Page 75 of The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash #6)

CASTEEL

Bone and Ash.

A strange sensation echoed through me, reverberating in my blood and bones.

I rubbed my chest, having no idea what had caused it.

“Death and Destruction?” Poppy said, looking at me. “He said that was Kolis?”

Dropping my hand, I replayed my conversation with the Fate. “He didn’t say it wasn’t. But who else could it be?”

“True,” she murmured, the crease between her brows slowly fading. “What else did he say?”

“He said something about your Ascension,” I told her, the words tasting bitter. “About how it created something that would basically kick off…things here.”

Her chin lowered to her knee. “Something I created?”

“I assume he was talking about Kolis.”

Poppy’s brow furrowed and then smoothed as she lifted her head to look at me. “I don’t know about that,” she said. “He might’ve been talking about you and Kieran. It lines up with what the other Fates said. Basically, that I didn’t really Ascend you and Kieran. I sort of created you.”

“Created me…?” I raised a brow.

Poppy cringed. “Yeah, that sounds a little weird.” She took a shallow breath. “When my abilities split between you and Kieran, it created a new pantheon.”

My brows lifted. “I like the sound of that.”

She grinned. “Of course, you do.”

Chuckling, I reached over to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. “They told you that?”

“Yeah. They said we’re Deminyen Primal gods.”

“ Deminyen ?”

“True Primals without a Court,” she explained.

“A Court is just another word for what the gods represent—what their essence represents. But a Deminyen is a true Primal without ties to any Court. Your and Kieran’s presence in the mortal realm doesn’t impact the mortals like the Primal of a Court’s would.

So, I don’t understand how that could kick off…

wait. You both carry true embers, so you could take a Court if necessary.

” She cut herself off with a frown. “Because it doesn’t matter. ”

“It sort of feels like you’re having a conversation with yourself right now,” I drawled. “But it’s adorable.”

She grinned. “Sorry. It’s just that the Fates I spoke to clearly left some details out. You see,” she said, twisting toward me, “Aydun was talking about you. You are the other true Primal of Death.”

Her words echoed through my thoughts as I stared at her.

“It makes sense,” she said. “Alone, your presence doesn’t impact anything. But with Kolis here, it does. The same would happen if the Queen of the Gods were in the mortal realm for any real length of time.”

“You sure about that?”

“I think so—no, I’m sure. It’s the vadentia .”

It took me a moment to remember what the word meant in the language of the gods. Kieran probably would’ve known in a heartbeat. “Foresight?”

She nodded. “It came with the Ascension. I’m not sure why only I… Actually, I think that might have to do with me being a descendant of the Queen of the Gods and female. And because, technically, I’m the first Deminyen to Ascend into Primalhood.”

“Well, aren’t you special?”

She shot me an arch look.

I chuckled. “So, you are our Queen, even more so now.”

“Wouldn’t that make you even more of a King?”

“No.” I leaned back and drew up a knee. “It would make me your Consort. Just as before.”

“I still reject that notion.”

“Of course, you do,” I parroted back her earlier words.

Poppy grinned, but it faded too quickly. “You said this would continue to add to the imbalance,” she said. “Has that already started?”

“Yeah.” I scrubbed a hand over my jaw. “The sun.”

She tensed. “The sun?”

“You know how it should rise in the east?”

“Should?” She stared. “I’m going to need a whole lot more detail. And fast.”

“Well, it doesn’t anymore,” I told her. “Now, it rises in the west.”

Poppy opened her mouth. Closed it. “That can’t be good.”

“Other than freaking out the mortals, it hasn’t had much of an impact. However, it did the switch up…” Damn, that was only two days ago. It felt longer than that. Then again, who knew how long Aydun had done whatever he had to halt time? “That was about two days ago.”

“So, the effects may not have been seen yet.” She gripped the blanket. “Has anything else completely illogical happened?”

“Not as far as I know, but I’m guessing the longer Kolis remains in this realm”—lifting a hand, I ran my fingers along her braid—“the more obvious the imbalance will become.”

“What could be more obvious than the sun rising in the west?” She shook her head. “He didn’t give any examples of what else could happen?”

“No.” I tugged the band securing her braid free and slipped it onto my wrist.

Poppy was quiet as I meticulously finger-combed her hair. “This is good news, though,” she said eventually. “Not the sun thing, of course.”

Chuckling, I gathered up her hair. “Definitely not that.”

“But you and Kieran are Primal gods,” she continued as I brought the length of hair over her shoulder. “It means both of you will be powerful.”

“It does.”

