Page 146 of Lady of Ashes

“And whose blood is that?” Sorin asked tightly at the same time that Scarlett asked, “What business does he have with Cassius?”

The High Witch seemed to glare at the dragon before she met Scarlett’s gaze. “Ranvir is here on behalf of the one he is bonded to.”

“And who is that?” Scarlett pressed.

The High Witch’s lips pursed once more before she answered, “Cassius’s father.”

“What?” Scarlett demanded, jerking free of Sorin’s hold and closing the distance between herself and the High Witch. Eliza andCyrus tensed beside him, clearly still as leery of the High Witch as Sorin was, despite what she said about being close with Eliné.

“Cassius’s father was unaware of his existence. Ranvir’s arrival would tell me that is no longer the case. Since he cannot come here himself, he sent his pet.”

Sorin choked down the laugh at her referring to a giant dragon that belonged to the god of courage and war as a pet.

Scarlett started to say something else, but she stopped short, as if suddenly realizing something. “Why are you down here? You haven’t left Cassius’s side since we arrived.”

For the ?rst time Sorin could ever remember, a small smile lifted on the High Witch’s lips. “I came to ?nd you. He is waking.”

Scarlett went preternaturally still. For a few brief seconds, it seemed she did not even breathe, but those seconds gave Sorin time to reach her side where he barely caught her hand before she Traveled from the pits.

CHAPTER 33

SCARLETT

Scarlett sat cross-legged on the bed beside Cassius, holding his hand in hers. He still hadn’t opened his eyes, but his body shifted slightly every once in a while. Small groans would escape him whenever he did.

Hazel had not returned, giving them privacy for when he did wake. She was grateful for that; although she knew it must be agony for the High Witch not to be in here right now. Sorin was here, though, keeping her company until he woke. Not letting her get lost in her own thoughts.

Mikale hadn’t been back in her dreams since that night when she couldn’t fall back to sleep and Sorin had found her on the beach. And even with Sorin sitting on a chair that he’d dragged over beside the bed, all she could think about was how many times would she have to do this? How many times would she be sitting beside Cassius, waiting for him to wake up, because he’d tied his life to her own when he was ten years old? How many times before he didn’t wake up?

“Stop,” Sorin ordered softly, pulling her from those spiraling thoughts.

“Maybe we can ?nd a way to reverse the Guardian Mark in the books we’re looking through,” she mused, brushing her thumb along the back of Cassius’s hand and ?ghting off the exhaustion already trying to settle over her. It wasn’t even midday yet.

“Maybe we should wait until he is awake to see if he even wants to do such a thing,” Sorin countered. “I think you should let him have that choice.”

“Of course it will be his choice,” Scarlett said. “But if he wants an out, I want it to be ready for him.”

“And if he does not want an out? If he chooses to stay bonded to you as your Guardian, will you let him? Or will you try and talk him out of it? As you have continually tried to talk us out of our own choices to stay by your side since you have returned?”

“That’s …” She paused, pursing her lips before she ?nished. “That’s not fair of you to say.”

“What is not fair, Scarlett, is for you to want to make your own choices, for you to want the freedom of that for everyone, but then for you to not accept the choices others make,” Sorin replied.

Her gaze fell to her hand locked around Cassius’s. “I don’t want to talk about this right now,” she said softly.

Sorin tsked under his breath, muttering, “Of course you don’t.”

She tried to hide the ?icker of hurt that went down the bond at his words, but he hadn’t taught her how to shield against that yet. Either he hadn’t had time or hadn’t wanted to. She wasn’t entirely sure which one.

“I didn’t—”

“Don’t try to take it back now, Sorin. You did mean it.”

“You are right,” he conceded. “I did, but I could have worded it differently.”

“You don’t need to tiptoe around me. I can handle when you need to say things to me.”

“It is not that I think I need to tiptoe around you,” he said. “I know you can handle far more than most can. I often forget how young you truly are when I think of how much you have faced in your short life. But as I have previously said, I want to be your reprieve from the weights of your world. I do not wish to add to them.”

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