The realization that Kolis couldn’t be killed occupied my thoughts long after he left, only allowing me a few hours of restless sleep—if that.
Kolis was the Primal of Death. He carried the true embers of Death. Ash was a Primal of Death. He did not carry the true embers of Death.
And since Kolis had ensured that none of his Court were left to Ascend to
the Primal of Death after he stole the embers from Eythos, he was it.
I couldn’t believe it.
With a dull throbbing in my temples that spread to my jaw every so often, I paced restlessly while Callum read from whatever book he had in his lap.
Glancing at the porcelain pitcher on the table, I debated launching it at his head for no other reason than it would make me feel better.
But only temporarily.
Frustration dogged me as I made another pass in front of the door. Ash may not know who’d truly created the realms, but he and everyone else, especially the Fates, had to know that Kolis couldn’t be killed.
So why in the whole wide realm had Holland, a Fate, spent years training me to kill the Primal of Death? Why would Eythos put Sotoria’s soul in with
the embers, positioning her, through me, to kill him? Especially when doing so would wreak havoc and destruction throughout the realms.
I had to be missing something.
Rubbing my temples, I walked from one rounded corner of the cage to the other. First, I’d learned I couldn’t kill Kolis because Eythos’s plan had gone sideways. Now, I’d learned that Kolis couldn’t be killed—
Stopping, I looked up at the diamonds in the center of the cage. The Star diamond.
It could hold Primal embers. After all, The Star had been created to
contain the embers of a fallen Primal.
I lowered my hands from my aching temples as I stared at the strange, almost milky light the diamonds reflected. My stomach soured. If I could get a hold of the Star diamond—and that was a big if—I doubted it could be used to hold a soul and the embers simultaneously.
But unless I’d spent my entire life training for something utterly pointless, the Arae must have believed they could get their hands on The Star again. It was the only thing that made sense.
“What are you doing?” Callum asked.
Tearing my gaze from the diamonds, I started walking again. “Praying.” “Really?” came the dry response.
I turned to him. “What are—?” The embers in my chest suddenly
thrummed. A Primal was near.
I took a deep breath, preparing myself for whatever Kolis had in store today while hoping he would bring news of Ash’s release.
You need to tell him that you will die without me.
My mouth dried as dream-Ash’s words floated through my thoughts. Callum frowned, following my sudden shift in attention to the doors.
“You feel a Primal?”
Unfortunately. “Yes.”
“That makes no sense.” Callum flipped his book closed. “Kolis is occupied.”
My brows rose as I eyed the doors. Interesting. “What is he doing?”
“If he wanted you to know, he would’ve told you.” Callum rose, picking up the dagger lying on the cushion.
Throwing that pitcher at his head was becoming more appealing with each passing second.
“What do you think you’re going to do with that dagger?” I asked.
“The same you would do with it.” Callum shot me a sideways look. “Just because you can’t kill with it doesn’t mean you can’t make it hurt.”
He had a point.
A muffled voice came through the doors, possibly belonging to Elias or another guard.
I looked again at the shadowstone dagger Callum held. “Should I be worried?”
“Every Primal knows better than to come near this part of the sanctuary.” The Revenant strode toward the doors. “Unless you misread what you felt,
this Primal appears not to know better.”
“I didn’t misread anything,” I said as I glanced around the cage for a weapon even more useless than the dagger he held.
The truth was, if a Primal meant to do me harm while I was stuck in a cage, I was already dead.
The embers pulsed in my chest, almost as a reminder that I had them. And I did.
Except, I didn’t think using them was all that wise given the headaches
I’d been having.
Callum reached the doors just as they swung open, smacking right into him. He staggered back, cursing as a trickle of blood leaked from his nose. A startled laugh left me, but it faded quickly when I saw a stunning vision in off-white cross the threshold.
Veses.
Anger pounded through me, causing my muscles to tense. Faint twinges of pain radiated through my limbs. The crown was absent, and her blond
ringlets were swept up and pinned with rubies, but she looked even better than when I’d seen her in the Council Hall, her color completely returned to her cheeks.
The Primal goddess glanced in Callum’s direction. “Oh.” Taking in the bloodied Revenant, a light brown eyebrow arched as I caught sight of a thin- lipped Elias outside the chamber. “You were standing behind the doors.” Her attention shifted from him to the cage—to me. Her full lips rose in a smile. “My apologies.”
