belonged to Penellaphe, and I had no idea where Atteswas.

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