Page 120 of Lady of Ashes

Both made her chest feel like it had been cracked open, the little that was left of her heart after the loss of her parents, after Eliné, after Sorin, being left to shrivel into nothing and be tossed away on her own winds.

More howling pierced the air, and Maliq took a step back towards the trees, as if waiting to see what she was going to do. She looked between the wolf and Azrael.

“Talwyn.” She was certain she’d never seen him look so somber. “Please, Talwyn. Go through the portal.”

She held his stare a moment longer before she turned back to Maliq, rubbing up beside him and pulling them both through a rip in the air, somehow knowing how to access that particular power in this form. She brought them to the northern part of the Xylon Forest, and minutes later, wolves slunk from the trees to greet them.

Her wolves. Her pack.

The only creatures who had never left her alone.

CHAPTER 28

SCARLETT

Scarlett emerged from the bathing room in the queen’s private chambers after taking a long, hot bath. The day had been exhausting— physically, emotionally, mentally. All of it.

After Azrael had hauled Talwyn from the Black Halls, Briar and Ashtine had gone to the Water Court along with Briar’s Inner Court. Scarlett and Sorin had enjoyed a dinner with their family in the private wing, and her only request had been that there was no talk of her time in Baylorin or any of the issues they were currently facing. She’d wanted a somewhat normal night, and by the end of the evening, she’d almost felt completely relaxed.

Almost.

“I haven’t seen Nuri since I’ve been here,” she said, running a brush through her wet hair.

Sorin glanced at her over the back of the cream-colored sofa he sat on across the room. Her hair was instantly dry. “She has been busy looking after the children,” he replied, his attention going back to whatever he was looking at. “But you have seen her since we’ve been here. A few times.”

“She did not come here with us,” Scarlett argued, setting the brush on a side table. She had one of Sorin’s shirts on. With it reaching nearly to her knees, she hadn’t bothered with anything else.

“She checked on Cassius a few times,” Sorin said, his focus ?xed on, well, not on her. She had no idea what he was doing. “She was there when you needed to feed. To help you, since she feeds the same way.”

“I do notfeed,” Scarlett scoffed. “Gods, you make me sound like a prized horse or hound or some other animal.”

He looked back at her, clearly trying to ?ght a smile as he said, “You were pretty feral at that time. An animal is probably an accurate description.”

She shot him a dry look while also ?ipping him her middle ?nger.

He chuckled, turning back to whatever had him so occupied. “Speaking of that … You have used a fair amount of your Avonleyan magic since then.”

“And?” she asked, trying to keep the annoyance from his incessant worrying about this from her tone.

“Your eyes aren’t as bright. They are a pale blue,” he added. “And?”

She heard him sigh before he said, “Perhaps you should drink what I left for you by the desk.”

Scarlett turned slowly to ?nd a small glass of red liquid. Endearment and disgust immediately warred inside of her. The mere fact that he cared enough to notice the little tells, to do this for her just in case, knowing she was not a fan of the whole drinking blood thing … But also, that was a small glass of blood sitting there. She did not think she would ever get used to the idea of needing something like that to ?ll her magic.

“I am not drinking that,” Scarlett scowled.

“You need to keep your power reserves ?lled until we ?gure out another way, Scarlett,” Sorin replied. She heard the page of a book turn and ?nally realized he was reading.

Scarlett shook her head. “No. It’s … weird.”

“Would you prefer it fresh from my arm, then?” He didn’t look at her, but she could hear the teasing in his voice. “Or some other place?”

She grabbed a nearby pillow from the bed and threw it at his head.

A low laugh came from him as she made her way over to where he sat, leaving the blood behind and leaning over the back of the sofa. “What are you doing?”

“Research,” he grunted.

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