Page 177 of The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash #6)

POPPY

My gaze traveled over the golden threads Naill had painstakingly sewn into the dark-gray tunic’s shoulders and bodice, my mind not on the public address taking place in less than an hour.

Friends.

Attes and Sotoria had been friends. I honestly didn’t know how to feel about that.

Not because I had no real memory of it or because Casteel clearly wasn’t thrilled about it—something I found amusing, despite knowing it shouldn’t be.

That probably said something not so great about me, but Casteel truly had no reason to be worried or jealous.

I mean…come on .

I didn’t know how to feel because Attes would’ve had to know her while Kolis held her. After all, being a ruling Primal of War, he wouldn’t have been able to spend any length of time in the mortal realm. How could I still feel…fondness for him?

How could we have been friends, and he did nothing to help me?

There had to be more to it—

Wait.

“Not me.” I stared at my reflection, biting my lip. “Her.”

Something like this couldn’t be okay.

But it had to be.

The backs of my eyes burned, and I pressed my hand to my stomach. It trembled as energy stirred within me. My throat…it didn’t sting, but it did feel itchy and full of pressure. I wanted to scream. That’s what itched and built pressure.

Instead of screaming like a maniac, I drew in a deep breath and held it for several seconds like Seraphena had suggested. Then, I exhaled slowly. I had no idea if it helped, but I no longer feared screaming. Perfect timing because I felt Casteel’s return.

I turned from the mirror and walked toward the Solar.

The sight of Casteel was no small miracle.

It made my breath catch in my throat and pushed the darker thoughts to the edges of my mind.

I came to a complete stop and took him in.

I hadn’t seen him when he left to check on the preparations for the address, as Tawny and Vonetta had been busy applying paint to my lips and eyes and attempting to do something with my hair other than leaving it in a braid.

It had ended with half my hair up and the rest cascading down my back.

Dressed in a fitted tunic with the same golden embroidery and black breeches, he looked every inch the god he now was.

Gods, he was stunning. And he was looking at me in the same way. The mad fluttering in my chest moved to my stomach and lower as he prowled toward me.

An image of the gold-spotted cave cat flashed in my mind as his dark-spice-and-pine scent enveloped me.

He stopped and cupped my cheek. My breath hitched again at how the aura of eather pulsed in his eyes, and the energy danced from his flesh to mine.

“You look so incredibly beautiful,” he said, his tone low and thick as he lowered his head.

He kissed me then, causing a slow burn to unfurl under my skin and heat to ripple through my body.

His mouth moved hungrily against mine, likely undoing all Tawny and Vonetta’s hard work. “And so exquisitely powerful.”

I leaned into him, my hands settling on his sides.

Hearing him call me beautiful would never get old.

But the last part? Exquisitely powerful?

That nearly stole every ounce of reason I possessed, leaving me aching for more than just the feel of his lips.

I wanted to feel him inside me, thick and hard, stretching me.

I thought of how he’d seemed to swell while inside me in the tub, remembering the bite of pain and razor-sharp pleasure.

My inhale was shaky as a pulse of desire darted to my core.

A low, rough sound rumbled from him as he snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me to his chest. “My Queen,” he murmured. “ Behave .”

My fingers pressed into his sides as I felt the thick, hard length of him against my belly. “How am I not behaving?”

Cas’s nose brushed mine. “I can taste how wet you are for me,” he said, nipping my lower lip. “And, sadly, we do not have time for that.”

The flush that hit my cheeks had nothing to do with shame and everything to do with red-hot lust. And…just like in the tub, a little relief. He still desired me as fiercely as he had before learning about Sotoria. And while he’d told me exactly that, showing me had a far greater impact. “Later?”

“You should already know the answer to that, my Queen.” His fingers threaded through my hair. “But in case you truly do not, rest assured, there will be a later. And when it comes, I will fuck you until the word later has been erased from your memory.”

A throbbing pulse of desire followed those words, already causing me to lose my ability to speak.

And Casteel knew it.

His laugh was low, dark, and full of smoke and shadows. “Everyone is at the Temple.” His entire tone shifted. “Including Attes.”

I pressed my lips together. “You really shouldn’t dislike him. He’s your family, and you don’t even know him.”

“I know enough.”

“You—”

“He said he was friends with Sotoria, yet he still breathes.”

All the wonderful heat vanished from my body.

