Page 414 of Born of Blood and Ash

“I think they are.” He swallowed thickly, his voice fillingwith wonder. “I think it’s because we’re mates of the heart, but…” He trailedoff with a frown and then blinked. “This is the first time I’ve fed from yousince you awakened.”

Nodding, I bit my lower lip and felt the twinge in my breastas if his bite mark responded to his words.

“It’s like a bond, right?” he said. “I think having yourblood is like a final connection, which means…”

“What?”

His eyes held mine, and a slow grin started to stretchacross his lips. “I think we’ll find out soon enough.”

“What do—?”

Ash kissed me, parting my lips with a sweep of his tongue.The moment my heart sped up, I felt his doing the same under my palm. Thesensation was…it was wild.

“We’ll talk more after the celebration,” he said once thekiss ended. “We need to get ready now since you made us late.”

I drew back. “I made us late?”

“That’s what I’m telling Rhain,” he said, catching my wristas I went to smack his chest. He laughed. “Be good.”

“I’m choosing to ignore both of those statements so youwon’t make us any more late,” I said. “I need to put actual, real clothing on.”

“Please, do.” His fingers tightened around my hair. “I wouldhate to start the celebration by carving out the eyes of anyone who looks atyou.”

I laughed as our eyes met. And gods, what I saw in his staremade my heart skip. It was utter devotion. I clasped his cool cheeks. “How didI get so lucky to have your love?”

“You weren’t lucky, liessa.”Ash’s lips brushed mine. “I was.”

CHAPTERSIXTY-FIVE

I held Reaver’s hand and cradled Jadisagainst my hip as we walked under the twinkling lights strung across the CityHall.

I considered it practice for the future as I smiled at thosewe passed.

The little girl I carried was in her drakenform, which meant her claws were buried in my hair, and I was pretty sure someof it was in her mouth based on how Reaver looked up at her with narrowed eyes.

Both draken had insisted on comingwith me, although I had a feeling Jadis only wanted to go because Reaver hadtaken my hand.

The whole time I’d spoken with Erlina, I’d felt Ash’s gaze.He wasn’t the only one who watched my every move. So did Rhain and Nektas. Ash and I had shared with Rhain a month ago that wewere expecting so he could assist Kye and Aios ingathering information. Of course, I wanted the others to know, but thingshadn’t been entirely peaceful over the last two months. There were outbursts ofviolence in several of the Courts once ruled by those loyal to Kolis. The ceeren numbers had been severely depleted, but they werestill out there, with only a few swearing allegiance to Saion. We knew wehadn’t rounded up all the Revenants, but we would. Then there were the draken loyal to Kolis. Not all of them had perished, and itwasn’t until a few days after entombing Kolis that I thought of Sax, the draken who’d once served Eythos.When I asked Nektas if he had sensed Sax in the Bonelands, he’d shared that he hadn’t. He hadn’t joined thefight, and we didn’t know if that meant he was dead or not. We were looking forhim.

But once we were sure the last of those loyal to Kolis weredealt with—or, at the very least, no longer posed a great risk—we would sharethe news with everyone.

I could feel their eyes on me even now as I made my way backto our table placed before the dais. We hadn’t eaten on the dais like twosupreme rulers looking over everyone. Only Ehthawnwas stretched out before the thrones, watching over everything. My heart pangedfor the loss of Crolee and the other draken—for Kars and all those we’d lost.

Well, not everyone.

While I was still conflicted over Veses,I wasn’t exactly sad. My gaze swept over the smiling faces and moved to thecolonnade’s torchlit alcove. As joyful music echoed through the coliseum, alone figure stood in the shadows, leaning against the wall, nursing a bottle ofliquor.

Attes.

I’d seen him often these last two months. When he wasn’t inVathi assisting Lailah with establishing her rule and preparing Theon, he wasin the Shadowlands. Ash had said it was because being in Vathi reminded him toomuch of his brother.

Reaver squeezed my hand. “Sera?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you sad?” he asked, and Jadis stopped tugging on myhair.

That damn notam.

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