The War of Two Queens (Blood And Ash Series Book 4)

Casteel

From the window of the receiving hall, I watched several soldiers riding toward the Rise to join the rest of the armies outside Padonia’s gates.

Two hundred thousand men and women prepared to end this war. Ready to fight. Ready to die. The weight of their loyalty and determination sat heavier on my shoulders and chest than the armor I now wore.

Kieran silently joined me at the window, his shoulder brushing mine. I glanced at him. He was dressed in black trimmed in gold but without the armor. He’d trimmed his hair at some point since I’d last seen him. My gaze dropped to his arm, where the cut had been. The Joining had worked. As close as Kieran and I had always been, our hearts had never shared the same beat, not even with the bond. But had it usurped the curse?

The kick in my heart echoed in his. He looked at me. “Do I want to know what’s on your mind?”

He didn’t need to know, as I was sure it already preyed on his mind enough.

I turned back to the window. “I was thinking about how I want to see every single one of these soldiers live to see the realm at peace.” That wasn’t a lie. “But I know not all will.”

He nodded. “I’d tell you the same thing I’ve told Poppy, but you already know what that is since you were the one who told me when we first left Atlantia.”

I knew what he spoke of. “You cannot save everyone, but you can save the ones you love,” I said. “And how did Poppy respond to that?”

One side of his lips rose. “You’re here, aren’t you?”

“As are you.”

“Exactly.” There was a pause. “I summoned your father as you asked. He comes now. You still plan to pull rank?”

I nodded.

“He’s not going to like it.”

“I know, but he will have to deal with it.” Taking a deep breath, I turned as my father entered the receiving hall along with Lord Sven, his helmet he wouldn’t need tucked under his arm.

“You called for me?” my father asked, and the lines at the corners of his eyes seemed deeper than they had been even the day before.

It was a surreal feeling to be the one summoning my father.

Kieran turned to stand shoulder to shoulder with me as I said, “There’s something that I didn’t discuss with you yesterday.”

My father inclined his head, but the sudden narrowing of Sven’s eyes told me the damn man had a good idea what I was about to say. His jaw tightened, but he gave a quick, curt nod that my father didn’t see.

“The Queen and I…” I started, and my father immediately tensed at the formal use of our titles. Being King for so long, he knew that what I was about to say brooked little room for argument. “Have decided that with Netta remaining in Padonia as regent, she will need strong leadership to stand beside her.”

Two red splotches appeared on his cheeks. “Cas—”

“Someone the remaining armies and the people of Atlantia trust,” I continued, my voice hardening as I held his stare. “And that the regent can lean on for support if neither the Queen nor I is able to rule.”

My father sucked in a sharp breath, those splotches rapidly disappearing.

“You know that’s possible,” I said. Something I hated to even acknowledge, but it was a harsh reality, nonetheless. Poppy hadn’t completed her Culling. Technically, she was still a god, and gods were easier to kill than Primals. If she were struck down, Kieran and I would go down with her.

Hell, I would go down, even if we weren’t Joined.

“Of course, it is a possibility,” my father stated. “But there’s Jasper.”

“Jasper has never led any of the armies,” Sven intervened. “Yes, he has the trust of the people of Atlantia, but he’s not in a position to lead any armies that remain.”

A muscle ticked in my father’s temple. “And you think I’m worthy of that trust?” he asked me.

I stiffened. “I believe you would guide the regent toward what is best for the kingdom and wouldn’t be foolish enough to repeat your mistakes.”

He glanced at Kieran. “Your advisor should remain—”

“If our failure on the field occurs, Kieran won’t be able to support the regent,” I cut him off.

Understanding flared in his eyes, as did a bit of relief. He knew what I’d meant, and he also knew that I, along with Kieran, would be afforded more protection than anyone on that battlefield. “I am to remain while both my sons ride into battle?”

“Yes,” I said. “As it should be.”

He was quiet for a long moment, and then he exhaled a ragged breath. “If this is an order, then I will obey.”

My head tilted. “You don’t really have a choice.”

His shoulders tensed. “Answer one thing, as a son to his father. Is it only the trust of the people and my experience that has guided this decision?”

My father and I needed to discuss a lot of things once we saw this war to the end. And even though we planned for the possibility that we wouldn’t succeed, we did so only because that was what a responsible Queen and King did. However, no part of me didn’t believe there would be an after. Still, I said what I needed to say anyway. “You’re the one who taught me that I cannot save everyone,” I began. “But I can save those I love.”

Poppy entered with Tawny and Vonetta not long after the meeting with my father, but I only became aware of her because my heart stuttered. I wasn’t sure if that came from Kieran or me. Because he too stared as I did.

Her thick braid, the color of wine, lay over the armor fitted from the shoulders to the hips. Greaves protected her thighs and shins. The hilt of a sword was visible, resting above her left hip. Nothing was different about her armor or the white mantle draped across her back. No special embellishments or marks outside of the golden Atlantian Crest painted upon the breastplate of all our armor. But no one looked as regal as she did—or as strong.

