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September 23 - October 22, 2025
Six words was all it took for me to do what I never thought I would. I attacked Kieran.
“You should ask yourself why she asked me to make such a promise,” Kieran said. I closed my eyes. But it did nothing to prevent him from landing a blow that hurt worse than any fists could. “And not you.”
“How long were you in Teerman?” Her head tilted to the other side, the movement disturbingly fluid and serpentine. “Whenever I chose to be.”
“Casteel?” he called. When I faced him, he stared back with eyes churning with eather. “Be good to her.” I frowned. What a strange fucking thing to say. But I was too weary to point that out. “Always.” The smile returned. “And forever.”
The taste of ash gathered in my mouth as I grabbed the Ancient’s arm. “I haven’t gone through everything I have only to have my neck broken.” Twisting against the vise-like hold to face him, I welcomed the agony radiating down my spine and let it join the rising fury and swelling eather. Shadows laced with gold and silver appeared under my skin. “By some naked, winged, and faceless motherfucker covered in dirt.”
“I guess not,” the pierced-nipple fucker replied with a bored tone, knocking back brown hair as long as Poppy’s from his face.
My Queen liked it from behind.
“It’s so annoying when you two tag-team me,” I muttered. Casteel opened his mouth as what sounded like a choked laugh came from Kieran. “What?” I frowned, and then my eyes widened, my face heating. “That was not what I meant!” “Good. Because I think you like that kind of—”
The girl had latched on like some feral animal. Casteel shot forward, grasped the back of the girl’s dress, and pulled, dragging both the girl and Malik. “Fucking gods,” Malik hissed. “She’s not letting go.”
“So’lis.” The grul’s laugh was dry and brittle like its bones. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”
“I…” Her voice cracked. She closed her eyes, and I saw her fingers twitch at her sides. “I helped entomb my son.”
Seraphena stared at me, and what she felt pierced her walls once more, flooding the chamber with threads of guilt and sympathy that wove through my hot, undeniable anger. “It’s true. You’re Sotoria.”
I nodded and then looked over at Seraphena. She was back to staring at him like she wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. “Right?” “Holy fuck balls,” she whispered.
“Is that what’s messing up your head?” I demanded. “I mean, you just found out your wife has apparently lived dozens of lives and has a psychotic true Primal of Death obsessed with her. That has to be it.” Casteel stood. “It’s not.” I laughed, but it sounded scratchy. “Really?” “Okay, it is.”
Eythos was my great-grandfather, which meant Kolis was my great-granduncle. And while I’d already known that, it was before I learned about the whole Sotoria thing. My upper lip curled in disgust. Did Kolis realize that? Would it matter? Probably not. Ew.
“In reality, blood is just a…” “It’s an addiction. A high,” another said. Heath. The male who’d said Ian was magnificent. “A feeling of euphoria,” he continued. “Of living. But it’s not real. It’s just a taste of another’s life, and that one taste leads to the desire for more. It’s almost impossible to break, but it can be done. I did it. All of us have. Your brother did. And he was…he was so very young into his Ascension when he did. It takes most years to end the addiction.”
“Samesies,” Emil murmured.
I sighed. “I’m not going anywhere. I swear.” “You’d better not,” he said, squeezing the back of my neck. Rolling my eyes, I crossed my arms. Kieran nodded at Tawny and joined Casteel. The moment the door closed behind them, Tawny looked at me. “I half-expected Kieran to kiss you before he left.”
“That’s because you’re…dickmatized
But she was here. And the bitch was smiling up at us. Isbeth.
I imagined isbitch as ezma
Kieran’s warm lips pressed against my forehead. The touch lingered in the minutes after he left. I wished it’d lasted longer because I kept seeing the glassiness in Casteel’s eyes, remembering the feeling and taste of the betrayal he felt.
Pressing my lips together, I faced Kieran and stepped toward him. I can’t, he said through the notam. Tension bracketed his mouth. He swallowed. I’m sorry. If I touch you, I won’t—
“Do you really think I’m so desperate, so insane, that I would still love the bitch who helped entomb me for over a thousand years?” Kolis demanded. “I had a lot of time to think things over. To get over it. I’ve moved on, so’lis
“What?” Kieran stepped forward. “You don’t want to hear that? Just like you don’t want to face the truth about why she asked me to put her in the ground? Why she wouldn’t put that on you?” I was in front of him in less than a heartbeat, toe-to-toe. “I’m not talking to you about this.” “Of course, you aren’t. Because that would require you to pull your head out of your ass and acknowledge that you’re weak.” “Fuck,” whispered Delano.
Kolis smirked. “I had plans for you. For him.” Streaks of midnight eather lashed across the crimson of his eyes. “I wanted to fuck you while I drained you, and I wanted him to watch.”
Cas…yeah, he was in his asshole era.
Casteel. The wings were not visible, but a crown the color of the darkest night and shaped like jagged bone antlers rested upon his head. He sat upon the remnants of ruin and wrath, a throne of bone and ash. The Primal God of Death and Destruction.