“Apology unnecessary.” Callum dragged the back of his hand under his nose. “If you’re looking for Kolis, he is not here.”
“I’m not looking for him.” Smoothing a hand over an ivory-clad hip, she took a step forward. For once, her gown was more modest than the one I wore. I couldn’t see even a hint of her breasts. “Hello.”
“Fuck you,” I replied.
Her throaty laugh grated on my skin as she took another step. Callum shadowed her. “Why are you here?”
Slowly, she turned her head to Callum. The air charged, sparking over my
skin. Callum felt it, too. His spine stiffened, but he didn’t back off. Reluctant respect flashed through me, but it was brief as he sheathed his dagger. “Again, why are you here, Your Highness?”
Her smile deepened. “As I already told Elias, I came to speak with Seraphena.”
“That’s not—”
“And as I also informed Elias, denying me would be seriously unwise.” Callum held his ground. “It would be seriously unwise for you to defy His
Majesty’s orders.”
Veses’ features tightened as she raised one hand. The doors swung shut in Elias’s face. She focused on Callum, and for a moment, I wasn’t exactly sure who I’d root for in a fight between them.
“I do not intend for Kolis to know I’m here.” Veses placed a finger on Callum’s lips, one with a black-painted nail instead of red. “Which means I do not intend for you or any of his guards to run and tell him. But I don’t think you will. I also believe you will ensure his guards don’t.”
“And why would you think that?” I asked, walking toward the chests. “Callum is an…ever-faithful servant.”
Veses smirked as her gaze flicked to me. “Because, unbeknownst to Callum, he and I share something in common.”
“Being obnoxious pieces of shit?” I smiled. Callum’s head whipped to me. “Silence.”
I lifted a hand and extended a middle finger.
“She’s so classy, isn’t she?” Veses purred, facing me. “But no, my dear, that is not what I was referencing.”
“What do you have in common, then?”
Her syrupy-sweet smile returned. “Loyalty.”
I stared at her, stuck somewhere between disbelief and revulsion. And gods help me, a little bit of pity rose because if she truly were still loyal to
Kolis after the events in the Council Hall, and was still in love with the false King, then she hopelessly hated herself.
“I know you’re loyal to Kolis,” Callum said, stepping closer to her. “But you still cannot be here, Veses. Even if I said nothing to him about this visit, he could find out. And that would not end well.”
“He will not harm you.” Veses kept inching forward. She was close enough now that her rose scent reached me. “You’re like a son to him.”
For some reason, that disturbed me as much as her loyalty to Kolis. Callum’s jaw tightened. “I’m not worried about me.”
My gaze shot to him. Was he…? He worried about Veses?
“That’s sweet of you.” Veses touched his cheek this time, just below the golden paint. “But I can handle Kolis and his punishments.”
His chest rose sharply. “Can you?”
A pink flush stained her cheekbones. “I can.” She withdrew her touch. “And, actually, that is what I wanted to speak to her about.”
He stiffened. “Veses…”
“I’m not going to hurt her.” Her chin lifted. “I’m not foolish.”
His pale eyes widened. “I wasn’t suggesting you were. That is the last thing you are.”
Besides the fact that Veses was very, very foolish, Callum did not seem concerned for her. And he obviously harbored some level of fondness for the awful—albeit pretty—monster. I didn’t know what to think about any of that. Actually, I simply didn’t have the mental capacity for it.
“Look, I just want to talk to her about what happened. You know why I would want that. You were there, after all.” Thick lashes lowered. “All I want to do is speak to her about…”—her delicate shoulders shuddered—“about that in private.”
My eyes narrowed. Yeah, I didn’t think that was why she was here at all.
Callum’s lips pursed as he glanced in my direction. “Fuck.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “You have ten minutes.”
“That’s all I need.” Veses smiled brightly, taking his hand and squeezing it. “Thank you.”
Shooting me one last look, he cursed again and then left the chamber. Leaving me with the Primal who had already tried to kill me once.
Not that he knew that.
The door snicked closed, and Veses said, “Just so you know, I’m not here to thank you for attempting to intervene the other night.”
“It didn’t even cross my mind.”
“Good. Because I actually enjoyed it,” she said. “Kyn has a certain… sadistic edge to him that just gets me…” She shivered. “Wet.”
“Sure.”
