Page 60 of Born of Blood and Ash

Bele smirked. “Anyway, being a goddess of fertility andsuch, Kye likes to have her around. Makes his life easier.”

That was a relief. I guessed.

“I, too, am glad,” a quiet voice came.

The muscles on the back of my neck tensed as I turned toRhain. The reaction had nothing to do with how things had started with us. Fromday one, Rhain had been wary of my presence, but when he’d learned about myoriginal plans, his distrust—and dislike—had been all too apparent. I didn’thold any of that against him. If I had been in his shoes, I would have felt thesame way. But the way he looked at me now made me want to make a quick exit outthe balcony doors. It was the warmth in his hazel eyes that had nothing to dowith the aura of eather behind his pupils or thereason behind Rhain’s change of attitude toward me as he extended his hand.

My chest spasmed when my gaze met his. Breathe in.I stopped myself before I let that dread spark into something bigger andnastier, forcing myself to hold my breath as Rhain clasped my forearm. Now wasnot the time for any of that. “Thank you,” I managed, fixing what I hoped was anormal smile on my face as I grasped his forearm in return.

“Whoa.” He blinked several times. “Got a nice little chargewith that.”

“Sorry?”

“Don’t be. Weirdly felt kind of good.” Rhain’s gaze heldmine and then darted away as he bowed curtly. Pivoting, he joined the others.

Ash lifted Jadis from the chair and placed her on the floor.Crouching, she eyed Reaver with narrowed eyes as her tail swished back andforth like an irritated feline.

A heartbeat later, she launched herself off the dais andcrashed into him. The older draken squawked, but allJadis did was press her little head against his and then scramble back onto theraised floor.

“Okay, then,” I murmured, glancing up.

It took a moment for me to realize that all of them werewaiting for me. Blinking, I got my feet moving and went to where Ash had pulledout a chair at the head of the table.

Molten, dove-gray eyes met mine. “Your seat, liessa.”

“Thank you,” I whispered as Reaver followed, this timebrushing his head over Jadis’s.

“Why does he get to call you that?” Bele asked, adjustingher forearm sheaths. “And we don’t?”

Ash glanced up. “Because she enjoys it when I call herthat.”

As Bele’s brows lifted, my cheeks caught fire. I ploppedinto the chair with the grace of a tree bear, and then everyone else sat. Ashmoved to my right, taking his seat there. The subtle shift in positioning—inpower—didn’t pass me by.

Once again, the shock of how real this was hit me as Ashplaced a glass of whiskey on the table for me. It felt like a cloth had beenshoved into my throat. My hands tightened around the arms of the chair as mymind sort of emptied. Or maybe there was just so much going on in my head thatit felt like there was nothing.

Rhain cleared his throat. “I’m not sure who is aware ofwhat, but many gods have been arriving in the Shadowlands the last severaldays, coming from many Courts.”

The cloth doubled in size as I spoke around it. “Nyktos mentioned something.”

“They are being vetted to the best of our abilities and thentemporarily placed in our insulas—” He stopped himself, noting the confusionsurely creeping into my expression. “You haven’t been to Lethe other than thenight of your coronation. Right.” A faint pink stained his cheeks. “Insulas arehomes several stories tall that house many people—up to forty or so. When yousee the lights of Lethe, you’re likely seeing those buildings. I believemortals would call them tenements, but they’re not as…”

“Poorly outfitted?” I suggested. The tenements in Croft’sCross, the poorest district of Lasania, had theseso-called apartments. They were dark, cramped dwellings not even suitable forrodents. Ezra would change what our parents should have done ages ago. “Are weproviding housing because they are planning to stay?”

“Probably, since many of them will have no Court to returnto,” Rhain said.

“Not all the Primals allow theirsubjects to leave their Courts without permission, and I doubt most would’vesought that,” Bele spoke up. “When I left Hanan’s, it was consideredtreasonous. They could be imprisoned or killed upon their return.”

“Gods,” I breathed. “How many have arrived?”

“Hundreds,” Rhain answered. “Dozens more with each passinghour.”

My stomach dipped. “And we have enough housing for them?”

“For now,” Ash said. “We do.”

But would we later, if more and more continued to come?Obviously, not. I didn’t know the details of how food had been provided allthese many centuries, but it took no leap of logic to assume that the goods hadbeen imported. “What about food—?” I cut myself off. “Crops can grow here now.”

“Yes,” Saion confirmed. “And once we get some really goodrainfall and the rivers return, we’ll be able to use them as a source ofirrigation, allowing us to plant more. I’ve already begun to survey which areaswould be best suited for such.”

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