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 had no idea how I could quickly explain it, but I wasn’t worried about him shifting into a cave cat. As tiny bumps erupted on my skin, I was more worried about him going full Primal.
“Did it, at any point, occur to you to tell us?” Casteel demanded, tendrils of shadowy eather piercing the whites of his eyes. “That having that piece of information might’ve been helpful?”
“He has a point,” I whispered, reaching under the table to place my hand on Casteel’s leg.
“I couldn’t.” Reaver took a drink.
“Bullshit,” Kieran snapped.
“It’s not bullshit.” He set his glass down. “I was sworn to keep my mouth shut.”
“By who?” I demanded.
“Nyktos.”
My mouth dropped open.
“How?” Kieran leaned forward. “You were still asleep when he was awake.”
“That wasn’t the only time he was awake,” Reaver said. And he was right. Nyktos had said he’d been awake on and off. “And he was already awake when we were awakened. I spoke with him before I left Iliseeum. And you don’t disobey Nyktos.”
“Why?” I asked, unable to understand why they wouldn’t want me to know as soon as possible. “Why would he demand that of you?”
“He wanted Seraphena to be with you when…” Reaver trailed off.
He didn’t need to finish. I knew what went unsaid. Nyktos wanted Seraphena to be with me when I learned about Sotoria. That…
I looked at Casteel, seeing his glare still fixed on Reaver. Cas?
Jaw ticking, his gaze shifted to me.
That makes a difference. I squeezed his knee as I opened the notam to Kieran, telling him the same. It does.
Neither looked like they agreed, and I understood their anger. I did. Could having that information have assisted them when I was under Kolis’s influence? Maybe. Maybe not. But Reaver shouldn’t have been the one to explain any of that anyway. I would’ve had questions he likely couldn’t have answered. And—
“Is someone going to tell the rest of us what you are all talking about?” Malik answered.
The three of us said nothing, and an awkward silence descended as my attention shifted to Malik. My senses opened, and all I picked up from him was confusion and curiosity. If he’d known about the whole Sotoria thing, he would understand what wasn’t being said. Did that mean Millicent didn’t know?
“Okay, then.” Malik cleared his throat. “So, I will go then.”
“Back to this again?” Casteel snapped. The essence was calmer, but the chamber remained chilly.
“Well, you still haven’t said why,” Malik replied.
Casteel’s lips flattened. “I think you want to go to see if Millicent is there.”
I coughed, spraying a fine mist of wine onto my plate.
“You okay?” Casteel turned, placing his hand on my back.
“Yes,” I wheezed, taking the linen cloth Tawny handed me. “You think Millicent is there?” I asked Casteel.
A muscle tightened in his jaw. “I don’t.”
The but went unsaid.
Dabbing at my chin, I turned to Malik. “Do you think she’s there?”
The muscle that ticked on his face was in his temple. “I don’t know where she is. She could be anywhere.”
“But is there a reason she would go there?” As soon as I asked the question, the answer came to me. It wasn’t the vadentia. It was my common sense Casteel had believed wasn’t present.
Kolis could call upon the Ascended and the Revenants—summon them. It would be like a compulsion. They were his creations. “Have there been any reports of the Ascended attempting to escape? Like trying to do so without the ability to stop?”
“Some have tried, especially those with dwindling stockpiles,” Naill answered with a curl of his lip. “But not like they seemed unable to stop themselves.”
That brought me a little relief, even though it didn’t mean he hadn’t summoned the Revenants. If he had, would it even apply to Millicent since she wasn’t exactly a Revenant? I didn’t know. But I knew Malik worried it would. One look at him, and I felt it coating his skin. If she’d gone there, it had to be because she had no choice. I couldn’t believe the same person who stood by the Ascended as they met the sun would willingly join up with Kolis.
But I now understood Casteel’s refusal to send Malik. He knew Malik would stay if Millicent was there, and it would likely end in his death.
Casteel was trying to protect his brother.
“We need to give Thad and the others until the morning,” Kieran said, eyeing the bottle of wine Emil had a death grip on. “Let’s table the discussion regarding Pensdurth until then.”
There were murmurs of agreement, and then our Shadow Council pretty much scattered from the Solar. Tawny was the last to stand. Casteel had tracked Malik’s movements and still stared at the doors.
“You should talk to him,” Kieran suggested as he stood. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything idiotic.”
Casteel gripped the arm of his chair. “And you think he’ll listen to me?”