The Primal of Blood and Bone (Blood and Ash, #6)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

My nostrils flared. “Yes.” “Liar.” “Fuck.” I gasped at the voice that came from behind me. Spinning around, I found the stranger from before standing there. Holland. “Why do you all keep doing that?” “Doing what?” Holland questioned. “Appearing out of thin air!” “Because we can,” Lirian answered.

“May I call you Poppy? Calling you Penellaphe is…awkward for me.” I blinked. “Why would it be awkward?” “His wife,” Lirian said in a tone that suggested he found what he was about to say foolish. “Her name is the same as yours.” “Your wife…” My eyes widened. “Is your wife…?” “Your namesake?” One side of his lips curled up, and his smile warmed his ageless features. “Yes.”

“Because I’m a woman with power?” I stared at him. “Is that what you’re saying?” “That’s what it sounds like to me,” Lirian commented. “No, I’m—” Holland cut himself off with a frown. “Yes, that is what I’m saying,” he said, sending an arch glare toward the other Ancient. “Unless Lirian has anything helpful to add.”

And I was staring. Possibly even open-mouthed. And I loved Casteel. I lusted after my husband. Often. All the time, to be quite honest. Casteel was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. But this one…

“Poppy, you’re like an Ancient born, which was impossible until you.”

“They, like you,” Holland said, “are fully Ascended Primals who belong to no Court.”

“I do,” I bit out. “Asshole.” His eyes widened, and he looked positively affronted by what I’d said. Honestly, I couldn’t believe I’d said that to a Fate, but he was an asshole.

“I was just going to ask why Holland can call her Poppy,” he replied. “And I cannot.” “For fuck’s sake,” I muttered.

“The truth isn’t bold.” I crossed my arms and turned my attention back to him. “It’s just the truth.”

“I feel I need to remind you, Penellaphe, that you’re not more powerful than me.” “For now.” His eyes became silver orbs. Raising my brows, I smiled. “I felt the need to remind you of that.”

“I think it’s clear what I voted for.” Thorne placed his glass on the table and crossed his arms. “I was against it.” My gaze flicked to Holland. “I was also against it.”

“Who did that to your neck?” She lifted her fingers to the bruises. “Damn it, I was hoping they’d fade.” “They didn’t,” I bit out. “Who did it, and where are they?”

“It’s called the Continents, and it was…strange,” she said after a moment. “There were so many people, and none sounded or dressed like us. I saw women in pants barely reaching their knees and tops showing their stomachs.”

“Thorne—one of the Ancients—said the Continents are several times larger than our realm. Or were.”

HOLD UP. THIS IS THORNE THORNE!!!???? OMFG

“Setti—” “Is the name of Attes’s…vellám. The extension of Attes’s will, his essence. Each Primal god who oversees a Court gains the ability to summon their bloodsteed.” I frowned, having never heard nor spoken that word before. “Setti was Attes’s bloodsteed.”

roasted beef into my mouth. Casteel watched me for several moments. “Good girl.” My hand froze halfway to my mouth. A piece of chicken fell from the fork, hitting the pile of rice with a soft plop. Two very distinct emotions swirled through me. One was disbelief because…did he seriously just say “good girl” to me?

“If you say he’s nice,” Casteel interrupted, “I’m going to have serious questions regarding your definition of the word.” “She thinks you’re nice,” Kieran tossed over his shoulder as he went to the door. “I already question her definition.”

“I know there are things you must do,” Reaver reiterated, “it’s just that Jadis…” He closed his eyes, and I saw the ridges of his scales become more apparent. Casteel stepped closer to me, and Kieran halted in tearing up more of his biscuit. “I don’t know how long she’s been entombed like that. And I don’t know why she did it. But I can… I know she’s not in good shape.”

Casteel captured my wrist. “Why,” he said, his voice low but light with amusement, “must you touch everything?” My lips pursed. “As I’ve said before, I’m a tactile person.” “If you need to feel something up, I have something you can get all kinds of tactile with later,”

“I ran into Naill earlier.” He paused and sent a blatant stare in Kieran’s direction as he picked up the glass he had left earlier. “Surprisingly, he’s been in Wayfair all evening.” “My bad,” Kieran murmured, a barely-there grin on his face as Casteel moved beside me. “I was under the impression he was away.”

“I can’t believe I heard that,” I whispered. “I have super hearing. Finally.” Kieran arched a brow. “Congrats.”

My gaze drifted to the doorway again, and I had to wonder when Delano—or any of them—had treated me as if I weren’t a person with her own thoughts, feelings, or ideas. I couldn’t think of a single time. The truth of that sort of smacked me in the face.

His cold nose grazed my neck, and the emotion I picked up from his was the softest, sweetest kind of love. You should let go before Cas castrates me. Delano’s fur muffled my laugh. He would never. “I’m starting to get jealous,” Casteel remarked.

Before I could ask what the source of his unease was, Emil was in front of me, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off my feet. A low, menacing growl reverberated from Casteel, echoed by Delano. The former’s reaction came as no surprise. But the latter? Delano had never acted like that toward any of them before. Emil paid the warnings no heed and just spun me around. “Put her down,” Casteel ground out. “Or lose your arms. It’s your choice.”

I’d wanted to shadowstep. Kieran and the others had agreed to meet us there, but Poppy had insisted on riding. And what the Queen wanted, the Queen got.

