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)
And when shit got real, it was always Kieran who kept a level head—who quickly assessed the situation for what it was and then acted on it. He didn’t waste time on desperate hope.
But he was now.
My gaze dipped. His hands no longer trembled, but they opened and closed rhythmically. And that wasn’t the only thing I noticed. His skin had thinned just enough for me to see tiny strands of fawn-colored fur breaking through. That was a sign he was about to lose his shit—something else that had happened only enough times for me to count on one hand.
I glanced at Poppy. She hadn’t moved an inch. My attention shifted back to Kieran. I could feel his heart racing.
“Kieran?” I waited until his gaze met mine. “Why are you here?”
He stared at me for a moment. “What kind of fucking question is that?”
I wet my lower lip. “I know you.”
“Yeah, you do. So, again, why would you ask me that?”
“Because I know if I asked you to let me handle Poppy, you would do just that.” I angled my body so I could keep an eye on Poppy. “No matter what was going on.”
“True,” he said after a moment. “But not when I think you’re in danger.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Reaver turn from Poppy. “Yeah, but you wouldn’t have picked up anything from me that would’ve given you that indication. I locked my shit down so you wouldn’t feel anything.”
A muscle began ticking in his jaw. “I told you I could feel her—”
“That’s not what brought you here.”
He held my stare for a few seconds, then looked away, shaking his head. He folded his arms over the black tunic he wore. “Do you really think that’s what we should be worried about right now?”
“For once,” Reaver drawled, “I actually agree with the wolf.”
My hands fisted. “I can worry about more than one thing at a time.”
Kieran’s nostrils flared, and what I tasted from him briefly wasn’t irritation. It was thick like concern but colder. Panic. And before he put up shields, I realized it also carried a distinctive sour note. I remembered then what emotion Poppy had once told me tasted like that.
Guilt.
And I was picking that up from Kieran.
A burst of raw pain cut through what I’d sensed from him, pulling my focus to Poppy. She was trembling, her eyes squeezed shut, and her features twisted. I moved toward her before I realized I was doing it.
“Stop,” she rasped. “Please.”
I halted, almost falling to my knees as I did. That sounded like her. I’d been wrong moments before when it truly felt like my heart had shattered, and nothing could feel worse. Because now, it felt like I’d ripped the heart right out of my chest when I spoke. “I can’t do that.”
Poppy lifted her head, and the aura in her eyes flashed. That was the only warning I got.
What felt like a gust of heated wind slammed into my chest. There was no fighting the force as I slid backward. I grabbed the bedpost and managed to stop myself as she eased up.
“I don’t know why she didn’t throw you into a wall,” Reaver grumbled.
“Because she loves me,” I said, straightening.
“Well, she likes me,” Reaver countered.
“She likes everyone,” Kieran said. “You’re not special.”
I could practically hear the draken’s eyes roll as I pushed off the bedpost.
“Kieran,” Poppy rasped, sounding like she had just seen him. “You answered.”
I halted.
He froze.
A vise had wrapped itself around my heart. “What does that mean?”
“I summoned…him,” she panted.
I didn’t take my eyes off her. “Why?”
Her throat worked on a swallow. “There’s something…wrong with me.”
“It’s okay.” I softened my tone, even as I felt the eather rising in me. “I’m going to help you.”
“You…can’t.” Her fingers were leaving indents in her flesh. “He can.”
I stiffened.
“Poppy,” Kieran whispered.
His voice. I’d only heard him sound that thin and broken once before. Right before Elashya took her last breath.
Poppy pitched forward before rocking back. “You…you promised.”
That vise tightened as I tore my gaze from her. My hands clenched at my sides again. “What is she talking about, Kieran?”
His eyes closed, and he shook his head.
“You…promised me,” she rasped.
“Don’t,” he whispered hoarsely, his eyes opening. The glow of eather was bright behind his pupils. “Don’t, Poppy.”
Her head jerked back as she slammed her palms onto the floor. “You promised me, Kieran!”
I couldn’t feel my hands. “What promise did you make to her?”
“There’s something…in me,” she cried, her tone slicing my heart into pieces. “It wants me to hurt him. Hurt all of you. Don’t…don’t let me do that.”
“You won’t.” Kieran stepped forward, the veins under his eyes beginning to fill with eather.
“What in the…?” Reaver’s whisper faded as he stared at Kieran. “Both of you?”
“You won’t,” Kieran repeated, ignoring Reaver. “You can fight this. You’re strong enough. We will figure something out.”