The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood And Ash Series Book 3)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  The gold of his eyes turned to a heated honey. “Tasty.”

  Tension coiled deep inside me as I stared at him. A wolfish half-grin appeared.

  “Did you two forget I was here?” Kieran asked. “Holding a conversation with you two? Or trying to.”

  I sort of did.

  “Not at all,” Casteel remarked. “Poppy did have a very relaxing evening. We did some light reading.”

  Light reading?

  “Is that so?” Kieran’s brows rose.

  Wait.

  “Yes, from Poppy’s favorite journal, written by a Miss Willa—”

  “He was reading that,” I cut in, picking up a piece of cheese. “I woke up, and he was reading—”

  “You know, the one I found her with on that window ledge? The scene was about a very dark sort of wicked kiss on a very inappropriate area,” Casteel continued while Kieran stared at us blankly. “And foursomes.”

  Slowly, I looked up at Casteel. Oh, my gods. My eyes narrowed as I debated throwing the cheese in his face. I didn’t. Instead, I ate it rather aggressively. He was lucky I loved cheese.

  “Foursomes?” Kieran repeated, his gaze shifting to me. “I imagine you had a lot of questions about that.”

  “I did not,” I snapped.

  “I don’t believe that for one second,” Kieran stated, a half-grin forming. “You probably asked how it was possible.”

  I had totally been wondering that, but those words never once passed my lips.

  “Would you like to explain it to her?” Casteel asked.

  “That won’t be necessary,” I cut in as Kieran opened his mouth. “I have a vivid enough imagination, thank you very much.”

  He looked a little disappointed.

  Casteel’s laugh teased the top of my head as he fished out another strawberry from the bowl of fruit and offered it to me. “I am very intrigued by this imagination of yours.”

  “I’m sure you are,” I muttered, taking the berry. “Want to know what I’m imagining now? I’m currently entertaining myself with images of kicking both of you in the throats.”

  Kieran’s gaze swept over me, and still only in Casteel’s shirt, I was sure I appeared as threatening as a sleepy kitten. “Now I’m also intrigued,” he commented.

  I rolled my eyes as I shoved a piece of melon into my mouth. “Whatever,” I muttered around the fruit as Kieran dipped out of the room.

  “I won’t be gone long. Kieran will be here—and I know you don’t need a guard,” he added before I could say anything. “But he insisted, and it makes me feel better to know that someone else will be here. You should try to get some more rest. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.”

  I swallowed the urge to tell him that I didn’t need a bodyguard. “Okay.”

  His eyes narrowed on me. “That was a surprisingly quick submission.”

  “Submission?” I arched a brow as I took a drink of the wine. “I wouldn’t call it that.”

  “You wouldn’t?”

  I shook my head. “I hate the idea of having a babysitter, but a group of people did try to kill me earlier, and we have no idea if there are more of like mind. So I would call my quick agreement common sense.”

  The dimple appeared in his right cheek. “Common sense. That must be a new thing for you.”

  “I’m really imagining kicking you in the face now.”

  He chuckled, kissing me quickly once more. “I won’t be gone long.”

  “Take as long as you need.”

  Casteel touched my cheek and then left. I exhaled heavily as my gaze flicked to my half-full glass. I leaned over the platter of food, placing the glass on the nightstand. As I ate a few cold strips of grilled chicken breast, nothing but silence came from the living area. What was Kieran even doing out there? Probably just standing by the archway, arms crossed and looking as bored as ever.

  Rolling my eyes, I sighed. “Kieran?”

  “Poppy?” came the response.

  “You don’t have to stay out there.”

  “You’re supposed to be resting.”

  “All I’ve done today is rest.” I popped a piece of cheese into my mouth. “But you lurking on the other side of the wall is not at all restful.”

  “I’m not lurking,” he replied dryly.

