Born of Blood and Ash

“I’m thinking there is no way there won’t be a clash of armies, no matter what we do. I can only hope that Ez—” I sucked in a reedy breath as Ash’s arm tightened around me. I pushed through the burn of grief. “I can only hope Ezra was able to warn the other kingdoms to prepare or that they will after what happened in Lasania and Terra.”

Ash’s arm tightened even more, and that also made it hard to push through the burn. I cleared my throat. “It’s not like Kolis won’t know what we’re up to.”

Ash let the curl bounce into its normal shape. “He will strike back quickly.”

“We still need the upper hand. Something that will catch him off guard. And we already have it.”

Ash didn’t even need to guess. “Sotoria.”

I nodded.

“He is also unaware of what we’ve been doing in Oak Ambler,” he said. “That will be finished any day now.”

“Yes.” I sat up, not leaving his embrace but meeting his gaze. “But we need to draw him out and away from everyone else. He won’t expect us to hand The Star over, and even if he suspects it to be some sort of trick, he’ll still come. He’ll do anything to get her back.”

“As disgusting and disturbing as that is, it’s the truth.”

But there was another truth.

The one thing I hadn’t opened up to Ash about yet. The only thing left unsaid between us but something that had occupied my thoughts from the moment I knew Sotoria’s soul was inside me and what it meant.

I took a deep breath. “But I ca

A slight frown pulled at Ash’s brows. “I didn’t expect you would.”

I placed my hand on his chest. “I also can’t allow Sotoria to be forced into another life where she has no control. One where she runs the risk of Kolis somehow escaping his entombment and getting his hands on her before she can end him.” What Kolis wanted both of us to suffer replayed in my mind. “I…I never want him to see her again.”

His eyes widened. “I want that, too. Fates, do I ever. But she is the only one who can end him.”

“But it’s not fair to Sotoria,” I said. “For her to be reborn yet again, only to have to deal with Kolis once more.”

“Not if we do it right.” Ash disentangled his fingers from my hair. “For Sotoria to be successful, Kolis just has to be conscious, not free.”

“And you think it will be that easy? That it will be as simple as waking him long enough for Sotoria to plunge a bone dagger through his heart?” I challenged. “We don’t know that. What we do know is that the moment Kolis sees Sotoria as he remembers her, he will tear himself limb from limb to get to her. I don’t want to risk that.”

A moment passed. “Then what do you suggest?”

“What we already pla

“I don’t care about being King or a true Primal. That’s not my concern.” Dragging his fangs over his lower lip, he turned his head. “You’re right. There’s no reason we can’t do that.”

I didn’t let hope spark. “But?”

“But the prophecy, Sera. By choosing not to end him, we are fulfilling that part of the prophecy.”

“I know, but we’re going into it knowing there’s a chance he could reawaken,” I argued, even as I felt a tiny kernel of doubt. “We simply have to prevent that from happening, which isn’t impossible. Not when the Ancients have been entombed for so long.”

His gaze came back to me. “The only thing is, we would have to be okay with him still being alive.”

The thought of Kolis still being alive, even if entombed, made me want to scream, but… “But if I have to choose between Sotoria and him, I can deal with him being alive. I can deal with the possibility that he could somehow awaken in a thousand years. Because you know what? We will be ready for him when he does. We won’t let him usher in the end.”

“I get what you’re saying. But, Sera—Fates, the only thing I want is for there to be a future where you never have to think about that bastard again,” he said, cupping my cheek. “Where he is no longer a threat, not even a distant one.”

“And I want that for Sotoria. I want her to have a choice—to find peace or live a life without the threat of Kolis.”

Ash inhaled deeply, the muscle in his temple ticking.

“I know she is only one girl. In the grand scheme of things, she’s just one life. But she has suffered over countless lives because of him. She has suffered to the point where the last time Kolis had her, she asked your father to end her life,” I said, and Ash’s eyes widened. “Kolis told me that. I didn’t want to believe it, but Attes confirmed it. And, Ash, I know what it feels like to get to that point. Yet I still don’t know how bad it got for her. I’ve never been okay with using Sotoria. Never,” I told him. “She doesn’t deserve this.”

His head fell back, and he exhaled heavily. “No, she doesn’t deserve this.”

I let the spark of hope grow a little. “Will you be able to live with this?”

“I can live with whatever brings you happiness.”

“Ash, I’m being serious.”

