Tropes
Trigger Warnings
Synopsis
Loved It / Hated It
Our Perspective
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
âThe night before I learned who he really was, I had already decided that I could no longer be the Maiden. It wasnât just because of him. Maybe how I felt about him was the start of me realizing that I could never live in the skin of the Maiden, but I wanted to stay with him. Even though I thought he was a Royal Guard and would have to basically go into hiding with me, I wanted to be with himâto stay with him somehow. Because he made me feelâŠ. He made me feel like I was alive. I did care for him. I cared for him a lot.â
âHe wouldnât be marrying you, risking the ire of not just his entire kingdom but also his parents, who you will soon discover are not two people you want to anger just so you have a chance to make it through this alive, free from the Ascended and from him. If that is what you choose. But more importantly, he wouldâve stuck to the plan he spent years cultivating, and we wouldâve already been halfway to Carsodonia to exchange you for his brother. Yet, here we are. And the only reason why any of that changed is because once he got to know you, he started to care for you.â
âNot that adventurous, huh? Look, I know youâre not looking for this marriage to go beyond the necessary. So, itâs not even something you need to worry about. But the Joining is meant to strengthen the bond thatâs already there, and ensure that the partner is also a part of that bond. Itâs not done lightly, and again, it is not always a sexual thing. I know itâs been done where everyone kept their body parts to themselves.â
âA marriage can only occur between two Atlantians if both halves are standing on the soil of their home, Princess.â
âEarlier, after the Craven, you were right about why they forced you to stay quiet about being bitten and told you never to use your abilities. Someone couldâve discovered what you were, and that would have brought their entire house of bones down on them. So, why did they wait so long and take that risk? Please tell me that youâve asked yourself these questions.â
âI took her, and I kept her, but not to use her. Somewhere along the way, I no longer saw her as a bargaining chip or a tool for revenge. I saw her for who she was. Who she isâthis beautiful, strong, intelligent, endlessly curious and kind woman who was as much a victim of the Ascended as any Atlantians. I fell in love with her, probably long before I even realized I had. My plans changed. What I believed about Malik changed. And this was before I learned what she was. That she is part Atlantian. She is the reason I came home.â
âIf you donât wish to step back and remove yourself from this situation, then you canât let it show that their feelings are getting to you. You canât let Casteel know, lest we have another Landell situation on our hands. I donât know for sure what he feels for you, but one thing is evident. He will act upon any perceived insult to your honor. There is power there, Penellaphe. You are the neck that turns the head of the kingdom.â
âI am Hawke. And I am Casteel. Iâm not two separate people, no matter how badly you want to believe that.â
âSo, those who barely have enough to survive, turn their anger towards those who have more than they could ever need. And never towards the Ascended.â
âYou cannot even begin to comprehend why you were Chosen, but thatâs neither here nor there. Youâll learn soon enough.â
âYour penchant for violence isnât anything to be ashamed of. Not with me. Havenât I told you it turns me on?â
âWhat I said that night still holds true. Iâm not worthy of you. I knew that then. I know that still. But that hasnât stopped me from wanting you. That hasnât stopped me from concocting a plan where I can have you, if only until this is over. It didnât stop me from wanting everything from you. From pretending that I could have everything, Poppy.â
âTold him that if a woman fights with that kind of passion and makes you work that hard to earn even a smile, then thatâs the kind of woman you want by your side in and out of the bedchamber.â
âI felt your hunger, Casteel, and I donât need to do this. I stopped doing things I didnât want to do the moment I took off the damn veil. I want to help you. Because as stupid as this may make me, and only the gods know why, I care about you! So, yeah, I donât want to have my throat ripped open, and I also donât want to know that youâre suffering for no reason.â
âIâm not foolish enough to not feel fear when I know that any of you could kill me before I even have a chance to take my next breath. But fearing what youâre capable of doesnât mean I fear you.â
âBut I donât think thatâs the case. I think itâs something deeper than that. Something intangible, far rarer and stronger than bloodlines and even the gods. Something powerful enough that it has ushered in great change in the past.â
âHe was Casteel then just like heâs Hawke now. And you know that. You just arenât ready to accept it.â
