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

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“I don’t understand what the problem is,” Reaver stated, crossing his arms over his chest. “It’s just flesh.” “It’s beautiful flesh,” Casteel replied, returning with a robe. “And it’s not for your eyes.” “But your dick is?” Reaver challenged.

I stepped out from behind Casteel and Kieran. Every thought fled my mind except for one. Millicent. She looked exactly like Millicent.

“I was hoping not to make this awkward.” “I think you failed at that,” Reaver commented. Casteel and I looked over our shoulders to where Reaver stood near the door. “I did.” She sighed, drawing my gaze back to hers. “But did you expect anything less?” “Not really,” Reaver answered. “I’m not…great in social situations,” she offered when we refocused on her.

Everything is okay, I told Delano. I think you’ve been called here because the true Primal of Life is here. There was a beat of silence, and then, The fuck? I managed not to laugh. Yeah.

Also because she had the same habit of picking up and touching shit like she’d never seen the item before. Then again, so did Poppy.

“He knows full well that I can take care of myself,” she continued, her smile softening. “But you would never guess that based on how he behaves. It is as endearing as it is annoying.” She paused. “As I’m sure you know.”

“Then Lirian while I was at Mount Lotho. Then there was…” I trailed off, frowning. “Aydun,” Casteel finished for me. The sudden feeling of something not being as I remembered rose.

“I should talk you out of whatever you’re thinking.” “But you’re not going to,” Reaver cast over his shoulder. Her smile widened. “Nope.” Now, my brows shot up. “Really? You’re the true Primal of Life.” “I’m also extremely petty and prone to acts of violence when angered,” she replied.

“It’s almost like you two are related.” “Thank you,” Casteel murmured. “That wasn’t a compliment.” “Sounded like it to me,” she replied. “For fuck’s sake.” I threw up my hands. “You know what? I’m going back to Wayfair. You two can stay here and try to out peacock each other.” Both heads turned to me.

Instead, a God of Death stood there. The essence in me flared in response to the display of pure power. I had a strange urge to run, and for him to chase, causing my stomach to tighten. There was something seriously wrong with me.

“A vow made by a Primal cannot be broken, and I have no idea if that applies to either of you.”

“You two remind me of Ash and me,” Seraphena commented. “Really?” I drawled. “Have you stabbed Nyktos?” “Casteel!” Poppy exclaimed, smacking my chest. “Because she has stabbed me,” I continued. “Oh, my gods!” she hissed, swinging her hand again.

“Actually,” Seraphena interrupted. “I have stabbed Ash.” Poppy stopped fighting and turned to Seraphena. “You have?” “Yep.” “Must run in the family,” I muttered.

“I’ve touched the Ancient bone dagger in the chest,” she explained, glancing up at me. “It didn’t burn me.” Seraphena frowned. “It should.” “It didn’t. See—” Both Seraphena and I moved to stop her, but Poppy already had her finger on the exposed bone blade.

Seraphena stood before her, silent for a moment. “I’m terrible at goodbyes, even temporary ones.” She lifted her arms and then halted. “Can I…give you the most awkward hug known to man?”

“What I felt for you made me care about myself again. Care about life.” Tears clogged my throat as I stared at him. “I might…cry.”

“Nothing,” he cut in, clasping my cheeks. His voice dropped and thinned until it became a shadow against my lips. “Absolutely fucking nothing will ever change what I see when I look at you or feel when I think of you.”

The notam wasn’t that sensitive, but Delano had always been different. He seemed to recognize the notam even before I entered the Culling.

“Vikter gave it to you, and I know how much he meant to you.” He raised his head. “I couldn’t possibly take the only physical reminder you have of him.” He smiled. “Losing that would make you sad, and I cannot have that.”

“It is almost always Millie,” Helenea added. “I don’t know how she does it.” My lips parted. I didn’t know what to say, but I felt…awe that she could do that—be with those who took their last breaths. I felt pride in knowing that someone who shared my blood could be so…selfless.

“Penellaphe Da’Neer. The Queen. And the Primal of Life and Death.” Poppy lowered her hood, the air charging with the kind of eather even these fools could feel. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“It was something like, ‘if we judge all Atlantians by the worst among them, then we are no better than the worst ourselves.’” “Sounds like something she’d say,” Malik said quietly. Delano looked at him and then sighed. “So, yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I agree.”

A slow, tight-lipped smile crawled across Malik’s mouth as Casteel placed the cucumber mixture on my plate. I recognized that kind of smile. I’d seen it on Casteel’s face a time or a thousand. It was a sure sign that Malik was seconds away from committing an act of violence.

“I’ll go.” Casteel’s head whipped toward me. “Absolutely not.” “That won’t work on me,” I stated, putting my fork down. His eyes narrowed as essence pulsed through them. “Want to bet?” “It would be a boring bet because you would lose,” I countered. “Oh, man,” Delano murmured, fully halfway down in his chair now. “Mother and Father are fighting,” Emil remarked under his breath. “Again.”

I’m not going to agree to you shadowhopping—” “Shadowstepping,” Reaver corrected. “Whatever.” Tawny flung a hand up, silencing Reaver. The draken’s brows flew up, and he looked positively affronted by her gesture.

His lips parted on a sharp inhale as he stared at me. “What?” “Your laugh,” he said, his gaze sweeping over my features. “Hearing it always does shit to my chest.”

Netta streaked past me like I was nothing more than an old, worn boot, her tight braids streaming out behind her. She threw her arms around Poppy, causing her to stagger back several steps. “Wow,” I muttered. “Don’t mind me. I’m just invisible.” “You and me both,” Emil said under his breath. “But you’re not sleeping with her.”