  “You’re standing just out of sight, keeping watch. I don’t know if there could be a better example of lurking than that,” I replied. “Or I could come out there. Not sure how relaxed I would be in...” I grinned as Kieran appeared in the doorway. Walking over to the corner of the room, he dropped into the chair and looked at me. I gave him a little wave. “Hi.”

  “Hi.” He stretched out his long legs, loosely crossing them at the ankles.

  I stared at him. He stared at me. I picked up the small plate from the platter. “Cheese?”

  A faint grin appeared as he shook his head. “You’re going to make this weird, aren’t you?”

  “I offered you cheese.” I placed the plate back on the bed. “How is that making anything weird?”

  “You waved at me.”

  I crossed my arms. “I was being polite.”

  “The fact that you’re being polite is also weird.”

  “I am always polite.”

  Kieran lifted his brows, and I didn’t need to read his emotions to sense the incredulity.

  “I was going to offer you the last of the chocolate, but you can forget about that now.”

  He laughed as he leaned back. “So, what are you more uncomfortable with right now? The fact that you tried to feed from me, or that I saw you naked—though I saw a lot more than that—?”

  “You really don’t need to bring any of that up,” I stated, glaring at him.

  “Or is it the Primal notam?”

  “I’m regretting inviting you in here,” I muttered. “Honest? All of it makes me a bit uncomfortable.”

  “You don’t need to worry about how you were when you woke up,” Kieran told me. “It happens.”

  “How often have you really had someone try to eat you upon waking up?”

  “You’d be surprised.”

  I opened my mouth to ask for details but then closed it, thinking it was probably a road I really didn’t need to travel right now. “I don’t know what to think about any of this.”

  “It’s a lot. A lot has changed for you in a very short period of time. I don’t think anyone would know what to think.”

  I peeked over at him, wanting to know how he felt about the whole thing, but I really wanted to know if we had somehow communicated without speaking. “I—”

  “Let me guess,” he said. “You have a question.”

  I frowned as I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “What?” He glanced over at me.

  “Nothing.” I exhaled heavily. A moment passed. “Kieran?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I have a question.”

  He sighed, but there was a slight curve to his lips. “What is your question, Poppy?”

  “How do you feel about the notam?”

  He was quiet for a moment and then he asked, “How do I feel about the notam? What do my people think? They are amazed. They are awed.”

  “Really?” I whispered, picking up one of the pillows and hugging it to my chest.

  “Yes.” He rose and made his way to the bed, sitting so we were shoulder to shoulder. “So am I.”

  I could feel my face heating. “Don’t be. It makes me feel weird.”

  He grinned as he dipped his chin. “I don’t think you understand why we feel…honored to be alive when a descendant of the gods is present. Many of my kind are not old enough to have lived among them. Alastir was one of the only few, and well, fuck him, right?”

  I grinned. “Yeah. Fuck him.”

  He smiled. “But the children of the gods have always held a special place with the wolven. We exist in this form because of them. Not because of the Atlantians.”

  I squeezed the pillow tightly as I wiggled down onto my side, remaining
silent.

  “My ancestors were wild and fierce, loyal to their packs, but the kiyou were driven only by instinct, survival, and pack mentality. Everything was a challenge—for food, mates, pack leadership. Many didn’t survive very long, and the kiyou were on the brink of extinction when Nyktos appeared before the last great pack and asked that they protect the gods’ children in this realm. In return, he offered them human form so they could communicate with the deities and have long lifespans.”

  “He asked and didn’t just make the kiyou wolven?”

  “He could have. He is the King of Gods, after all. But he made it clear that the agreement was not servitude but a partnership between the kiyou and the deities. There cannot be equality in power if there is no choice.”

  He was right. “I wonder why Nyktos asked for this partnership. Was it because he is the only god who can create life? I imagine being given a mortal form was like creating new life. Or perhaps because he is the King of Gods?”

  “Probably all those reasons, but also because he is one of the few gods that can change forms,” he said.

  “What?” I didn’t know that.

