“I promise I won’t throw this one at you,” I swore.

Ash let out a loud and deep laugh. “I don’t know if I should be pleased or disappointed to hear that.”

Careful not to touch the bone, I slid the dagger back into its sheath and put it and the wooden box on the table before turning to him. My heart was pounding even faster. “Do you need to feed?”

Thick lashes lowered. “No, liessa.”

The same messy mix of relief and disappointment hit me, leaving me feeling as if my skin was too tight. “Are you sure?”

“I am.”

I clasped his cheeks. His skin was cool but didn’t feel as cold as before. “Is it my imagination again, or does your skin not feel as cold?”

“It’s not your imagination.” Turning his head, he kissed my palm. “It’s just my blood regenerating.”

My brows knitted. “That’s faster than normal.”

“I believe it’s because of you rising as the true Primal of Life,” he explained. “The essence is already strengthening in me.”

Which meant it was already strengthening in the other Primals. Including Kolis.

There wasn’t much time to dwell on the realization that the Primals were all strengthening. Rhain and Nektas joined us soon after.

The god didn’t look all that thrilled by the news of where I was headed. I knew he was thinking about what had happened the last time we’d left for the mortal realm.

“I won’t be gone long,” I assured Rhain like I had last night with Ash.

He nodded from where he stood by the doors, his arms crossed.

“And I promise I won’t get into any fights,” I added, seeking to ease his obvious concern. “Or even tell anyone who I am now.”

“Liessa,” Ash drawled. “Any mortal who crosses paths with you will know.”

“Because they will sense it?” I figured.

“That,”—his lips twitched—“and your eyes.”

I frowned. “Oh, yeah.”

“Did you forget about that?”

“No.” I laughed.

Ash arched a brow.

“I didn’t. Anyway…” I drew out the word. “Are we traveling to the gateway?”

“You’re a Primal now.” Ash tucked the same curl behind my ear. “You don’t need to use the gateways. You can shadowstep.”

“Oh.” I smoothed my hands over my hips, suddenly nervous. My right hand moved lower, brushing over the hilt of the bone dagger. Ash had found a thigh sheath for me. Touching the grip calmed me a little. “Like when I shadowstepped into Vathi?”

“Wait.” Nektas stepped forward, his brow furrowed. “This will only be your second time shadowstepping?”

I folded my arms. “Maybe.”

“It’s easy,” Ash said.

“More like it’s going to be interesting,” Nektas remarked.

“Well, that’s really helpful.” I saw Rhain’s lips split into a grin, and my eyes narrowed on the god.

“You know what to do,” Ash began. “All you have to do is focus.”

“Good luck with that,” Rhain said.

“You know,”—I started turning toward him—“your presence here isn’t really necessary—”

“You will focus,” Ash repeated, curling his fingers around my chin and guiding my gaze back to his. “And think of where you want to go. Then will yourself there.”

“I know.”

Ash’s chin dipped. “Just don’t overthink it.”

“I’m not.”

“Liessa,” he murmured.

“Whatever.” I exhaled loudly, trying to shake off the nerves. “I know what to do. Will it and get it.”

Ash nodded. “Coming back is no different.” His gaze swept over my features. “It should only take you seconds.”

I nodded, trying to shake off the nerves. I knew what to do. I understood how moving between the realms worked, but shadowstepping into the mortal realm felt vastly different than stepping into Vathi. And yeah, I hadn’t thought about doing it when I went to Vathi. I just did it. Now, I had to think about it, and the damn draken wasn’t helping.

“Why did Nektas say this should be interesting if it’s so easy and we’re basically just moving super-fast?”

Ash shot a glare over my head. “Because he was being an ass.”

“True,” the draken replied.

“Ignore him.” Ash sent Nektas one last look of warning before cupping my cheeks. “Think of someplace within the grounds of the palace. That way, you won’t have to worry about getting past any guards.” His eyes searched mine. “Okay?”

“Okay.”

“You’ve got this.” Ash held my gaze for a moment longer, then his lips met mine. The kiss was soft and infinitely tender. It was a kiss of sweet devotion.

He pressed his forehead to mine. “I’ll be waiting.”

“I know,” I whispered, stepping back as he let go.

I turned to Nektas and took a deep breath, holding it for five seconds. “You ready?”

The draken raised a brow. “Are you?”

“Yes.”

Nektas lifted his hands for me to take. Feeling his slightly rough, warm palms against mine, I thought of the one place I knew I could conjure up a realistic image of.

The garden.

I pictured the silvery green bushes with their purplish-blue spikes and the stone bench before them. Nepeta blue, my mother had called them.

The flowers my father had favored.

Holding on to that image, I summoned the eather. It rose in a hot rush and spread throughout my entire body. I took another shallow breath and then willed us to Wayfair Palace’s gardens.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Streaks of silver-and-gold essence swirled through the thick mist, whirling around Nektas and me as the floor seemed to drop out from under us for a heartbeat.

My stomach pitched as I tried to peer through the spinning eather. I caught glimpses of pitch-blackness for several seconds—

A flash of whitish-silver light broke up the nothingness as the space between the realms split open. I caught the brief scent of fresh lilacs, and then the sea’s briny breath enveloped us, but Nektas’s wild, earthy scent remained strong. The crackling light faded until only a thin line was visible, and that too quickly faded, revealing the silver-tipped green bushes and faded purplish-blue spikes of the nepeta blue in the throes of a late-season bloom. Inhaling the hint of the bush’s earthy, slightly sweet aroma, I looked up at the clouds that had taken on dusk’s rosy, ethereal glow.

A breeze tossed some curls across my cheeks, and my heart skipped a beat. “The breeze,” I whispered, looking up at Nektas. “It’s cool.”

His head tilted slightly. “It is.”

“It never felt this cool.” Letting go of his hands, I stepped back and turned toward the bench I’d seen my mother sit upon. “At least, not that I remember. The Rot affected the weather.”

“But not anymore.”

“No.” I swallowed. “I knew the Rot was gone, but feeling it?” I exhaled roughly. There were no words as my gaze shifted back to the gently swaying spikes of flowers, just soaking in the feeling of the air without the suffocating humidity.

Nektas waited quietly beside me for many seconds—maybe even minutes—before he spoke. “We should find your sister.”

Drawing my gaze from the nepeta blue, I scanned the yellow snapdragons and scarlet asters at the foot of a marble statue of Maia, and the sweet alyssum that carpeted the ground on either side of the stone pathway like snow. I got my bearings. “We can enter the palace through the garden doors.”

“Lead the way, meyaah Liessa.”

I started to move but stopped, looking up at the draken. “Earthy.”

His brows rose.

“Your scent,” I explained. “It’s earthy. I never really noticed it before, but I…sense it before you are even near me. When I do, it’s not really a smell or a taste. More like a sensation.”

His head tilted. “Is there a question in there for me?”

“I’m not sure.” I cracked a grin. “I can tell when it’s you, and I think I’m starting to know the other draken before even seeing them, too. Ash said it’s like I’m picking up on an echo.”