Page 365 of Born of Blood and Ash

“Or more like you were never better,” she snarled.

“Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

Her eyes widened a fraction with surprise.

Smiling, I threw her to the side. Vesesscreamed as strands of her hair snapped. She crashed into the mirrors,shattering them.

Shaking the hair off my fingers, I walked to her as shestood. Eather poured into her veins, and her flesh thinned. She glanced atwhere Ash stood just inside the chamber, arms crossed and leaning casuallyagainst the wall. “Do you let her fight your battles now, Ash?”

My brows shot up. Did she just use that name?

“Only when I’d rather cut off my arms than have my skintouch yours,” he replied.

Her lip curled. “There was a time—”

My fist slammed into her jaw,knocking her head back. She staggered, catching herself.

She slowly lifted her head. Blood poured from her mouth.“That wasn’t necessary.”

“Your lipstick is smeared,” I said.

She frowned, lifting her hand to wipe at her cheek and mouthas she turned to look at herself in one of the still-intact mirrors. “Mylipstick is fine—”

I grabbed her hair with both hands this time, pulling herdown so fast and hard her feet kicked into the mirror.

Veses grunted. “I’m getting reallytired of you touching my hair,” she snapped, rising onto her elbows. Essencerippled over her. “You’ve made whatever point you’re trying to make.Congratulations. You’ve killed some guards and drakenand destroyed my palace. You’re such a big, bad Primal now.”

“You think we’re here to just make a point?” I asked. “Whatdo you think we’ll do after we’ve made it?”

“Leave and gloat while I crawl back to Kolis to tell him howpowerful you are?” She shrugged a shoulder. “Honestly, I don’t give a fuck. Youwon’t beat loyalty into me.”

A laugh escaped me as understanding dawned.

The corners of her mouth turned down. “What is so funny, Seraphena?”

“Other than you?”

She rolled her eyes.

“You know, I expected you to run. I was surprised youdidn’t.” I stared down at her. “I thought you were smarter than this.”

“She’s not,” Ash remarked.

Veses started to turn her headtoward Ash.

I snapped forward, straddling her. I grabbed her chin,forcing her attention back to me. “Don’t look at him.”

“You that insecure?” she spat.

I laughed at her. “You stayed because you really thought wewere here to prove some kind of meaningless point?”

She raised her brows at me.

Then I truly understood. “That is why you haven’t trulytried to defend yourself.” Part of me couldn’t believe it. “You think…”

“She does think you’re better than her. Better than Kolisand his loyalists,” Ash said. “And she’s correct, but she came to the wrongconclusion on what that means for her.”

He was right.

---