Poppy looked like a Goddess of War—no, a Primal of War.

A dart of pure, unadulterated, and red-hot lust clenched my stomach at the sight of her crossing before the windows lining the hall. The feeling was almost as powerful as the wave of respect. Every step she took was steeped not in the confidence of a Queen but that of a soldier, one who, like her soldiers, was prepared to fight to the death.

The corners of her lips curved up just a little as her eyes locked on mine, and a faint blush crept across the scar on her cheek. I didn’t even try to hide what I felt. I wanted her to know just how fucking magnificent I knew her to be as I crossed the remaining distance between us.

Taking her hands in mine, I bent so my mouth was at her ear as I whispered, “I want to fuck you in this armor. Can we make that possible?”

The catch of her breath brought a smile to my face. “That may be uncomfortable for you.”

“Worth it.” I kissed the scar along her temple and straightened. “I spoke to my father.”

The pink began to fade from her cheeks, but her heart still pounded. As did mine. As did Kieran’s. “How did he take it?”

“About as well as you’d expect,” I told her, glancing at the cigar box Netta held.

“Better than I thought,” Kieran said, coming to our side. He reached over, tugging on the tail of Poppy’s braid. She sent him a grin.

“I hope that’s true,” Netta said. “Because I’m the one who’s going to be stuck with him for the foreseeable future.”

“What do you have in that box?” I asked.

Tawny arched a brow. “I was wondering the same thing.”

“The crowns,” Netta answered, holding the box for me. “Poppy left without them. I’m not sure if she actually forgot or if it was intentional.”

Poppy lifted a shoulder.

“Oh.” Tawny’s eyes widened, and I noticed that a bit of color had begun to fill them. “I haven’t even seen them.”

I lifted the lid, and Tawny’s soft inhale followed. The golden bones sat side by side, gleaming in the sunlight streaming in through the window.

“They’re beautiful.” Tawny looked up at Poppy. “I would wear that every day and night. Even to bed.”

My brow rose as I realized that I hadn’t made love to Poppy yet with the crown upon her head. A slow smile began to creep across my face. Poppy’s gaze shot to mine.

Kieran sighed. “You have, likely unintentionally, given Cas ideas.”

“I’m curious about these ideas,” Tawny remarked as I took out one crown.

“No, you’re not,” Poppy quickly said.

“Hold still,” I murmured to Poppy as I placed the crown upon her head. “Perfect.”

Tawny watched Poppy lift the remaining crown. “Are they made of actual bones?”

“They are,” I answered.

“For real?” Tawny didn’t appear as enamored with the crowns as she had a few moments before.

Poppy cringed as I lowered my head. “I try not to think about that.”

“Whose bones are they?” she asked.

“I don’t think anyone knows the answer to that,” Kieran said. “All we know is that they’re not deity bones. Some believe they’re the bones of a god.”

“Or a Primal,” Netta added. “But they only reveal their true appearance when a deity or god sits upon the throne.” She paused. “Or a Primal.”

Poppy placed the crown on my head. “There,” she whispered, her eyes glimmering as her hands lingered for a moment. Our eyes met, and the whole damn realm fell away. “Now, it’s perfect.”

Emotion clogged my throat and seized my chest. It wasn’t the crown upon my head that worked me over but the hands that had placed it there.

A horn blew from outside the Rise. I touched Poppy’s cheek and then stepped back, giving her a few moments with Netta and Tawny before it was time to part ways. My father reappeared, joining Netta and Tawny as we walked outside where our horses had been readied for us, and Naill and Emil waited with the wolven. The gray steed next to Setti was of his bloodline. Phobas had been named after the Goddess of Peace and Vengeance’s warhorse. I’d been surprised to see him here, but he would make a fine horse for Poppy.

Another horn blew, and white-and-gold banners lifted all along the road leading to the gates of Padonia and beyond. The three of us stopped at the top of the stairs. The wolven bowed their heads as a low rumble echoed from the wisteria trees. Unable to stop myself, I looked up. Four shadows fell over the lines of soldiers as Poppy reached between us, taking Kieran’s and my hands in hers.

“From blood and ash,” I shouted, lifting the hand joined with Poppy’s. People echoed the words through the town and the valley.

Poppy looked up at me and then faced the crowd as she lifted the hand that held Kieran’s. “We have risen!”

Poppy

The two-day ride to the Bone Temple, which took us through a narrow section of the Blood Forest, was mostly without incident. There were Craven attacks, but they had been dealt with quickly as General Murin and his forces rejoined us, along with La’Sere’s division, having ridden from Whitebridge and Three Rivers.

Our armies had camped just outside the Blood Forest for the night, and as the moonlight lit up the ceiling of the tent, Casteel drank from the vein at my neck, and I, upon his reassurance that he had recovered enough, took blood from the cut he made on his chest. The intimate act had become as natural as breathing, and there’d been no hesitation as he guided my lips to where his blood welled.

