I forced my stare from the scar. Tendons stood out starkly on his neck, and a shadow of stubble covered the curve of his hard, proud jawline. His lips were lush and slightly parted as if he had just taken a deep breath and couldn’t catch another one. The rest of his features were just as perfectly sculpted as his mouth, like he’d been crafted and molded by the hands of the Goddess of Love herself. Deep, rich-black hair tumbled over his forehead, brushing equally dark brows and curling against his high, angular cheekbones.
And those eyes…
Framed by a heavy fringe of coal-black lashes, they resembled twin pools of liquid gold.
I…I remembered those eyes. I always thought…
I couldn’t remember, but he was simply the most exquisitely beautiful man I’d ever seen, and he was…
Mine.
His chest rose sharply, and I tasted the thick tanginess of anguish and concern again. It was so heavy I wondered how he could bear its enormous weight.
Pressure clamped down on my temples— He shifted toward me, and the hunger returned, seizing my muscles and clamping down on my bones.
I needed to feed.
Something akin to understanding flashed across his striking features. “I know what you need,” he said in a low, soothing voice. Slowly, as if afraid to startle me, he sat on the bed and faced me.
“Come to me, my Queen.” He extended his arm.
Tension gathered in my legs as my gaze dropped to his hand. My chest clenched when I saw that his pointer finger wasmissing, but I couldn’t remember why it hurt me to see that. There was also a mark on his left hand—a golden swirl on the palm. My gaze flicked back to his.
An innate sense warned me to keep my distance. I knew I was powerful, but…so was he. I could sense the eather coursing through his veins. It reminded me of mine, but there was more to it. My head cocked as I inhaled deeply. His scent was amazing. Like pine, spice, citrusy snow, andpower. There was also something wild and animalistic, but also something else. An element that had been in generations of those who carried his blood. Something old. Something infinite. I needed to be careful.
I wasweak.
Muscles tensed as the aura pulsed and expanded until streaks of eather pierced his irises. Silvery bolts of essence laced with…crimson.
Death.
The eather within me rose swiftly, responding to the power stirring in his eyes and flowing through his veins. Deeply buried, ancient instinct seized me.
I launched myself backward, landing in a low crouch. My fingers brushed the floor, my chin lowering and lips peeling back. A low rumble came from my chest. I rose on legs that felt like they were made of jelly. A wave of dizziness swept over me, causing the chamber to tilt before steadying itself. My thoughts whirled in maddening circles as my gaze swept the chamber. For a moment, I thought I knew where I was.
My head jerked toward the sound of movement.
He was already on his feet, having moved much faster than me. The bed separated us, but I had a feeling that fact wouldn’t last much longer. I forced in a shallow breath, knowing if he came at me, there would be little I could do to stop him. That knowledge sent cold panic surging through me. My handsspasmed at my sides as I quickly scanned the chamber, spotting two doors. I needed to get out of here.
“Poppy.”
My gaze shot back to him, and my heart twisted. He sounded tortured. Broken.
“That’s your name,” he said, his tone steady again, comforting. “My name is Casteel.”
A spasm rolled through me, and my lips mouthed the word. Tasted it.
“And you are my—”
“I know what I am,” I said in a low, hoarse whisper that scratched my throat. “I know what you are.”
The muscles of his shoulders tensed. “And what are we?”
My spine straightened as I inhaled his scent once more. “You…you are the end, but I’m the beginningandthe end.” Eather flared weakly in my chest, and the nape of my neck tingled faintly. My head lowered. “We are…Primal gods.”
“We are much more than that.”
More.
