“I don’t want to sleep alone tonight.” Warmth slid across my cheeks. “I mean, I would like to stay with you. To sleep. Or talk. Or whatever. I…I just want to be with you.”
The flecks of essence in his eyes spun to life, beginning to swirl wildly as Ash went completely still. I could’ve sworn the very air in the hall ceased to move right along with him, but then his chest rose sharply. Tension left his features, and for the briefest moment, he—a Primal of Death—looked as vulnerable as I felt. “I would like that, Sera. Very much.”
My smile was immediate and so wide it felt like my face might crack. “Okay,” I whispered, some of the nerves beginning to calm. “Your chambers, then?”
Ash didn’t move, though. He stared as the eather continued whipping through his irises at dizzying speeds, as if something were occurring that he had no idea how to proceed with.
I shifted from one slippered foot to the next. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. Yes.” Ash blinked, giving a small shake of his head. “It’s just that you’re…you’re beautiful.”
A pleasant, heady thrill swept through me despite the tension returning to the corners of his mouth. “I’m not sure if you think that’s necessarily a good thing. But thank you.”
His eyes widened slightly. “It’s a good thing. I think—I mean, itisa good thing. More than just good,” he said. A faint pink splotched his cheeks as he rubbed his hand over his chest. “Your smile just then? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that before.”
“Was it a bad smile?”
“No.” He came forward, taking my hand in his. A soft breath shuddered out from him. “It’s not bad.”
Ash then led me to his doors, the imprint on my hand tingling a bit against his. He was quiet as we entered hischambers, several of the wall sconces flickering to life.
“Are you sure I won’t be able to do that after I Ascend?” I turned to him, breathing in the scent of him that pervaded the air.
“Likely not,” he said, closing the door. “Other than the Primals, only the eldest of gods can turn their essence into power—electricity.”
“That’s really disappointing.”
Chuckling under his breath, he strode toward the table near the balcony, where a decanter sat. “Care for a drink?”
“Yes, please.”
He arched a brow at me as he picked up the decanter. “Since I became so distracted in the carriage,” he said, and I grinned, hoping for more distractions like that in the future. Many more. “I didn’t get a chance to ask what you thought of the coronation.”
“It was beautiful—the lights and the people.” I sat—carefully—on the edge of the couch, placing my hands over the diamond-adorned skirt of my gown. I was still surprised that none had fallen off during the return to the Shadowlands. A true testament to Erlina’s skill. “And it was easier than I expected.”
“You thought there’d be some sort of disturbance?” He twisted off the crystal stopper.
“I did. Or that Kolis would change his mind and show. Do you think it’s odd that Kolis only sent a few dakkais to Vathi instead of an army of them?”
“I imagine the dakkais lost the scent since it wasn’t as strong as when you Ascended Bele. If the trail had lingered, they likely would’ve done to Vathi what they tried to do to the Shadowlands.”
Nodding, I watched him pour the amber liquor into two glasses, thinking of the Primal of Rebirth. “I think Keella knows it’s me—that I’m the one she helped place Sotoria’s soul in. It’s hard to explain, but it’s the way…I don’t know. How she smiled at me.” Realizing that didn’t exactly sound like legitimate evidence, I shrugged as I took a sip. The liquor was a bit sweeter than the whiskey I’d drunk before. “What is this?”
“It’s whiskey but made differently. Caramel forward, or so they say,” he said. “Do you like it? If not, I can get yousomething else.”
“It’s fine.” I took another drink, liking it. “I could be wrong—about Keella.”
“You may not be, Sera.”
I blew out a low breath, unsure how to feel about any of that. “But she’s to be trusted, right? If she does know that Kolis is searching for me, she has never told him.”
He nodded. “She’s one of the few Primals that I somewhat trust.”
“Somewhat?”
“I trust no Primal one hundred percent.” He glanced at me. “Especially not when it comes to you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I took a longer drink. I knew better than to ask about Attes. His trust of that Primal was a rather reluctant one. I glanced at Ash, finding him watching me in that wholly intense way of his. Dragging my finger around the rim of the glass, I changed the subject. “Are you nervous about tomorrow?”