“What? You don’t believe me? That wasn’t the first time I’ve been punished in such a way. If one can call it punishment.” She trailed a finger over the neckline of her gown. “If you really anger Kolis, and he’s in the mood to be entertained, he’ll give you to one of his draken for the evening.”
She drew a plump, pink lip between her teeth. “And trust me, when their
claws and scales come out, they fuck hard.” She laughed softly. “Normally, Kolis likes to watch, and I enjoy it even more. When I come, it’s while looking at him. Sadly, whatever you said put an end to things before they got real nice and—”
“Convincing me you speak the truth seems really important to you,” I interrupted, not wanting to hear any more. “Or are you trying to convince yourself that you liked it?”
Her finger halted in the center of the bodice.
“Maybe you did.” I stepped close to the bars. “I’m sure Kyn’s sadistic roughness speaks to your sadism. That is what makes you wet.”
Veses’ nostrils flared.
“But I also know what I saw in your face when Kolis summoned Kyn. You may have gotten off, but you did not want it at first.” I held her stare. “I’m sure both mortals and Primals call that the same—”
“Don’t,” she warned, her lips peeling back, “even finish that sentence. It was nothing, and I owe you no gratitude.”
“I wouldn’t want it even if you did.” I looked down at her. “How are you even here?”
She let loose a delicate yet still-somehow-attractive snort. “I could ask you the same question.”
“I think it’s obvious why I’m here.” Her stare turned shrewd. “Perhaps.”
My eyes narrowed on her, unease building.
“But to answer your question, I had to…chew myself free.” She lifted her slender arms as my brows shot up. “If you’re thinking I had to chew through my muscle and bone on both arms, you’d be correct.”
I gaped at her, my mind immediately filling with grisly images. “Really?”
“How else do you think I got free of shackles made in the same way this pretty little cage of yours was?” Veses glanced down at her arms. “Growing these back from the elbow down took some time.”
“That is…disgusting.”
“You should’ve seen me when they were just mangled stumps,” she replied. “Still, I was far more attractive than you.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’ll admit, it was extreme, but when I felt Hanan’s death, I just knew it
was our dear Nyktos who’d done it,” she said, and my teeth started to grind at the our-Nyktos part. “That’s what woke me from stasis, if you care to know.”
“I don’t.”
Veses smirked. “Anyway, no one else would dare do such a thing. But as I said to you before, Nyktos can be so…deliciously unpredictable in his anger.
I figured Hanan had gotten his hands on you, you were dead in one way or another, and it was best if I made myself as scarce as possible before Nyktos returned and blamed me for something I had nothing to do with.”
“Are you forgetting that he imprisoned you because you tried to kill me?” “That’s irrelevant.”
I stared at her.
“But imagine my surprise when I arrived in my Court only to be told that Kolis had a new pet who also happened to be the recently crowned Consort of the Shadowlands.” A glow of eather pulsed behind her pupils. “It was nearly as shocking as hearing Kolis call you his graeca, the same freckled mortal Nyktos sought to keep hidden, who happens to have the Primal
embers of life stowed away inside her.”
“Did you mean to say disappointment instead of surprise?” I retorted.
She eyed me. “Disappointed cannot even begin to adequately describe what I felt. Devastated? Heartbroken? Yes.”
“Exactly how devastated could you be when, not that long ago, I saw you grinding on another man’s lap?” I countered.
“Just because what I want has been out of my reach doesn’t mean I cannot take what is.”
But she had taken what was not within her reach.
“So, in the last day or so, I did some digging,” she continued. “Oh, the
things I’ve learned. Nyktos’s imprisonment is not at all surprising. After all, he did kill another Primal—one known throughout the realms as brave and formidable.” She pressed her hand to her neck. “If I had pearls, I’d be clutching them.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I detect a hint of sarcasm.” Dipping her chin, she grinned. “You’d be right to suspect my sincerity. Hanan was a weak, sniveling coward who’d outlived his worth. Good riddance.”
Apparently, Hanan and Veses hadn’t been on good terms.
“I also learned that the Shadowlands are on the verge of invading Dalos.” She shivered. “Now that will be entertaining. Should liven up the humdrum of everyday life.”
“Was having to chew your arms off not exciting enough for you?” Veses chuckled. “It was short-lived.”
No part of me was surprised that she found the idea of people dying
entertaining. And that was exactly what would happen if the Shadowlands’ forces invaded—there would be losses on both sides.
