The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

ago, when Casteel and I had finally stopped pretending. “I
don’t think I can eat.”
“You should try.” Casteel was close behind me.
“You should try,” I murmured.
“I would, but I can’t unless you do,” he said. “But since
neither of us is going to rest right now, we might as well talk
about tonight.”
I faced him. He was in the process of tugging off his
boots. “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”
He arched a brow as he placed his boots near one of the
chairs. “We need to be careful of what is said to your
brother. Obviously, there’s a damn good chance they know
what your blood is, but they may not know how your gifts
have changed. He shouldn’t be told. The less they know
about us, the better. It gives us the upper hand.”
I sat on the edge of the chair, slowly toeing off my
boots. “That makes sense.” And because it did, it made me
feel a little ill. “And what if Ian…if he is as I remember?”
“Even then, we don’t want to give them any information
they do not already know.” He quieted for a moment as he
unstrapped the sword on his left side and then the one on
his right, lying them upon an old wooden chest. “I hope that
he is as you remember, but even if he is, you need to keep
in mind that he is here on behalf of the Blood Crown.”
“It’s not like I’m going to forget that.” I tugged off my
socks, leaving them in a ball beside my shoes while Casteel
had draped his over his boots.
He eyed me for a few seconds. “My mother and father
could be right. Tonight may be a trap.”
I rose, beginning to pace in front of the terrace doors. “I
know that, but that doesn’t change that my brother is here.”
“It should, Poppy,” he countered. “The Ascended want
you, and they know exactly how to draw you out.”
“Do I really need to repeat myself?” I snapped as I
walked past him into the sitting room. He followed. “I know
that this could be a trap, but as I said, my brother is here.” I