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)
“Your husband has the temper of a rabid cat,” Aydun said, striding toward the opening.
Poppy’s head jerked back as her gaze swept over the Fate. “Uh…”
Aydun gave me a one-finger salute as he entered the opening. Once he was through, the tear closed behind him with a faint pop.
I hadn’t moved. I was cemented to where I stood, the air locked in my chest.
Blinking, Poppy turned her head toward me. “Were his…nipples pierced?”
Her voice, warm and velvety, snapped me into action. Everything but her disappeared.
I closed the distance between us in less than a heartbeat. Energy hummed over my fingers as I clasped her cheeks. “Don’t,” I rasped, my voice strained and edgy as I breathed in her sweet, soft scent. “Don’t you ever do anything like that again.”
“Cas,” she whispered. “I’m—”
I hauled her against my chest, muffling her words and forcing her onto her tiptoes. A shudder rocked the entire length of my body as I slid a hand through the silky strands of her hair, my fingers tangling in the loose braid.
Her heartbeat echoed in my chest as I looped an arm around her waist. Straightening, I lifted her so that her feet no longer touched the floor. She clutched my shoulders, holding on as I walked us backward on unsteady legs. Sitting on the edge of the bed with her nestled in my lap, I held her close, feeling her warmth and assuring myself she was safe, whole, and here.
“Cas,” she whispered.
I exhaled roughly, pulling back as I cupped her cheek. I took in every inch of her face, not missing a single freckle or scar. My gaze swept down, following the strands of hair that had escaped her braid and were stuck under the collar of her robe—
My stare shot back to her throat—to the faint red marks there. They resembled fingerprints. Anger froze the blood in my veins. My gaze lifted to hers. “Who did that to your neck?”
She lifted her fingers to the bruises. “Damn it, I was hoping they’d fade.”
“They didn’t,” I bit out. “Who did it, and where are they?”
Her shoulders tensed. “I’m okay.”
“That’s not an answer, Poppy.”
She let out a sigh, her back bowing slightly. “They’re somewhere you can’t go—”
Eather thrummed in my core. “Wanna bet?”
“Actually, I don’t.” She touched my jaw, and I leaned into the warmth of her fingers. “I’m okay. I swear.”
Relief and frustration fisted in my chest, forming a fucking mess of emotions. She wasn’t being honest with me.
“The lack of a straight answer tells me otherwise.” Gripping her hips, I started to lift her from my lap.
She grasped my shoulders, refusing to move. “It was an Ancient.”
I halted, waiting for her to elaborate.
“They were what—”
“Aydun told me what they were.”
Her fingers curled into my shirt. “The guy who was just here?”
My grip on her hips loosened as my frustration retreated. “Yes.”
“Did he tell you what he is?”
“He said he was a Fate.” My gaze drifted to the bruises around her throat. “Though I have a feeling I know what the Fates are.”
Her voice dropped. “The Ancients.”
I nodded. I had suspected as much.
Poppy sent me a curious look. “I have a feeling their real identities are not supposed to be known. But I…” She scrunched her nose. “But I think the draken know. Like they can sense it or something. What did he tell you?”
I lifted a hand and brushed some loose strands of hair back from her neck. “He told me about the Ancients and said they had Awakened.”
“The Arae are the ones who helped the Primals defeat the Ancients,” she shared and then explained how they’d split their powers. “So, that means there’s at least four of them.” Her jaw took on a stubborn tilt. “Did he tell you how many there are? How many Arae?”
My head tilted. “No.”
“Damn it.”
“Is that knowledge important?”
“To me, it is.” She slid her thumbs along my collarbones. “But it’s not important right now. Did this Aydun tell you why I had to leave?”
“He did. He said you felt the pain and death of…” My chest tightened. “Too many. And it pulled you to it.”
Her thick lashes swept down. “There’s more to it. But when I crossed the Veil, it was right before the Ancient there woke.” Her sadness coated my throat. “It could sense the essences of life and death in me.”
Knowing I wouldn’t like what she had to say next, I checked my anger. Barely. “The Ancient attacked you?”
“It didn’t respond all that…” Her brows knitted as I picked up on the lingering acidic burn of her anger. “He didn’t respond all that great.”
He? Icy-hot eather throbbed deep in my chest.
“We fought—well, if you can call what we did fighting,” she said with a strained laugh. “The Ancients—the ones in the ground?” Her heart rate spiked, taking mine with it. “They are so powerful, Cas.”