She watched me. “I also learned about the deal you made for Nyktos’s freedom.”
“And by learned about the deal, do you mean you spoke with Callum?” “I’ll never tell.” She winked. “But you know what the most interesting
thing I learned was?”
“The better question is do I care,” I said. “The answer is no.”
“You should care,” she replied, the edges of her fangs dragging over her lower lip. “Because there is some…how should I phrase it? Doubt concerning who you claim to be.”
I forced myself to show no reaction. “Gee, I wonder who the source of that doubt is.”
“If you think it’s just Callum, you’re wrong,” she replied, and I tensed. “You see, all of us Primals who were alive when Kolis first became the Primal of Life remember what Sotoria looked like. And while you share similar features—”
“The hair color is wrong, and I have more freckles,” I said. “I know. That is evidence of nothing.”
“Except other reborn souls appeared as they were in their previous lives.”
“And how many of those souls were also placed with the embers of life?”
I reasoned, rather proud of my fast thinking. “Has it occurred to you or anyone else that had some impact?”
“Oh, I’m sure it’s occurred to some,” she said, tilting her head. “Mostly those who have no interest in whether or not you are Sotoria.”
“But you? You have a vested interest in simply not wanting to believe that I am her,” I said. “That way, you would be…less devastated.”
Her lips thinned.
“But I’m beginning to think you like feeling that way,” I continued. “After all, you are beautiful, Veses.”
Her lips turned up.
“At least on the outside,” I added, and the curve disappeared. “Either way, you could have almost anyone you want, gods and mortal alike, yet you seek the two most ineligible beings in both realms.”
A muscle began ticking in her jaw. “I think it’s funny you believe they are ineligible.”
“What I think is funny, is that both you and Callum seem to assume I won’t say anything to Kolis about your visit.”
“I’ve assumed nothing. Callum? He’s a charming boy, but he doesn’t always think things through.” She lifted a shoulder.
Callum? Charming?
“But I don’t think you’re going to say anything,” she added. I crossed my arms. “And why is that?”
She shrugged again, slowly walking from the side of the cage to where I stood. Eather crackled from her eyes. “You won’t tell Kolis.”
“You’re far too confident in that.”
“I’m not confident. I just know I’m right.” She moved as close as she could without touching the bars. Only a foot separated us. “You won’t tell him because you know how he’ll react. And despite what I say, you wouldn’t put me in that position because you’re such a good and decent mortal.”
Tension crept into my shoulders. “You’re right.” Her smile turned smug.
“But you’re also wrong. I’m neither good nor decent since I’d rather see
you dead than punished.”
Veses’ laugh was like wind chimes. “I see jealousy makes you say terrible things.”
The embers stirred in my chest as anger continued to flare. “I know.” Her head tilted. “About?”
“About the deal you made with Nyktos.”
Veses’ smile faded.
Mine returned. “Kolis seemed disappointed in you for not telling him about my presence in the Shadowlands. How do you think he’ll feel knowing
that you made a pact with his nephew to keep any knowledge of me hidden from him?”
Astonishment briefly lit up her features. “He told you?” Her eyes met
mine as a cunning smile replaced her previous astonishment. “Did he tell you how eager he was to strike the deal? How much he enjoyed—?”
“Spin all the bullshit you want about yourself.” A rush of rage caused the embers in my chest to go crazy. “But don’t even try doing that to him, you sick bitch.”
Veses sneered, baring her fangs. “How dare you speak to me in such a manner?”
“How dare I? What in the gods’ names is wrong with you?” I struggled to keep the pulsing embers down. “There is no way you don’t know how disgustingly wrong what you’ve done is. You cannot be that demented.” The moment the words left my mouth, I realized that Kolis was that demented, so Veses likely was, too. I shook my head. “Clearly, what happened the other night in the Council Hall wasn’t the first time. You know what that feels
like.”
“I already told you, I enjoyed—”
“I don’t care what you claim!” I shouted, and her eyes widened as a burst of energy left me, blowing Veses’ skirt back and causing the chandelier to swing. “You know what it feels like, and you still did it to someone else—
someone you were once friends with. Yes, I know you two were close at one time. But that didn’t matter, did it?”
Her eyes widened as her gown settled around her feet. A moment passed.
Then another. “It’s not like I hurt him.”
