The translation caused my stomach to dip. “Soul Eater?”

“Yes. They can manipulate the emotions of their targets—including gods and Primals—both when they sleep and while they’re awake.”

My lips parted. “I think I know what kind of shit you were talking about now when you warned him.”

“They are the only gods that can mess with us if they catch us off guard,” he said, as serious as when he ripped out Kyn’s heart. “Most are smart enough not to try it. But if they catch you in their heads, it’s in their nature to do the same in return. And what they can do is far more than learning details about a person. They can create an emotion out of nothing, including manifesting and amplifying fear. They can drive someone mad in their sleep and send a god fleeing before a sword is even raised.”

What did it say about me that I thought that ability was kind of interesting? Creepy, but definitely interesting.

“You don’t fuck with them, Sera. Not unless you plan to end them immediately after doing so.”

I swallowed. “Message received.”

“Good.” He exhaled heavily.

“You were sort of fucking with him out there. In case you didn’t realize,” I pointed out.

“That’s because Thierran has just enough common sense to know I will do exactly as I warned without hesitation.”

“Oh.” My lips pursed. “I’m guessing they’re really good at blocking their minds from others?”

“Yes. Not even I can easily read their emotions without making it known that I am doing so. And I know what I’m doing.” His gaze met mine. “You’re still figuring out your abilities.”

“I said I wouldn’t.”

He didn’t look away. “And I also know you’re incredibly curious and impulsive.”

“I’m not—you know, I can’t even deny that,” I said, and Ash chuckled. “Do you think we can still go to the Thyia Plains?”

“I think so. We just need to be careful with what we say.”

I was relieved to hear that, and then I got a little distracted by all the sleek flesh on display. After he dried off, we talked a little about the eirini and what it meant. He stressed again that it wasn’t that big of a deal, but it made me feel like we were spinning our wheels. Then he briefly checked in with Rhain—something I felt was actually expected of me. I kept forgetting. When he returned, I had just finished readying myself for bed. I stepped out of the bathing chamber in a thin, silky nightgown that reminded me of the color of Aios’s hair.

Ash’s eyes flared to a heated silver as he crossed the chamber. “Beautiful,” he murmured, stopping near me.

He kissed the skin beside the gown’s thin strap. The tips of my breasts tightened, and I shivered at the touch. “I’ll be right back.”

I nodded as he entered the bathing chamber. Dragging my hair over my shoulder, I climbed into bed and pulled the blanket up.

Ash returned, drawing to a halt as he saw me. An eyebrow rose. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I frowned. “Why?”

“You’re holding the blanket to your chin.”

“Oh.” I looked down to see that I was, in fact, clutching the soft fur to my chin. I eased up on my grip as Ash undressed.

I expected him to join me, but he didn’t until he pulled on a pair of loose-fitting linen pants, keeping his back to me. That was odd. Or was it? He didn’t always sleep nude. Prodding at a fang, I watched as he settled in beside me.

He didn’t roll onto his side to face me, which also felt strange. I glanced over at him, my mouth opening and then closing. A knot lodged in my throat.

“I think we need to talk about Kyn.” Ash shattered the silence.

I tried to swallow as I quickly averted my gaze, but it was difficult. “About what happened earlier? I probably should’ve stopped you.”

Ash snorted. “You really think that?”

“Both Attes and Rhain asked me to.”

“Why didn’t you?”

I lifted a shoulder and peeked over at him. “I didn’t want to.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. I thoroughly enjoyed shutting the fucker up.” One side of his lips curled up, but it didn’t soften the tension around his mouth. “But I thought for a moment that I might kill him. He’s not Hanan, but I was angry enough to do it—at least, it felt that way.”

I pressed my lips together.

“What he was saying?” Ash’s voice was level, but my essence throbbed in response to the angry rise in his tone. “About Kolis offering you to him? That wasn’t the first time I heard that.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, knowing where he’d heard it, even though I did my best to forget it. Kolis used to talk to Ash when he visited him in the Carcers. So did Kyn.

“It was said in front of you, wasn’t it?” he asked.

“Yes.” I opened my eyes and willed my heart to slow. “It was before Ione gave Kolis the confirmation that I was Sotoria.”

Ash went quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

A tremor shot through me. “You don’t need to apologize. It was just a threat—an empty one at that.”

“It wasn’t empty,” he said, his voice roughening. “It was before Ione? That means you had no idea she would lie for you. His threat was a real possibility. And that…” He cleared his throat. “It had to be terrifying and enraging.”

It had been.

“And you must have felt trapped.”

I had.

I’d felt cornered and helpless.

“I know I did when he ordered me to feed—and to keep feeding—until there was no life left in those he turned me on after I pissed him off for something so irrelevant I can’t even recall what instigated his fury now.”

My breath caught as I looked at him.

“Sometimes, it was gods who hadn’t even entered their Culling. I used to wonder what they’d done to earn such a fate until I realized they had likely done nothing—or something insignificant.” He stared at the ceiling, his hands resting just below his chest. “If I refused—which I had before, though only once—I learned quickly.”

“What…what did he do when you refused?”

“He killed three gods.”

“Gods,” I rasped.

Ash’s chest rose with a heavy breath. “So, that was my choice. Were three lives worth me refusing to take one? I decided it couldn’t be. And for a long time, I didn’t know if I had made the right decision.”

“That’s an impossible choice to make,” I told him, my heart aching. “I would’ve chosen the same.”

“Yeah, and you would also wonder if you had made the right decision,” he said, and I didn’t need to confirm that. He was right.

“How many times did he make you do that?”

“Hundreds.”

Shock doused the rising anger, but I could still feel it building in the air around me. It took me a moment to get it under control. “I want to kill him.”

“As do I.”

“Those deaths are not on your hands, though.” My fingers dug into the blanket.

“I know that.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “But every so often, I dream of being in Dalos, feeding and feeling the heart stutter and stop. Feeling the anger and desperation as I searched for a way out of what I was being made to do. I don’t think about it as much as before, but yeah, that shit can haunt.”

“I’m so sorry.” Tears stung my throat. “But I was lucky, Ash,” I whispered. “I wasn’t forced to do anything like that.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Evander?”

A jolt of surprise ran through me. “How do you know about him?”

“Keella told me when we were in the Thyia Plains before you woke up.”

Gods.

I couldn’t be mad at Keella, but I wished she hadn’t said anything. “It wasn’t like that.”

“What was it like?”

“It was…it was when Kolis brought me to court. There were Chosen there who had shed their veils and acted as servants. Some were rather friendly with the gods, but it was hard to tell, you know? The gods would just grab the Chosen.”

Ash said nothing as an image of Evander filled my mind, his eyes widening with shock. “I got angry at the way the Chosen were being treated, and when Evander grabbed one—Jacinta—and bit her… It was right after—” I cut myself off with a shake of my head. “Kolis led me to believe that Evander was forcing himself on Jacinta and told me I could stop him. So, I did.” The sight of the life fading from those shocked eyes filled my mind, and I flinched. “Then Jacinta started screaming. That’s when I realized he’d played me. Easily. Too easily. I should’ve known better.”