My father grimaced as Malik continued to roll that fucking paperweight, and it kept scrape, scrape, scraping—

as Father immediately snatched the paperweight without even looking at it. My lips twitched when Malik slumped back, eyeing our father’s hand. It reminded me of the countless times he’d done that when one of us was annoying the other.

“My father went to sleep when the rest of the gods did.” Exhaling heavily, he reached back to rub his neck. “I imagine he’s awake now. Likely in…Vathi.” “Your father?” I shifted my weight as the air hummed with the rise of eather. A breeze picked up, stirring the jacarandas’ limbs. He nodded. “He’s Attes’s son.”

“Apparently, my grandfather had…” He dragged his hand over the stubble on his jaw. “All I was ever told was that Attes angered the Fates by messing with the threads of his bloodline. I’m not sure exactly why that would do such a thing, but I know damn well I wasn’t the first demigod. I might not even be the last.”

So, when she showed, appearing out of nowhere between Malec and me, I didn’t realize who she was.” His hand stilled on his knee. “Malec came so close to striking her. I swear the blade kissed the skin of her throat. And he… I’d never seen a man look like he had then. Horrified.” He was quiet for a moment. “He said one word. Mother.”

Seraphena had healed Jasper—maybe even saved him. And she could because she was the true Primal of Life. If she hadn’t, and she’d only saved Valyn, there was a chance Kieran wouldn’t be here. There would’ve been no Joining.

Suddenly, I knew what that something in his stare and voice that had the hair rising all over my body had been. I’d seen it in his eyes and heard it in his voice before. I’d seen and heard the same from his father. What I saw and heard wasn’t a warning or even a threat. It felt like a premonition.

“Vicious,” he hissed, blood leaking from his mouth and running down his chin. “You used to be so sweet, like sugar dipped in honey.”

“I see you’ve forgotten what happens when you show me disrespect.” “Want to know what I think of that?” I lifted my other hand and extended that middle finger, too.

My heart started beating fast as my eyes locked with luminous, silver ones. His warm, golden-bronze skin paled, and he seemed as…stupefied as me. I knew him. Recognized him.

“Guess I’m special.” “Special?” he repeated, his voice lower and thin. “I am the Primal of Blood and—” “Incredibly Foolish Actions?” he interrupted. My head jerked back. “Excuse me?”

He looked utterly dumbfounded. “Did you just laugh?” Figuring it would be wise to stay quiet, I kept my mouth shut. “I would love to know what’s funny about…actually.” He held up a hand. “You know what, I don’t think I do want to know.”

The moment I heard his voice, I knew I was in trouble. And it was confirmed the moment my eyes met his. I had no one to blame but myself. Swallowing a sigh, I stepped toward him. “Cas—”

“If that’s true, then why are you hiding behind your wife?” Oh. Shit. I didn’t even have a chance to react. One second, I was in front of Casteel. The very next, I was behind him, staring at his tense back muscles.

My head snapped back to him. “You need to stop talking.” “Why do I have a feeling that only happens when he’s asleep?” “You, too,” I snapped, pointing at Attes as I stalked forward. “Both of you need to shut up.” “That’s not going to happen,” came Reaver’s gravelly voice. I dared a quick peek at him, and yep…naked. “Both like to talk. A lot.” “You wound me, Reaver,” Attes replied. The draken snorted. “I’m sure I did.”

“Was one wounded?” “Thad,” I answered. His nostrils flared. “How badly?” “He was hit in the shoulder. He’ll heal.” A muscle ticked in his temple. “Thad is one of mine—or he was.”

“Where’s Poppy?” the draken asked. Likely convincing herself she didn’t want to throttle us. When I returned to the Solar and immediately checked on her, she still wanted to. The look she had given me before slamming the bathing chamber door in my face almost had me cupping my private parts.

“You do realize there are many chairs?” “I do.” I smiled at her. “But I’m your favorite chair.” The crease between her brows deepened. “I’m guessing you two are still fighting.” Reaver bit into the apple with a crunch.

Attes, who was, of course, staring at her, slid his fingers across his mouth to hide his grin.

“He won’t kill me,” Emil said, his hushed voice reaching us. “Emil,” was Vonetta’s quiet whisper. Oh, dear. “While I normally find your confidence attractive—” “You find everything about me attractive,” Emil cut in. “I also find it inflated in this situation,” Vonetta continued. “He may not kill you, but he will definitely break something. Many somethings.”

A whooshing sound snapped my head to the right as Malik jerked to his left. His eyes widened as silvery-gold flames erupted from the stone torch. One by one, the others followed—igniting in a rippling line across the Sun Temple walls until the torch to Kieran’s left sparked to life, casting a silver glow on the crowd below. “Those torches,” Malik uttered as murmurs swept through the crowd in a wave. “I’ve never seen them lit.”

My gaze shifted to Kieran, whose head was only a few inches from Reaver’s. He stared straight ahead, arms crossed with an expression that said he couldn’t be any less impressed. Reaver puffed out a breath that rolled over us. Kieran’s nostrils flared, and eather pulsed behind his pupils. And that damn draken made a chuffing sound a lot like a laugh.

“Maybe not tell her to calm,” Attes spoke. “In my experience, that never ends well.” Valyn’s jaw tightened. “Penellaphe,” he tried again. “Look around you. Look.” He tentatively stepped closer, the strands of hair blowing back from his face. “Please.”