“You didn’t…?” My hands curled into fists. So help me gods, I was going to kill this bitch. I would find a way. “What did Kolis say? That despite how beautiful you are, you say such ugly things?”
Her chest rose with a deep inhale.
“He was right.” My body trembled with rage. “He just forgot to mention how ugly you are on the inside.”
Silvery essence poured into her veins. “You know nothing about me, little girl.”
“Little girl? I thought I was the fat girl,” I retorted. “And I know enough about you, Veses, to know just how depraved you are on the inside.”
“I’ve tried to protect Nyktos!” she shot back. “And I’ve done so at great risk to myself.”
“You tried to protect him by forcing him to allow you to feed off him? By getting off on it?” My heart thundered as I tried to rein my anger back in
before I lost control completely. The last thing I needed was for Kolis to
sense me using the embers. Damn it, he could’ve already noticed. “You’re a godsdamn mess.”
“And what are you?” Veses demanded, eather snapping into the air around her. “That’s a rhetorical question. I know what you are. A whore.”
I huffed out a dry laugh. “You really need to work on your insults, Veses.
They’re truly pathetic.”
“It’s not an insult when it’s the truth. You had Nyktos. Was he not good enough? You had to take Kolis?”
“Take Kolis?” I cut myself off before I said anything she could use against me. I briefly closed my eyes. “Why are so many of you out of your minds?”
“That’s an offensive question.”
Head aching, I let it fall back. I stared at the bars above me. “I don’t understand most of the Primals, but you? I think I understand you the least.”
“You’re likely not intelligent nor worldly enough to even begin to understand me,” she quipped.
I sighed. “Again with the silly insults. You can do better.” I met her stare. “You want Kolis, but since you can’t have him, you go after his nephew— who also wants nothing to do with you. You seize the first opportunity to turn whatever friendship or companionship you once had with him into a nightmare, yet you claim to protect him? As if you care for him?”
“I do care for him,” she argued, her cheeks flushing. “He hasn’t had the easiest life for a Primal.”
“And you really did your level best to make it worse for him, didn’t you?” I had to count to five before I continued. “Is it because they share similar features, and you can pretend you’re with the one you really want?”
Veses looked away, her jaw flexing.
Dear gods, could it really be that? What Ash had claimed? Telling her she was messed up didn’t even capture what was going on in that head of hers. “That is even more pathetic than your insults, and I actually mean that in the most unoffensive way possible.”
Veses’ head snapped back to mine. “I can’t wait to see you die.”
I didn’t even acknowledge that. “Since Kolis has no idea about the deal you made while you were supposed to be keeping an eye on Nyktos, it’s not because you want to make Kolis jealous.”
“Kolis may not know about the deal, but he believes I’ve kept a very, very close eye on his nephew for him. He thinks we’ve been intimate.” She smiled tightly. “Something Nyktos hasn’t made any effort to deny.”
“So, it is to make Kolis jealous.”
She shrugged. “You have nothing to say about Nyktos not swaying Kolis’s belief?”
“No.”
“Come now, you may be in this cage, and Kolis may call you his graeca, but I know where your interests truly lie.”
I arched a brow. “I know why he wouldn’t attempt to change Kolis’s mind.”
“And you would know that because you love him,” she said, her stare unflinching. “Kolis may not know any better and may even believe that you just harbor a fondness for his nephew…”
Fucking Callum.
He hadn’t been in the chamber when I struck the deal, but he’d somehow found out, either by eavesdropping or from Kolis himself.
“But I know better.”
“You don’t know anything,” I sneered.
“Did you forget that I was there when you had your little breakdown after seeing Nyktos and me together?”
All the air went out of my lungs.
“Nyktos and Rhain were far too focused on getting to you and thought I’d left as ordered. Of course, I didn’t, nor did I fully realize it was you causing
the entire palace to tremble at first. But once I saw you use the embers, I knew it had been you.” Her eyes gleamed. “And no one who harbors just
fondness for another reacts that way. I would know. I leveled nearly half my
Court when Kolis brought Sotoria back to life.” My lips parted.
“So, our…violent reactions regarding the ones we love is something we have in common.”
There was nothing I could say to that.
“So, whether you’re really Sotoria or not doesn’t matter. Your heart already belongs to someone else,” she said. “And once Kolis realizes that? You’ll know just how sadistic Kyn can be.”