  He nodded. “He was able to take the shape of a wolf—a white one. You haven’t seen much of Atlantia, but when you do, you will see paintings and statues of Nyktos. He’s often depicted with a wolf either at his side or behind him. When the wolf is behind him, it symbolizes the shape he can take, and when the wolf is beside him, it represents the offer he made to the kiyou.”

  I let that sink in, and of course, my mind went to one place. “And yet I can’t shift into anything.”

  “You’re really hung up on that, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe,” I muttered. “Anyway, did some of the kiyou refuse?”

  Kieran nodded. “Some did because they did not trust the god, and others simply wanted to remain as they were. The ones who took his offer were given mortal form and became wolven. We were here before an Atlantian ever was.”

  It made me wonder why a wolven didn’t rule then, especially considering that they were viewed as equal to the elemental Atlantians and the deities. Were other wolven in positions of power like Jasper? Like…Alastir had been? “Has a wolven ever wanted to rule Atlantia?”

  “I’m sure some had the desire to, but that pack instinct from our ancestors remains inside of us. We prefer to watch over our packs to this day. A kingdom is not a pack, but several wolven are Lords and Ladies and oversee smaller cities and villages,” he told me, shifting onto his side and resting his weight on an elbow so we were facing each other. “The Lords or Ladies in Atlantia are often land or business owners. They’re not all from an elemental line. Some are wolven, some are half-mortal, and others are changelings. They aid in ruling alongside the Queen and King. There are no Dukes or Duchesses, nor do titles necessarily stay within families. If land or a business is sold, the title and its responsibilities transfer with it.”

  Hearing all of this was a stark reminder that I needed to learn a lot about Atlantia, but I wasn’t exactly surprised to hear that they had similar class structures, and I felt safe assuming that this was another thing the Ascended had copied. I was, however, surprised to hear that the titles transferred. In Solis, only the Ascended were considered nobility or of a ruling class, and they held the position for life—which was basically an eternity.

  “Discovering what you are doesn’t mean we no longer respect the Queen and King,” Kieran said after a moment. “But you…what you are is different to us. You are proof that we came from the gods.”

  I tilted my head. “Do some need a reminder of that?”

  Kieran grinned. “There will always be people who need to be reminded of history.”

  “Explain,” I stated.

  His pale eyes warmed. “Every so many decades, an arrogant, young, elemental Atlantian demands a bonding or behaves as if he or she is better than all the others. We’re more than capable of reminding them that we consider everyone equal, but at the end of the day, we are not in service to anyone.”

  I smiled at that, but it faded. “But there’ve been issues between the wolven and Atlantians of late, right?”

  “A lot of it is the land issue. We lost so many of our people during the war, but our numbers are growing. Soon, it will be a problem.”

  “And the other issues? They have to do with Casteel’s parents still ruling?”

  “No one is comfortable with that, but we can sense that something has to give. Our land issues. The uncertainty about the Crown. The Ascended and Solis. I know that may sound strange, but it’s a part of our instincts that remained from the time when we were kiyou. We can sense unrest,” he said, and I listened intently, wanting to understand what was causing the division between the wolven and the Atlantians. “And things that have happened have aided in that sense of unease.”

  “What things?”

  “From what I heard from my sister and father, there have been a few unexplainable incidents. Crops destroyed overnight, sheared and trampled. Homes inexplicably catching fire. Businesses vandalized.”

  Stunned, I lowered the pillow to the space between us. “Other than the fires, none of that sounds exactly unexplainable. Those aren’t natural incidents.”

  “True.”

  “Has anyone been injured?”

  “Not seriously.”

  Yet went unsaid. “Casteel hasn’t mentioned any of this.”

  “I don’t think he—”

  “Wanted me to worry?” I finished for him, irritated. “That is going to need to change.”

  “In his defense, a lot has happened.”

  I couldn’t argue with that. “Does anyone have any idea who is behind this or why?”

