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)
We’d all thought Poppy was mortal initially, but that hadn’t been the case. Her father was a god, and the bitch who didn’t deserve to be called her mother had been a demis—a false god.
I wiped away the last of the blood. “Can you reach Seraphena?” I asked. “See if she knows how…” I exhaled roughly as my fingers curled into the cloth. “How Kolis might be responsible for this.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to see her,” Reaver said. “Seraphena has been asleep for centuries. She may have been conscious enough to help when we were at the Bone Temple, but it takes a while to return to the right…mindset after being asleep for so long.”
I had to take a deep breath.
“But I will go to Iliseeum and see if I can reach her,” Reaver continued. “If not, I’ll see if any of the older gods are awake. Ione or Aios may know something. Either way, it will take me some time.”
“Do it.” I nodded, tucking a strand of hair back from Poppy’s face. “Please.”
“I will leave immediately.”
Then, he took a too long, too loud breath. My gaze lifted to him. “I have a feeling I’m not going to like whatever is about to come out of your mouth,” I said.
“You’re not.” Reaver leaned forward. His wound no longer looked as pink around the charred flesh. “She needs to be somewhere she cannot harm others or herself.” He paused, wetting his lower lip. “I’ve done some exploring. There are places here—”
“No.” I stiffened. “Absolutely not.”
Reaver’s eyes narrowed. “You didn’t let me finish.”
“You’re talking about putting her in a cell,” I spat. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Okay. Then what about when she wakes and decides not to hold back?” Reaver challenged. “Then what? She’ll kill you and anyone else in her way, and then, when she is herself again, someone gets to explain that she harmed those she loves because her husband couldn’t bear to see her behind bars.”
Anger flared. “Fuck you.”
Reaver bared his teeth like it was supposed to intimidate me into agreeing. “Real mature.”
He was about to see how mature I could be. I rose.
“Cas.” Kieran stepped in front of me.
“Don’t.” My head snapped toward him. “You really shouldn’t right now.”
Kieran’s nostrils flared. “And you should really pull your head out of your ass.”
One side of my lip curled up. “You want to try doing that for me?”
He stared at me, refusing to be baited. “You know we have to make her safe.”
A wave of eather crept up my spine. “We?”
A muscle flexed along his jaw. “Yes, we, you asshole. We need to make sure she’s safe.” He started to move closer but stopped himself, crossing his arms. “So she can live with herself afterward.”
That.
That last sentence got right inside me, moving past the anger, frustration, and pain. I inhaled, but it felt choking. I opened my mouth, then closed it. When I could speak again, my voice cracked. “I swore I would never put her in a cell again.”
His eyes closed briefly, and I knew he was seeing in his mind what I was. Poppy bleeding out on the cold floor of a dungeon. I looked away.
“I know,” he breathed. “But it has to be done, and you know it. And you know she will understand once she’s herself again.”
Fuck, she’d probably thank us for it.
Knowing that didn’t make it any easier, though.
Turning from them, I sat beside Poppy. My hand trembled as I picked hers up. “I want every comfort possible made available for her.”
“Of course,” Kieran said quietly.
“Get Delano and…Emil to help,” I said, lifting her limp, cool fingers to my lips. “No one else can know.”
“Of course,” Kieran said quietly.
“Since that’s decided,” Reaver said, and I heard him stand, “I will head for Iliseeum as soon as she is…moved. You may need me if she wakes before.”
Nodding, I kissed her knuckles and then lowered her hand. There was one question I hadn’t asked yet. I didn’t want to but it was necessary. “What color are his eyes?”
“Silver.” Reaver paused, knowing who I was asking about. “When he pretended to be the Primal of Life, they were silver and gold. But once the Queen Ascended, they returned to silver and crimson.”
Red symbolized death. It was why the Blood Crown’s colors were crimson, and why the Rites were soaked in the color. Still, knowing there was this connection between her and a Primal god none of us had even known existed made me want to destroy everything in the chamber.
“Can you get Delano and Emil and make sure the space is ready for her?” I said.
“Yes,” Kieran answered.
I heard him make his way to the door. “And, Kieran?”
He stopped. “Yes?”
I closed my eyes, the words I was about to say already stinging my throat and skin. “I don’t want to see you after she’s moved.”