Page 350 of Born of Blood and Ash

An indiscernible look flickered across his features. “Justchecking.” He quickly moved on. “How are you handling the news?”

“Oh, you know.” Clearing my throat, I stopped flapping myhands at my face. “Alternating between being really happy, terrified, andexcited while wondering what in the world I did to deserve this.”

“I can name several reasons why you deserve this.”

“And I can name one really big reason that nullifies allthose reasons,” I replied with a dry laugh.

The smile slipped from Nektas’sface. “What do you mean?”

The same thing that happened with Aiosrepeated itself. My mouth opened but words sat defiantly on the tip of mytongue.

“Sera,” he said, his vibrant gaze sweeping over my features.

Shaking my head, I plopped down on the sofa. “I…” This washard to say out loud. “I just keep asking myself how this is possible. Afterall the lives I took, how did I end up carrying life inside me?”

A small frown pulled his brows down. “That’s not how any ofthis works—”

“I know.” I closed my eyes and then quickly reopened them.“What I mean is that there seems to be no balance in this. And yeah, I get thatI conceived before I lost control, but I keep thinking it’s not fair. It wouldhave made more sense if fate had made me barren. Or if it took them from meafter what I did…”

“I see what you’re saying.” Nektascame over and sat beside me. His large frame took up nearly two cushions.“Halayna felt something similar when she first learned she was pregnant withour daughter.”

My head turned to him in surprise. This was only maybe thesecond time I’d ever heard him speak about his mate. “Why?”

“There used to be far more fighting among the draken, especially after Eythoswas killed. We wanted justice but sought vengeance.” His head tipped back on aheavy exhale. “My mate was extraordinarily kind and generous.” He paused. “Ifshe liked you.”

I cracked a grin.

His lips followed suit. “But she was also as vicious as shewas kind. When provoked, she was as feared as much as I am. Possibly even moreso because when she let loose on someone, she didn’t hold back.” He glanced atme sideways. “Sound like anyone we know?”

“Whatever,” I murmured.

“After Eythos was killed, Halaynasinglehandedly took out most of the draken thatserved in Veses’ Court and wiped out the entirety ofHanan’s.”

My eyes widened. “Good gods.”

“Like I said, she could be vicious. Fiercely so. It was oneof the reasons I loved her.” His chin lowered. “You may know a part of thisstory. It involves Reaver’s parents.”

“They were killed when Ash didn’t respond to Kolis’s summonsin a timely manner.”

Nektas nodded. “Kolis sent severalof his draken. We lost Reaver’s parents and two morein the battle, but Kolis lost twice that. His actions caused him to have fewer draken in his Court than Ash.”

Anger grew within me. “Let me guess, he didn’t believehimself responsible.”

“You’d be correct,” he replied. “We learned that Kolis wasconsidering taking Reaver— demanding that Ash sever the bond with theyoungling. Kolis felt as if he was owed.”

My lips parted. “Oh, gods.”

“When Halayna learned about it, she was enraged. Reaver hadbecome a son to us. We knew what happened to the younglings in Kolis’s Court.They never survived past their first full shift or adolescence. Neither Ash norwe would allow that to happen. Relations were tense in the years thatfollowed.” The ridges along his shoulders became more pronounced. “At thattime, Kolis had three fully grown female draken. Hesent them, likely believing they would be safe, along with Davon and twoothers,” he said, speaking of the draken who sharedhis blood. “They were there to take Reaver, and it…it did not end well. In away, we were sending a message back to Kolis. That he wasn’t just fucking withhis nephew. He was now fucking with us.”

I had a feeling I knew where this was going. “He used thefemale draken almost like a shield.”

“He did, and he was wrong for doing so. None of us cared whoor what they were. Not when it came to Reaver. Halayna took out two of thefemales. The third—she was Davon’s mate and the youngest of Kolis’s draken—was Taliaya.” Faint linesappeared at the corners of his eyes. “Davon created a path for her escape. Mymate wasn’t having that. Halayna went after her, catching up while they wereover the Lassa Sea.” Nektas was quiet for severalmoments. “If Halayna had time to cool down, if there weren’t years of pain andloss at the hands of Kolis, she likely wouldn’t have done what she did. Sheripped Taliaya’s throat out over the sea, sending herto a watery grave along with…”

I closed my eyes.

“Along with the child she carried within her,” he said, hisvoice low. “We knew the moment Taliaya showed thatshe was pregnant. We could smell it. We couldn’t believe Kolis sent her or thatDavon allowed it, but then again, Davon, as much as he was a fucker, could donothing but obey Kolis’s orders.” Nektas’s gaze foundmine. “Once Halayna returned and calmed, she was horrified by what she haddone. Less than a year later, we learned she was with child.”

I didn’t know what to say, only because I knew how Halaynafelt. Kolis had put everything into motion with his selfish, insane actions,but like me, Halayna had reacted in rage and pain, leaving devastation behind.I knew exactly how she felt.

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