The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

what Casteel had been about to do, and gods, it was what
Malec had done all those hundreds of years ago, turning his
mistress Isbeth into the first vampry out of an act of
desperation.
It was like a tragic replay of history, except I hadn’t
become a vampry.
But King Valyn didn’t know that.
“Where is your father?” I asked as I picked up one of the
boots Jasper had found.
“Emil and a few others escorted him back to Atlantia.
They’re currently keeping him under watch,” he answered.
I looked up from my boot. “Do you think that’s
necessary? To keep him under watch?”
Casteel nodded as he sheathed one of his swords at his
side. “He’s most likely under the assumption that I’ve
turned you into a vampry,” he parroted my earlier thoughts.
“If we just sent him back to Atlantia, he would’ve
immediately come back here.”
“To do what?” I pulled on the soft, worn leather boot. It
was a little snug around the calf but would work. “Cut off my
head?” I asked, only half-joking.
“He would try and die trying,” he stated bluntly.
I froze. “Casteel—”
“I know that sounds harsh.” He bent, swiped up the
other boot, and brought it over to where I sat on the edge of
the wooden chair. “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.”
“Let’s go with flattered.” He knelt, holding my boot.
“And be thankful that it won’t come to that. When he sees
you, he’ll know you haven’t Ascended—at least not into a
vampry.”