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And I knew I looked at him the same way. That was why I kept my hands on his chest. As my thoughts spun from one thing to the next, I had to touch him, remind myself that we were both here.

There was so much going on in my head. I had all this knowledge in the back of my mind now. As if the essence inside me had contained it all, waiting for it to be unlocked. It was a lot, and I still couldn’t quite wrap my head around the fact that I was here, had Ascended, and was now a Primal. Actually, I was the Primal.

Of Life.

The fangs.

Which I kept pricking my tongue on.

And I couldn’t even think about how all that was possible—what it required to work. If I did, I wasn’t sure if I would start sobbing hysterically or climb all over Ash.

Our bodies needed a break.

And there were so many things I needed to know—had to understand. I wasn’t even sure where to start.

So, I chose one of the easier things. “Will I ever stop catching my tongue or lips on these things?”

“These things?” He laughed as I prodded a fang with my tongue. “You’ll get used to them.”

Nicking myself once more, I frowned. “I’m not so sure about that.”

“You will,” he assured me. “Especially since they’re rather small.”

My frown increased. They didn’t feel small in my mouth. “Are they supposed to be larger?” I eyed his mouth, able to see the tips of his. “Did something go wrong?”

“I don’t think anything went wrong, liessa.” He smiled, clearly amused. “I imagine they’re smaller simply due to your mortal birth.”

“Oh.” My gaze lowered. “Ash?”

“Yeah?” He dipped his head, brushing his lips across my forehead.

I smiled. “Was there a chance I wouldn’t have regained my memories upon waking?”

“There was,” he said, twisting a curl around his finger. “An Ascension is a powerful transition for a god. But a Primal? It’s even more so. As the eather grows, changing the body while in stasis, it can affect the mind.”

My stomach dipped. “Have any Primals Ascended without remembering who they were?”

“A few. Some regained many of their memories. I heard that Maia spent some time without much recollection of the years leading up to her Ascension. The same with Phanos. Attes and Kyn Ascended at the same time, but Kyn never regained his memories.”

My brows shot up. “Of all the people I expected not to regain their memories, Kyn was not even on the list.”

He unwound the curl of hair. “Why is that?”

“I guess because he has a twin. That it would’ve, I don’t know, grounded him?”

“I would think the same, but Ascensions are unpredictable, especially if you go through one alone,” he said, and I watched his lips move. Something about his voice was different. “If Nektas hadn’t been there, talking to me, who knows if I would have remembered my years prior.”

“I’m glad you did,” I said, thinking it would’ve been terrible if he’d had no memories of his father. I dragged my finger across his chest, just below his collarbone. “So, that was why I dreamed of your voice? You were talking to me?”

“I was.” He paused. “How much do you remember?”

“Bits and pieces.” One of them came to the forefront. “You spoke about seeing me as a child by the lake, right? In your wolf form?”

“I did.” A grin appeared, and it stole a little of my breath. “You were carrying an armful of rocks.”

“I was. I don’t remember why. I was a strange child.” A shaky laugh left me. “I forgot to tell you this when we were in the cavern, but when I saw you in your wolf form, when you first came for me at Cor Palace, I knew it was you. I knew you were the wolf I saw as a child.” I took in a shallow breath. “Thank you.”

“For what?”