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

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“I sensed what felt like some shit about to go down,” he replied. “And when I felt Poppy’s rising frustration, I figured that whatever it was would at least be entertaining. I was not wrong.”

Attes stretched his neck to one side and then to the other. “I was arriving, as expected. I stopped to see Setti. Figured it was a good idea to make sure he wasn’t left to roam the realm by himself.” I swallowed a scream.

“What do you mean yours—or was once yours? I was under the impression they served Seraphena and Poppy.” “It’s a bit convoluted.” He idly scratched his jaw. “The draken serve as protectors of each Court and can choose to bond themselves to the Primal of that Court.”

“You’re here to keep the peace, Reaver-butt?” “Speaking of asses.” Recalling the shawl left in the sitting chamber, I lifted a hand. A heartbeat later, it hit my palm. “I don’t want your bare ass on my chair.” Attes’s lips twitched as Reaver sighed and snatched the shawl from my hand. He shook it out, eyed it with a frown, and then tied it around his hips. The shawl was nothing more than layers of lace and didn’t hide much, but it was better than nothing. Reaver looked up through a sheet of blond hair. “Happy?” “Not really.” The fucking draken still sat.

“Nyktos, and Callum.” “Explain,” Poppy insisted and then tacked on what I felt was unnecessary, “please.” “Kolis loved Eythos. Still does. And I know that sounds unbelievable, but it’s true,” Attes explained. “And Callum is tied to…Sotoria.” “He’s jealous of Nyktos,” Reaver said, turning the apple in his hand. There was little left but the core. “He tried to break him and couldn’t. Then he tried to change him—to shape and mold him. He couldn’t do that either.”

“Well, Eythos is long dead, and we have no idea where Callum is—if he’s not with Kolis. And Nyktos…I’m not sure he can enter the realm.” “He can, but only briefly,”

“I can handle that,” Reaver offered. “No,” Poppy said. “I can—or one of us.” Reaver lowered the apple core. “I know how to…bob and weave.” The image of his large, winged ass doing that almost made me laugh. “I know you can.” She softened her voice. “But we could do it from a safe distance. You would have to get close—too close.” “Then can I burn those who control the spears?” Reaver asked. Poppy sighed. “Yes, you can burn them.” With a nod, he returned to nibbling on the apple, getting every bit of remaining flesh.

“The ones we arm should be your strongest warriors,” Attes said. “And not just physically. They should only be those immune to compulsion.”

“Naberius,” he stated like we knew what the fuck that meant. “And that would be?” I asked. “Kolis’s vellám,” Attes shared. “What?” Poppy jerked sideways and would’ve toppled right out of my lap if I hadn’t been holding on. “His version of Setti is a draken?” “It’s not a draken. Not really,” Reaver said. “Just as Setti is not really a horse.” This motherfucker knew what Setti was this whole time? “Naberius is the essence of a dragon,” Reaver stated.

“But the essence of a dragon?” The wistfulness in her voice was adorable. I doubted this Naberius was. “Can it be killed?” “Other than by killing Kolis? Cut off its head or take it out with eather. Only a fool would get close enough for the former—unless Nab is sleeping, which I imagine is often,” Attes said, and my brow furrowed. “And only a very powerful Primal can do the latter.”

“I just need you all to make sure I get to him. Then…this will all be over.” “Finally,” Attes whispered.

The Primal’s stare returned to her. “I’m sorry, it’s just that she…” “Looks like Sotoria?” Poppy finished for him. He nodded. “And you knew me?” she added. The muscle in Attes’s temple was back to ticking. “Yeah, I did.” I focused on the feel of Poppy’s hand on the center of my chest, right next to the ring. “And what type of relationship did you have with her?” “Casteel,” Poppy hissed, her cheeks flaming. “No, he has every right to ask that question.” Attes dragged a hand over his face, then dropped it. His eyes met mine. “We were friends. That was all we ever were.”

“And because you two seem…friendly. Close.” Pale brows arched, creating wrinkles in her warm-brown skin. “We do?” Okay, perhaps both Casteel and I had misread their relationship. “Or not?” “I’m kidding. We are friendly.” Tawny giggled, a white curl falling against her cheek as she leaned in. “And close.” “Exactly how close?” Tawny grinned as she straightened, brushing an imaginary piece of lint from her gold-hued gown. “Well…” “Tawny,” I pressed when she fell silent. She glanced up, her pale, nearly colorless eyes dancing with…joy. Life. So much, that it was a relief to see. It also hurt. “We are—”

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.” I looked down at Poppy. “That wasn’t me,” she said, her head lifting. Following her gaze to the veil of clouds, I squinted as the faint scent of…lilacs reached me. “Seraphena,” Poppy whispered.

But it was impossible. What stood below us, what stared up at us with a mocking twist of blood-red lips, had died. Had been torn apart at the Bone Temple until nothing was left. But she was here. And the bitch was smiling up at us. Isbeth.

