The ​Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

A man who bared his soul and stripped open his heart to me—and only me. My first. My guard. My friend. My betrayer. My partner. My husband. My heartmate. My everything

“You’re bleeding,” he said as if that were the most important issue at hand. But it wasn’t.

“It’s what you are.” Eloana’s left hand balled into the skirt of her gown. “You have the blood of a god in you—” “I’m mortal,”

she really said stfu

“I don’t know everything that is going on right now, but you—all of you—want to keep her safe. And I’m all about that.

he really said that’s my jam

I took their anger and I—I did exactly what a Soul Eater would do. I took it from them and then gave it back.”

no cause Soul Eater feels like a slur

Eloana had a very impassioned moment when she took off her crown,” he said, squeezing his wife’s shoulders. The way her entire face pinched in response to her husband’s comment was something I felt deep in my soul. “A

sis really wants to SLAP her husband

“I am no Descenter.” “Really?” His superspeed sort of gave that away.

nobody: no one: poppy: yea no shit sherlock

“You killed him?” “It had to be done.” Disbelief stole my breath as I stared at the changeling. “He was just a kid!” “I know.” He lowered his hand. “It wasn’t something any of us enjoyed, but it had to be done.” “It didn’t have to be done.”

she really said this was unnecessary

I couldn’t fathom how anyone could understand the murder of a child.

But unlike those false Guardians, I am a Protector of Atlantia, a true Guardian of the realm. I knew my purpose was far greater than the potential fall of Spessa’s End or even the death of our Prince.” “True Guardian?” I thought of the women who had descended from a long line of warriors—women who had leapt from the Rise surrounding Spessa’s End and wielded swords more fearlessly than I’d ever seen the commander do. I laughed harshly. “You’re pale and pathetic compared to the Guardians.”

you jansen or whatever your name is are sexist

“Malec could heal wounds with his touch, but he rarely did it because he was not only descended from the God of Life, he was also a descendant of the God of Death. Nyktos. The King of Gods is both.

watch me literally point out every single thing they don’t fully understand bc i’ve read the prequel

With the last Chosen blood spilled, the great conspirator birthed from the flesh and fire of the Primals will awaken as the Harbinger and the Bringer of Death and Destruction to the lands gifted by the gods. Beware, for the end will come from the west to destroy the east and lay waste to all which lies between.’” I stared at him in stunned silence.

for those of you who haven’t yet read a shadow in the ember here is what then prophecy actually said “From the desperation of golden crowns and born of mortal flesh, a great primal power rises as the heir to the lands and seas, to the skies and all the realms. A shadow in the ember, a light in the flame, to become a fire in the flesh. When the stars fall from the night, the great mountains crumble into the seas, and old bones raise their swords beside the gods, the false one will be stripped from glory until two born of the same misdeeds, born of the same great and Primal power in the mortal realm. A first daughter, with blood full of fire, fated for the once-promised King. And the second daughter, with blood full of ash and ice, the other half of the future King. t Together, they will remake the realms as they usher in the end.’ And so it will begin with the last Chosen blood spilled, the great conspirator birthed from the flesh and fire of the Primals will awaken as the Harbinger and the Bringer of Death and Destruction to the lands gifted by the gods. Beware, for the end will come from the west to destroy the east and lay waste to all which lies between.’”

“There were Craven there that night. You carry their scars. They were led right to the doors of the inn.” He didn’t blink. Not once. “He led them there. The Dark One.” “Liar!” I shouted. “Casteel had nothing to do with what happened.” “I never said Casteel did. I know it wasn’t him, even though I never saw the face behind the cloak and hood he wore when he came to that inn,”

bestie the same craven that attack Casteel constantly?????

“There were Craven there that night. You carry their scars. They were led right to the doors of the inn.” He didn’t blink. Not once. “He led them there. The Dark One.” “Liar!” I shouted. “Casteel had nothing to do with what happened.” “I never said Casteel did. I know it wasn’t him, even though I never saw the face behind the cloak and hood he wore when he came to that inn,”

so it wasn’t the dark one

“And I would never leave you here to die such a slow death. That is far too barbaric.” Did he even hear himself? “And chaining me in these bones and roots isn’t? Leaving my family and me to die isn’t barbaric?”

come on bestie you’re embarrassing yourself

“That after you hand me over to the Ascended, he’ll just give up and move on? That he’ll marry your great-niece after your daughter—” I cut myself off before exposing what Shea had really done. Withholding that wasn’t for his sake. Gods, no. The desire to see his face when he learned the truth of what his daughter had done savagely burned through me, but I stopped out of respect for Casteel—for what he’d had to do. Alastir stared at me, his jaw tight. “You would’ve been good for Casteel, but you never would’ve been my daughter.” “Damn straight,” I said, my nails digging into my palms.

Poppy sure as hell ain’t some back stabbing bitch like your daughter Shea

“I know. You’re hungry. But you can’t eat Kieran. That would make me a little sad.” I didn’t care if it made him sad.

