The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Chapter 24
We ended up sharing a dinner of freshly grilled fish and
roasted vegetables in one of the cafés closest to the water,
joined by Delano, who had shifted into his mortal form at
some point. I had asked if the other wolven wished to join
us, but they had chosen to remain in their wolven forms,
watching over any and all that ventured near us, including
the Crown Guard.
It wasn’t until after the sun had begun its steady
descent into the horizon that we made it to the beaches.
The first thing I did was unstrap my sandals. The very
moment my feet sank into the gritty sand, a smile tugged at
my lips as a barrage of memories rose within me—memories
of my parents and Ian, walking along another beach. As my
sandals dangled from my fingers, and Casteel wrapped his
hand firmly around mine, I looked out at the sea, watching
the clear waters turn a shade of silver as the moon rose.
Those afternoons on the beaches of the Stroud Sea felt like
a different lifetime, eons ago, and that saddened me. How
long before they became memories that felt as if they
belonged to someone else?
Delano, who walked ahead, turned to face us. “If you’re
not tired, there’s something ahead you might enjoy,
Penellaphe.”
“I’m not tired.” I looked up at Casteel. “Are you?”
A faint smile appeared as he shook his head.
Delano’s gaze flicked from Casteel to Kieran before
returning to me as he walked backwards. “There is a