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I, for one, wish he had stayed. All three of them knew about the Joining by that point; they could have had a practice run, at least. And I know for a fact that Poppy and Casteel knew all sorts of tips and tricks about adding a third to their play from reading my diary. Heck, both Casteel and Kieran had practical knowledge, and I’d bet Poppy would have been totally receptive, if a little shy.

Talking with Alastir after Beckett’s injury, Kieran confirms that Penellaphe did, indeed, intend to kill Casteel when she stabbed him, shocking him and everyone else in the room.

Honestly, if they knew her, they likely wouldn’t have been so surprised.

When word comes that the sky is on fire, Kieran is one of the first to head to the parapets to investigate the claim and is there when Penellaphe arrives. They discuss what it could be and what to do and ultimately decide to wait. Unfortunately, that wait isn’t long. They’re attacked, and Delano is wounded in the skirmish. Kieran stands by as Penellaphe heals him. Later, in a strategy session, Kieran suggests alternate routes the New Haven refugees could take to avoid the Ascended.

To Kieran’s chagrin, Casteel orders him to accompany Alastir over the Skotos Mountains. When he argues and says he should stay with Cas, that his bond and duty necessitate him defending Casteel with his life, the Prince tells him that he’s fast, strong, and will not fail, then tells him that he wants him guarding what is most precious to him—Poppy. When all is said and done, Penellaphe doesn’t end up going, but Kieran knows why Cas wants him to go. He doesn’t want Kieran to sacrifice himself, and he wants to ensure that Alastir can’t thwart what he has planned by going to the King and Queen about the marriage before Casteel has a chance to tell them. They exchange a heartfelt and affectionate goodbye. As he leaves, Kieran turns to Penellaphe and tells her to protect her Prince, calling her Poppy for the first time, thus solidifying that they are friends and that he cares.

Kieran and other reinforcements arrive right in the middle of Poppy’s standoff with Duchess Teerman. As the army moves in to attack, Kieran, in wolven form, nudges Poppy’s hand where the wedding imprint resides. Poppy and Casteel tell him that he missed a lot while he was gone—which he did. The wedding was just one of many things.

He stands guard outside the carriage when Poppy and Cas have their hot and heavy celebration of life after dispatching the Duchess. Later, Kieran reveals that he and the other wolven heard Poppy calling to them for help and veered toward her. He also tells her that he believes he and the reinforcements were able to make it through the mountains and the mist so easily because the gods allowed it.

As they set out once more, Kieran rides with Poppy and Cas while the others go a different way. They are to meet back up at Gold Rock. During their journey, Kieran teases Poppy about their sleeping arrangements and insinuates that it will either become uncomfortable or interesting.

I’d go with the latter.

Poppy sleepwalks and nearly kills herself, and Kieran tells her that he believes the earth shaking was a god returning to their resting place, and that the goddess Aios stopped Poppy from walking off the cliff’s edge. He then shares that he dreamed about being chased by his own ghosts during her episode.

After Poppy’s attack at the Chambers of Nyktos, Kieran arrives in wolven form with many others and makes eye contact with her as the dozens of wolven move in, circling her and scenting the air. Protecting her.

Pupils shining a silvery-white, Kieran growls when others get too close to Poppy after her display of power. He even snaps at Casteel when he says he will destroy anything or anyone who dares to stand between him and his wife. Bunching to attack, he only stops when Poppy commands it. Still on alert and ready to pounce, he finally backs down when Poppy reminds him that he told her that Casteel was the only person in both kingdoms she was safe with.

Alastir turns on them and orders the guards to attack Poppy. Kieran leaps to protect her and is hit with an arrow dipped in shadowshade, freezing him in place and turning his skin as hard as stone and as cold as ice. Just like it did with Jasper, Casteel, and others.

I’ve seen what shadowshade can do, and it is not for the faint of heart. It is a terrifying sight to behold, indeed.

