A Soul of Ash and Blood

“We all know what is ultimately at risk here. Not just what we’ve carved out in New Haven, but our lives. Our futures. Our children’s futures. And if we’ve got to bleed for that, we will.”

“Yes. I find women who can wield a dagger and nearly knock me on my ass to be extremely alluring. And arousing.”

“We are of two worlds. He is only of one, and it’s far too easy, even for a god and a Primal, to lose themselves if they stay in their animal form for too long.”

“The King and Queen are…concerned about your current whereabouts and your motives for being gone so long,” he shared, the humor fading from his features. Alastir’s commentary on the matter hasn’t been helpful in easing those worries.”

“Well, damn. So, you’re telling me that you went through the Ascension and completed the Culling without going into stasis?”

“No one knows about any of that—what I used to do to escape everything. Except for Kieran. He knows. He had no choice with the bond.”

“Sorry. I didn’t realize we were back to pretending we hadn’t done all those other inappropriate things. Not that I’m surprised. After all, you’re a pure, untainted, and untouched Maiden. The Chosen. Who’s saving herself for a Royal husband,” I went on. “Who, by the way, will not be pure, untainted, or untouched—”

“I should’ve known then, and maybe I did on some subconscious level because that’s when I started rethinking my plans, wondering how I could give you choice and freedom. I think I knew even then, before we spent time under the willow and left Masadonia, that I couldn’t just send you back to the Ascended. But I didn’t know how to acknowledge it. I don’t think I was capable of doing so then, to be honest.”

“You can’t change what happened in there. Just like you can’t change the fact that the courtyard used to give you peace. You just replace your last memory—a bad one—with a new one—a good one. And you keep doing that until the initial one no longer outweighs the replacement.”

“I prefer the name Casteel or Cas,” I stated. “If you don’t want to call me that, you can call me Prince Casteel Da’Neer, the second son of King Valyn Da’Neer, brother of Prince Malik Da’Neer, but do not call me the Dark One. That is not my name.”

“I’m with you. Always. Even if I think what you’re doing is idiotic.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever told you about that. It wasn’t that I was hiding it from you. I just didn’t want you to feel embarrassed. I also figured you’d probably stab me if you ever learned I had been in your bedchamber while you slept. More than once.”

“Oh, so now you claim ownership of that title? Bear all the responsibilities of such? Good. About damn time. Your parents and Atlantia will rejoice. Alastir will likely come in his pants from happiness, and blah, blah, what-the-fuck-ever, but you aren’t just going to go in there as his Prince. You will be going in there as the Prince of Atlantia—the Prince who governs us all.”

“You’re an absolutely stunning murderous little creature.”

“The Queen will be most pleased with your devotion, Hawke. I’m sure she’ll reward you greatly for your service to the Crown.”

“I would really appreciate not having to do the whole dying and coming back to life thing at the moment. Or having to regrow limbs. That shit sucks. Growing skin and bone isn’t fun. It’s painful, in case anyone is wondering.”

“All it takes is a second for your enemy to gain the upper hand. Nothing more than the length of a heartbeat, given to either arrogance or vengeance, to lose all which truly matters. And if that isn’t something you’ve yet learned, you will.”

“No one in there will care that he struck the Maiden. Right or wrong, they don’t see her as a person. When they look at her, all they see is a symbol of the Ascended, of those who have killed many of their kin and drove their people to near extinction. That doesn’t mean they all agree with what he did, but you need to think about what it will do if you walk in there and kill him—a wolven who descends from one of the eldest families.”