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)
My head jerked back as my heart dropped. “Oh, my gods.”
“Yeah,” he breathed, his gaze searching mine.
Panic threatened to take hold as I scooted back and sat down once more. Over two weeks? Anything could’ve happened in that time. “How are the people of Carsodonia handling things? What of the Ascended? The Descenters? Have there—?”
Casteel’s long, soft kiss silenced me, and for a few too-short seconds, all those concerns fell to the wayside. His kisses had that kind of power.
When he pulled away, it took me a moment to form coherent words. “You are really bad at behaving.”
“It’s a work in progress.” He shifted back. “I know you have lots of questions, and I’ll answer each and every one, but before we get into any of that, I need to know how you’re feeling.”
“Uh…”
“I’d prefer if you answered with something more than a sound.”
“I don’t know. I feel fine, but my thoughts are completely scattered,” I told him. “And I think that’s at least partly your fault.”
“Poppy,” he drawled.
“But I do feel fine.”
He palmed my cheek, tilting my head back so our eyes met. “Truthfully?”
“I feel normal for someone who has been asleep for so long and has Ascended to…” The next breath I took got stuck. “I’m a Primal now.”
One eyebrow rose. “Yes, you are a Primal goddess.”
“But I…I feel the same.” My brows knitted as I concentrated on the eather. It wasn’t just a throbbing in my chest. Instead, I could feel it humming through every vein. “The eather does feel stronger, but shouldn’t I feel, I don’t know, supremely badass?”
Those lips of his twitched. “You’re already supremely badass, Poppy.” He kissed the tip of my nose, and there was no mistaking the burst of fresh, earthy relief that swept through him. “But I’m relieved you feel the same as before.”
So was I.
But why?
Had I expected to be different after finishing the Ascension? My frown deepened. I didn’t think so, but as the fog that clouded the edges of my mind continued to dissipate, my stomach twisted sharply as I remembered why.
Cas’s hand moved, slipping under my braid. His fingers curved around the nape of my neck. “What are you thinking?”
“I was thinking about how Nektas said that a Primal god shouldn’t have two essences within them. It seemed like he was concerned with what I could be capable of—”
“He had no reason to be concerned,” Cas quickly interjected. “None at all, Poppy.”
I tried to smile, but I was sure it looked more like a grimace. It went beyond just what Nektas had said. There was the prophecy. And an instinctual part of me knew it was talking about me—or at least some of it was.
“But I didn’t really stop…Isbeth,” I said, proud of how I spoke her name without my voice cracking. “I actually turned out to be the Bringer of Death and Destruction by freeing Kolis, just like the prophecy said.”
“We didn’t really stop Isbeth,” Cas corrected, his hand tightening around the back of my neck. “And we don’t even know if that is what the prophecy truly means, Poppy. All we have are guesses and interpretations.”
That damn feeling returned; this time accompanied by an actual physical sensation: a faint tingling along the nape of my neck. There was this…feeling that I knew exactly what the prophecy meant but couldn’t quite figure out what it was. Frustration sparked. There were all sorts of thoughts floating around, but it was like trying to grasp shadows when I focused on them.
His hand left my neck. “Okay?”
I pressed my lips together and nodded as my gaze flickered over the chamber’s ivory walls. I drew in a deep breath. “Speaking of Kolis…”
Every part of him tensed, and the essence flared in his eyes. “Let’s not go there yet.”
“How can we not?” I countered. “According to Nektas, it’s up to us to deal with him—the true Primal of Death. While I was napping for an eternity, he’s been out there somewhere, doing only the gods know what. And we know so little about him—what he wants or even what his motivations are.”
“I know, but like you said, you’ve been napping for what felt like an eternity. You need to get some food in you.” Cas swung his legs off the bed and stood. “Thirsty?”
Was I? My gaze dropped to his half-unbuttoned breeches and the thick ridge of his arousal straining against the supple doeskin. The fact that he was still semi-hard was rather impressive. “Yes,” I said in a husky voice I barely recognized.
“I wasn’t asking if you were thirsty for my cock,” he remarked.
My mouth dropped open.
“I was talking about water or juice. Perhaps some tea?”
My face flamed with heat as I forced my stare northward, taking in the tightly packed muscles of his abdomen and chest—
The breath I took lodged in my throat. Next to his wedding ring, there was an inch-and-a-half scar just above his heart. It was pinker than the paler, long-healed scars. Fresher.