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It was the only way to adapt to his needs, allowing my personality to become painted with what he wanted and all he approved of. It was a part of the art of seduction the Mistresses of the Jade had taught. Pay attention to what is said and what is not spoken. Movements and actions. Knowledge of a person could always be gained.
And used.
I already knew that Kolis didn’t like cursing. Apparently, he also didn’t enjoy being called out when he was being a creep, which was unfortunately often. What did he like? I already knew from my few interactions with him that he didn’t enjoy others arguing or fighting back. He was nothing like Ash. Kolis wanted meekness. And I would bet that, above all else, he desired submission.
My fingers curled into the skirt of my gown as I cleared my throat. “I have been resting.”
“Good.” He gestured at the table. “Would you like something to drink? It will be disappointing if you decline.”
Irritation buzzed through my veins, and I wasn’t sure if I was more frustrated with his small manipulation or myself. He wanted me to drink, so I drank. He wanted me to stand on my head, I would stand on my fucking head. That was what it would take. I knew that.
“Yes.” The word fell from my lips like dead weight.
Kolis smiled, flashing straight, white teeth and fangs. That smile…it was momentarily startling because it was strange. I still couldn’t put my finger on why, but it was a nice smile. For all the Primal’s horribleness, he was a beautiful being. That couldn’t be denied.
And neither could his crimes against both mortals and gods.
I watched him make his way to the table and lift the stopper on a decanter. He didn’t walk as much as he glided. His bare feet barely skimmed the floor, as if the air itself carried him forward. He was dressed as he had been when I briefly saw him in the Sun Temple the day of the Rite. A fitted white tunic and loose linen pants. Both were speckled with gold. His hair was down, tucked back behind his ears, and from the side, there was no mistaking how nearly identical his features were to the painting of his brother Eythos that hung in the House of Haides’ library. There were slight differences. Kolis’s jaw and chin were broader, and Eythos’s brow was stronger, but they were still twins.
And it was impossible not to see parts of Ash in those features. The angles and planes of Kolis’s face were more refined, less raw and wild than Ash’s, but the similarities were unnerving, nonetheless.
Kolis poured a glass of clear liquid that formed tiny bubbles that raced to the surface of the slender flute. “Callum told me you asked about my nephew.”
Motherfucker.
I was also a motherfucker because I had been desperate enough to ask Callum about Ash.
“He said you wanted to know where he is,” he continued, picking up the glass and bringing it to me.
I was surprised by how steady my hand was when I took the flute. “I did,” I answered, knowing better than to lie about it.
“Sit,” Kolis instructed.
The order raised my hackles, but I sat on the divan as I glanced down at the strange drink. Giving it a sniff, I detected soft, fruity notes. “What is this?”
“Water infused with strawberries and lemon. It is a drink my brother used to make,” he said, and my gaze shot to him. “He was good at creating all manner of things, be it life or refreshments.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that tidbit of information, but there was no bitterness to his tone. Thinking it wasn’t likely that he would poison me, I took a tiny sip. I sat straighter as the water danced on my tongue, taking in the sweetness of the strawberries and the faint tang of the lemon.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“It’s good,” I admitted, taking a longer drink. “Really good.”
Kolis gave a curt wave of his hand, and the dining chair slid across the tile like a hound answering its owner’s call. He sat directly in front of me.
“Why do you want to know where my nephew is?” he asked.
Any hope I had that he would move on from the topic fizzled out like the drink I held. “Curiosity.”
Kolis chuckled, and the sound was bright yet cold.
I decided the best course of action was to direct the subject to something else. “Did the Shadowland forces you spoke of earlier leave the borders of Dalos?” I questioned, realizing I had not thought to ask Attes that.
“No, they have not,” he answered. “They remain in the Bonelands.”
“The Bonelands?” My brow knitted.
“Eythos named it,” Kolis said with a shrug. “It’s to the south of Dalos, along the coast, beyond the Carcers. A rather uninhabitable stretch of sand dunes and overgrown, forested lands full of forgotten Temples once belonging to the Ancients, and rocks that vaguely resemble the bones of giants. My brother believed them to be actual bones of dragons slaughtered by the Ancients.” He scoffed. “Perhaps he was right.”