I inhaled sharply. “You sick bitch.”
“I’m not sick, Seraphena.” Her chin lifted. “I’m just tired.” “Then go take a fucking century-long nap,” I snapped.
Veses’ laugh was far too sultry for our discussion. “I could never rest that
long. I am too afraid of missing out on whatever is happening in the realm of those awake.”
I shook my head as the ache moved down the sides of my face. “I’m almost positive your ten minutes are up, so what is the point of this
conversation? Other than to be a living, breathing annoyance.” “It’s to warn you.”
“Of course.” I sighed.
“I will not lose Kolis to Sotoria again,” she said, her voice low. “I’d rather see him alone than have that.”
“Guess you weren’t telling the truth when you said you were happy for him,” I muttered dryly.
“Make all the snide comments you want. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to do everything within my power to wake Kolis up to what is so clearly evident to most of the realm,” she said. “That your heart, no matter who you really are, belongs to another. And I will not regret what becomes of you after that truth comes out.”
“Shocker.”
“But what I will regret is what it will do to Nyktos. What it is already
doing to him.” The mocking, vindictive smile left her face. “Once Kolis
realizes you’re in love with Nyktos, he will find a way to keep him. He won’t release him until Nyktos accepts it’s time for him to move on and you’re effectively dealt with.”
My stomach twisted into knots.
“Or you could just find a way to take yourself out of the equation,” she suggested. “Sacrifice yourself for Nyktos.”
Or I could make sure Kolis freed him before Veses managed to convince him of anything.
“Just something to think about.” Rubies glittering in her hair, she stepped back and swept her gaze over me. “I’d look better in that gown, by the way.”
“I’m sure you would,” I replied, speaking the truth. She would look better in a burlap sack.
Watching her leave, I remembered what Aios had said about Veses and Ash’s mother. That they had been friends, and Veses had been good at one time—well, as good as any Primal could be.
Veses wasn’t good anymore.
Maybe Kolis stealing the embers of life and Eythos’s death had aided in changing her. Or perhaps she wouldn’t be like this if she had rested for any real length of time. It was quite possible she could have remained decent if she hadn’t fallen in love with Kolis.
What had Holland said about love? Basically, that it was as equally awe- inspiring as it was horrifying.
I was so glad that my love for Ash meant I’d gotten a taste of what the awe-inspiring bit felt like. I couldn’t help but feel a little smidgen of pity for both Kolis and Veses, who only knew the awful side of it.
But Veses was right. Our love did make both of us capable of violence. “Veses?”
She stopped at the door but didn’t look back.
“I just want you to know that…I am sorry for what was done to you in the Council Hall.”
Her back stiffened.
“But that doesn’t change that I will do everything in my power to see you burn before I die.”
 |
Weary, I found myself without much of an appetite when the Chosen served supper, but I forced myself to eat what I could, knowing I needed to keep up my strength.
Because I had a feeling I should keep from taxing my body further.
I wouldn’t think about that, though. I already had enough on my mind after Veses’ visit.
As I readied myself for bed, I hoped I dreamt of Ash again. Holding that desire at the forefront of my mind, I walked from behind the privacy screen, my tired gaze moving from the darkened chamber beyond to—
Wait. The chandelier had been on when I went behind the canvas screen.
Hadn’t it? I started to turn.
Kolis lay in the center of the bed, an arm thrust back, supporting his head.
He had his long body stretched out, his ankles crossed. He looked as comfortable as a bug snug in a rug.
Choking on a scream of surprise, I jerked back a step as my hand flew to my chest.
“I startled you,” Kolis said with a smile. My heart pounded. “You’re so observant.”
That practiced smile faltered but quickly returned. “It is one of my many
skills.”
I didn’t care about any of his skills. “What are you doing in here?”
One eyebrow rose. “You’re asking what I’m doing in here, within the sanctuary I had built?” His head tipped to the side. “Surely, you’re not asking that.”
Keep your temper in check, I reminded myself as I folded an arm over my still-unsettled stomach. Especially with Veses’ newfound purpose in life. “I just wasn’t expecting you.” I glanced at the screen. How long had he been in here? While I’d made use of the privy? Undressed. Gods, I had to add that to the ever-growing list of things I could not think about. “I didn’t even hear
you.”
“Being quiet is another talent,” he teased.
