The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

“Yes,” both Casteel and Kieran answered.
“Wow,” I said, ducking my chin against Casteel’s arm as
I smiled.
But Kieran was right. As he broke away from us, joining
several others who stood near a few of the canopied tents,
only waves and smiles greeted us. Taking my sandals from
me, Casteel dropped them onto the sand and then
unstrapped his swords, lying them on a blanket—a sign that
he felt it was safe to do so here. Sitting, he pulled me down
so I was nestled between his legs, facing the bonfire.
I’d completely lost sight of Delano as I relaxed in
Casteel’s embrace, but I found Kieran a few moments later,
talking with a tall, dark-haired female. That was about all I
could see of her from a distance. “Who is Kieran speaking
to?” I asked.
Casteel looked over the top of my head. “I think her
name is Lyra. If that’s who I think it is. She’s a bit younger
than Kieran and me, but her family is close to his.”
“Oh,” I whispered, watching them and thinking of what
Kieran had once said about loving and losing someone. He’d
never expounded on that, but what I’d felt from him when
he spoke was the kind of anguish one felt when the person
they loved was no longer in the realm of the living. It made
me happy to see him with someone, even if they were just
talking and laughing. Not that I would share that with him.
He’d probably consider it a question.
“You know how you said it was weird to be a Queen to
the wolven but not be a wolven?” Cas said after a few
moments. “It made me think of how when I met you, I was
looking for the Maiden, but I found a Princess, a Queen—my
wife.” He laughed, and it sounded as if it were one of awe. “I
don’t know. It just made me think about how you find things
you never knew you needed when you’re looking for
something completely opposite.”
“Or not looking at all,” I said, my nose scrunching. “Or
maybe I was looking. I went to the Red Pearl that night