  “No. And it is bizarre.” Kieran sat up. “Everyone who lives in Atlantia believes in community, the strength and power in that.”

  “Obviously, someone doesn’t believe in the strength and power of community,” I remarked, and he nodded. We hadn’t even had time to discuss what happened in the Temple. “Do you think Alastir was involved in any of that?”

  “I don’t know.” Kieran exhaled heavily. “I’ve known that wolven my entire life, and I never expected him to do what he did. I haven’t always agreed with him. Neither has my father. But we always thought he was a good man.” He dragged a hand over his head and then looked at me again. “But if he and the others acting on his belief believed they were protecting Atlantia, I don’t understand how damaging crops and businesses would help their cause.”

  My gaze fell to the teal-colored pillow, and I forced my grip to loosen. It didn’t make sense to me either, but those actions created unrest. It would ultimately come down to what a person believed they could achieve through the disruption. Thinking of the Ascended, it seemed all too clear to me. The people of Solis lived under constant hardship, and it made them easier to manipulate and control. Alastir had basically been staging a coup, and that would have been easier to carry out if the people of Atlantia were unhappy. But with Alastir and the others gone, could there still be more out there who sought to create strife in Atlantia, and saw me as a threat? Casteel and Kieran had to believe there was a chance. That was why Casteel had handed me the dagger before he left to get food, and was why Kieran sat here now.

  What the Duchess had said to me in the carriage and what Alastir had claimed resurfaced like a wraith determined to haunt me.

  Kieran reached over, tugging gently on a strand of my hair. “What are you thinking about?”

  I let go of the pillow. “Did Casteel tell you what the Duchess said to me before I killed her?”

  “No.”

  That surprised me, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with Casteel not wanting Kieran to know. There really hadn’t been time for them to talk. “She said that Queen Ileana would be thrilled when she learned that I married Casteel and that I would be able to accomplish what she had never been able to do. That I would take Atlantia.”

  Kieran frowned. “That doesn’t make sense.”

&n
bsp; “But it does, doesn’t it? Being a descendant of the gods means I usurp the throne without force. I take Atlantia.”

  “Yes. You are the rightful ruler,” he said, and I swallowed hard, almost reaching for the wine glass again. “But I don’t see how that helps Solis at all.”

  “I don’t either, but that is what she said, and…”

  “And you think there’s something to that because of the shit Alastir said to you?” he surmised.

  I said nothing.

  “Listen to me, Poppy.” He leaned over so we were eye-to-eye and there was barely any space between us. “Every single one of us who lives within Atlantia is a potential threat to the kingdom. Our actions, our beliefs? Any of us could tear the kingdom apart. You being a descendant of the gods doesn’t make you more of a threat to the kingdom than anyone else. Only you control your actions. Not your blood—not your bloodline. Alastir was wrong. So was the Duchess. And the fact that you didn’t turn into a vampry when Casteel Ascended you should be evidence of that. And if you take the Crown, you’re not taking it in the name of Solis.”

  “I can’t say that’s evidence of anything when we have no idea what I’ve become,” I pointed out, but what he said made me think of what I’d told Casteel earlier. “I have another question for you.”

  He leaned back. “Of course, you do.”

  “When we were waiting outside the Temple of Saion and Emil was speaking to us, I thought something in response to what he said.”

  “You wondered if Alastir’s plan had failed,” Kieran finished for me. My breath caught as I stared at him. “But you said that out loud, Poppy.”

  I stilled. “No, I didn’t.”

  The corners of his lips turned down. “Yes, you did.”

  “I didn’t,” I insisted, my heart thumping. “I only thought that, Kieran. And I heard you respond.”

  He didn’t move or speak for a moment, and then he drew his legs up as he leaned forward. “I was in my wolven form.”

  “I know.”

  “I didn’t speak that answer. I…”

  “You thought it.” I sat up. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. And that wasn’t the only time that happened,” I said, and then I told him about Delano. “Somehow, we communicated…telepathically.”