“He’s not just named after Attes’s vellám. He is Attes’s vellám.” She straightened the strap along his cheek, and fuck if Setti’s ears didn’t flicker at the mention of the Primal god. “I don’t know how or really why, but Setti’s a bloodsteed.”

Poppy looked down at Delano, and I saw how close he was, somehow managing to avoid being trampled by Setti. I was half-worried that he would try to jump on Setti’s back to be even closer.

Naill clasped her hand without hesitation, and the only thing that stopped me from caving into the primitive urge to wrench her away was the knowledge that touch was important to her.

The faint, one-sided curve of Malik’s lips started to fade. “Why are you staring at me like that?” “I forgive you.” He took a step back, the rest of the smirk quickly disappearing from his face.

“I don’t expect you or anyone else to do what I am unwilling to do myself.” His mouth opened and then snapped shut, his nostrils flaring. “That’s the most idiotic ideology ever.” “Really?” I said dryly. “Because I learned it from you.”

Popping up, Casteel skewered another grul. “That’s number four.” He jerked his sword free. “Which makes it nineteen.” “Shut up,” I snapped, spinning as a grul reached for me. “Don’t be mad.” Casteel rammed his sword through a grul’s skull. “Maybe next time.”

“Helenea?” Kieran spoke aloud, sitting straighter. My eyes widened, and I slowly turned my head to Kieran while Casteel chuckled under his breath. “Yes?” she asked. Realizing that he’d responded out loud, the color in his cheeks deepened. He cleared his throat as Delano huffed out a laugh from between Cas and me.

“No one asked you,” I snapped. “Or you, Casteel. I am an adult. A Queen and a Primal god. I do not need to ask permission of either of you.” The sharp edges of Reaver’s frills skimmed the ceiling as he tilted his head. “All of what you said is true,” Kieran began. “The only thing I agree with is that you are a Queen and a Primal god.” Casteel’s unflinching gaze remained locked on me. “However, you are not behaving like an adult.” “Here we go,” Kieran muttered.

I narrowed my eyes on him. “Aren’t you supposed to be quiet?” “Aren’t you supposed to be listening?” Casteel shot back. “Neither of you is doing what I said,” Kieran retorted.

Casteel humphed as he stopped in front of the credenza, and the deep, closed-lip sound turned a dial deep inside me straight to bitch. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded. “The noise you just made.” He picked up a bottle. “What noise?” My eyes doubled in size. “The noise you just made, Casteel.” “I think I was clearing my throat.” “Are you fucking serious?” “Language,” he said softly, glancing over his shoulder at me. “It’s unbecoming of a lady.”

“There’s—” The wolven’s gaze darted between us. “Are you two…fighting?” “No.” I yanked my arm free of Casteel’s grasp. Delano blinked slowly. “You sure?” “Yes,” I snapped. Delano glanced at Casteel. “Do I need to hide the weapons?”

“I can admit it wasn’t one of my finer moments.” “I think it was,” Casteel remarked, his voice dropping to a purr that caused the muscles low in my stomach to coil. “That’s a red flag,” Tawny murmured. “I’m a walking red flag,” he replied with a grin that brought out his dimple.

“Your friend is…” My eyes closed as the sorrow I’d checked earlier resurfaced. “Perfect.” “I wouldn’t go that far.” “Talk bad about her, and I will be kissing a barrat before your lips touch mine again.”

“Are you trying to take a swim?” Casteel put an arm under mine and hauled me from the water. “Or are you trying to play with dead things?”

Rhahar turned, the pure silver of his eyes locking on us—on Poppy. Delano rose, his chest vibrating in a low growl as I shifted forward so we both blocked her. Rhahar lifted a brow, one side of his lips tipping as he started toward us.

“Did he just say fuck?” whispered Poppy.

“Is there something wrong with that?” “No. Not really,” she said, sounding a little breathless as I felt her trying to move.

“It was just unexpected. You’re a Primal god and all.” “And?”

“Kind of seems inappropriate,” she said. “That’s all.” That eyebrow rose again. “Do you say fuck?” “Yes,” was her response. “Poppy,” Kieran said under his breath, “it’s probably best to stop talking.”

“I think one of the Primals who helped us…” I swallowed. “I think one of them died.”

“What. In. The. Actual—?” My volume increased with each word until I screamed, “Fuck! Are you kidding me?” Casteel jerked at my screech. I’d startled him. Probably not wise, but honestly, I couldn’t care less. Because he was a fucking cave cat!

“You might want to take it down a notch,” he advised. “Or five hundred.” “He’s a cave cat!” I shouted. “I can see that—” “And he shifted before I did?” I leaned forward.

“Yeah, I see them, big boy,” Reaver said. “Mine are bigger.”

“Stop hissing at Reaver,” I ordered, drawing in a shallow breath. I stretched forward and placed my hand on Casteel’s side. He stiffened as my fingers sank into his fur. Gods, it was dense and… “Your fur is soft,” I whispered, feeling the shiver of muscles beneath my palm as I slowly drew my hand along his side. “Really soft.” His torso vibrated as a low, humming sound radiated from him. My eyes widened. “Are you…purring?”

Stop it right now, Casteel Hawkethrone Da’Neer.” I don’t know why I thought using his full name would make a difference. It didn’t.