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July 9 - July 27, 2025
“I…I didn’t know if that would work or not,” I admitted. “Well…” Vonetta drew the word out, her pale eyes wide. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who is grateful that it did.” I looked down at my hands and then up, finding Casteel. “I guess I am the Queen of Flesh and Fire.” Casteel nodded as he stalked toward me, his eyes a heated amber. “I know you’re the Queen of my heart.”
Blinking, I lowered my hands as he stopped in front of me. “Did you seriously just say that?” One dimple appeared as he clasped the back of my head and lowered his head to mine. “I sure as fuck did.” “That was so…cheesy,” I said. “I know.” Casteel kissed me, and there was nothing ridiculous about that. His tongue parted my lips, and I welcomed his taste. “This is a little awkward,” Vonetta observed. “They do this all the time,” Kieran sighed. “You’ll get used to it.” “Better than them fighting,” Delano remarked. Casteel grinned against my lips. “You’re extraordinary,” he murmured. “Don’t ever
...more
Patches of grass appeared, giving way to a lush meadow of bright orange flowers. “Poppies,” Delano whispered. Lips parting, I looked over at Casteel. He shook his head in slight disbelief. The flowers we walked through could’ve just been a coincidence, but…
“If this thing comes to life, I am out of here,” Emil grumbled. “You will never see an Atlantian run faster.”
Without warning, an image flashed in my mind. The silver-haired woman standing before another as the stars fell from the sky, her hands balled into fists. Her words came from my lips, “I will not let you harm him or any of my friends.”
“Bravery is a fleeting beast, isn’t it? Always there to get you into trouble, but quick to disappear once you’re where you want to be.”
Damn
“You are so much like her.” He laughed. “She will be thrilled to learn this.” My shoulders tightened. “Who?”
HUH WHOOO
“I am.” He stared at me. “And that means you have Primal blood in you. That is what fuels that bravery of yours. That is why you are so powerful.”
“You were born of flesh with the fire of the gods in your blood. You are a Bringer of Life and a Bringer of Death,” Nyktos interrupted. “You are the Queen of Flesh and Fire, due more than one Crown, one kingdom. What you seek, you already have. You always had the power in you.”
Huh
You always had the power in you. The words echoed through me as I roamed the halls of the Evaemon Palace several days later,
They just gonna time jump like that???!!!
“I might’ve said something like I’d tear her apart limb by limb and feed her to barrats.” He stared at me. I sighed. “It wasn’t one of my finer moments, I admit.” “Damn.” Casteel broke the silence, his gaze the shade of heated honey. “I wish we weren’t about to have this meeting because I really want to fuck you on this table right now.” My eyes widened. “Gods,” Kieran muttered, sitting back as he dragged a hand over his face.
“Take a seat,” he said, and I started to sit in the chair in front of the desk, but he tsked softly under his breath. Letting go of my hand, he grasped my hips and lifted me onto the desk.
“Especially when their Queen is the daughter of the Queen of Solis.” “My mother?” I laughed hoarsely. “I thought you were my grandmother.”
No way
“She is not a vampry,” Ian said, looking at me. His features were drawn. “And she speaks the truth. She is your mother.” “Coralena was Ian’s mother. Leopold was his father,”
“Coralena survived the attack, by the way. She was a Revenant, after all.” She smoothed her hands over the ruby chains at her waist. “However, she did not survive my wrath.”
“I am not a vampry. Nor is Ileana my name—my first name that is.” She curled her fingers around the edges of the curtain, and I reached down, gripping Casteel’s arm. “The first name I was born with is one you’ve probably heard. It was Isbeth.”
The mistress of malek righr? Or his wife?
“I was King Malec’s lover—his confidante, his friend, and his…his everything. And your mother…”
“We were heartmates. He would have done anything for me.” Queen Ileana—no, if what she was saying was true, Queen Isbeth tipped her head back. “He gave me his blood, unsure of what would happen. He was just desperate and refused to allow me to die.” I thought of Casteel—what he’d done to save me.
Its exactly what cas didd
is,” his brother answered. “When deities Ascend a mortal, they do not become a vampry. They become something without the pesky limitations the Ascended have.”
Casteel let out a harsh breath, and I knew he was thinking the same as I was. That his parents had to know this entire time that Queen Ileana was…that she was Isbeth.