Because every part of my being knew what Kolis’s request was and what he planned despite the claim of a Fate being present. I knew the moment they were mentioned. It wasn’t the vadentia telling me anything. It was a different kind of instinct.

“What did Lady Hawley say?” Malik looked between Casteel and me. “‘No one truly dies now,’”

“If I can shadowstep to the Continents, I don’t see why not.” “The Continents?” Attes asked. “I’ll have to tell you about that later.”

I had to turn away before I tried to grab Thorne and do something I’d likely regret. This was unbelievable—all of it. No answer to what I needed to know and proof of how cowardly and selfish the Arae were. Not to mention the fact that Seraphena was in trouble for something.

The Fate’s smile spread. It was a stunning—and really creepy—smile. He’d also been staring at Casteel the entire time. “I’d better.” What kind of answer was that? “Is there a fucking reason you’ve been staring at me?” Casteel demanded. “Without blinking? Once?” Thorne hadn’t blinked. “Yeah,” Thorne answered, then finally blinked and looked away from Casteel. “Can I call you Poppy yet?” “No,” I growled. “Absolutely not.”

“I know, but…” I looked at Attes. “What happens if I make a move against Kolis to defend either of them?” “You will be…put in a time-out,” he answered. “Time-out?” Emil repeated under his breath. I inhaled through my nose. “Which means, he can harm the two of you, and if I intervene, I will be punished—and I will intervene.”

“What I asked Kieran to do had nothing to do with me not trusting or believing in you. It had everything to do with me not wanting to put you in a situation I knew would destroy you.” “And you thought it wouldn’t destroy Kieran?” he fired back. I looked at Kieran. He had sat on the edge of one of the armchairs between the balcony doors and the table. “No,” I whispered. “I made a choice. And I…chose you.” “Sounds like you chose the exact opposite.” “Fucking gods,” Kieran muttered, staring at his hands. “You’re being a fucking idiot right now.”

“I hope Cas was right,” Kieran said after a few moments. “About what?” “That Attes is in love with you.” “What the fuck?” I groaned and pulled back. I’d momentarily forgotten about that. Kieran chuckled. “Hey, all I’m saying is that it makes me more confident in his ability to back you up.”

“When’s the last time you fed?” “Last night.” “That’s good, but do you need to feed again?” I shook my head. “I don’t feel weak at all.”

Lowering my hands, I looked down at them. The fingertips were smudged with red. Blood tears.

He sighed. “Do you accept?” I eyed him. I didn’t think his favor would require something…disturbing. Hopefully. Damn it. It didn’t matter. Whatever it was, Casteel was worth it. “Yes.” “You sure?” His voice dropped, the teasing quality gone. “You sure this is what you want?” I nodded without hesitation. Something flickered across his features and in his eyes that chilled my blood. “Done.” Thorne disappeared before I could take another breath, leaving me staring at where he’d been. What I’d seen on his face, in his eyes? It had looked like…disappointment.

A duty that affected the lives of everyone in the mortal realm and Iliseeum—possibly even the Continents. What would stop Kolis from eventually turning his sights on that realm and making things worse?

“You may feel a quake—it will be long. There will be some level of destruction, mostly limited to Pensdurth,” Attes explained. “Then there will be shockwaves. They won’t lessen until Nyktos Ascends to become the true Primal of Death.”

What if I’d ruined them?

His pine-and-spice scent enveloping me. His strong arms wrapping around me, his body cooler than usual as he gathered me to his chest. His voice, low and shadowy in my ear as he pressed his wrist to my mouth and told me to feed. None of it felt real. Not the tingling of the first drop of his blood on my tongue nor the heady taste—decadent, lush, and tinged with a wildness that was stronger now than when I’d first tasted it. Even the heat that built with each draw from his wrist felt like a dream borne of desperation.

But I felt flushed, stronger. And his taste… My breathing turned shallow. His taste lingered in my mouth and on my lips, as did the feel of his hand on my thigh, parting them as I fed. It still felt branded on my flesh. I could feel us even now, my body rocking, driven by need and instinct. Him behind me, inside me. It all burned and blurred together, but I knew it had been real. Casteel had returned to me. But he hadn’t stayed. He wasn’t here now. He’d come and made sure I was fed, that I was strong. He’d sated my needs, then left. And that was… It was ruinous.

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— I understand, I assured him. “I’ll see you when I get back,” I said out loud, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. Kieran nodded, his jaw so tight I wondered if his teeth were cracking.

He kissed me, and there was nothing slow or gentle about it. It was a fierce clash of tongues and teeth. It wasn’t nice. It wasn’t a seduction or a reward. It was a devastating claim, full of desperation and anger, yearning and fear. It was too much, yet not enough as I clung to him, and his grip tightened. We kissed until we were both breathless. Until the blade-sharp edge of all those emotions eased a little. We kissed until there was no more time left, and it took everything in me not to hold on to him when his mouth left mine.

