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)
“Cas,” I whispered, twisting toward him.
His inhale was swift, and his eyes slowly closed, thick lashes fanning his skin. Lowering the hand holding his glass to his thigh, he swallowed. “What I felt for you made me care about myself again. Care about life.”
Tears clogged my throat as I stared at him. “I might…cry.”
Casteel’s eyes opened, and his gaze swung to mine. “I didn’t tell you that to make you cry.”
“I know, but it’s…” Sweet wasn’t a powerful enough word. I blinked back the tears and set my glass on the floor. Moving closer, I touched his cheek. “I love you.”
His eyes searched mine. “I know.”
Sliding my hand back, I sifted my fingers through his hair. “I love you so much.”
He lowered his forehead to mine. “I know, my Queen.”
My fingers tightened around his hair. Eather flashed behind his pupils as his gaze dipped to my mouth. Under his stare, an aching heaviness settled in my breasts. I brought his mouth to mine. His lips tasted of those powerful words, and I knew then that he was what I needed. His kisses. His touch. The feel of his body against mine. Because I knew nothing else could occupy my mind then. Being with him had that kind of near-magical ability.
I was moving before I knew it, climbing into his lap. He straightened and moved his glass out of the way as my knees stopped where his swords rested.
“Comfortable?” He tipped his head back and took another drink.
“Yes.” I placed my hands on his shoulders and slid them down.
“Careful,” he warned. “The dagger may not burn you, but it can pierce your flesh.”
I glanced at the bone dagger. “I know.”
A half-grin appeared, revealing the dimple on his right cheek. “You totally forgot the dagger was strapped there.”
“Maybe.” I reached for the hilt and undid the strap, freeing the blade and holding it between us.
“Should I be concerned?”
“You tell me,” I remarked, my eyes tracing the wolf etched into the blade. “It really is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It is,” he said, setting a hand on my hip to steady me as I leaned over and set the dagger on the end table. “You just had a whole lot of heavy shit laid at your feet, Poppy.”
“Yeah,” I murmured, straightening and turning my attention to the straps of his baldric.
“You seriously have no memories of Sotoria?”
“Nothing beyond what I dreamt while in stasis.” I drew my fingers down a strap.
He was quiet for a moment. “Maybe that’s why you keep standing at the windows.”
My gaze lifted. “Keep? It thought I only—”
“You did it two nights ago.”
I sucked in a sharp breath. “I don’t remember that.”
“But you remember the nights before that?”
“Mostly,” I said, feeling him tense. “I don’t remember why I was standing there, but I do remember us.”
He nodded as my gaze lowered. Did some part of my subconscious somehow remember being Sotoria? Was that part stronger while I slept? It was the only thing that made sense. I wished it didn’t.
“Seraphena said maybe I remembered more about her when I was a child.” I returned my focus to the straps. “But I don’t recall being weirded out by the Cliffs then.”
“And now?”
I nodded as I found the buckle on his side.
“Maybe your Ascension unlocked some feelings associated with things related to Sotoria,” he suggested.
That made sense. But I didn’t like that it did.
“And you don’t remember the nightmare you had?”
“No.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. I only remembered the…gold bars.
“You’ve always recalled them before,” he said as I toyed with the buckle. “What is different—what are you doing?”
Having unbuckled the harness, I felt the weight of the sword shift. “Nothing.”
He took another drink as my fingers moved to the other buckle. “Doesn’t seem like nothing, my Queen.”
Unhooking the second sword, I placed my hands on his chest and ran them under the now-loosened straps. With the shirt like a second skin, I felt how his muscles tensed. “You know, I don’t really mind the shirt. You look good in it.”
“Of course, I do.”
“Arrogant.”
Cas winked. It was still a little infuriating how sexy he looked doing it while I appeared as if I had a twitch if I tried.
I dipped my head and kissed him. I tasted the woodsy flavor of the whiskey on his lips. Nipping at his lower lip, I wiggled closer, seating myself more fully in his lap. He hissed when I pressed down. His lips parted, and he swallowed the gasp that slipped free when I felt the hard length of his cock right against where I wanted him. The kiss deepened, and I felt his heart rate picking up, its beat mirroring mine. His hands landed on my hips—both of them. I had no idea where his glass had gone.
“Poppy—”
I kissed him again, silencing him as I leaned in. The contact of my breasts against his chest, even with layers of clothing between us, caused my nipples to tighten to almost-painful points. He kissed me as a raw, needy sound escaped from the depths of his being, eliciting a fine shiver from me.