Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 42412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42412 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 170(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
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 sack had been. 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 see you.”
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.
The god crept closer, mindful of the tangle of vines covering the floor and climbing the dais.
Interesting.
Somehow, they had discovered that the vines were connected to me. They weren’t careful enough, though. They hadn’t looked up. If they had, they would’ve seen dark eyes lit by the silver glow of eather watching them. Through those eyes, I saw the intruder.
The god was female, her skin pale as bone and stark against the muted black cloak she wore. She stood at the steps, her heart calming as she got a good look at me in the gloom of the Hall. I was sure I looked pretty harmless while at rest and without the other new additions on display.
Let them think that.
She ascended the stairs, her footsteps quick and light as she reached into her cloak with a gloved hand, parting the fabric. There was a brief flash of an unnaturally vivid red cloth and then the too-bright white flare of a dagger.
A bone dagger chiseled into a fine point.
The god moved like a ghost, blending in with the shadows and avoiding the slivers of moonlight that reached the dais.
I severed my connection with the ravens as she neared the throne. A second passed. Her heart remained calm as the nutty flavor of resolve coated my tongue.
She didn’t hesitate.
I had to give her that.
The blade whispered as it sliced through the air.
She gasped when I caught her wrist, stopping the dagger just as it nicked a brass button of the fitted surcoat I wore.
The humming in my thoughts ceased. The pressure relented.
I cracked open an eye, and a series of gravelly croaks came from above as the ravens took flight.
“First, you interrupt me while I’m resting.” Glancing down at my chest, I frowned and then raised my gaze to her amber-hued eyes. “And now you scratch my button?”
The god recovered quickly, her surprise vanishing as a scowl twisted her mouth. “Fuck your buttons,” she spat.
“That sounds uncomfortable,” I replied, giving her a closed-lip smile. “So, I will have to pass on that.”
Her nostrils flared as she jerked on the arm I held. When that didn’t work, she started to twist at the waist as she leaned her weight, lifting her other hand. The air charged, rushing over my flesh.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Eather flared in her eyes and crackled over her knuckles. Like the six or seven before her, the essence behind her pupils was normal. I hadn’t seen another with the essence of death in them since the female god had vanished from Pensdurth.
Eather sparked to life, crackling and bright—because of course, she didn’t listen. They never did.