“And he still breathes because he clearly didn’t intervene on Sotoria’s behalf.” His eyes searched mine. “You can’t tell me that hasn’t crossed your mind.”

Obviously, it had. I had just been thinking about it. “There has to be more to it.”

“I’m sure there is.” He tucked a stray hair behind my ear. “And I probably won’t like that either.”

“Cas,” I repeated. “Can you just try to get along with him? He is helping us—he has helped us. That is all that matters right now.”

His jaw flexed. “Would it make you happy?”

“Yes.”

“Then…I will try.”

“Promise?”

He sighed and briefly closed his eyes. “Promise.”

My head cocked. “Why did promising that sound like you just suffered a mortal wound.”

“Because it felt like I did.”

A laugh escaped me. “You’re ridiculous.”

An eyebrow rose. “Ridiculously—”

“No.” I placed my fingers over his lips. “Don’t finish that.”

Chuckling, he nipped at my fingertip. “I’ll be nicer. For you.”

“Thank you.” I smiled. “I wonder if he has spoken to Valyn. Or talked to Malik.”

“They were talking when I saw them—Valyn and Attes. Malik just showed up as I left. Hopefully, Father spoke to him last night. If not, well…”

It would be awkward.

And talk about timing. If Valyn hadn’t returned yesterday?

“You ready?” he asked.

I nodded.

Casteel straightened, dropping his hand to mine. He took the lead, seeming to know my mind wasn’t in the right place. I felt a rise of eather—

“Wait!” I shouted.

Casteel slowly turned his head toward me. “I think I just lost an eardrum.”

I rolled my eyes. “No, you didn’t.”

He arched a brow.

I kept forgetting to talk to him about the future of the kingdoms—about who should rule them. It had just resurfaced, but…was now the right time to discuss it? When everyone, including nearly the entire capital, was waiting on us? We needed more than a handful of minutes to talk about it.

Cas waited, his gaze expectant. “Did you have something to say?”

“Just that I…love you.” I gave him a big smile.

He blinked those ridiculously long lashes. “That’s why you burst my eardrum?”

“Your eardrum is fine.” I sighed.

“I don’t think you realize how loud you are,” he replied, the corners of his lips twitching. “But the temporary loss of hearing was worth it to hear those words.”

Now, my smile was as genuine as it was big.

One side of his lips curled up. “You ready now?”

I nodded.

“You sure? I don’t want to lose the other—”

“For fuck’s sake, I am going to burst your eardrum in a minute.”

Cas chuckled deeply, his golden eyes warming. “You are so incredibly…violent.”

Which was one of the many, many reasons we needed to discuss the future of the kingdoms.

Stretching up, I kissed him. “I’m ready. No more shouting.”

Cas shadowstepped us to the Sun Temple with both eardrums intact.

When the silver light faded, it took me a moment to recognize my surroundings. The last time I’d been in the Temple was as a young child, but I quickly recalled the vast cella—the Temple’s main chamber.

The day was overcast, but that didn’t dampen the radiance of the space.

The gold veins in the ivory floors shimmered, and the diamonds encrusting the tall limestone pillars framing the steps leading to the pews and the alcove circling the cella captured what light there was, casting fractured beams of warmth across the wide chamber.

As Casteel turned, my gaze swept over the raised dais and the golden throne, its back carved into the shape of a sun.

It shimmered with an almost otherworldly light.

Had Seraphena ever sat upon that throne while the Temple was empty?

Casteel’s hand tightened around mine, and I dragged my gaze from the throne. We crossed the cella, our steps echoing through the hollow chamber. While I was curious to explore the glittering halls and sun-drenched chambers, there was no time for that.

I could hear the crowd gathering outside.

Climbing the spiral staircase to the High Chamber where the others waited, I expected the flutter of nerves to grow into those large birds of prey. But they didn’t. Nor did my heart begin pounding with anxiety. The realization caused me to stop.

Casteel, a step above me, turned. “Poppy?”

I looked up at him. “I’m not nervous. I mean, I’m a little nervous, but that’s it.”

“That’s a good thing.” He cocked his head. “Right?”

“Yeah.” And it made sense.

Cas studied me for a moment. “Is there another reason you stopped?”

I drew my lip between my teeth. “I guess I’m just surprised.”

He continued staring at me for a few seconds, and then his lips curled up in a faint smile that came close to making the dimple in his right cheek appear.

“We should probably keep moving,” he said.