Finally out of his paralysis and part of a larger group, Kieran rushes in to rescue Poppy in Irelone. He sees that they bound her with deity bones and carefully removes them. When Casteel arrives and rips a Protector’s spine from his body, Kieran quips that he’s just a little bit angry.

And let me tell you, Casteel Da’Neer is incredibly alluring when enraged.

After Poppy deals with Jansen, a Protector shoots her in the chest with a crossbow bolt. Kieran frantically tries to pull it from her, hurriedly telling Cas that it missed her heart but got an artery and lung, reinforcing that the wound is mortal but that there’s still time. When he sees that Cas won’t be deterred from Ascending her, Kieran assures him that they will deal with whatever comes… Together.

Sometime later, Kieran is present when Poppy wakes and realizes he can still feel her Primal notam. When she pounces on him in hunger, he warns Cas that she’s much faster and stronger now, but then realizes she didn’t Ascend.

Overseeing Poppy’s first feeding with Cas, Kieran forces her to stop when she starts to take too much. When bloodlust turns to another type of lust, he leaves the couple to their devices.

When Poppy reveals more about what she was told while being held, Kieran confirms that the bond between him and Cas is broken and tells her he thinks the wolven instinctually knew what she was all along but didn’t quite put the pieces together. When she goes on to tell them about the bits she heard regarding the prophecy, Kieran informs her that Atlantians don’t believe in them.

As she worries about the bond shifting to her and what it means for him and Cas, Kieran reassures Poppy that their bond goes well beyond power and that it just means they’ve made room for her.

I absolutely adore these three!

They then discuss Poppy’s gifts, the deities, and immortality, and Kieran reveals that Poppy smells like final, absolute power to him now.

When they talk about Alastir again, Kieran says he believes the wolven still cares about Cas and his family but is loyal to the kingdom above all else. He then goes on to say that he assumes Alastir realized what Poppy was before anyone else and knew what it would mean for the kingdom and the Crown.

It doesn’t excuse his actions, but I also see the reasoning there.

Kieran—in wolven form—and Poppy wait as Casteel retrieves Alastir. When Poppy wonders if Alastir’s plan failed, Kieran telepathically answers, surprising her. After she slits Alastir’s throat, Kieran calls to the wolven, and they converge en masse to devour the disgraced wolven.

The next evening at the Contou residence, Kieran brings food and word that Valyn wants to meet with Casteel. He, Cas, and Poppy talk about the evening prior and how Casteel read parts of my journal about wicked kisses in secret places and foursomes—oh, those passages are good! But let me tell you, the real thing was even better… And Kieran laments that he wasn’t there for the foursome talk. Occasionally, I imagine sitting down with them and relaying some of the stories firsthand. It would be a delightful experiment to be sure.

Cas heads off to speak with his father, and Kieran stays with Poppy, explaining things about Nyktos and the wolven and their history, then telling Poppy that his people will respect her differently than they do the King and Queen because she is proof that they come from the gods. When she goes on to tell him what the Duchess told her about the Blood Queen being happy about Poppy taking both Atlantia and Solis, Kieran says that her actions determine whether she’ll become a threat to Atlantia, not her bloodline.

When she brings up hearing him in her mind at the Temple, Kieran asks about his imprint. She reaches out to test it and tells him that it’s like cedar, woodsy and rich. He assures her that he can’t read her thoughts all the time—only that one time at the Temple so far—and that if he could, he imagines her mind would be a cyclone of questions. When they attempt to communicate telepathically, they succeed—both ways. Kieran theorizes that the notam allows the communication.

After a battle with the Unseen, Kieran, Cas, and Poppy discuss the fight. Kieran explains how he tried to keep her out of it, and Cas tells him that his wife can take care of herself. When Kieran reminds them that things are different now, Poppy compromises by telling him they’ll handle whatever comes…together. When discussions turn to the attack that killed Poppy’s parents, Kieran tells her that everything she’s been told about Cora and Leo is most likely a lie.