The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

I narrowed my eyes at him and then returned my
attention to his father. “What I’m trying to say is that I’m not
a vampry.”
King Valyn’s chest rose with a deep inhale, and with that
breath, I felt his shock retreat with each passing second,
becoming fainter. But I didn’t believe that he’d overcome his
surprise that quickly. He was tucking his emotions away,
hiding them where I couldn’t easily reach them—doing the
same thing his son did when he didn’t want me to know his
emotions. A part of me, in the center of my chest, hummed
with energy and wanted to dig into those walls he’d built,
find the fragile seams, and peel them apart, exposing—
No.
I didn’t want that.
I didn’t want that for a multitude of reasons, namely for
the fact that it would be a massive violation. If someone
shut me out, that was their right. That was the only reason
that mattered, but I wasn’t even sure I could do something
like that.
His father cleared his throat, snapping my attention
back to him. “I can’t believe you did it, Casteel.” He backed
up and then sat on the bench, stretching out one leg. I
didn’t attempt to read him. “You knew what could’ve
happened.”
“I knew exactly what could’ve happened,” Casteel
returned. “I knew the risks, and I’d do it all over again even
if she had Ascended.”
My heart gave a happy little wiggle, but Casteel’s father
looked less than impressed. “You know what that act did to
our kingdom—to our people—and you were willing to risk
that again?”
“If you think that what I did was a shock, then you need
to understand that I will do anything and everything for my
wife.” Casteel’s gaze latched on to his father’s. “No risk is
too great, nor is anything too sacred. Because she is my