The first taste of his blood was a shock to my senses,

really the taste of blood is a shock

of course we love your stupid dimples Cas

Cas darling but then you’d be dead

this is what the 27th time they’ve said it??? give poppy a break

just like your grandmother

classic poppy

umm i don't know why you want me to say cause...

Sera was DEFINITELY there as well

That something else led the Craven there. He said the Dark One did. Not you, but someone else.” “That sounds like a load of bullshit,” Kieran muttered.

“But even if you were a bloodthirsty Ascended, trying to rip the throats out of everyone who came near you, I would still destroy anyone who sought to harm you.” My heart skipped a beat and turned over heavily as I stared up at him. “I don’t know if I should be worried about that or flattered.”

I’m concerned about you—about everything that has happened to you. You have been so damn strong. You were attacked, taken captive, and then you almost lost your life.” He placed a hand against my cheek, just over the scars there. “We have no idea why you haven’t Ascended, or if you did and we just don’t know into what yet. And, on top of all of that, you have had one shock after another—from learning the truth about the Ascended, to fearing for your brother and Tawny, to now learning that you have god’s blood in you." “Well, when you list it all out like that, I think I may need to sit down,” I commented.

Casteel slowed my steps, gradually letting me walk into the sun. Other than enjoying the feel of it against my face, nothing happened.

“You’re not,” a soft voice intruded, coming from everywhere and nowhere as the corpses along the wall continued shuddering and moving, their bones rubbing and grinding together. The voice sounded like… Delano? “You are meyaah Liessa. Wake up.”

they really said wake up bestie

If someone shut me out, that was their right. That was the only reason that mattered,

we love a respectful queen

“Yes, here we all stand, apparently determined to irritate the hell out of one another. Not me. I don’t want to irritate anyone—you know, the person who was attacked not once but twice and then shot in the chest with a crossbow,” I snapped, and both their gazes shot to me. “And yet, I’m the one who has to tell you two to knock it the hell off.”

bestie left no crumbs

it appeared I hadn’t developed the nifty hearing abilities of the Atlantians—because, of course not.

this girl only ever wants what she can’t have i swear

“Well,” Casteel drew out the word. “That will not be a quick death.” Watching the stone turn black in the moonlight for a moment, I looked at Casteel. “I was wrong before. Some don’t deserve the honor of a quick death.” One side of his mouth quirked, hinting at a dimple as his gaze flickered over my face. “Such a stunning, vicious little creature.”

but the good news was that I was once more exposed to sunlight, and my skin wasn’t decaying or doing anything equally disturbing. So that was a plus.

You’re tired.” Casteel looped his arm loosely around my waist. “You’ve been through a lot. There’s no way you’re okay.”

can lowkey relate

he knew me better than those who’d known me for years. It was sort of amazing how that had happened in such a relatively short period of time.

all it took was a tad of kidnapping

“Poppy, I’m going to stop you right there. Part of me wants to laugh—” “Same,” Kieran commented from up front. My eyes narrowed on the wolven. “The other part of me finds absolutely nothing funny about you apologizing for things you have no control over.” “I also second that,” Kieran tossed out. “This conversation doesn’t involve you, Kieran,”

kieran really wanted to be the mc and poppy said no❤️

“Just chiming in with my two cents. Carry on. My father and I will pretend we can’t hear either of you.”

I didn’t blame myself for other people’s actions,

Both the Duchess and Alastir were wrong—and dead.

“This is my wife, Penellaphe.”

Right hands balled into fists. They placed them over the center of their chests and then sank onto one knee, lowering their heads as the ones on the street had done. All of them—the wolven in the courtyard, the ones on the wall, on the steps and between the pillars. I felt a little dizzy as Jasper and Kieran turned to us and followed suit. “They have never done that for me,” Casteel remarked under his breath. Kieran lifted his head just enough for me to see that he smirked. “I don’t know why they’re doing it for me.” He glanced down at me, his brows knitted. “It’s because you have the blood—” “I know,” I said, my heart starting to pound again. “I know, but…” How could I put into words how crazy this was to me? People bowed before me as the Maiden, but this was different, and it had nothing to do with the fact that naked people prostrated themselves before me. Though, that seemed important, too.

“Well, that was fun, wasn’t it?” I looked up at him, my brows raised. “That was a lot of…nakedness.” A half-grin appeared as he looked down at me. “You’ll get used to it,” Kieran stated as he climbed the steps. I wasn’t so sure about that. “More like you’re sort of forced to,”

“The bed in my residence in Evaemon is bigger.” “Well…” I cleared my throat. “Congratulations on that.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Casteel said, and my gaze shot to his in the reflection. I…I sensed surprise from him. He spoke the truth. He truly hadn’t noticed the difference because he never really noticed the scars in the first place. They had never been a thing to him. I might’ve fallen even more in love with him right then if that were possible.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He tugged a little on my arms. My hands stayed over my face. “Then don’t say incredibly sweet and supportive things.” “Would you rather I say something mean and unsupportive?” “Yes.”

“It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to be vulnerable. This was possibly the worst homecoming ever. This last week sucked, and not in a fun way.”

And I stopped pretending. Because I wasn’t okay.

I didn’t know how long we stayed like that,

tears cuddles and things line melts my heart every time