And his taste…

Like always, it was bright, like citrus in the snow, and it heated my veins along with that hollow place inside as he moved over me and then inside me, his blood on my tongue, and my name a whisper on his lips. I fell asleep wrapped in his arms and woke in the middle of the night, disorientated from the dream I’d had. I only remembered bits and pieces of it. The back of a woman wearing a crown of black diamonds on her silvery hair, sitting on a throne much like the one I’d seen at the Temple of Nyktos. She had been weeping. There was also a man with sandy-blond hair standing to her left. Something about him was so familiar. He had begun to turn and spoke just a word. But I woke before I could see his face.

Still, the sadness of the dream gathered like tart ale in my throat. The woman… It had been the Consort. I knew it. And the man…

He had felt like Vikter.

But even if he were a viktor, why would I have seen him with the Consort? That didn’t make sense. Slowly, I became aware of the rolled blankets under half my body, and the toasty heat pressed to my front and back. All thoughts of the strange dream vanished.

My cheek was nestled in the crook of Casteel’s shoulder, and I was tangled up with him as if I were some kind of tree bear, my leg tossed over his, and his arm curled around my waist. He held me tightly, as if even in sleep, he was afraid I would somehow slip away from him.

But he wasn’t the only source of heat.

I dragged in a deep, heady breath that carried the scent of spice, lush pine, and earthy cedar and was immediately reminded of the mist-heavy night in the Skotos Mountains.

Kieran slept behind me.

I didn’t know when he’d joined us, but his leg was tucked between mine, his arm just below Casteel’s on my hip. My eyes fluttered open. In the faint moonlight seeping through the canvas of the tent, I saw my hand and Kieran’s, his resting below mine on Casteel’s stomach.

There was no space between the three of us. Not even an inch. I felt each of their breaths, steady and deep, and was sure if I concentrated hard enough, I would learn that like our hearts, our breaths were set to the same pattern.

I knew then, like the night in the mountains, that I had turned to Casteel, and so had Kieran. Casteel had his own gravitational pull that we both responded to in sleep. Also, like that night, nothing felt sinful about how we were…snuggled together. The only thing different now was that it felt natural. Well, that and the fact that we were Joined.

I waited for embarrassment to creep in. Soldiers and wolven were all around us. Many had to know that Kieran had entered the tent, but there was no shame. Instead, it felt as if it were meant to be this way. And thinking that was a sure sign that I should probably make myself go back to sleep.

Or punch myself.

Because it sounded silly.

Could I knock myself out?

Gods, I was almost willing to find out.

I closed my eyes, but sleep didn’t come, no matter how warm I was. Or how safe I felt nestled between them. It was easy to forget what awaited.

Kieran moved behind me, and my breath snagged in my chest. The furs Casteel had tucked around me were between Kieran and me, but the slight shift of his body caused his leg to slide farther between mine. His movement stirred Casteel enough that his arm tightened around me, his fingers pushing into my hip for a few brief seconds. I bit down on my lip as my pulse skittered at the press of Kieran’s thigh and the feel of Casteel’s body against mine. A rush of shivery awareness swept through me. I kept my eyes closed as I…

I didn’t know what I was doing, but my mind had shamefully skipped its way back to the night on the banks of the River of Rhain as my fingers curled against Casteel’s stomach. Kieran settled after a few seconds, his chest rising and falling steadily as I lay there, completely still.

Seconds ticked into minutes, and my mind began to wander with the sound of rustling leaves and the muffled snores of those lucky enough to sleep. Something occurred to me then. Of all the times that Kieran had slept beside me while Casteel was gone, he’d only been in his mortal form once, and that was the night I’d asked him to put me in the ground if I became something to fear. I didn’t know what it meant or if it said anything at all. But nothing and everything had changed between the three of us since the Joining. Our relationship remained as it had been, but there was an intimacy now that hadn’t been there before. A closeness. A bond we were reminded of every time I felt our hearts beating in tandem. I really wished I was asleep and not thinking—

Fingers touched my chin, startling me. My eyes flew open as my head was tilted back. The faint burn of gold pierced the shadows of the night. My heart sped up as Casteel drew his thumb along my lower lip. I started to apologize for waking him, but he lowered his head, brushing his lips across mine. The kiss was soft and so very sweet. I could never pick a favorite kiss of his, but these…these were special, tasting of love and devotion.

But so were the deeper kisses, the dark ones full of need and yearning. And that was what this kiss became. His tongue slipped between my lips and moved against mine, silencing any sound I would’ve made. His arm tightened around my waist, his fingers at my hip pressing in harder, drawing me even closer and sending a wholly ill-advisable dart of wanton pleasure through me.

Casteel’s lips left mine, but they didn’t go far. “Sleep, my Queen.”

“Both of you need to go to sleep.” Kieran’s low voice rumbled against my back.

My eyes went wide, even as I felt Casteel’s lips curve into a grin against mine. “Sleep,” he repeated, kissing me once more before guiding my cheek back to his shoulder. His hand left my chin and slid down his chest to my hand. To Kieran’s beneath mine. To both of ours. Casteel hadn’t used compulsion, but my eyes shut, and I drifted back to sleep with our three hands joined.