Page 28 of To Ashes and Dust
“Bin good. Jus’ bin tied up diggin’ throo any documents I can find tae see if there’re any records o’ any humans’ bein’ turned into immortals.” He took a sip of his drink as if he didn’t just say something that would rattle the very foundation of my reality.
Any words I might’ve said caught in my throat, and I looked at Damien. “I thought it wasn’t possible.”
He didn’t meet my gaze at first, but his eyes eventually drifted to mine. “I’ve never heard of it happening, and I haven’t found any records, but I wanted to be sure. If you’d be willing to go through with it, I wanted to give you the option. I just... I didn’t say anything last night because I didn’t want to give you false hope.”
I suddenly wished I hadn’t asked, the very false hope I’d wished to avoid swelling in my chest. I couldn’t let myself give into it. They both made it clear they’d yet to find any proof it was even possible. If Damien had never heard of it happening, then it likely wasn’t possible.
“Ah’m visitin’ Selene’s Temple o’er the next few days tae go throo more documents an’ records o’ eh immortals. Ah’ll keep ye posted.”
“Thank you, James,” I said, smiling weakly. I didn’t want to dwell on the thought any longer. “Where’s Zephyr? Is he not here yet?”
Damien glanced around the bar. “I guess not.” He looked at Barrett, who was messing around with bottles of different liquors now. “You hear from Zephyr?”
“Probably with his new female.”
“You better not waste any of that, Barrett!” Semele called from down the bar, and I giggled. “You’ll be replacing every wasted drop, and that stuff doesn’t come cheap!”
“Just put it on my tab!”
Damien leveled a glare on him. “Your tab is my tab, Barrett. You’ll be paying for that out of your own pocket.”
Barrett grimaced. “So cold.”
I bit back the snicker building in my throat and leaned in, looking at Damien. “I meant to ask; do you know who it is? Zephyr’s... female, that is. Is she his mate?”
Damien cleared his throat, his eyes avoiding mine. “Um, listen, about tha—”
“Zephyr! ‘Bout damn time,” Vincent shouted, and I looked over to see Zephyr entering the bar. My throat went dry at the sight of the beautiful woman walking behind him. She was as elegant as when I first met her a few months prior—shining pale eyes glowing off her golden skin, her posture elegant and poised as Zephyr removed her fine coat.
Calista.
I glanced at Damien, whose eyes were locked with Zephyr, that electric energy I’d felt before sparking back to life. I turned back to the counter, suddenly feeling the world shift under me. “I’ll take that drink, Barrett.”
A satisfied laugh broke from Barrett’s throat as he went to town, mixing a drink for me, and I leveled a look at Damien. “You knew, didn’t you?”
Damien didn’t answer at first as he turned from Zephyr’s gaze. “Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I... I didn’t know how to.”
Barrett set the glass on the bartop, and I took it in my hand, lifting it to my lips to take a drink. I cringed as the liquid burned my throat, but I forced it down, fighting the urge to throw it back up.
Damien cast a glare at Barrett, who threw his hands up, a look of innocence painting his face. “What? She needs to loosen up a little. She’s been too uptight lately.”
“You should give her a chance, Cas,” Damien said, looking back at me as Barrett slipped away before Damien could further reprimand him. “She’s truly not a bad person.”
“I saw her thoughts, Damien. I saw just how she’d prefer toserviceyou, how she wanted to take you to our bed.Ourbed.” I took another drink.
“Cas,” he said, and I turned my glare on him, setting my glass on the bartop. Guilt filled those eyes I loved so much. “Give her a chance. She comes from the aristocracy; it’s a different world. She’s expected to do things, things she doesn’t have any say in.”
My gaze fell from him, my hand gripping the glass tightly.
Damien let loose a heavy sigh. “I can smell it. Zephyr’s bonded to her, and from the looks of it, she’s accepted the bond. This isn’t something that’s going to go away, Cas. The mating bond is permanent once it’s been accepted.”
I looked back over my shoulder to see them settling onto the couch as Thalia walked over to greet her. Zephyr introduced her to Calista, the two women striking up a conversation almost immediately. I couldn’t deny there was something different about the way Calista carried herself—her body not so tense, back not as straight. She seemed more at ease, as if she didn’t have to walk on eggshells. Her eyes weren’t as cold, now alight with something I couldn’t form into words. No longer did she seem like the prideful, high society woman who believed she was better than me.
“Care to join me?” I asked Damien, unable to look at him, my eyes fixated on the nearby trio.
