Page 393 of Born of Blood and Ash

I snapped out of my stupor, stepping forward. “We burned Phanos’s ships.”

Eyes streaked with crimson slid to me.

“Do not look at her,” Ash growled, his flesh thinning andshadows appearing underneath.

Kolis smirked and continued staring down at me.

The shadows in Ash’s flesh darkened as tendrils of eather spilled out of him.

He’s about to lose it, Nektaswarned me.

I reached over, fingers gliding through the icy eather gathering around him. Placing my hand on his arm, Isqueezed gently.

Ash’s eyes flashed pure silver. I feared he would launchhimself at Kolis for a moment, but then the mist around him slowed.

“Charming,” Kolis remarked. “That Fate claimed it would justbe a meeting among us three.”

“And you agreed to that. But, unsurprisingly, you did nothonor it,” I retorted, letting go of Ash’s arm.

He gestured idly to the fighting on the field below. “Itappears to me that neither did you.”

“Of course, not,” Ash replied. I saw Bele creeping closerthrough the trees to our right. “We knew you wouldn’t be brave enough to showalone.”

Nab snarled at Ash as Kolis leaned forward. The curve of thePrimal’s lips immediately set off warning bells.

“Do not say whatever it is you’re thinking,” I warned, eather crackling in my veins as the field below us lit upwith streaks of eather. I felt Phanos’sarrival.

I wanted to turn to the fighting but didn’t dare take myeyes off Kolis.

His grin grew into a twisted smile, causing the wingspainted on his face to lift. “Nephew,” he purred, and my skin crawled. “I canstill taste her blood in my mouth and feel her on my fingers.”

There was no time to feel anything in response to his words.Not disgust or shame. Not even anger. Ash shifted instantly, his fleshhardening and turning as dark as the night. Eather swept out from his back intwin arcs. I grabbed his arm again.

“Don’t.” I held on. “Don’t give him what he wants.”

Frigid air poured across the bluffs, a thin layer of iceforming on the compacted soil and rock. The sound that came from Ash rumbledover the area, and I knew I needed to act quickly. Nektasdrew his head back, his frills beginning to vibrate. We’d gotten what weneeded. Kolis had been lured out. Now, we just needed him off Naberius and preferably not on a damn cliff above us beforeI summoned Thierran.

Ash was beginning to rise beside me. “You came here for TheStar,” I shouted, my grip on Ash’s arm slipping. “Being disgusting won’t helpyou get what you’ve always wanted.”

Kolis didn’t look away from Ash as he said, “I’m curious.What exactly made you change your mind, Seraphena?”

“I want this to end,” I answered, hearing Ash’s growl growlouder. “Too much blood has been spilled.”

“You’ve spilled far more than I,” he replied. “You’ve costme Embris, Veses, and Kyn.”

“I have, but that is nothing compared to what you have donein all your years or what we will both do if we continue fighting.” I wasrelieved to see that Ash had regained some control over himself. He returned tothe ground beside me, but his skin was still the hue of shadowstone.“I want to end this. Right now.”

Kolis’s chuckle turned my stomach. “What did I tell you, Seraphena? The last time we had the pleasure of being ineach other’s presence?”

“I don’t know,” I gritted out. “You talk a lot and yet speakonly bullshit, so it’s kind of hard to remember everything.”

His upper lip curled, and blotches of crimson appeared onhis skin. “You had your chance to accept the deal I offered. That is no longeron the table. You will give me The Star, and I will have both of you inchains.”

Kolis lifted his hand. I heard them before I saw them, therasp of their claws against rock.

They came from behind Kolis, as large as warhorses, theirslick, obsidian skin as hard as shadowstone, andtheir heads featureless except for the thin slits above their gaping maws.

Dakkais.

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