She bit her lip as I skimmed my hand down her arm. Her back arched as she said, “And how do you feel about being a Primal now? You don’t seem surprised.”

“I think I got all the surprise out of me when I saw the eather swirling around me the first time,” I replied, which was true. “I’ve had some time to process it.”

Her worry thickened as she said. “But this wasn’t something you expected when you agreed to the Joining. Neither did Kieran. But…” She pulled in her lips and then released them. “So, you’re okay with it? With being a…Primal of Death?”

My hand went to her waist as I shifted onto my knees. I crowded her until she was flat on her back and beneath me. Her scent, sweet and warm, surrounded me. I kissed her shoulder. “Are you?”

A fine shiver danced over her skin. “Yes.”

I nipped at her. “Then so am I.”

She stared at me. “You make it sound like my feelings are the only thing that matters, Cas—”

Kissing her, I captured her words with a sweep of my tongue over the seam of her lips. She opened for me at once. And, gods, just one kiss, and I was full of need for her. I wanted nothing more than to sink into her tight, wet heat. And I would if the kiss continued for much longer.

With effort, I lifted my head. She pulled back with a breathy sigh, her slightly unfocused gaze searching mine.

I understood what she was looking for. “The moment I saw the essence around me, I knew it was the essence of death,” I told her. “The Deminyen thing is a shock, but I still feel the same.” Mostly. “And I’m sure some things will take some getting used to, but I’m okay with that. All right?”

Exhaling softly, she nodded. A moment passed. “I think it’s far past time we start acting like a King and Queen.”

“Unfortunately, you’re correct.”

She reached up and brushed my hair back from my eyes. “That means you need to move.”

“I know.”

Her lips curled up. “You still haven’t moved.”

“I’m working on it.” I gave her one more quick kiss and pushed myself up and off the bed. Standing, I stretched my arms, trying to loosen the too-tight muscles.

Her heady, sweet scent increased, heating my blood. Lowering my arms, I looked over my shoulder.

Poppy lay on her side, arms crossed over her breasts. Her lower lip was between her teeth as she eyed me.

“Poppy.” Her name rumbled from my chest.

She groaned. “Please put some clothes on.”

I grabbed my breeches and pulled them on as I glanced out the window, seeing that the sky looked the same as when Aydun was here.

A frown pulled at my lips. My suspicions about the Fate messing with the time grew.

Because night should’ve fallen by now. Securing the flap on my breeches, I shook my head.

“You can look. My modesty is now protected.”

“Modesty,” she huffed.

Grinning, I faced her. Much to my disappointment, she had already pulled on the sleeping gown. My gaze lowered to the robe lying in tatters under her. Recalling what she’d said about it—or tried to—I asked, “You said you got the robe at Mount Lotho?”

“Yeah.” She glanced at it and cringed. “I think it belonged to Penellaphe.”

“ The Penellaphe?” I walked to where I’d laid the robe that I’d given her before she felt the pull to the other realm.

“Yes, that one.” She paused. “She’s married to Holland.”

“Really?” I picked it up and walked it over to her. “I didn’t know the Fates were the marrying type.”

“Me, neither.”

I held the robe out to her. “Was she there?”

“If she was, I didn’t get to see her,” she said, her voice full of disappointment. She rose and turned, slipping her arms through the robe’s sleeves. “I didn’t see any of the gods while—”

I noticed as she felt the wave of awareness I did—one that reminded me of cedar and crisp morning air.

Kieran.

Poppy’s gaze shot toward the door and then swung back to me. “You can feel him again, can’t you?”

I nodded, sensing he wasn’t on our floor yet but was getting closer and moving fast. “It’s like there’s a…

cord deep inside me. Similar to the bond.

It ended when your Primal notam kicked into place but returned after the Joining.

And it’s growing stronger,” I told her, gathering the sides of her robe together.

“There’s no taste of emotion, just a sense of knowing . Woodsy. Like—”

“Cedar.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the sense of awareness amplified. I smiled at Poppy as I felt the woodsy mark brush against my mind.

She’s awake.

It wasn’t a question, so I didn’t respond.

The press of the mark got stronger. Is she…?

He didn’t need to finish the question for me to know what he was asking. I followed the pathway back to him. Yes.

Kieran had stopped moving, and I knew what he was waiting for. Permission. My eyes closed as I rested my forehead against Poppy’s. A part of me wanted to deny him entry, but as she placed her hand on my chest, I tasted the bubbles of her excitement. She wanted to see Kieran.

And I wouldn’t— couldn’t —prevent that.

Focusing on his mark, I pushed my thoughts outward. She’s waiting for you.

There was a pause, and then, Thank you.