The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

protected in case any in Spessa’s End decided to act. I
hated the relief I felt. It was wrong, but I couldn’t help it.
“He said he had a message from the Blood Crown,”
Vonetta told us. “But that he would only speak with his
sister.”
His sister.
My breath caught.
“Did he say anything else?” King Valyn asked.
“He swore that they weren’t there to create more
bloodshed,” she explained. “That doing so would start a war
that he had come to prevent.”
“That is highly unlikely,” Casteel’s father growled, even
as a spark of hope blossomed in me—a tiny, overly
optimistic spark of hope.
But I turned to Casteel. “We have to go to Spessa’s
End.”
“Wait,” Eloana said, stepping forward. “This needs to be
thought over.”
I shook my head. “There is nothing to think about.”
Her gaze found mine. “But there is a lot to think about,
Penellaphe.”
I didn’t know if she was talking about the kingdom, the
Unseen, or even Casteel and me. It didn’t matter. “No. There
is not,” I told her. “My brother is there. I need to see him,
and we need to know whatever message the Blood Crown
may have for us.”
“I understand your need to see your brother. I do,” she
said, and I could feel the truth behind those words—and the
empathy that fueled them. “But this isn’t just about you and
your needs anymore—”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Casteel cut in, his eyes
hardening to chips of amber. “It is about her needs, and
they come first.”
“Son,” his father began, “I can respect your desire to
care for your wife’s needs, but the kingdom always comes
first whether you’re the Prince or the King.”