The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

his wrist against my mouth. All that mattered was his blood.
It was an awakening. A gift sparking through my veins,
filling that empty hollowness once more and reaching into
the darkness of my mind. The thick film of blackness there
cracked, and tiny pieces of me trickled in.
His fingers grazed my cheek, catching the strands of my
hair and tucking them back over my shoulder. I tensed, but
when he didn’t pull me away, I relaxed. He touched me
again, gliding his fingers through my hair in soothing,
comforting caresses. I liked that. Touch was…it was special
to me. It had once been forbidden, but he…he had
shattered that rule from the beginning.
“Poppy,” he whispered. Poppy. That was me. “I’m
sorry,” he said, his voice ragged. “I’m sorry that you woke in
this state and I wasn’t here. I think I…I must’ve passed out.
I’m so damn sorry. I know what bloodlust feels like. I know
that you can lose yourself in it. But you’ll find yourself again.
I don’t doubt that for one second. You’re so strong.” His
fingers continued moving along my scalp, and my grip on
his arm loosened as he spoke. The taste of his blood was
everything, and with each swallow, the void in me lessened,
and the shadows in my mind cracked even more.
“Gods, I hope you truly understand how strong you are.
I’m constantly in awe of you. I’ve been in awe of you since
the night in the Red Pearl.”
The ragged breaths evened out. The racing of my heart
and pulse started to slow, and behind my eyes, I saw colors
—a blue, cloudless sky and warm sunlight. Black waters that
shimmered like pools of obsidian, and sandy dirt warm
under my feet. Palms joined, and him whispering:
“Unworthy.” These images, these thoughts were his as he
spoke softly.
“You’re brave, so damn brave. I realized that at the Red
Pearl. To be the Maiden, to be raised as you were, and to still
want to experience life told me that you were brave. That
night on the Rise, when you went up there in that…that