YEAH DUH NO WAY THEY DIDNT KNOW
“A god,” Isbeth cut me off. “He was Nyktos’s son, and Nyktos is no normal god. He is a Primal, something far older and more powerful,”
“Any that carry his blood would be a god. But Eloana never knew that, did she? I did. I knew exactly who and what he was. A deity cannot make a vampry, and neither can a god.”
“Malec was a god.” “Why would he pretend to be a deity if he was a god?” Casteel demanded.
“I had him before I was poisoned, and he was…he was like you, Penellaphe. A blessing. He was the most beautiful baby boy there ever was. And even as a small child, he had the touch. The gift.”
Who is he
“You don’t really have that authority, do you?” Queen Isbeth said, her lips thinning. “I know what she is. She is the true ruler of Atlantia. You’re just a pretty accessory.”
“No. No. No.” He pulled me to his chest as he twisted toward her. “Please. I beg you. Stop. Please, godsdamn it. Stop! I’ll do anything. You want Atlantia? It’s yours—” “You are not the true heir,” she cut him off. “You cannot give me what I want.” “She can’t give it to you if you kill her,” he shouted as my teeth bled. “You want to control her? You want me, then. Take me. I won’t fight you. I swear. I won’t. Just stop. Please.” His voice cracked.
Nonononononononkno no noko nonono
Omg i jusst realized thiss sun oy haas onee sword thrrough is symbolizing that its just her and cas, the king isnt there
I wasn’t the Maiden. I wasn’t a Princess or even a Queen. I was a god. And I was so over this.
Girl me too
“In the entirety of the two kingdoms, I couldn’t give a fuck if you or any other member of the Council likes me. It does not change that I am your Queen, and your tone and the manner in which you address me is highly inappropriate.”
Her confidence !!!!
“Not just because I’m your Queen, but because I am the grandchild of Nyktos, and you speak to a god with such disrespect.”
FUCK YEAH
“Try me,” I whispered, and those two words echoed throughout the room.
Ugh if only cas couldd see her noww
“And then I’m going to finish what you started centuries ago. I will return these lands to Atlantia, and I will return with my King at my side.” Golden eyes locked with mine. “And if you fail?” “I won’t.”
1. My king ughhhh
2. HELL YEAH
“Malec is lost to us. He was lost to us long before any of us realized.” Confusion swept through both Kieran and me. “I don’t understand,” I started. “Malec is—” “Malec is not your father,” Nektas said. “The blood that courses through you is that of Ires, his twin.”
WHAT HUH
“He, like his father, could take other forms. While Nyktos preferred that of a white wolf, Ires was often fond of taking the shape of a large gray cat, much like Malec.” “Fuck,” Kieran whispered. I…I could only stand there while it felt like my heart had dropped out of my body. “I saw him,” I uttered. “We both did.”
OH MY GODD ITS THE GUY THEY FOUNDD THAAT THEY LEFT BEHIND. The cave cat
“A god?” A rough, dark laugh left the ancient draken. “A god is born. Not created. What she is…she, like the Revenants, are an abomination of all that is godly.” Casteel…he had been right.
Mmmmmhhmmm
“Are you ready, daughter of Ires, the son of Nyktos and his Consort?”
She and another were the only two females who’d awakened. Apparently, female draken were rare.
... Maybe shes one...
“Now this is the really important part. I need you to make sure she understands that I’m coming for her. That I will burn every Revenant that stands between her and me. I will strike down every Ascended who defends her. I will topple every castle she seeks to hide in. Make sure she understands that her survival hinges on Casteel. She will release him, or she will see each and every one of her cities leveled. If she touches him again, I will destroy her precious Malec, and I can. I know where to find him. He lives. For now. And if she kills Casteel? If anyone kills him?” I tilted my head,
...more
“Good.” I rose then, the ruby crown dangling from my fingers. “Make sure she knows that I am the Chosen, the One who is Blessed, and I carry the blood of the King of Gods in me. I am the Liessa to the wolven, the second daughter, the true heir, owed the crowns of Atlantia and Solis. I am the Queen of Flesh and Fire, and the gods’ guards ride with me. Tell the Blood Queen to prepare for war.”
AHHHH FUCK YES LEETS FFUCKING GOOOOO
