The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

I kind of was, but I wasn’t confident that many would be
able to convince him.
Casteel was quiet for a long moment. “And I am serious
about giving people a second chance. To allow them to
prove that they will not be a concern to us. But if they act
upon their feelings, or I suspect they will, I cannot promise I
won’t intercede in a non-violent manner.”
“As long as your suspicion is rooted in evidence and not
emotion, I can agree with that.”
His lips twisted into a half-smile. “Look at us, agreeing
on who to kill and who not to.”
I shook my head. “Which is a conversation I truly never
expected to take part in.”
“But you’re so good at it,” Casteel murmured.
I snorted as I toyed with the stem of my glass. “Well,
hopefully, it won’t come to that.”
“I hope the same.”
“What about Alastir’s or Jansen’s family?”
“Jansen didn’t have any family still alive, and Alastir’s
living members have been contacted or are in the process
of being notified of his involvement,” he said. “I don’t
believe we will have any problems with them, especially
when they learn what happened to Beckett.”
A sharp slice in my chest accompanied the mention of
the young wolven’s name. Then I thought of Alastir’s greatniece.
“What about Gianna? Since he hoped you’d marry
her, do you think she could also be involved in this?”
“To be honest, I can’t answer that for sure. I haven’t
seen Gianna in years. When I knew her, she was strongwilled
and kind of did her own thing. But she would be a
virtual stranger to me now,” he explained. “She isn’t here,
by the way.”
“Hmm?” I murmured, attempting to appear
disinterested in that little piece of knowledge.
Casteel smiled at me, and the dimple winked into
existence. Apparently, I hadn’t been that convincing. “I