âI swear to you, Poppy. I had no idea that you were Atlantian until I tasted your blood. I didnât even suspect that was what you were when I learned of your gift. Maybe I should have.â A shadow crossed his features, gone so quickly I wasnât even sure I had seen it. âBut no Atlantian has been capable of such a thing for, well, for hundreds of years. I didnât know.â
âMy mother chose my middle name in honor of her brother. His name was Hawkethrone. My full name is Casteel Hawkethrone DaâNeer. When I was a small child, my mother took to calling me an abbreviated form of that name. And so did my brother. They, and only they had ever known me as Hawke. Until you.â
âThen fight me. Remember what I said earlier? I want you to battle me. I look forward to it. I enjoy it. None of that was a lie. Engage me.â
âPlease donât die. Casteel would be most displeased.â
âNo, Poppy. You being mortal or half-Atlantian wouldnât have changed what was already happening.â
âWhat does matter is that I know why Iâm the Queenâs favorite. I know what you all plan to do with me. I know you wonât touch me. Iâm needed alive so that I can either keep the Atlantian you have held in captivity fed or be used to make more Ascended.â
âI would love to take my time because there are so many different ways Iâd love to be real with you. Lay you out on the rocks and lick every inch of your body. Make you come that way. And then Iâd want you on your knees and your mouth around my cock.â
âYour heart was always safe with me. It always will be. There is nothing I will protect more fiercely or with more devotion, Poppy. Trust in thatâin what you feel from me. In me.â
âI wonât force you to marry me, Poppy. What I already have to force from you isâŠdistasteful enough, given everything that was taken from you before you even met me. If you refuse, I donât know. Iâll have to find another way to free my brother and somehow hide you away so that no one, including my people, can get their hands on you.â
âNo one, and I mean no one, speaks of you like that. Threatens you and lives.â
âWhat matters is that I choose her. And that is all that matters.
âIâm going to need you to hold onto me and not let go, because Iâm about to fuck you like I promised.â
âHe has done things some might find unforgivable. Things that would haunt your sleep and leave you with nightmares long after you wake. He may hate being called the Dark One, but he has earned that name. But heâs the one thing in all the kingdoms that you, and only you, never have to fear.â
âThe thing is, you wonât mess up if you get mad. You wonât do the wrong thing. Each couple is different. Some spend their time whispering sweet words in each otherâs ears. Some spend the time baiting one another. Both enjoying being the tiger in the cat and mouse chase. That is us. Or who we appear to others. This wonât be hard. Not with the passion between us, and before you try to lie and say there is none, just know that it would provoke me into proving Iâm right.â
âYouâre beautiful when youâre quiet and somber, but when you laugh? You rival the sunrise over the Skotos Mountains.â
âThere is no side of you that is not as beautiful as the other half. Not a single inch isnât stunning. That was true the first time I said it to you, and it is still the truth today and tomorrow.â
âWhat Cas did wasnât about Landell questioning him. It wasnât as simple as Landell not being able to understand how or why the Prince would choose you. It wasnât even about him challenging Cas. Atlantians and wolven do anything to protect their home, and it was clear that Landell saw you as a threat to it. Cas was right to do what he did. If he hadnât, Landell wouldâve thrown that dagger he pulled. There will be others who will want to do the same thing.â
âYou have no idea how long Iâve waited to do this. To be inside you as I take a part of you inside me. To feel you come around my cock while I taste your blood on my tongue. It feels like forever.â
âMaybe I wasnât clear, so I will try to be more explicit now. I donât know why youâd think, in a million years, that Iâd marry you. Is that clear enough?â
âFight me. Argue with me. I wonât stop you. But I will not allow you to put your life in jeopardy. And this? Tonight? Is the epitome of reckless, life-endangering behavior.â
âSo, I know all about how the past doesnât remain where it should. How it likes to pay visits when youâre at your weakest. There is never a need to apologize, nor should you ever feel shame.â
âYou two are more convincing now than you were during the whole time with Alastir. And if you canât convince Alastir that youâre so in love with each other that heâs forgotten his decades-long search for his brother, and you have forgiven his plans to ransom you, then there is no way youâll convince the King. And especially not your mother.â
âA crucial part of their all-encompassing control is creating a rift between mortals who have and mortals who have not.â
âJust so you know, Penellaphe doesnât need protection. She is more than capable of handling things herself. But that is my future you are walking away with. Guard her well. Your life depends on it.â
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