Silence stretched between us, heavy and strained. “If your brother and I didn’t share such similar features, your”—he shook his head—“your attitude would be a clear indicator of our relation.”
My lips pressed flat. “Your name.”
Eather flared in his eyes. “Attes.”
“Never heard of you,” I replied.
“I’m likely too old to be remembered.”
“How old?” I asked.
“Only Nektas and Kolis are older than me,” he stated, shocking the shit out of me. “That’show old.”
“Wouldn’t that make you…?” Kieran trailed off.
My gaze sharpened on the Primal. “One of the original Primal gods.”
“Not original,” Attes corrected. “I am of the gods born of the original Primal gods.” His cool, silver gaze moved between us, then to the door. “I assume she sleeps?”
“She was asleep when I stepped out,” I told him. I had a feeling we’d know if she was awake. “What did Reaver tell you?”
“The basics.” Attes stepped back, running his fingers over the strap across his chest. “That your Queen woke from stasis with an…attachment.”
“Did he tell you she is a Primal god?” Kieran questioned.
Attes nodded.
“And did he tell you what theattachmentis?” I followed.
“Kolis.” He spat the name with such vehemence it would be hard to feign such genuine disgust. I allowed myself to relax a fraction. “Reaver said he sensed him but wasn’t sure how it happened.”
“I’ve been trying to figure out how something like this is possible,” Kieran said. “I even spoke to Sven.”
I stiffened at the mention of Perry’s father.
“I didn’t give him any details,” Kieran quickly added. “But other thanmyfather, he was the only person I could think of who might know something. Everything he brought up couldn’t have occurred.”
“I thought of something. The Revenant,” I said, and Kieran frowned. “He touched her while she was in stasis.”
Kieran inhaled sharply. “Fuck.”
“Where is this Revenant?” the Primal asked.
“Apparently, dead and decomposing in another cell,” I shared. Kieran showed no reaction to that, so I figured he’d either learned that around the same time I had or before.
Attes turned his head toward me. “How?”
“I killed him.”
His eyes narrowed. “You feel like a Primal. As does the wolven.” Eather crackled behind his pupils as he stepped closerto me. “But that’s impossible. Just as you being able to kill a Revenant is. So,whatare you?”
“Extraordinarily impatient to help my wife,” I said since I couldn’t answer his question. I had no idea what the answer was. “That is what I am.”
The muscle in his temple started ticking again, more fiercely now. It caused the skin along the edges of his scar to pull taut. “There are some things I need to know first. Understand?”
My flesh cooled as the essence pulsed within me. “Understood.”
“Good,” he snarled. “What kind of state has she been in?”
