Total pages in book: 362
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 347293 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1736(@200wpm)___ 1389(@250wpm)___ 1158(@300wpm)
It was still that strong.
Just banked.
Eyes the color of polished sapphires locked onto Ash’s. He was still unused to how the draken’s eyes appeared now, but he recognized the look of understanding. Nektas knew where his mind had gone. He needed no bond for that. Not when the eldest draken was like a father and a brother to him.
Nektas’s gaze slipped past Ash to the bedchamber doors. “Kolis remains hidden.”
Shadows pressed against Ash’s flesh, and the light from the wall sconces flickered wildly all along the hall. The mere mention of his uncle’s name incited a rage so visceral it made what Ash felt toward Kyn seem…not so bad.
Because Ash knew.
Kolis had also liked to talk when he visited Ash. The difference was that he was smarter than Kyn and made sure to keep a safe distance from Ash as he spoke about Sera like she was his. Ash’s jaw clenched, and the lights flared brightly.
“Ash,” Nektas warned softly, stepping into the Primal’s space. The blue of his eyes burned just as brightly as the lights on the wall.
“I’m level,” Ash drawled, taking in a breath and forcing the violent, dark energy down.
An eyebrow rose. “You sure about that?”
He needed to be. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat, and the lights dimmed around them. “How long do you think he’ll be down for?”
“Hard to tell. A couple of days? A week?” Nektas’s gaze flicked once more to the bedchamber doors. “I figure Sera is well?”
She was more than well. She was utter perfection. Still, he nodded. “She is.”
“I’m relieved to hear that.” Nektas paused. “Even if you did threaten my life the last time I knocked.”
Ash felt warmth creeping into his face, clearly remembering telling Nektas that he would kill him if he didn’t get the fuck away from the door. Then again, Ash had just eased his fingers from Sera’s sweetness. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat again. “Sorry about that.”
Nektas chuckled. “No need to be. I remember what it’s like…”
The light in the draken’s eyes dulled, and man, Ash felt that in his chest harder and deeper than he had before. Because even with all the loss he’d experienced—his parents and those he cared for—it was nothing compared to losing one’s other half. Their everything.
And Nektas had experienced that loss.
Kolis had made sure of it.
Ash clasped the draken’s shoulder. “The oath I made to you before has not changed. Kolis will pay for what he has done to you and yours.”
Nektas’s nostrils flared on a deep inhale. “I know.”
“Good.” As Ash lowered his arm, the golden swirl of the marriage imprint along the top of his left hand glimmered. “I know the others want more than a brief update from me and wish to see Sera.”
“They need to see her,” Nektas responded, crossing his arms. “For themselves.”
Ash understood that. The others needed to see that Sera was who they knew, confirm she hadn’t lost her sense of self during the Ascension, and that she was exactly what they all felt.
The true Primal of Life.
But they would have to wait.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to really talk with her,” Ash began.
“Never would’ve guessed that,” Nektas replied dryly.
A faint smirk appeared but then quickly disappeared from Ash’s lips. “I need to talk with Sera before I’ll be okay with the idea of anyone getting in front of her,” he said. “I need to make sure she’s okay.”
Nektas nodded. “She’s been through a lot.”
“She has.” He knew that, even though Sera hadn’t shared much about her imprisonment.
But Ash knew.
Even if Kolis and Kyn hadn’t run their mouths, Ash would never forget how desperate she was to know if he still looked at her the same way. And he knew why she would ask that, despite her claim that nothing had really happened to her. He knew exactly what could be done to someone to make them fear something like that. After all, he had firsthand experience in that fucked-up arena as both a witness and an unwilling participant.
A knot of sorrow and rage lodged in his throat, but he didn’t let it choke him. If he did, it would choke her, too. “She’ll need some time to get her bearings,” he said. “I need you to make that happen.”
“I can do that,” Nektas assured without hesitation. “I’ll make sure the others give you some space for the rest of the evening and night. I’ll keep patrolling, just in case any idiots decide today is a good day to die.”
A savage smile hit Ash’s lips. He liked the sound of that last part. “May need more than a night.”
“We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it.”
“I’ll burn it if we get to it,” Ash warned.
One side of the draken’s lips curled, his attention shifting to the doors. “I doubt she’ll even allow that bridge to be built.”