“So am I.” His chin lowered. “You’re the most important thing to me. Your happiness is everything, and if that means keeping that fucker alive but entombed and us doing everything to keep him that way for you not to carry the guilt of forcing Sotoria to be reborn, then I can easily deal.”

My breath snagged. “Truly?”

He smoothed his thumb over my bottom lip. “Truly.”

“I think I’m going to cry.”

“Please, don’t.” He pressed his forehead to mine. “I want to burn things when you cry.”

“But they’re happy tears.”

“Tears are tears.”

I laughed shakily. “Okay. I won’t cry.” I cradled his cheeks. “I love you.”

He kissed me softly, so tenderly my chest swelled. “I suggest we not leave this open for debate,” he said, leaning back. “Most of the Primals don’t even know about her. We should keep it that way.”

I nodded. “I want to tell Attes, though. He will support this.”

“I don’t doubt it.” He slipped his hand from my cheek and moved it to the nape of my neck. “We need to run this past the others.”

My stomach dropped a little. “Okay,” I said, and his eyes narrowed immediately. I sighed. “You’re reading me.”

He didn’t even deny it. “What about meeting with the others made you anxious when summoning the Primals didn’t?”

“I…” I pressed my lips together to give myself a moment. “What if they think of me differently because of what I did? What if they’re scared of me?” I tensed. “That…that would hurt because they…they are the only family I have now.”

“Oh, liessa, they’ve always known who you are at your core.” His gaze met mine. “While it may have been rough in the begi

I snorted.

A grin appeared. “They accepted you. Just like I did. They will not think of you differently because they know you.”

The breath I exhaled, while not free of guilt or shame, was lighter. “Thank you for reminding me.”

“I will always remind you of that.” He kissed me again, and I felt like I could float right up to the ceiling. “Before I get everyone in here, I need to know one thing. Are you going to be okay with all of this when it’s over? Even the harsh parts?”

I knew what he was talking about. The deaths that would be at both of our hands. “This is different than me losing control, but it will bother me. It’ll haunt you. Both of us. But I have to be okay with it, and…and I will be.”

“So, we’re in agreement, then?” Ash asked, his fingers tapping softly against the wood. “We summon the Primals today and then proceed accordingly.”

Holding the fork with a slice of melon for the little draken in my lap, I smiled faintly as Jadis took the fruit without staring the fork down for five minutes.

Progress.

She held on to my hand without digging her claws in when I speared another piece of fruit. Reaver was at our side in his draken form, and I didn’t think he’d taken his eyes off either of us since everyone arrived.

I glanced up as Jadis guided my hand, and therefore the fork, toward her mouth. There were nods of agreement.

Everyone was here.

Despite Ash’s assurances, seeing all of them had been hard at first. I wasn’t just worried that they would think of me differently or be scared of me. I’d also feared they’d feel pity because there was no way that those within the palace had not heard me rage screaming last night.

But while their eyes and words had been compassionate, none of them had acted strangely. Well, except for Bele. She’d patted the top of my head when she passed.

My gaze swept past Nektas to Attes. Drinks had been brought in, but he hadn’t touched the coffee or gone for one of the decanters of whiskey or sherry. Sure, it was early, but I doubted that would’ve stopped him in the past. He also hadn’t said much.

I cleared my throat. “I know our plan is…brutal and not at all what I originally wanted, but this is the only way we believe we can lessen the impact on the mortal realm.”

“Doesn’t sound brutal to me,” Bele said, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “Sounds like a good time.”

Lailah and Aios frowned at Bele. “It’s not brutal. It’s actually smart,” Lailah said. And it was. It was what we should’ve done at the begi

“Agreed,” Rhain said, rising. “If you will excuse me, I should go ahead and begin preparing for the Primal summonses.”

“Thank you,” I said. Jadis pushed my hand away, letting me know she was done.

Meeting my gaze, Rhain gave me a small smile and nodded. Jadis peered over my shoulder, watching him leave. I patted her scaled back.

Ash shifted his attention to the oneirou. “You think you’ll be able to do your thing?” Ash asked. I’d told him about what I had thought of when I spoke with Thierran in the library.

“You get Kolis alone?” A lock of black hair tumbled over his forehead. “I will do my thing and then some.”

Ash’s smile was tight as he looked at the twins. “Theon, I want you in the Bonelands while we have this meeting, just in case.” Jadis turned in my lap, stretching her arms toward him and letting out a little chirp. He reached over and placed her on his lap.

“I feel so unloved,” Nektas remarked as his daughter pressed her head against Ash’s chest.

Ash snorted. “Lailah, I want you at the Black Bay.”