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)
“Except for that.” He poured a second glass. “But as far as having those abilities, I’m not sure. We haven’t exactly tested them out.”
“We should test…” I trailed off, realizing testing said abilities either meant finding someone injured or, perhaps, injuring that person and, well, killing someone else.
“I’m guessing you just realized what testing those abilities would mean,” he said, his lips curving into a knowing smirk.
“Yeah.” I sighed. “So, I didn’t really wake up then? I went back into stasis?”
“Yes. You went back to sleep.” He looked away. “You hungry? There’s some cheese and cured meat here. Some fruit and chocolate, too. I can also have more food brought to us.”
“I…” I thought about it. I didn’t feel hungry. “I don’t think I can eat right now.”
He approached. “You haven’t eaten in a while, Poppy.”
“Neither have you.”
Casteel stopped before me, glass in hand. “I ate enough to get by, which is still more than you.”
“I’m really not that hungry, and yes, I know that’s odd.”
“It’s likely because you just fed,” he explained. “But you still need to eat, Primal god or not.”
“How do you know a Primal god needs to eat?”
“Because I say so.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll eat soon. Right now, I have questions.”
“Of course, you do.”
My eyes narrowed.
Casteel winked. “Then at least drink.” He offered me the glass with a grin that showed a faint dimple. “It’s water infused with whatever the fuck fruit…” His brow pinched before smoothing out. “There’s some sort of fruit in it.”
I took the glass, suspecting Kieran had made the drink.
“Our senses are also enhanced.” He sat beside me. “Hearing. Sight. We’re both stronger—”
“Wait.” My eyes widened. “You said you could taste my emotions! And you said you could taste—”
“Your desire?” Heavily lashed eyes slid to mine. “I did.”
I was back to staring at him, struck silent as I processed the fact that he could read my emotions. “And Kieran can do it, too?”
“Kieran’s always been able to do that to some extent, though differently. Wolven are good at scenting emotions,” he reminded me. “But I assume so.”
“You assume?” I asked.
Casteel nodded. “He hasn’t mentioned it, but I figure he’s probably seen an improvement there.”
My gaze fell back to my glass. “I’m not sure if I like the idea of you being able to read my emotions.”
“Oh, I cannot wait to correct you when you say that nothing is wrong when, in fact, you’re upset or—”
“Ugh.” I resisted the urge to throw myself flat on my back.
His grin spread. “I won’t be as obnoxious as you are with it. I promise.”
“I’m not obnoxious with it…” Seeing him give me a pointed look, I sighed. “Whatever.” I ran my thumb over the rim of the glass. “I know you haven’t tried using the more…extreme forms of the essence, but have you been able to harness it?”
“I have.” Casteel glanced at the ceiling. “It wasn’t intentional, but I feel like I could call upon it.”
My head swung back toward him. “That’s how it feels to me. Like I just need to summon the essence, and it responds. Wow.” Excitement rose, and again, a flicker of recognition tugged at the edges of my consciousness. “This is good news—great news, actually.”
“Mm,” Casteel murmured, causing my attention to sharpen on him.
Did he not think it was good?
“Drink,” he murmured.
I did as he urged, enjoying the hint of fruit in the water. Strawberries? And something else—mint, maybe? I took another drink. Definitely mint.
Casteel’s fingertips slid down my arm, leaving behind a wave of tiny bumps. It hadn’t passed me by that the only times Casteel hadn’t been touching some part of me was when I went to the bathing chamber, and when he was at the table. The way his touch lingered on my skin made me think he feared I would disappear if he let go.
His fingers grazed the top of my hand, and something about that triggered a faint memory. “I think I felt you touching me—holding my hand—while I was in stasis.” My gaze lifted to his as a new realization dawned on me. “And I think you were talking to me.”
“I rarely left your side,” he admitted quietly, and an ache bloomed in my throat. “There was a chance you wouldn’t remember who you were when you woke up.”
My heart stuttered as I lowered the glass. “That was possible?”
He nodded, running his fingers over my knuckles. “According to Nektas, it was. He said talking to you while you were in stasis could help, but I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t a guarantee.” He exhaled heavily, lashes lifting. “So you could hear me?”
“Yeah, I think so. It’s kind of fuzzy, but I thought I heard your voice.” My brows knitted at the memory of a lower, deeper timbre. “I think I heard Kieran, too.”
“He was here often.” Tipping forward, he pressed a quick kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Do you remember anything else?”