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)
I turned that over in my mind. “That could explain why Millicent is different, too. I imagine Isbeth felt similar emotions. Well, that and the eather she carried in her blood.”
Casteel leaned against one of the pillars framing the platform. “How did Kolis create the Revs, though? He wasn’t creating new life like you did with the wolven.”
“He reanimated them with his blood and will,” she answered.
Casteel cast a frown in my direction. “We learned that Isbeth was creating Revs with the blood of a King or a future King.”
Seraphena’s brows snapped together. “She needed powerful blood, and my son’s would not have worked. A King or a future King of an Elemental bloodline would be powerful enough to restart a heart, but it would’ve taken more than that.”
“Magic,” I surmised.
She nodded. “Forbidden magic not even known to us.”
I looked out the window, seeing the sun start to fade. “But it is likely known to the Fates.”
“And Callum,” she said.
“Yeah,” I whispered, my throat drying as my gaze connected with Seraphena’s. There was something she wasn’t saying.
Something that complicated things.
“So.” Seraphena cleared her throat. “The only way we could prevent Sotoria from being reborn and waking Kolis was to ensure the Mierel bloodline ended with me.”
“That didn’t happen.” Casteel unfolded his arms. “Obviously.”
“I was already pregnant with the twins before we entombed Kolis.” Her gaze lowered. “If we had known…”
My blood was pounding even harder in my ears, and my stomach continued to churn as I heard that voice.
I’ve had all your firsts.
“It meant we could never allow our sons to have children. Both Malec and Ires were aware of what would happen. We didn’t hide it from them. They fully understood the risks.” Seraphena looked up. “So, that was why, as hard and unfair as it was, we denied the heartmate trials. Isbeth was already pregnant, proving to Ash and me that Malec would not take the necessary precautions. And it’s why I helped to entomb my son. He could not be…trusted not to make the same mistakes.”
With your first breath, you woke me.
“It was one of the hardest things Nyktos and I ever did.” Her voice thickened, and eather flared in her eyes. “But we had to. So Sotoria wasn’t reborn as the second daughter to become the giver of blood and the bringer of bone.”
Casteel pushed off the pillar. “The Primal of Blood and Bone.”
When your eyes first opened, I saw again.
“Born in a shroud of crimson and gold.” Eather pulsed behind her pupils. “Bearing a royal mark, the symbol of Death.”
My knees felt weak. My nostrils burned.
Seraphena swallowed. “But fate finds a way, doesn’t it?”
I’ve always been with you.
Casteel slowly turned my way, his eyes widening.
“No.” A tremor started in my legs. He moved toward me, but I kept backing up. “No.”
Seraphena stared at me, and what she felt pierced her walls once more, flooding the chamber with threads of guilt and sympathy that wove through my hot, undeniable anger. “It’s true. You’re Sotoria.”
CHAPTER 38
POPPY
You’re Sotoria.
The words echoed in my head, my heart thundering. Each beat was a deafening roar that silenced all other sounds until I heard Casteel’s voice.
And felt his shock whip through the chamber like a burst of cold wind.
“That’s impossible,” he stated harshly. His tone brooked no room for argument as the haziness surrounding the dream I’d had while in stasis evaporated.
“I know it’s hard to hear and believe, but it is true.” Seraphena rose and placed her palms flat on the table. Her eyes met mine. “I carried your soul within me.”
“No,” I repeated hoarsely, even as I saw her clearly in that field of poppies along the Cliffs of Sorrow.
“It’s why I’ve been able to connect with you, even while in stasis,” Seraphena insisted, her voice calm save for a slight quiver. “I’ve never been able to reach Millicent.”
“You’re wrong,” Casteel bit out, those two words raw and volatile.
“I wish I was—gods, do I ever.” Her head bowed. “I never wanted her to be in this situation again.”
Again.
The word was like a clap of thunder. The chamber seemed to blur and fade at the edges as if the realm were unraveling around me.
It was like I was there. I saw her holding that basket as the sky turned to crimson-streaked midnight. She’d spoken to me before I heard Seraphena’s voice calling to me, pulling me out of reach of the cold shadows.
You know who I am, she had said in a voice that…sounded like mine. And you know where you are. You’ve been here countless times before, in one way or another.
I flinched, feeling the essence vibrate in my chest.
And she had warned me. He’s almost here.
Death.
But it wasn’t her.
Because I saw now what I’d seen in that dream.
I saw myself.
The fear I’d felt then had coated my skin as different, fleeting images formed in my mind, glimpses of places I didn’t remember traveling and faces I had no memory of. They melded together as voices rose around me and the air charged with energy. I had a sinking feeling the images were real.