A Fire in the Flesh (Flesh and Fire, #3)

“And why is that?”

“You said you wanted to rise as the Primal of Life and Death,” I explained, carefully choosing my words. His cunning gaze centered on me. The gold should’ve warmed his eyes, but his stare was so damn cold. “And that those who don’t relinquish their Courts and kingdoms to you would die.”

“I did say that.”

“You’re speaking of Primals, gods, and mortals alike, correct?” When he nodded, I stated what I thought was pretty obvious. “Would that not cause a war?”

Kolis’s chuckle was a low hiss like a serpent’s, full of superiority and amusement bordering on mockery. “I suppose I should’ve been clearer. I have no plans of starting a war that I would not win or one that would leave much of both realms an uninhabitable mess, which is what would happen if a war began,” he said. “Once again, you look surprised.”

I bet I did look like that when I could feel my jaw hanging open like a broken gate. I wasn’t even sure why hearing what he said surprised me so much. Kolis wanted to be a supreme ruler, which meant there would need to be land and people to rule over.

I suppose it was because I thought of Kolis as an unhinged, chaotic mass murderer.

And who would blame me for that? The way he’d behaved when I first woke in Dalos had backed up that belief. But he wasn’t that.

Well, he was for sure an unhinged mass murderer, but he was far more logical than chaotic. Or maybe as logical as he was chaotic. Either way, the realization made him all the more frightening to me.

“Besides,” he said. “Such a war would most certainly spill into the mortal realm, and while they have become far too complacent, they cannot worship us as they should if they’re dead.”

“Complacent?” I questioned.

“In their lives. But that will soon change, as I plan to take more of an active role.”

My mouth had to be hanging open again, and it had nothing to do with what he meant by an active role. “I’m not sure how much time you spend among mortals, but the vast majority don’t have the luxury of being complacent in their lives.”

He fixed his stare on me. “Perhaps if they served Iliseeum better, they would have that luxury. However, their time spent in worship and prayer has steadily waned. Their pledges to the Temples continue to dwindle, while their tithes become less and less impressive.”

Even as scary as he was, my mouth would not stop moving. “It’s likely because most of their time is spent trying to survive.”

“And as I just said, perhaps their prosperity would improve if they proved themselves worthy of it,” he countered. “As it stands, their losses and struggles are of their own making.”

Anger flashed through me so hotly, Kolis would be drowning in it if he had Ash’s abilities. I had to move past this subject of mortals because if I didn’t, I’d likely lose my temper. “Won’t taking me, the Consort of the Shadowlands, further escalate things?”

“Nyktos started things by attacking me, but I am giving him time to rethink his actions, as acts of war can always be walked back,” he said, and the only part I really latched on to was him saying that he was giving Ash time. “Taking you could present challenges, but only if the other Primals feel you are worth going to war over.”

My lips pursed as I thought about what Attes had shared. “Or if they fear this act will embolden you to break tradition further with them?”

“They should already fear that,” he replied, smirking. “Most do. Either way, they know what they could lose if they decide to take up arms against me. I will destroy everything they care about and send their Courts into ruin before they find themselves imprisoned right alongside Nyktos.”

A shiver danced on the back of my neck. He sounded so very confident, but I’d caught what he’d said moments earlier. He’d basically admitted that there was a chance he could lose a war in his current state. Attes’s reaction to learning that shadowstone had pierced Kolis’s flesh flashed through my mind. Just how weakened was he? And why?

“You didn’t answer my question,” Kolis reminded me. “Why did you ask about my nephew?”

“I told you. I was just—”

“Curious. That is what you said, but I have ears and eyes, so’lis. I heard your scream when I took him down. Saw the terror in your expression and eyes.” He shifted, hooking one leg over the other. “You have never screamed in terror for me.”

I blinked, my mouth opening again.

“Careful,” he murmured. Tension crept into my muscles. His smirk returned. “I have not known this version of you long, but I can already tell when you’re about to say something very unwise.”

Snapping my mouth shut, I winced at the flare of pain in my jaw. Across from me, brackets framed Kolis’s mouth. He looked away, a lock of hair falling across his cheek just as…as Ash’s hair was apt to do.

I took another drink, careful to avoid the tender skin of my lip as I quickly thought about what to say. Once again, I knew I needed to be smart when it came to speaking about Ash. My thoughts raced, thinking about what Kolis could already know. He wouldn’t believe that I felt nothing for Nyktos, but I also knew I couldn’t let him know how deep my feelings for him ran. I had no idea exactly how Kolis would respond if he learned that I was in love with his nephew, but I knew it wouldn’t be good for Ash or me.

“I’m…fond of him—”

A roll of thunder echoed from outside, drawing my gaze to the ceiling as the walls of the chamber shook. Okay, maybe that was a bad way to start.

“Speak,” he demanded, his eyes aglow with eather as the air in the cage became thick and heavy. “Or are you unable to do so because you seek to speak a lie?”

Anger bubbled up like the fruity water in my glass, but displaying that would get me nowhere. I lowered my gaze. “No, it’s just that you scared me.”

A moment passed, and the oppressive energy seemed to lift from the space around us. “That was not my intention.”

Words crept up my throat. I knew what to do. Be understanding. Smiling would also be good. I should apologize. Above all else, I needed to reassure him that he’d done nothing wrong.

But the words that made it to the tip of my tongue didn’t make it past my lips. I couldn’t even manage a smile.

Damn it, this was easier said than done.

“As you were saying?” Kolis persisted.

“I was saying that I have a fondness for him. He’s been kind to me,” I added quickly. “And he kept me safe.”

Kolis’s flesh started to glow from within. A heartbeat passed, and then the empty flute shattered in his hand, turning to nothing and causing me to jump.

Good gods, this Primal needed to get a grip.

“I do not want to see him harmed because of that,” I forged on. “But he…he never wanted me.”

“Never wanted you?” he queried softly. “I’ve never known Nyktos to be possessive of anyone or anything. Until you.”

“It’s because of the embers,” I said, knowing I was taking a huge risk. A major one. “And what his father did.”