Page 116 of A City of Smoke and Demons
‘Because of what colour it is. When you’re angry, it’s red, sometimes black, so I’ll keep my hands to myself then, for my safety.’
‘Huh. What colour is it now?’
‘Gold.’ Ezra smiled.
‘And gold is safe?’
He nodded.
Analise chewed her lip ‘How does it work? How can you see magic?’
‘I’m not entirely certain, to be honest.’ Ezra sighed, letting his head fall to rest against the headboard. ‘Before I left the Unseen, after what happened with Agnes, I went looking for answers. I visited the convent, asked to see their record books. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for exactly—I wanted to know what connection Agnes had to my mother.’
‘And did you find it?’
He swallowed, and let the truth out completely. ‘I did. She was my aunt, Analise. My mother’s sister was a death witch.’
‘Oh Ezra,’ Analise whispered.
‘I wanted out after that, so I got out,’ he said. ‘The rest you know.’
‘Ez,’ she said gently. ‘Your skill—is it because of Agnes? Death magic is inherited, according to Blackwood’s book. It’s a woman's gift, so it couldn’t pass to you. But what you can do, perhaps,ismagic, but different—maybe it’s like that for all of the Unseen.’
‘Maybe,’ Ezra said thoughtfully. He didn’t have time to think about that right now.
Analise misread his silence. ‘If you don’t want to do what the Order is asking you to do, then don’t.’
He shook his head. ‘If I find them, maybe I can make up for some of the grief I caused. They won’t want to talk to me,’ he added, unsure whether he should mention Jem’s suspicions about Blackwood. ‘But I have to try.’
Analise sat up, stretching her arms above her head and rolling her shoulders, as if she was warming up for a sparring session. ‘How long will you be gone?’
‘I don’t know. It could be a week. It could be a month.’
Analise smiled, shifting so she was sitting with her thighs bracketing his hips. His arms slipped around her automatically and he pulled her close.
‘Don’t forget me,’ he whispered.
‘Because you’re so terribly forgettable.’ She dropped a kiss on his mouth, before kissing her way along his jaw towards his ear. ‘Were you planning on sleeping tonight?’
‘I thought I might get a few hours in,’ he managed as her lips brushed his neck.
She chuckled, then closed her teeth around his earlobe and pulled it into her mouth.
‘Or maybe not,’ Ezra breathed as sparks shot through him.
‘Do you want to know what I plan to do tonight?’ Her voice was low, a purr that made every muscle in his body turn to liquid. She ran her tongue along the underside of his jaw.
‘Care to enlighten me?’
‘I plan on making you miss me before you’re even gone.’
Ezra lost his words somewhere in the furious pounding of his heart. Every time she touched him, his blood burnt and his stomach clenched in anticipation. It didn’t matter if it was the first or tenth time in an hour, it always happened, the sensation taking his breath away, like her hands had been created to touch him.
Analise kissed her way down his chest. ‘Ez,’ she said softly. ‘Look at me.’
He did. Her eyes were dark, filled with desire and promise. She held his gaze, making sure she had his full attention.
‘Don’t take your eyes off me. Can you do that, Ezra, for me?’
