Page 183 of Lady of Ashes

“But he also trained you to think the same way,” Cyrus countered. “Which is how you always seem to ?gure all this shit out before the rest of us. This is the part where yousay something.”

“I have no insights to share right now, Cyrus,” Scarlett said. “The mortal kings are puppets. I haven’t ?gured out how he is controlling them yet.” She turned another page and stilled. “Cass.”

Cassius and Sorin both leaned forward.

“Tell me what I’m looking at, Seastar,” Cassius said.

“This Mark will nullify the draining Mark, but it can only be done by the Guardian of the person af?icted,” Scarlett replied.

“What do I need to do?” Cassius asked.

“You need to use your blood to draw this Mark atop the draining Mark, but it needs to be precise, Cass. Perfectly drawn. Start practicing,” she said, nodding towards a small desk along the wall.

“Yes, your Majesty,” he teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him as he rose from the sofa, making his way to the desk to grab some paper and charcoal. He still had a limp when he moved, but he was adjusting to only seeing with one eye fairly well.

“When you do it, though, the draining Mark will resist,” Scarlett said, continuing to translate the text.

“What does that mean?” Sorin asked.

“It will drain as much of my power as it can before it’s nulli?ed. He will feel a strong urge to stop when the Guardian link senses he is harming rather than protecting. I might start trying to pull from Cassius.”

“That won’t be an issue. I’m here for him,” Cyrus chimed in. “I can be ready.”

“And I am here for you,” Sorin added. “This will be ?ne.”

“Come, Scarlett. Tell me what needs to be changed,” Cassius called from the desk.

“No,” she said immediately when she saw what he’d drawn. “This line isn’t straight enough. This angle needs to be sharper. This part smaller,” she added, pointing to various parts of the Mark he’d drawn.

“What happens if it’s not perfect?” Cassius asked, beginning to draw again.

“I do not wish to ?nd out.”

She made Cassius redraw the Mark for the next twenty minutes, and when it was perfect, she made him draw it ten more times exactly the same way.

She pushed out a long breath as she laid back onto the sofa, pulling the tunic up to just below her breasts. Cassius was kneeling on the ?oor beside her. Her head rested in Sorin’s lap, and everyone else was gathered around them.

“This isn’t awkward at all,” she muttered under her breath.

“We’re one big, happy family, Darling. It’s ?ne,” Cyrus replied with a wink.

“Whatever.”

“Ready?” Cassius asked, a knife poised and ready to slash along his palm.

“Whenever you are.”

A moment later, his ?nger was tracing along her hip, a warm, sticky substance running along her ?esh.

“You doing okay, Love?” Sorin murmured. “So far …”

Cassius’s ?nger left her skin, but when it returned a second later and began drawing once more, the ache in her head intensi?ed. A pounding began in her skull, and she squeezed her eyes shut against it.

“Love …”

“I’m ?ne. Keep going, Cass,” she ordered when she felt him pause.

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