Page 91 of The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash #6)

A prickle of unease skittered through me in warning, but a suffocating heaviness settled over me like a thick fog, forcing my eyes closed.

The tiny hairs on the nape of my neck stood at attention as an unmistakable presence, cold and heavy, pressed against my back.

Every part of my being screamed for me to turn and fight.

To do something. Anything. But it was like I no longer had control of my body.

I couldn’t move as the weight of an arm encircled my waist. Horror entrenched itself deep within me as the robe loosened.

Icy fingers grazed my collarbones before gripping my throat. My breath stilled in my chest.

Frigid air brushed my cheek. “ I’ve always been with you .”

My eyes flew open as thin fissures appeared in the window, racing outward from beneath my palms. An achingly cold chuckle turned the blood in my veins to sludge, cracking the window—

The glass exploded, thousands of sharp pieces causing me to jerk back, but there was nowhere to go. He was behind me like a solid, cold, unyielding wall. The hand around my throat yanked my head violently to the side—

The fragile bones in my neck breaking were like thunderclaps in my ears, a sound so deafening it drowned out everything as the realm exploded in a blinding flash of white.

Choking on a scream, I jerked upright, my arms thrown out as my heart threw itself against my ribs. I could still hear the cracking bone—my bone—as I stared through eather-shadowed fingers at the…intact glass across from the bed.

“Oh, my gods,” I breathed, lowering my trembling hands.

Muted sunlight filled the chamber as I twisted sharply, my legs tangling in a thin blanket draped over them. I quickly scanned the space and found it empty. I’d fallen asleep, and that…it had just been a dream. I swallowed, my throat dry. A nightmare.

A thin laugh left me as I lifted my hand to my chest, hoping to slow my heart. I was a mess, dreaming first of Casteel’s touch and then—

My fingers brushed against bare, cold skin.

Eather rippled through me as my heart lurched. Lips parting, I looked down. Shadows swirled along the taut skin on the top of my hand. I moved it.

The robe…was unbuttoned.

I inhaled sharply, and my head snapped up.

Essence pressed against my skin, darkening the corners of my vision as I looked the chamber over, moving much slower this time, inspecting every shadow.

I twisted at the waist to sweep the other side.

The room was empty. The walk-in wardrobe door was closed.

I’d left the bathing chamber door open. Nothing had changed. I saw no one.

But Kolis…

If he hadn’t returned to flesh and bone, I wouldn’t be able to see him.

I should be able to sense him, though—what felt like instinct told me I could sense any god nearby.

Someone had been in here, but they had only laid a blanket over me. Likely Casteel or Kieran.

My gaze fell to where my hand had closed into a fist against my chest. Had I unbuttoned the robe?

I’d been fiddling with it before I fell asleep, so it was highly probable.

In fact, that made more sense than my dream somehow manifesting itself in reality.

The shadows faded from my hand as I looked down once more.

The deadlier side of my eather had responded to the perceived threat, which explained my cold skin.

That reality was far more concerning. I didn’t need the power of death rising to the surface while I slept. No one needed that—especially not when I had nightmares far too often.

I turned around and faced the windows. Drawing in a deep breath, I scooted across the bed but froze before stepping down. Was there space between the bed and the platform?

Was I, the Primal of Life and Death, the most powerful—at least, one day—god to exist, seriously worried that some pervy, murderous creature was lurking under the bed?

My gods, I needed to get a grip.

Rolling my eyes at myself, I stepped down. Unsurprisingly, nothing grabbed my ankle.

But I still quickly hopped from the platform with an urgency that had very little to do with the fact that I’d wasted precious time napping.

Not that I would ever admit that to anyone.

Halfway across the chamber, I stopped. The Solar was empty, but I knew neither Casteel nor Kieran would’ve gone far.

What felt like a long-buried instinct nudged at me.

Closing my eyes, I felt the eather humming in my chest and veins.

It knew what to do as my will formed. As I pictured each chamber I’d walked through and the hall beyond, my senses unfurled, stretching beyond the bedchamber and Solar.

I could see the wide hall with four doors, two on each side, so clearly in my mind.

Everything sounded muted, but I felt a presence—earthy and rich. Cedar.

Kieran.

He was in the chamber to the right of the Solar.

Surprise rolled through me, breaking my concentration as my eyes snapped open. The humming settled in my veins. Ever since the notam had kicked in, I’d been able to sense the wolven. But I hadn’t been able to do that before.

Forcing myself to move before I tried something else, I hurried into the bathing chamber.

I couldn’t believe I’d actually fallen asleep after being stuck in a bed for as long as I had.

Pushing the door shut behind me, I went to the tub.

Having no idea how much time had passed or where Casteel—or whoever had been in the chamber to cover me—had gone, I turned on the faucets.

Water poured into the tub, splashing against the porcelain base as I stepped back.

I pulled the stopper on a jar of pink crystals.

The soft, musky scent of sandalwood reached me.

I sprinkled a handful into the rushing water and put a bar of soap on the tub’s wide ledge.

Foamy bubbles had already begun to appear, filling the air with the sweet, woodsy scent as I stripped off the robe.

Spotting hooks on the half wall, I stepped from behind the privacy screen. I hung the robe, thinking about the upcoming conversation with the generals.

I doubted any would protest our decision regarding the Ascended. Knowing Aylard, he’d celebrate.

The soft fabric whispered over my skin as I lowered the straps of the sleeping gown.

The remaining generals could also—

What felt like a cool breeze brushed against my bare hip as the gown puddled on the floor at my feet.

I froze, my heart stuttering. A prickly sensation crawled down my spine, raising the hairs on my arms as an unsettling awareness settled over me.

My skin pimpled as I folded an arm across my chest and turned.

My gaze landed on the bathroom door, and the breath I took caught in my throat.

The door was halfway open.

My body flashed ice-cold as I stared, knowing damn well I had pushed it closed.

But in my hurry, I hadn’t made sure it shut behind me.

Forcing a swallow, I crept toward the door and peered into the bedchamber. Everything was as I’d left it. I started to step back when I saw the window by the bed.

The shutters.

I’d forgotten they were cracked open, which explained the cool breeze.

A low, shaky laugh left me. The nightmare had clearly messed with my head, causing my imagination to run wild. I still sensed no one.

After turning off the faucet, I climbed into the steaming water. Sinking deep enough for the popping bubbles to tickle my chin, I kept my eyes open wide, unable to shake the skin-crawling sensation of being watched.