Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
“Poppy.” Casteel’s voice was pure silk, drawing my gaze to his. He bent so his mouth was only inches from mine. “If you keep looking at my dick like that, I’m going to have to kick Reaver out of this chamber.”
“I would like to stop looking at your dick,” Reaver commented.
“You sure about that? I think you like staring at my dick.”
Shaking my head, I stared at the canopied bed top. It was way too early—
“That would be the wolf,” Reaver replied. “Not me.”
Oh, my gods.
I once more wondered if I could will myself into the mattress.
“Leave,” Casteel growled. “We’ll let you know when you have actual permission to enter.”
“You’d better make it quick,” Reaver said. “I doubt either of you wants to be mid-coitus—”
“Coitus?” Casteel huffed out a low laugh.
“The first time you meet her,” Reaver finished.
It took a moment for his words to register, but when they did, my heart lurched, and my head jerked down. “Her?”
“Yes. Her. The One who is born of Blood and Ash, the Light and the Fire, and the Brightest Moon,” he said. “The true Primal of Life and the Queen of the Gods and Common Man.”
I almost let go of the blanket.
Reaver tilted his head back. His lips curved into a rare half-smile. “She’s coming.”
CASTEEL
My head still felt scrambled from shifting so, honest to gods, I didn’t think I’d heard the draken right.
But then I heard Poppy’s gasp, and her shock was like a burst of cold wind against my senses.
My head swiveled toward her. She was as still as a statue, strands the color of deep-red wine tumbling over her…gloriously nude chest. Shit. She’d dropped the blanket.
I snapped forward, draped the robe over her shoulders, and drew it around her.
She didn’t even seem to register my presence as she squeaked, “Really?”
“Really,” Reaver replied.
Poppy’s concern filled my throat with a sensation that reminded me of swallowing too-thick cream. She was staring at the draken with wide eyes and didn’t protest as I worked her arm through one sleeve of the robe and then the other.
“Why?” she asked.
“I assume she has many reasons to visit,” he answered as I started on the buttons along the front of her robe. “I imagine some of them have to do with what happened yesterday.”
“And where were you yesterday?” I asked, even though Aurelia hadn’t been able to do much, so why would Reaver?
“I was in Ironspire.”
Well, that answer shut me up.
“She probably also wants to meet and thank you,” Reaver added.
“Thank me?” Poppy whispered. “For what?”
“For finding both of her sons and setting them free.”
Her gaze darted to mine and then back to Reaver. “Oh.”
Feeling Reaver’s curious stare, I finally reached the last of the buttons and bent my head so we were at eye level. “Hey,” I said quietly. “You okay?”
Her lips parted, and she nodded before her attention shifted back to Reaver. “How are…how are they?”
“Ires and Malec? I’m not sure,” he said as I stepped away and quickly grabbed the first pair of pants I found, pulling them on. “When I returned to Iliseeum to find someone to help you, I didn’t have time to check in on them. And Sera and Ash were busy.”
“Ash?” Poppy’s brows drew together.
“Nyktos,” he corrected himself as I stepped down from the bed.
And thank the gods she said more because I was seriously starting to worry if she was okay. Rhahar had told us that. “Right. He is known as the Asher.”
“Yep.”
I tied the stays on the leather pants. “Is he coming, too?”
“No.”
That was good news, considering the last and only time I’d met him, he hadn’t been all that friendly. Hopefully, Seraphena would be different.
But as I secured the flap on my breeches, one of Aydun’s warnings resurfaced, and my jaw clenched.
“Seraphena is coming,” Poppy stated before I could answer. “She’s really coming here. To the mortal realm.”
“Yes.” Reaver drew out the word, and the concern she’d felt before returned, spiking sharply. Even the draken picked up on it as I returned to her side and dropped my hand to her shoulder, squeezing gently.
Reaver’s usually impassive features softened, and that, right there, was why I hadn’t harmed the infuriating draken—well, seriously harmed him anyway. “There’s no reason to be worried, Poppy. You are, after all, her grandchild.”
Poppy blinked once and then twice. “But what about Millicent? She’s not here. Does Seraphena know that?”
“Likely not.”
Poppy’s gaze lowered, and she fell silent.
“How much time do we have?” I asked.
“She could show at any moment.”
That was a real helpful answer. “Can you get Kieran for me?”
Poppy’s eyes widened. “Perhaps it would be better to get someone else.”
“He’ll do it,” I said.
“Can I get the wolf? Yes.” Reaver paused. “Will I?”
“Yes, you will,” I snapped. “You will do exactly that because it will make Poppy happy.”
Reaver looked at Poppy as if he were seconds away from praying for her to disagree with my statement.