Total pages in book: 401
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 390373 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1952(@200wpm)___ 1561(@250wpm)___ 1301(@300wpm)
CASTEEL
“Are you ready to behave as if you don’t wish for today to be your very last?”
The entire length of my body vibrated with rage as I glared at the motherfucker with the tattooed face.
The son of a bitch had strolled out of the very same opening in the realm Poppy had left through seconds earlier.
I had no idea who he was. We didn’t make it to the introductions, considering he’d lifted a hand and sent me skidding across the chamber floor as the portal closed, sealing me off from wherever Poppy had gone.
I’d lost my shit. Plain and simple. Part of it was due to how easily he’d gotten the upper hand. I wasn’t used to that. But absolute terror—for Poppy—fueled my fury. I had no idea where she’d gone. All I knew was that it couldn’t be good based on what she’d been picking up. And she’d just woken from stasis. I didn’t think she had taken enough blood. She hadn’t eaten. And I wasn’t sure she fully remembered everything. She was out there somewhere, without me to back her up, facing only the gods knew what. So, yeah, I lost my shit. I launched myself at him, starting to shift without any real conscious effort. That’s how far gone I was.
The fucker put a real quick stop to it, though. He sent me one look with eyes eerily familiar that not only held me completely immobile but also kept my ass suspended with a fine dusting of gold-spotted black fur covering every inch of my flesh, claws protruding from the tips of my now-shortened fingers, and significantly longer canines.
A rough, guttural growl rumbled from my throat as I pushed against his invisible hold. The essence pulsed inside me and then just…sputtered out.
“I guess not,” the pierced-nipple fucker replied with a bored tone, knocking back brown hair as long as Poppy’s from his face. Turning away, he looked at the dining table. “What is it about the women of the Mierel bloodline that attracts such reckless men with so little regard for their lives?” Lifting a lid from a covered dish, he smiled at the array. “Oh! Cheese.” He reached for one of the cheeses I knew Kieran had prepared because it was sliced into small, bite-sized cubes.
“Where is Poppy?” I demanded.
“Not here.”
My chest vibrated with a growl that crawled its way out. “No shit.”
He paused for a moment, his fingers hovering over the cheese before picking up not one, not two, but three cubes.
“That food is not meant for you.”
“No shit,” he parroted.
I pushed harder against the invisible hold. “I’m going to ask you one more time. Where is Penellaphe?”
“Or what?” He tossed the cheese into his mouth.
“Release your hold on me and find out.” I held his stare. “Unless you’re afraid.”
He chewed slowly, his expression giving nothing away. I didn’t pick up anything from him either. “You make such threats because you have no idea what I am. Nyktos, on the other hand, did. But he still ran his mouth.”
“I knew I liked him.”
“Charming,” he murmured. “I can’t wait for you to realize who you are speaking to.”
“Obviously, you’re a god. And clearly, I don’t give a fuck.” The words came in quick, uneven bursts, each one threaded with fury. “And, like I said… That food. Is not meant. For you.”
“A god?” He laughed. “I am no god. And it would be rude of you not to allow me to enjoy this amazing array of cheeses.”
“Bullshit,” I bit out as I continued pushing against his hold. The eather responded, throbbing more intensely. My fingers twitched.
“Do you think a god would be able to do what I’ve done with you?” he asked. “Do you think a god could prevent your wolven from feeling your anger or sensing her absence?”
Well, that explained why Kieran wasn’t beating down the door. However, I didn’t know what a god, especially one as old as I assumed he was, was capable of.
He popped the cheese into his mouth, sending a tight-lipped smile in my direction. “I am no measly god.”
The first moment I could move, I was going to shove every piece of that cheese down his throat.
“And, apparently, neither are you,” he continued. He swept his gaze over me as his hand moved to the other cloche. “Who would’ve thought this would be the outcome of a Joining with a Primal?” He chuckled as if he’d said something funny. “Oh, wait. That’s right. We should’ve known. And by we, I’m not talking about you and me.”
“Figured that,” I spat, pulling on the essence once more as my lengthened canines dragged against my lip. A spasm ran through my muscles.
“Should’ve is the keyword in what I just said, by the way. Though I have a feeling some knew exactly what the outcome would be.” He prattled on, talking about something I gave no fucks about. “But I imagine, between the heartmates thing,” he said with a dismissive huff, “and throwing a wolven into the mix, it led to more…unexpected developments.” One shoulder lifted. “And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about the Arae when I say we.”