The hand at my side tightened. “It’s an impressive one.” He practically beamed.
I forced my tone to be light. “I’m very tired, Kolis.”
“That’s perfect.” He reached over with a hand, patting the space beside him. “As am I. I know no deals have been struck, but I so enjoyed the last time we slept together.”
“I’m relieved to hear that,” I murmured, thinking it was ironic that he took such joy in something that haunted me. Or maybe it was more disturbing than ironic. “Speaking of deals—”
“My nephew is being prepared for release,” he interrupted. “It will happen very soon.” Golden eather swirled across his bare chest. “That is
unless a reason arises for that not to happen—or more of a reason than what
you have already given me.”
Visions of Veses’ gloating face danced in my head.
His eyes locked with mine. “Join me. I would be so…disappointed if you didn’t want to.”
I stiffened. What he didn’t say came across loud and clear. If I displeased him, it would become another reason to delay Ash’s release. My fingers
curled against the material of the robe as I resisted shouting that he should go find Veses, who’d be more than glad to share a bed with him.
“You hesitate,” he stated flatly. “Do you not wish to be in my company?” “It’s…it’s not that.” I hated him. Gods, I hated him. “I’m just nervous.” He raised a brow. “About what, so’lis?”
“About what you expect from me. We have yet to get to know each other
—”
“I only wish to sleep beside you, as we did last time.” The eather slowed in his eyes. “The virtue you cared little for when it came to my nephew and whomever else is safe with me.”
The implication of his words stung my cheeks. And he knew it.
Saw it.
Because that tainted smile returned. “Unlike them, I am a gentleman.”
A laugh crawled up my throat. A very unwise one, but I didn’t get a chance to let it free.
“But do not think it doesn’t anger me that you were not as faithful as I, spreading those lovely thighs for whoever caught your eye,” he said. “It does. But I have chosen to forgive such missteps. You have no memory of who you were or what you meant to me.”
Okay.
There was a whole lot of what the fuck? in what he’d just said, but my mind skipped over the chauvinistic insults and latched on to one thing he’d said. “What do you mean you’ve been…faithful?”
“There has been no one since you.”
My mouth opened, but I had a hard time finding the right word, let alone processing what he’d just said.
Kolis chuckled. “The disbelief in your expression is endearing. I didn’t say I was a virgin, only that I have been with no other since I met you.”
If Kolis hadn’t been with anyone since he’d met Sotoria, which was a really long time ago, far more than just two hundred years, he might as well be a virgin.
Honestly, my shock had nothing to do with the virginity bit. Ash had been one when we met. Granted, the length of life he’d lived so far was not even a drop in the bucket compared to Kolis.
What stunned me was how deeply his obsession with Sotoria ran for him to stay faithful to someone he’d literally scared to death and then traumatized.
Was that what Veses had meant when she’d said she would rather see Kolis alone than with Sotoria? Because she knew that he’d truly been
faithful?
Good.
Fucking.
Gods.
He and Veses were meant for each other.
“You should be honored to know this,” Kolis remarked, a hard edge creeping into his voice. “I would’ve been honored if I had learned you had remained chaste.”
Blinking, I snapped out of my stupor with a rush of anger. Ash’s response to my lack of chaste behavior couldn’t be any more different than Kolis’s.
“Have my words insulted you?” he asked. “I have only spoken the truth.” “No, they have not.” And that was true. His words meant very little to me
beyond the sting of initial disbelief and the anger his chauvinistic opinions
generated.
Not saying another word, I went to the bed and lay down, my back to him.
A couple of moments of silence passed. “Do you normally sleep this way?” he asked. “On your side?”
“Yes.”
“On that side?”
I could sleep on either side, but I did favor my right. That was how I’d slept with Ash. With Kolis? I didn’t want to look at him, and I wanted my dominant hand free, just in case. I didn’t have to be concerned about that with Ash, not even before I realized I didn’t need to worry.
The bed shifted behind me, and I closed my eyes, bracing myself.
Kolis’s arm came around me. Another moment passed, and then his chest touched my back. His legs curled against mine, and I lay there, no longer focused on finding Ash in my dreams again. Instead, I fantasized about all the many, varied, and bloody ways I would hurt both Veses and Kolis before I died.
The problem was, those fantasies were difficult to make clear. It was unlikely I would accomplish both things before then because I…
I was on borrowed time that was quickly running out.
