I had no idea if he was being sarcastic or not, but knowing my luck, she probablywouldenjoy her granddaughter’s…unique personality.
“I’m not going to ask again,” I said to Kieran, each word carrying frost.
Attes’s gaze snapped back to me, sharpening. I felt the rise of essence in him.
“Good.” Kieran’s chin lifted. “Because I don’t feel like repeating myself.”
Anger sparked, igniting a cold fire in my veins and loosening the restraints on theurgeI’d kept leashed until then. The mist thickened and rose. I lowered my chin. From the churning mist, shapes began to take form. Small bodies, sleek and feathered. Ravens flew out, the beat of their wings silent. They circled above as a darker, stronger essence pulsed within me. Thin strands of crimson appeared in the mist as the air turned stale.
I knew the moment they sawit. Theurge. The chaotic promise of violence. Attes’s features hardened. Jasper’s eyes widened and then narrowed. His flesh thinned as the shadow of fur began to appear. Malik had moved to block Millicent, hands fisted at his sides, and Kieran…
The golden essence whirled through his eyes and slid over the skin of his hands. Faint mist blurred the edges of his fingers as I took a step toward him. He didn’t budge; our stares locked.
Don’t,I willed.Don’t make me do this.
Kieran didn’t blink. Tendrils of gold-tinged silver mist swirled along his hands, and—
And then he inhaled deeply.
The mist at his fingertips evaporated. The golden threads vanished from his eyes and retreated from his flesh. His shoulders loosened. There was a flash of relief, so quick I almost didn’t see it, but I tasted it. It was refreshing, like a cool drink on a hot day. And then I felt nothing as his expression settled. He stared at me like he was…
Kieran looked at me like he was bored.
“Father? Attes? Why don’t you help them?” Kieran tilted his chin toward my brother and Millicent. “Make sure they put our guest somewhere safe and secure.”
Neither moved. “You sure?” his father asked.
“Positive.” He didn’t take his eyes off me. “Go.”
The others may have moved all at once or one at a time as that dark urge became a low-level buzz in the back of my mind. I only knew that I was staring at the spot where the sackhadbeen. They were gone, along with Callum, and I…I could’ve stopped them. Could’ve done so without lifting a finger. But I hadn’t.
“I was wrong.”
My gaze returned to Kieran as the oily, churning mass of energy pulled back. The mist slowed and thinned before it disappeared.
He exhaled, eyes closing briefly. When they reopened, there was a sheen to them that made the blue even brighter. My chest constricted and stomach knotted. “I see.”
I blinked. “See what?” I asked, my voice quieter, not as cold.
“You,” he answered, with a thickness in his throat that hadn’t been there before. “I seeyou.”
THE GOD OF BONE AND ASH
Casteel
Essence thrummed, waking me before I could reach a deep enough sleep to find her.
I was no longer alone.
A god had entered Wayfair’s Great Hall, and only two gods would dare to do so. This was neither of them.
I remained where I was reclined, my leg draped over the arm of the throne—the very same one that was about to have a new addition.
My senses sharpened as I opened them, picking up the quick, pounding rhythm of a heart. I tasted tart unease tinged with the bitterness of fear.
Whoever the god was, they had the intelligence to be afraid but weren’t smart enough to steer clear of my domain. Wouldn’t be the first, though. There seemed to be a plethora of fools serving the true Primal of Death who were willing to die for him. How many had come? This would be the sixth or seventh, either sent by Kolis or who’d come all on their own in hopes of proving their loyalty to him by taking me out. And all of them were old and powerful, able to shadowstep into Wayfair.
None of them left.