His throat worked on a swallow, and his lips parted. I placed a finger over them. “I love you, Casteel Da’Neer,” I whispered. “And I will return to you.”

Especially with Attes, his great-grandfather, who may or may not have been in love with a much, much older and different version of me.

“The man I believed was my father.” The smell was getting stronger. It smelled rotten. “Leopold and—” Attes’s loud cough drew my gaze. “You okay?” Attes coughed loudly, drawing my gaze, then blinked rapidly. “Are you okay?” “Yeah,” he croaked. “Inhaled wrong.” “Primal gods can inhale wrong?” He cleared his throat, blinking rapidly. “You still can, right?” I wisely kept my mouth shut because, knowing my luck, I was seconds away from choking on a gnat. “What did you say his name was?” he asked. “Leopold.” I frowned at him. “Why?” “Just wasn’t sure if I heard the name right.” Something about his response didn’t sit right with me. Primals couldn’t tell outright lies, but I more than anyone, knew one could omit the truth. “You didn’t answer my question about the scar.” “I’ll tell you about it after.”

So, I did what I swore I would never do again. I took a deep breath and did what I was forced to do when I donned the veil. It wasn’t real. I wasn’t slipping anything over my head, but I could feel the weight of the golden chains. I forced myself to become nothing so I wouldn’t feel anything. Not the anger, the disgust. Not even the sharper, suffocating emotion that hid itself behind the rage. I didn’t just shut it down. I cut myself off. I changed. Adapted. For the last time, I became the Chosen. And when I opened my eyes, I was able to see past the bodies just as I had seen past the Ascended’s lies. “Poppy,” Attes said softly. “I’m level.”

Attes abruptly veered to the right, and I almost walked into his back. “Sorry,” he muttered.

The similarity to Nyktos, his nephew, was clearly seen in the carved jaw and high cheekbones, but Kolis’s symmetrical features were almost…delicate. Perfectly pieced together. As we stared at each other, it made sense that Death would be crafted to be beautiful. It served as a comfort when death came and a lure when one fought to live.

“It’s because he loves me.” Kolis’s smile faltered as his gaze darted to Attes. “Right?” I said, rushing on. “He doesn’t want me to get myself killed or…” Kolis’s eyes snapped back to mine. Strands of dark eather swirled in them. “Or what?” “Or worse.” Kolis’s jaw rolled. “I must admit, I am caught off guard.” He paused. “Did you tell her?” “Yes,” Attes answered before I could. “And what did that make you feel?” Kolis asked of me. Fucking gods, I couldn’t even answer that if I wanted to. All I could do in that moment was convince myself that Attes was simply going along with what I had said. “Nothing,” I said. That also tasted bitter. “I don’t know him.”

“But as you can see, she still has some of her original…qualities.”

“What if I needed proof of your willingness to…submit?” he said, stopping directly above me. “What if I wanted to fuck you in front of Attes?”

“If you want that, then I misjudged you. And you might as well prepare.” “For what, Penellaphe?” “For a fight.” I let the eather surface just enough that I knew he felt the heat of life and the coldness of death. “I may not win, but I know I will hurt you. Badly.” He went still again, his gaze unflinching. “You haven’t misjudged me.” Without warning, he jumped down, making me jolt. “I would never do such a thing with a woman I loved.”

“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.”

“Where are you going?” Kolis asked. “I still want you—well, I want what’s inside you, Poppy.” The crackle of the realm starting to open tore through the air. A strange scent reached me, a mixture of citrus and lilac— “And when I’m done with you?” Crimson and midnight swirled through his flesh as it thinned. “You know where I will go,” Kolis hissed. I summoned the eather, letting it rush to the surface even as the tear in the realm opened. The scent of…citrus and fresh air grew, and I knew Attes wasn’t taking me to Carsodonia. He was taking me to Iliseeum. Because he could cross with the wards. Kolis couldn’t. The tear would seal behind us, and I knew Kolis would go where he threatened. To Carsodonia. To Casteel. And to Kieran.

Poppy was with that sick fuck, and I was here, sidelined like someone more of a hindrance than an ally. Fuck.

“She’s not your weakness.” His chest rose with a deep breath as he widened his stance. “You’re hers.” Will you become the fatal flaw in her armor?

A dull tingling sensation erupted along my palm, and then darkness.

Something in a messy heap, smoking—something in black with golden-bronze skin. Attes. My heart stuttered as I stared at the body lying on the other side of the Hall, closer to the door. The chest of his black tunic was torn open, and blood pooled under him. He wasn’t moving, and the sickening smell of burning flesh wasn’t just mine.

“You’re lucky, so’lis.” His blood-streaked hand appeared. Cold fingers grazed my forehead, causing me to flinch. His chuckle deepened, becoming rough. “That you are so loved.” My insides withered. “He took a direct hit for you—for someone who doesn’t even remember all he’s done for you. All he sacrificed for you.” Kolis’s fingers trailed over my temple. “Or perhaps I should say all he forced others to sacrifice for him.”