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)
“Still looking,” he said, his thumb smoothing over the delicate bone of her wrist. “Anything in particular I should look for?”
“Anyplace that wasn’t Isbeth’s personal quarters.”
He tilted his head back, his expression bland except for a faint quirk of his brow. “Yeah, I figured that already.”
I leaned back against the headboard. “Just making sure.”
“Uh-huh.” He drew a leg up. “You going to tell me what you discussed with Reaver?”
“Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”
“Cas,” he sighed.
I rolled my eyes. “And how do you know I spoke with Reaver?”
“I know everything.”
Pressing my lips together, I blinked at him slowly.
“Whatever,” he muttered. “Reaver asked me what you wanted before he came to you.” He looked over. “And just so you know, he did it in the most impolite way possible.”
“Shocker,” I murmured, reaching over to drink the glass of whiskey I had placed on the nightstand before I bathed. Taking a small sip of the amber liquid, my lips peeled back at the bite. I then told him what I had discussed with Reaver and why.
“Did you notice the dead grass and flowers?” I asked when I finished.
“I didn’t.” He squinted. “You think it’s Kolis?”
“It makes sense.” I took another drink and then offered the glass to him. “Sort of.”
He reached over and took it. “It does. It’s what I thought, but I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to put it in your head.” Swallowing a sip, he lowered the glass to his chest. “And because I didn’t know how it was possible if he’s basically a wraith.”
“But he’s apparently not just that,” I murmured, thinking everything over. “What I don’t get is how the blood of an Ascended could do anything for him.”
“Me, neither,” he said, lifting the glass. “What made you think to have the Shadow Temple guarded?”
I lifted a shoulder. “I figured that’s where a Primal of Death would go.”
“Good call,” he remarked. “And good idea.”
“All my ideas are good.”
He snickered. “You keep telling yourself that.”
I smiled.
His gaze fell on Poppy. “The whole needing-a-vessel thing… You know what that means?”
My smile vanished. “Isbeth wasn’t sacrificing shit.”
“I’m sure you’ve already thought this”—Kieran’s gaze lifted to mine—“but what did she need Poppy for then?”
“I have wondered that.” I reached for the glass. “And I have no idea.”
Kieran finished off what was left before handing it over.
“Asshole,” I muttered, placing the empty glass on the nightstand.
One side of his lips quirked up. “By the way. I haven’t seen your brother in the last day or so.”
Inhaling deeply, I settled against the headboard once more. “Did he leave the capital?”
“Not that I’ve heard.”
Stretching out my legs, I crossed my ankles. “Have you seen Millicent?”
“No, but I get the feeling you only see her when she wants to be seen.”
He was probably right. “If I had to guess, Malik is wherever she is.”
A moment passed. “Your father is also demanding to speak with you.”
Of course, he was.
A moment passed. “What do you want done if he comes to Wayfair?”
“He’s not to be allowed in. None of them are,” I said, tipping my head toward Kieran. “Get some sleep.”
His mouth opened.
“That’s an order from your King.”
He huffed out a short laugh. “You’re already becoming a tyrant,” he muttered.
I said nothing to that.
Kieran remained quiet for a few moments. “I almost forgot. Naill has nearly an entire damn wardrobe put together for you and Poppy.”
“While I appreciate hearing that, go the fuck to sleep.”
“Whatever,” he muttered, settling in and closing his eyes.
I knew he was asleep a mere minute later. Fucking wolven. I placed my hand over Poppy’s, controlling my emotions to stop my concern from stirring Kieran. While the wolven could fall asleep at the drop of a hat, it wasn’t always a deep sleep.
My mind wandered to what he’d said about my father. I knew I couldn’t avoid him any longer. Whether Poppy was awake or not, I had to talk to him. But I wouldn’t let him see Poppy like this. She wouldn’t want that.
My thoughts drifted to my discussion with Reaver as I scanned the chambers’ shadows. The reality was, Kolis could be in Wayfair right now, and it would be hard—if not impossible—to see him.
I shifted my thoughts from that because it would only piss me off.
Emil’s words about not all Ascended being monsters surfaced. What if that was the case? I wasn’t sure how it could be. I wasn’t aware of any Ascended who weren’t predatory, but that last home…
They had no stockpile of blood.
Even more surprising, none of the dead Ascended looked like they had been on the verge of bloodlust or about to turn Craven.
Even if some Ascended weren’t monsters, it wouldn’t change how anyone felt about them.
Including me.
Right after the first rays of dawn crept in through the window, I heard pounding boots. My gaze shifted toward the sound, and I pulled away from Poppy and quietly rose. I could tell whoever it was had just reached our floor. Eather hummed in my chest as I approached the door and picked up one person’s footsteps. That pathway opened once more, telling me it was Delano.