Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Quickly tugging up the straps of my nightgown, I sat up. My gaze flickered around the chamber, landing on the shuttered window. No light snuck through the cracks.
My gaze shifted to the door as I heard the splash of water and the faint sounds of someone in the hall. Surprise rolled through me as I realized my hearing had improved.
Finally.
Grinning, I focused on the sound, and instinct took over—or better yet, the eather in me did. I could tell it was an Atlantian in the hall. How? I wasn’t exactly sure. It was just a…feeling. But I knew it wasn’t a wolven. A slight frown pulled at my brow as I wondered yet again where Kieran was.
Running a hand over my hair, I found the tie at the end of the messy braid and tugged it free. As I worked my fingers through the strands, my thoughts filled with everything that needed to be discussed and decided—the Ascended and those still loyal to them, the Revenants, and all the mortals who were likely concerned about what felt like an uncertain future for them.
And, of course, Kolis—
The image of a golden-haired man with features remarkably similar to Nyktos’s—a man with silver eyes streaked with crimson—flashed in my mind.
My stomach twisted sharply as I closed my eyes. I had no idea what Kolis looked like, but I knew that was him. How?
The bathing chamber door opened, pulling me from my thoughts. Casteel walked out, his damp hair pushed back from his face. Walking to the wardrobe, he grabbed a linen shirt and glanced at the table. He tossed the shirt over the back of the chair and then grabbed what appeared to be a pale, blush-hued dressing gown.
“Hisa found this for you,” he said, walking toward me. “It was the only one she could find that wasn’t white or red.” He paused. “Or revealed more than it covered.”
My brow arched as he walked toward me. Considering that most of the clothing here would’ve belonged to various Ascended, I wasn’t surprised to hear that.
Sitting beside me, Casteel leaned over to kiss my cheek. “Tawny brought clothes for you when she came,” he said, running the bridge of his nose along my temple. “But they were moved to our more permanent chambers.”
“Permanent,” I murmured, taking the robe from him. “It feels weird to think of any chamber here being permanent.”
“Agreed.” He rose.
Something struck me. “Do you…do you think we will have to stay here?”
“Good question.” Lifting the shirt, he tugged it over his head. “When Atlantia ruled the entirety of the realm, Wayfair was used as a secondary residence. I believe it was occupied for at least half the year.”
“Did your mother and…” I trailed off. Mentioning Malec felt awkward for various reasons— “Ires?”
Letting go of his shirt, Casteel frowned. “I think you mean Malec.”
“No. I mean…yes.” I shook my head. “I hadn’t thought of Ires until now.” Which sounded pretty bad to say out loud. “Did I find him? Was he okay?”
Casteel lowered his hands, his gaze sharpening on me as he gripped the back of the chair. “What is the last thing you remember?”
“I remember going to find my father, but after that? I don’t know,” I said, my fingers curling into the soft fabric of the robe. “Things are kind of fuzzy.”
“It’s okay,” he assured me, his white-knuckled grip on the back of the chair loosening. “Take your time.”
Drawing my lower lip between my teeth, I thought back to leaving the Bone Temple. That memory was clear. Everything else was kind of cloudy. “We went belowground to find Ires. I knew where he was.” I looked over at Casteel.
He nodded.
I remembered walking through the cavernous hallway. The ceiling started to shake. My eyes widened. “Penellaphe really was asleep beneath the Atheneum.”
“She was.” Casteel let go of the chair. “And after that?”
I tried to see through the haze in my mind before sighing in frustration. “I remember walking down the halls, but nothing more.” I was half-afraid to ask. “I found him?”
“You did.”
A heavy breath left me. “And he’s okay?”
“As far as I know, he is,” he told me. “Nektas took him back to Iliseeum, along with Malec.”
That was a relief, but thoughts of Malec dampened the comfort. Malec was in such a bad state after being entombed and then stabbed. I had no idea how he could still be alive.
Drawing in a deep breath, I remembered what I’d asked him. “So, did your mother and Malec stay here?”
“They did.”
I glanced over at him as I ran my fingers down the robe’s small pearl buttons on my lap. “Does that mean we have to?”
Leaving the shirt untucked, he returned to my side. “I’m guessing we feel the same about the idea of living here.”
“If you’d rather camp in the Blood Forest, then yes,” I remarked, earning a grin. My gaze flickered around the chamber once more. This room looked like dozens of others I knew were here. But the idea of roaming these halls again while knowing what had happened behind the castle’s closed doors and beneath its floors? I shuddered. “My memories of Wayfair weren’t bad—at least from what I can remember. But none of those memories feel real now that I know the truth. I wish that weren’t the case because so many of my memories here involved Ian and my…and Coralena and Leo—” I cut myself off, frowning when I said their names. Something didn’t feel right. But what? I wasn’t sure. I shook my head. “I don’t think I could ever be comfortable here.” Sighing, I looked at Casteel. “And I know you could never be comfortable here. Not truly.”