The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

celebration of a wedding,” he explained. “Just around the
bend.”
“Are we able to join? I mean, they don’t know me—”
“They will welcome you,” Delano cut in. “Both of you.”
“You want to?” Casteel asked. Of course, I did. I nodded.
He looked over his shoulder to where I knew the members of
the Crown Guard followed several paces back. “Thank you
for your watchful eyes. That will be all for tonight.”
I turned just as I saw several guards bow and then pivot.
“They’re actually leaving?”
“They know they don’t belong at a celebration like this,”
Kieran explained. “It’s not personal. It just is.”
Just is?
My feet sank into damp sand as we made our way
around a dune, the sounds of laughter and music growing
louder. There was so much to soak in—the shouts of
happiness, the canopies rippling in the salty breeze, the
thick blankets and cushions scattered about the sand, and
the groups of people huddled about, dancing and talking.
There was so much life, so much warmth and joy, that it
flooded my senses, leaving me exposed like a live wire but
in a way that was pleasant for the first time. In a way that I
wanted. My gaze bounced everywhere, stopping on those
moving around the flames.
“During these kinds of celebrations, only the wolven can
dance around the fire,” Casteel explained, following my
gaze. “Though I bet they’d allow you. You’re their Liessa.”
“It’s strange to be the wolven’s Queen and not be a
wolven,” I said, watching people envelop Delano as the
wolven who’d been trailing us all day rushed forward,
disappearing into the crowd.
“Tonight is about celebration,” Kieran told us. “You don’t
have to worry about anyone bowing or beating their fists off
the sand tonight.”
A tiny grin appeared. “Was my awkwardness the last
time really that noticeable?”