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)
“Nothing on this side,” Kieran grunted.
“Hold on a sec.” I leaned over Poppy’s prone form, gently peeling back the soft fabric of her robe and the thinner material of her gown. The flickering flames cast dancing shadows across the cell as I exposed her back.
Except for a few freckles scattered along her spine, her skin was unmarked. Releasing the material, I rocked back to look at her. Her eyes remained closed, but I saw rapid movement behind the faint purplish-blue-tinged skin. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kieran doing the same to her lower body. I’d never seen his features so stoic, and that was saying something. Like me, he took no joy in this—in what felt like a violation, even though it was necessary.
“Anything?” I bit out, my voice low.
Kieran shook his head. “Nothing here.”
“Damn it,” I muttered, wanting—no, needing—to get this over with quickly. “We have to turn her over.”
Kieran’s eyes briefly closed, and his head twisted sharply to the side. When his lids lifted again, he gave me a curt nod.
“Ready when you are,” he replied, his voice as strained and clipped as mine.
We moved in unison, slowly turning Poppy’s limp form as I kept my eyes on her face. She didn’t stir, and as we settled her onto her back, I was relieved but also concerned as fuck. She wasn’t a heavy sleeper, and with her hands still bound, the position had to be uncomfortable.
My gaze swept over her upper chest, where faint lines traced veins over her pale, almost translucent skin. Pressing my lips into a thin line, I lifted my hand. Fuck if my movements didn’t feel sluggish as my fingers hovered above the neckline of her gown. I hesitated, looking toward the door. My gaze flicked there and then to Kieran.
If Attes turned at any point during this, I would rip his eyes out.
“Not necessary,” Kieran murmured, his gaze shifting to Attes’s rigid form. “I got it.”
My shoulders tightened as I stared at Kieran. Had I spoken that aloud? Giving my head a quick shake, I turned back to Poppy. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself and grasped the fabric of her gown. With as much care and respect as I could muster, I slowly pulled down the top, revealing the pale skin of her chest.
And there it was.
Air punched out of my lungs as I stared at the crimson mark. It stood out starkly against her flesh, a symbol I’d never seen on her skin before etched between her breasts—a dark, off-center red line, slicing diagonally through a circle.
The symbol of Death.
“Casteel?” Kieran’s voice was strained. When I heard his sharp inhale, I knew he’d looked. And saw.
The brand didn’t look like a typical scar, where the skin was puckered and jagged around the edges. Instead, it appeared scaled and almost as if it had been laid upon her skin.
It didn’t belong.
A maelstrom of emotions rose, cracking the control I’d barely leashed. Icy rage washed over me, chilling my blood as I stared at the true Primal of Death’s mark. The god had branded her, claimed her like property, and placed his mark in an intimate location. Even if it hadn’t been done physically, the violation felt just as real, just as invasive.
“That motherfucker,” I hissed through clenched teeth. Eather pulsed intensely in my chest, darkening the corners of my vision.
“Cas.” Kieran’s hand curled around the one I held Poppy’s gown with, startling me. My gaze flew to his as I felt his hand move mine, releasing her gown so she was covered.
Kieran didn’t need to speak.
I already knew.
I needed to check myself.
What it took for me to do so was picturing Poppy’s smile—the real one that brought a flush to the apples of her cheeks as it reached her eyes, filling them with warmth. The kind of smile that couldn’t be forced and was utterly radiant.
I wanted to see it again.
I needed to.
Keeping calm so she could get the help she needed was the only way to ensure that.
“I’m good,” I uttered. Rage still simmered beneath the surface but the eather had calmed.
Kieran released my hand. “I know.”
“I assume you found it,” said Attes.
My gaze shifted to him, then returned to Poppy. The flickering behind her lids had slowed. “Yes.”
“I’m guessing I don’t want to know where.”
“No,” Kieran ground out. “But let’s get on with it.”
I placed my hands on my knees, my gaze fixed on Poppy as Attes walked around us and knelt on my other side.
“Where is it?” he asked quietly.
“On her chest,” Kieran answered.
“Of course,” spat Attes. “Fuck.”
I didn’t look at him as I spoke. I didn’t trust myself to do so. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“Other than you losing your shit during this? It shouldn’t.” He paused. “I’m going to have to touch her.”