Page 34 of The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash #6)

That muscle in his jaw ticked in unison with my fingers. “The blood will burn through my flesh first, dampening its potency enough to not go too deep into hers,” he said quickly and quietly.

Kieran lurched on the other side of me. “You’re going to…?”

“I’ll gladly let it burn through my flesh,” I said.

“Do you want to lose all your fingers?” he shot back.

My lips spread into a closed-lip smile. “I’ll still have five more.”

“And your hand and likely your entire arm?” the Primal retorted. “Because that’s what will happen. The draken blood won’t just eat away at your flesh. It will destroy muscle and bone. You willing to do that?”

I tilted toward him, my smile increasing as I saw the eather flare in his eyes. “ Gladly .”

“You are…” Attes looked away, shaking his head.

“And why would you be willing to do such a thing?” I challenged, my fingers continuing to drum away. “For someone you’ve never met?”

“Do you think the same will happen to me?” His head swung back to mine. “I was old before the first Atlantian was even a flicker of a concept.” A low chuckle rumbled from him. “I’m far stronger than you.” He paused. “Who is a boy—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Kieran muttered.

“Compared to me,” he finished.

“Boy?” The laugh that left me was dark, and a chill hit the air.

“I will heal with a few days of stasis,” the Primal continued. “You, on the other hand, would end up with one hand and not be fine.”

“Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough,” I replied. “Or perhaps your hearing—or maybe your mental faculties—have weakened in your old age, worsening your comprehension skills.”

“Cas,” Kieran snarled under his breath. “Look at me.”

I held Attes’s glare.

“Godsdamn it, fucking look at me, you jackass,” Kieran hissed. “And listen.”

The Primal arched a brow.

Fingers stilling, I turned my head to Kieran. “Looking.”

“Thank you,” he bit out.

I smirked.

“Now, listen.” Kieran leaned in. “Besides the fact that we need that limb and appendages…”

I opened my mouth.

“I wasn’t done,” he growled. “How do you think Poppy will feel when she wakes up and sees that you’ve lost more fingers, a hand, and possibly an arm?”

I shut my mouth.

“How do you think she will feel knowing it was because of something you did for her?” he pressed.

I didn’t have to think about that. It would destroy her.

Kieran’s shoulders lowered. “She doesn’t know him.” He jerked his chin at Attes. “She isn’t going to care.”

“That’s rude to acknowledge,” Attes murmured.

“Cas,” Kieran said, dragging his lower lip between his teeth. “This”—a golden glow pulsed behind his pupils—“isn’t about you.”

My gaze cut back to Poppy, and I sucked in a sharp breath. Kieran was wrong, and he knew it. Poppy would still care. Maybe not as much as she would if it was me, but…

But his overall point was correct.

“Fine,” I forced out.

“Great.” Attes already held the vial in his hands when he glanced at Poppy.

His gaze lingered on her. “She hasn’t woken at all,” he said, more to himself, and something akin to concern pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“She won’t stay that way.” He looked at us.

“One of you should go to her other side.”

Understanding why he suggested it, I rose without a word and stepped over her, settling on her other side. Kieran inched closer to her lower body and placed one hand beside her. I had a sudden flashback to the ruins of Irelone.

Fuck.

That was the last thing I needed to be thinking about.

“Okay.” Attes reached under his left arm and gripped the hilt of his dagger. “I’m just using this to pierce the vial.”

I could tell Kieran had questions as Attes unsheathed a dull-white blade. His eyes met mine. We both recognized it. It was the same kind the Revenant had used and what Callum had cursed Kieran with.

“What kind of dagger is that?” Kieran asked.

“Ancient bone,” Attes answered. “It’s the only thing that will pierce basalt. Not even shadowstone will do it.”

“Ancient bone?” Kieran repeated.

“It’s exactly what you think. Bones of the very first gods to walk this realm.”

“The original Primals?” Kieran surmised.

“No. These are the ones who created the first Primals and all you see.” Attes looked between us as we processed the newest piece of history no one fucking knew about. “It’s deadly to gods and mortals and can even do damage to a Primal.” He inhaled deeply. “ A lot of damage in the wrong hands.”

My jaw clenched as I glanced down at Poppy’s face. “How would a Revenant get ahold of something like that?”

Attes frowned. “They shouldn’t. Why?”

“Not important right now.” I stiffened. “Her eyes stopped moving behind her lids.”

The Primal muttered a curse. “I’m going to need one of you to use the dagger to pierce the vial.”

“I’ll do it.” Kieran reached for the blade.

“Careful.” Attes handed it to him hilt first. “The bone will burn right through your skin.”

We knew that much.

“Noted,” Kieran murmured.

Attes’s inhale filled the cell. My gaze left Poppy’s as his grip on the vial firmed. His eyes met mine, and then he lifted his hand.

