The unease that blew off Kieran at my mention of the true Primal of Death matched mine.
“Considering that motherfucker is apparently non-corporeal or whatever, he could be anywhere,” I said, even though he didn’t need the reminder. “That’s the last person we need thinking that Poppy has been weakened. That is…” I trailed off, unable to finish the thought as I drew my thumb around the ring now laying against my chest.
Kolis may already know.
Fuck.
We knew so little about the true Primal of Death. We didn’t know what he was capable of or if he could still gain strength and take on his physical form. We didn’t even know what his ultimate goal was.
Things happened too quickly after Poppy ended that bitch of a Queen for us to have any real, in-depth conversations about Kolis. Poppy had briefly fallen unconscious, and when she woke, finding her father and the missing draken became the top priority.
We’d only been able to accomplish one of those things before Poppy entered stasis to complete her Ascension.
And while Reaver was more familiar with Kolis than any of us, he had only been a child during the true Primal of Death’s reign. The only other individual who could give us more information was Nektas, and none of us had seen him since Poppy went into stasis.
“Agreed,” Kieran said. A few moments passed. “You know, when you were taken captive, Poppy wanted to come straight to the capital and burn through the kingdom to get to you.”
My lips curved up as I eyed her.That’s my girl.
“She didn’t care about being a Queen or leading an army. Her only thought was getting to you,” he told me. “But she knew she couldn’t neglect her duties. Knew everything happening was bigger than you—than both of you. She understood that if she went straight for you, not only would she be jeopardizing your life but also endangering the lives of countless others. She pulled herself together because her heart was—her heartis—big enough for youandthe people. And you’re not that different. You care about the people of Solis.”
I opened my mouth.
“I know you. Shirking your duties will get to you,” he continued. “Maybe not right now, but it will.”
I snapped my mouth shut.
“You are a King, whether you prepared to be one or never wanted a crown. It’s in your blood,” he said as my gaze tracked the sliver of moonlight falling across the foot of the bed. “You need to see what happened to these Ascended.”
Rubbing my hand over my brow, I exhaled heavily. “You must be getting really tired of being the one to keep both Poppy and me in line.”
Kieran chuckled as he approached. “Someone has to do it.”
“I…” Drawing my lip between my teeth, I shook my head. “The idea of leaving her side…”
“I know.” His hand curved over my shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to her. Nor will Delano.” He paused. “And if she happens to wake while you’re gone, I could simply knock her out before she realizes you’re not here.”
I snorted. “You would never.”
A slight grin appeared. “Depends on whether she wakes up asking a bunch of questions.”
I laughed. “We’d truly be blessed if that’s the…” I sucked in a sharp breath, realizing that we may not be blessed if that happened. Poppy could wake up with questions driven not by her curious nature but because she had no knowledge of who she was.
We both fell silent as our attention fell on Poppy. Those unspoken thoughts hung in the air like a thick, choking fog.
“Go,” Kieran said quietly. “She will be safe. And if anything happens, I will make sure you’re notified at once.”
I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles and briefly closed my eyes. I knew what I had to do.
Neglecting my duties to the realm would eventually get to me. I had responsibilities—several million of them. It took repeating that a few times for me to convince myself it was true—or at least get me to move. I may not have needed as much convincing before Poppy. But now, she was the only duty I felt obligated to see to.
I rose and leaned over, softly kissing her slightly parted lips. Then, I did what I didn’twantto do buthadto.
Because Kieran was right.
I was a King.
Whether I wanted to be or not.
