The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“What?” Wondering if I was starting to glow, I glanced
down at my skin and saw that it appeared normal.
“You’re not a monster,” he said, and that nice, deep
breath got lodged in my throat. “Not today. Not tomorrow.
Not an eternity from now, if that is the case.”
I smiled at his words, my heart swelling. I knew he
believed that. I could taste his sincerity, but I also knew that
when Alastir had spoken of the deities, he hadn’t been lying.
He’d told the truth, whether or not it was the one he
believed or the real story. Still, others alive today had been
around the deities. They would know if it truly was because
they had grown too old and too embittered—or if it was
something else.
Casteel’s parents would know.
“I know it’s a little hard to move on from that topic,”
Kieran began, and for some reason, I wanted to laugh at the
dryness of his tone.
“No, I want to move on from that,” I said, pushing some
hair back that had fallen once more. “I kind of need to so
my head doesn’t explode.”
A wry grin appeared on Kieran’s face. “We wouldn’t
want that to happen. It would be far too messy, and there
are no more clean towels,” he said, and I laughed lightly. His
pale eyes warmed. “Did Jansen speak of anyone else who
could be involved? Cas compelled Alastir to tell us all he
knew, but either he truly had no idea of who else was
involved, or they were smart enough to make sure most of
their identities weren’t known.”
“As if they had planned for someone to use
compulsion?” I said, and they nodded. That was smart.
Pressing my lips together, I thought through the
conversations with them. “No. No one by name, but both
spoke as if they were a part of an…organization or
something. I don’t know. I think Alastir mentioned a
brotherhood, and all of the ones I saw, except for when I
first arrived in the Chambers, were male—at least from what