“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” Aios drifted toward the table, pushing up the sleeves of her sweater. “There are a lot of things I don’t have to do that I choose to do. This is one of them. Whiskey or water?”

I eased into the mound of pillows. “Whiskey. I could really use some whiskey.”

A small smile appeared. Picking up a crystal decanter, she poured amber liquid into a small glass then brought the drink over to me. “If this doesn’t upset your stomach, I imagine you’ll be able to handle some food shortly.”

I took a small sip of the smoky liquor, welcoming the bite as it traveled down my throat and blossomed in my chest. “Thank you.”

Nektas strode in from the balcony. “He comes.”

My hand trembled. The draken didn’t need to clarify who for me to know it was Ash. A nervous sort of energy invaded my senses, and I took a longer drink of the whiskey, downing half the glass. Swallowing, I glanced up.

Nektas stared at me.

“Would you like me to refill that?” Aios asked, grinning.

“No. That would…probably not be wise.”

“Why?” the draken asked.

“I’m more likely to do something that would fall under the whole getting-myself-in-trouble bit,” I admitted. What came out of my mouth next had to be the liquor already loosening my tongue. “Is the other Primal still here?”

“No.” The grin faded from Aios’s face. “She is gone.”

“For now,” Nektas tacked on. “She’ll be back.”

“True,” Aios murmured, glancing at the closed doors.

Neither of them gave me the impression that they were fans of Veses. Ector hadn’t either. When the doors opened, their reactions to the mention of Veses fell to the wayside. My entire being focused on Ash when he entered the bedchamber, especially that little ball of fuzzy warmth in my chest. I swore it buzzed happily as his gaze locked with mine.

I was also sure it wasn’t the whiskey that made up the little ball of warmth.

Aios and Nektas quickly made their way to the doors, but the draken stopped. “She’s worried about her alcohol consumption provoking her, allowing her to get into trouble.”

My jaw unlocked.

“Just thought you should be aware,” Nektas finished.

“Always good to be prepared,” the Primal murmured, and my eyes narrowed on him. A deep, raspy chuckle came from the draken as he closed the doors. Ash hadn’t taken his gaze off me.

I eyed him over the rim of my glass as I took a dainty sip. “I feel as if I’ve been wrongly labeled as a troublemaker.”

“Wrongly?” Ash approached the bed. He didn’t sit in the chair. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed beside me.

I nodded.

His gaze tracked slowly over my face. “How are you feeling? Minus the whiskey?”

“I feel…normal.” I lowered the glass to my lap. “Nektas told me you gave me a potion.”

“I did.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“You were going in and out of consciousness. I used a compulsion,” he said, and I inhaled sharply. “If I hadn’t, you would’ve died. But I am sorry for forcing you to do that. It was necessary, but force is not something I like to use.”

My gaze lifted to his, and a strange whirring sensation started in my chest that had nothing to do with the warmth or the whiskey. I thought of the friend he’d had to kill. “You’re being completely honest about that.”

“I am.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, thinking of what Nektas had said.

He watched me closely. “Thanking me is not necessary.”

“I thought you’d appreciate a show of gratitude.”

“Not when it involves your life.” A tremor coursed through me, and I lifted the glass, taking another drink as Ash studied me. “Does nothing faze you?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You almost died, and yet you seem unbothered by it.”

“Maybe it’s the whiskey.”

“It’s not.”

My eyes narrowed. “Are you reading my emotions?”

“A little.” His head cocked. “Only for a few seconds.”

“You should stop doing that, even for a few seconds.”

“I know.”

I stared at him.

“I will.” A faint, brief grin appeared. “How did you get so strong, liessa?”

Liessa. Did he call Veses that? I stopped myself from asking. “I don’t know.”

“You have to know.”

Glancing down at my nearly empty glass, I shook my head. “I…I had to be.”

“Why?”

I opened my mouth and then closed it. “I don’t know. Anyway.” I swallowed, changing the subject. “So…those entombed gods weren’t the only things in the Red Woods.”

“I figured that,” he replied dryly. “Why didn’t you tell me? I saw the scratches. I would’ve been able to do something before the toxin had a chance to invade your system.”

Did that mean he wouldn’t have gone back to Veses? “I thought you were already angry enough over the gods. Figured I could tell you later about the Hunters.”

He did not look as if he agreed with that decision at all.

“If I had known their nails carried the toxin, I would’ve said something,” I pointed out.

“If you hadn’t been where you weren’t supposed to be, it wouldn’t have been an issue.”

Well, he had a point there. “Just so you know, I tried to hide from them. They were heading toward the palace when they saw me.” My gaze flicked up to him. “Why do you think they were here?”

“That’s a good question. The Hunters rarely have reason to come into the Shadowlands.” He studied me. “And you’re sure that’s the type of Gyrm you saw?”

I nodded as unease trickled through my system. What I’d done in the woods couldn’t have drawn them, could it? They had shown the night in the Dark Elms, after I’d healed the kiyou wolf. But how would they have even known?

I took another drink. “You went to the tombs?”

“I did.”

“Did you figure out how they got out of their chains?”

“Someone would’ve had to very carefully free them.”

My eyes widened. “Who would do that?”

“My guards are good men and women. Loyal to me. More importantly, none would even want to attempt that, knowing that if the gods were able to find their way out, it would be a disaster,” he explained. “Other gods would do it, just to see what would happen. One of them could’ve been attempting to free a certain prisoner and changed their mind, resealing the tomb.” Ash paused. “If this hadn’t happened today, there is a good chance those who had been freed would’ve swarmed whoever opened the tomb next.”

“So you owe me a thank you?”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

I didn’t think so.

Feeling the heaviness of his stare upon me, I peeked over at him. Much like Nektas, he seemed at ease, but there was an undercurrent of dangerous tension. I thought of what I’d realized before the Hunters arrived and what he said about the Shadowlands while we were at the lake. “Why is everything so gray here—everything except the Red Woods? It wasn’t always like this, right?”

“No, it wasn’t,” he confirmed. “But the Shadowlands…it’s dying.”

Pressure clamped my chest. “Is it because the deal hasn’t been fulfilled?”

A frown pulled at his lips. “No.”

Surprise flickered through me. Then was this not like the Rot? I didn’t get a chance to ask.

“Why were you in those woods, Sera?” Ash asked. “I warned you about them. The portion that leads to the city is safe to travel, but that is all. You should’ve never been in them alone.”

“I didn’t mean to,” I started and then sighed. “It wasn’t intentional.”

“You walked into the woods. How is that not intentional?”

I couldn’t tell him about the hawk. “It wasn’t like I purposely set out to do it.”

“You didn’t?” Ash challenged. “Because I have a feeling there is very little you do without purpose.”

Irritation sparked. “I have a feeling you know very little about me if you think that is accurate,” I said. “I’ll have you know there is a whole lot I do without purpose.”

“Well,” he drawled, lips twitching. “That’s reassuring.”