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)
“How about instead of asking them to trust you,” Casteel said, his voice low, “you trust us to keep our cool?”
“I do trust you, but—”
“There should be no but following that statement,” he cut in.
I gripped the back of the chair. “You don’t understand, Cas.”
“I don’t understand,” Malik chimed. “Yeah, again. But why wouldn’t you want them there? Why would you argue to go alone?”
“She won’t be alone,” Attes said. “I will go with her.”
A muscle flexed in Casteel’s jaw.
“And that would be allowed?” Malik asked.
“It was not requested that she go alone.”
Malik’s gaze moved between us. “This still doesn’t sound wise to me.”
“I’m not going there just to listen to whatever nonsense Kolis has to say.” I turned and stepped off the dais. “I’m going to kill him.”
Naill twisted in his chair to face me. “Wouldn’t that be in direct violation of the rules?”
“That’s the point.” One of them. “The Fate will put me in…a time-out.” The edges of the tunic snapped at my knees as I began to pace. “I’ll survive that, right?”
Attes didn’t turn around. “You’re a true Primal of Life and Death. I don’t even know if a Fate can kill you. At least, not one.”
Oh.
I hadn’t even considered that.
“But you’ll likely end up in stasis…for a time,” he finished.
The sharp rise of eather came from where I had been seated, both icy and hot.
“I don’t see the point in this conversation,” Casteel stated.
“What would you do the moment the Fate moves to put me in stasis?” I demanded to the back of his head. “Would you allow it?”
Casteel didn’t respond.
I looked at Kieran. “You?”
He stared at me with an almost desperate look in his eyes. “Poppy—”
“Neither of you would allow it,” I interrupted. “I don’t know if they can kill either of you, but I do know you would attack them. And I cannot—I refuse—to allow that.”
“You refuse?” Casteel’s voice was soft.
“Yes. I refuse.” I made another pass between the pillars. “The last thing I need to worry about is what is going to happen to you while I’m there to kill the true Primal of Death.”
“And what if there is no Fate?” Casteel shot back. “What if this is just a trap?”
My stomach dove. “That’s…possible. But he won’t kill me.”
“How can you say that?” Vonetta asked.
“Because I can. I know.” I kept moving as the eather thrummed in my chest. “I’ll have to—”
“Explain it later?” Delano finished, his brows raised.
“Yes. Later. After I deal with the asshole,” I said.
Emil frowned as he leaned forward. “You guys did the Joining, right?”
I inhaled deeply, really wishing that hadn’t been brought up with Casteel’s father present. “Yes,” I clipped, refusing to look in Valyn’s direction.
“Then even if Kolis attacks one of them—”
“Death by Kolis’s hand or by his will severs any bond,” I stated, and for the third time, the table went silent. “They will have no protection.”
“That doesn’t matter,” Casteel stated.
“It does.” I stopped behind him. “The point is, I will survive—”
“The point is you think we won’t be able to control ourselves,” Casteel bit out. “Or is it just me you think won’t be able to, even if it jeopardizes you?”
My brows snapped together. “That’s not what I’m saying.”
“That’s exactly what you’re saying—what you’ve been saying,” Casteel fired back. “You don’t trust that I will do the right thing.”
Air hitched in my lungs. “And I don’t understand now, just like I didn’t understand before, why you would say that.”
Casteel didn’t respond.
“Can you explain it?” I asked, my heart thumping.
“I’m sure Kieran can.”
“What?” My gaze shot to Kieran. He shook his head, his eyes closing. “What are you talking about?”
Nothing but silence ensued as everyone began shifting uncomfortably in their seats.
“Casteel,” I said. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you have to understand—”
“As I said,” he interrupted. “I understand perfectly.”
“What do you understand?” I demanded, my patience wearing thin as unease and anxiety bloomed. “And how about you actually turn around and look at me when you explain it?”
“I understand,” he stated. With a charge of eather, the bloodstone dagger vanished in a ripple of shadowy essence streaked with crimson.
“Gods,” muttered Vonetta.
“I understand,” he repeated, rising to face me, “that you do not believe I’m capable of doing what is needed, no matter what that might be—no matter how hard or difficult it could be.”
My confusion continued to rise as I looked at him. “I’m really not following.”
“Let me ask you something, Poppy.” Casteel walked onto the step. “If you felt like you couldn’t control your power, if you felt yourself becoming unstable, would you come to me?”
“I think this meeting should be adjourned,” I thought I heard Kieran suggest, but my heart was pounding too loud to be sure as I stared at Casteel.
He came down the last step. “Would you trust that I could keep you level? That I would be able to stop you from losing control?”