My arm snapped out as fast as a pit viper striking. I caught his wrist with my four-fingered hand. Our gazes locked as Kieran reached under our arms and lowered the top of her gown.

“I don’t need to look,” Attes said quietly. “Just guide my hand in the general direction.”

“Ready,” Kieran announced.

Attes’s gaze didn’t leave mine as I lowered his hand, not allowing myself to think about what I was doing—what I was allowing. I couldn’t.

When our hands neared Poppy, I looked down at the mark of Death. Fuck if it didn’t look like it pulsed.

Keeping the image of Poppy’s smile in my mind, I placed Attes’s hand on the mark. His flesh connected with hers for a second, and I felt a charge of energy flow from Poppy into Attes. I withdrew my hand, my gaze flying to hers. The short, shallow breaths ceased—

Poppy’s eyes snapped open, the blotches of color barely visible beneath the thick, swirling strands of crimson and shadow.

The sight of it shocked the three of us.

Her head tilted toward Attes, her pale lips curving into a smile. “You.”

Attes’s nostrils flared. “Do—”

Poppy moved faster than I thought possible.

She jerked halfway up, and her head snapped forward. There was a brief glimpse of delicate yet sharp fangs before she sank them into Attes’s arm.

“Shit,” he hissed.

I jolted forward with a much more blistering curse as Kieran tossed himself over her legs. A low growl crawled out of her. Reaching between her and Attes, I grabbed her under the chin.

“Anytime now,” Attes gritted out.

“Bad Poppy,” I muttered, getting my arm around her waist. “Let go.”

“Yeah. Don’t think that’s working.” Attes grunted as I tugged on her. “I’m beginning to think you’re delaying this.”

“I would never,” I said, pressing my fingers into the hollows of her cheeks, reluctantly acknowledging that the Primal was holding back. He held himself still. Didn’t even try to shake her off. He went from that fucker to the fuck in my book. Slight improvement.

Exerting pressure on the joints of her jaw, I forced her mouth open just enough to dislodge her. “There you go.”

“Thank fuck,” Attes muttered, drawing his arm away.

Pulling Poppy back, I grunted as she thrust her upper body forward once more, spitting a mouthful of blood directly in Attes’s face.

The Primal jerked with a curse.

“Great aim,” I murmured, relieved she hadn’t swallowed as I pushed her onto her back.

Attes shot me a dark look that didn’t last long as a low, raspy laugh parted her lips. He went rigid, his gaze shooting back to hers. “Hello,” he said as I planted my hands on her shoulders. “Kolis.”

“Why…am I not surprised to see…you here?” she said, rearing up with shocking strength.

“Fuck,” I snarled, pushing her back down.

“I was hoping you were dead,” she said in that strange, aching whisper.

“And the last time I saw you, you were impaled to the ground, looking dead.” Attes’s eyes flicked to mine, his gaze questioning.

I knew what he was seeking permission for. “Go ahead.”

“I’m ready,” Kieran assured.

She fought me, crimson streaking her chin as she fixed on the Primal. “I know,” she said, this time singing. And damn, somehow, that was more unsettling than the dry-as-bones whisper. “I know .”

I had no idea what he knew.

“Do it,” Attes demanded of Kieran.

Her lower body left the floor, lifting Kieran. With a curse, he shifted his weight down on her.

“I know!” she screamed, straining to look at Attes. “I know they weren’t of your blood.”

Attes halted, blood coursing from the wound that was already healing.

Her body shook with laughter. “I’ve always known they were his.”

The Primal paled as he stared down at her, frozen.

“Did you really think I didn’t know?” She tsked softly. “But don’t feel left out, old friend. I’m going to find every last one of yours.” She twisted her upper half to the side, straining toward him. “And I will kill them.”

“Attes,” I snapped.

“But you,” she hissed. “I will make sure you live to see it.”

“Attes!”

He blinked, pitching forward—

Fiery pain lit up my forearm. Cursing, I looked down to see crimson-and-black eyes locked onto mine as she dug her fangs into me.

Gritting my teeth, I forced out, “You really need to behave yourself.”

Attes reached around and gripped her chin. “You do realize this isn’t her, right?”

“I do, but that is her body. So, you’d better be careful,” I warned as she twisted her head, tearing more skin.

He huffed but forced her to release. As soon as my arm was free, blood splattered my cheek. She’d spat. Again.

I sighed.

“Starting with this one,” she cooed. “Going to work my way back. You will know his pain.”

“Shut up.” Attes placed his hand on her mark.

“You will understand why he loathed you,” she continued, nearly flipping Kieran. “You will know why he detested her.”

“You think I don’t already know? They were like mine.” He pushed down with more force than before. “You sick fuck.”

“Clearly, you two have history,” I muttered.