Page 89 of Lady of Ashes

“We will de?nitely be having a conversation about that shit you pulled at the border, Scarlett,” he replied, his voice icy with suppressed emotion. “But that is a conversation I need your complete attention for, and I know you will not be able to focus on it until you have seen Cassius.”

Scarlett swallowed again, nodding once as she ?ipped back the blankets she was nestled under. He stepped closer but didn’t reach for her. She slid from the bed, grabbing the small pile of clothing, and made her way to the bathing room. He followed, keeping distance between them, and she didn’t know if she should reach for him or not. She didn’t know if he was too angry with her, or if she should try to have this conversation now, despite him saying it needed to wait. She didn’t want it hanging over them.

But he was also right. The longer she was awake, the more her thoughts were pulled to Cassius. He had to be alive. Sorin would have told her if he wasn’t. Was he awake? Was he speaking? Was Hazel able to heal him completely?

Thoughts swirling in her mind, she used a cloth to quickly wipe down her skin, getting the largest spots of dried blood. She’d worry about bathing later. There wasn’t time right now.

She quickly tugged on the pants, pulling the tunic over her head as she emerged from the bathing room. She was working her hair into a loose plait, making her way to the door, when Sorin called from behind her.

“Shoes, Scarlett.”

“What?”

He held up a pair of silk slippers. “You need shoes.”

She quickly tied off her braid, swiping the slippers from his outstretched hand. While she tugged them on, he walked past and opened the door for her. She practically ?ew through it, skidding to a halt when she realized she had no idea where she was or where to go.

“This way,” Sorin said, coming out behind her. His hands were in his pockets, and he nodded his head towards a set of stairs at the end of the corridor. He fell into step beside her, and she let her shadows free after being con?ned for so long. He glanced side-long at them before looking straight ahead again, a muscle feathering in his jaw.

“Are you … all right?” she asked tentatively as they started descending the steps.

“No,” he answered tightly. “But we will discuss it after you have seen that Cassius is recovering.”

“Is he awake?”

“No. His injuries were so extensive …” He trailed off, running a hand along his jaw before tucking it back into his pocket with a sigh. “They do not know how long it will be before he wakes, but they believe he will. As long as he continues to receive Fae blood.”

Scarlett nodded, crossing her arms and running her hands up and down them. She wasn’t cold, but something was wrong. Shecould feel Sorin, but not in the way she had been able to before everything that had happened. His emotions seemed muted, as if they were still blocked. She hadn’t tried to speak to him down their bridge yet, and if she were honest with herself, she was too nervous to try now. What if that hadn’t been ?xed either? What if she had done something irreparable to their bond? What if it would never be like before? What if what she had done affected their Trials? Kept them from ever being Anointed?

She hadn’t realized they had stopped, but she looked up to ?nd Sorin staring down at her, waiting for her to collect herself. He always knew. Always knew when she was spiraling. Always knew when she needed a moment.

She gave him a weak smile, but he did not return it, so she nodded to tell him she was ready, and he pushed open the door. He let her pass before following her through. Cyrus was there, his gaze instantly landing on her. He stood from where he had been sitting by the hearth, and immediately began to make his way to her, but he froze at the snarl that rippled from Sorin.

Scarlett’s head whipped around, her eyes wide as she took him in. He looked feral, his teeth bared.

She smirked at him. “The mother hen is still not your best look, Prince,” she said sweetly. But he did not return the sentiment.

“Do not start with that, Scarlett,” he ground out. “No oneis going to touch you right now.”

Her mouth fell open. “It isCyrus.”

“I do not give a fuck if it is Anala herself. I am barely keeping it together the way it is. No one else is touching you.”

She opened her mouth to spout something in reply, but Cyrus cut her off. “Let this go, Scarlett. This has been …” Cyrus clenched his jaw. “He has not been okay. What you did to him, to your twin ?ame bond, to all of us, was not okay.”

“Cyrus,” Sorin warned, a clear order not to interfere, but Scarlett felt the verbal hit.

“I didn’t—”

“Not now, Scarlett,” Sorin said, cutting her off. “You are not here to defend your actions right now. You are here to see that Cassius is still breathing. Speak with the High Witch. Get your questions answered.”

The implication was clear, though. She would need to defend her actions to them.

She glanced at Sorin, but when she found his eyes pinned on her, she quickly looked away, moving to the bedside. Hazel stood, rigid and formidable as always, her violet eyes never leaving Cassius.

“You let males speak to you in despicable ways,” she said when Scarlett came to a stop beside her.

“I did despicable things,” Scarlett answered quietly. “I deceived them. My actions put them in danger. Put others in danger.” She gestured to Cassius’s still form at the words. “I deserve the things they have to say to me.” When Hazel didn’t say anything in response to that, she asked, “How is he?”

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