“Oh, definitely didn’t almost have to put Nyktos down.”
I blinked. “What could she possibly have done?” I demanded.
“If you want to know, you’ll have to ask her.”
“Howthe fuck”—my scream echoed off the gold walls—“am I supposed to do that when I can’t enter Iliseeum?”
“That is a really good question,” Thorne said.
I inhaled sharply. I had to turn away before I tried to grab Thorne and do something I’d likely regret. This was unbelievable—all of it. No answer to what I needed to know and proof of how cowardly and selfish the Arae were. Not to mention the fact that Seraphena was in trouble forsomething.
“Don’t be angry with me,” Thorne advised. “I don’t make the rules.”
I threw up my arms. “Actually, you do!”
“Oh, yeah. I do.” A pause. “Kind of.”
No amount of deep breathing could calm me. “Do you have a reason for still being here?”
“And do you like what you see?” Casteel asked.
What the?
I whipped back around, my body tensing as shadows appeared along Casteel’s face, almost in the same pattern and area as the markings on Thorne’s.
The Fate’s smile spread. It was a stunning—and really creepy—smile. He’d also been staring at Casteel the entire time. “I’d better.”
What kind of answer was that?
“Is there a fucking reason you’ve been staring at me?” Casteel demanded. “Without blinking? Once?”
Thornehadn’tblinked.
“Yeah,” Thorne answered, then finally blinked and looked away from Casteel. “Can I call you Poppy yet?”
“No,” I growled. “Absolutely not.”
His smile fell. “Maybe next time.”
“There will never be a next time.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that, Penellaphe.”
I barely stopped myself from arguing, considering he was a Fate. “You can leave now.”
“Rude,” he replied with a deep…smoky laugh. “Don’t think you can break through the ward.” His humor vanished. “You will not be able to. You will hurt yourself.”
Glaring at him, I crossed my arms.
Thorne’s gaze flicked back to Casteel and then over to Attes. “You’d better keep quiet.”
Attes rolled his eyes.
Thorne’s smile kicked up a notch when his attention returned to me. “Until next time.”
“I hope there isn’t—”
Thorne disappeared, and the tear closed behind him, leaving only the faint smell of burnt ozone.
