The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“And you think there’s something to that because of the
shit Alastir said to you?” he surmised.
I said nothing.
“Listen to me, Poppy.” He leaned over so we were eyeto-eye
and there was barely any space between us. “Every
single one of us who lives within Atlantia is a potential
threat to the kingdom. Our actions, our beliefs? Any of us
could tear the kingdom apart. You being a descendant of the
gods doesn’t make you more of a threat to the kingdom
than anyone else. Only you control your actions. Not your
blood—not your bloodline. Alastir was wrong. So was the
Duchess. And the fact that you didn’t turn into a vampry
when Casteel Ascended you should be evidence of that. And
if you take the Crown, you’re not taking it in the name of
Solis.”
“I can’t say that’s evidence of anything when we have
no idea what I’ve become,” I pointed out, but what he said
made me think of what I’d told Casteel earlier. “I have
another question for you.”
He leaned back. “Of course, you do.”
“When we were waiting outside the Temple of Saion and
Emil was speaking to us, I thought something in response to
what he said.”
“You wondered if Alastir’s plan had failed,” Kieran
finished for me. My breath caught as I stared at him. “But
you said that out loud, Poppy.”
I stilled. “No, I didn’t.”
The corners of his lips turned down. “Yes, you did.”
“I didn’t,” I insisted, my heart thumping. “I only thought
that, Kieran. And I heard you respond.”
He didn’t move or speak for a moment, and then he
drew his legs up as he leaned forward. “I was in my wolven
form.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t speak that answer. I…”