The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

We stopped on the edge of the midnight bay, the waters
so dark they captured the stars above. Stygian Bay was the
rumored gateway to the Temples of Eternity. I suppressed a
shudder at the thought that the God of Common Men and
Endings slept under the still waters.
“You doing okay?” Casteel asked.
Knowing he was talking about Ian, I nodded. “It’s
strange. When I decided not to give Ian peace, I was both
relieved and disappointed.”
“What made you decide not to do it?” Casteel pulled his
gaze from the bay and looked over at me. “Because I really
thought you were going to do it.”
“I was. It was the perfect chance. I knew you all
would’ve been able to handle the knights. But besides the
fact that we have no idea what these Revenants are, we’re
also trying to prevent a war. If I’d ended Ian, the Blood
Crown could have taken that as an act of war against them
and struck at Spessa’s End. I couldn’t risk that.”
He reached over, rubbing his hand down my back. “I’m
proud of you.”
“Shut up.”
“No. Seriously.” A faint smile appeared. “You made the
call before Ian spoke to you, when you thought he was truly
lost to you. You didn’t think of what you wanted, but what
was best for the people of both Solis and Atlantia. Many
wouldn’t have done that.”
“Would you?”
His forehead creased as his attention returned to the
bay. “I’m not sure. I’d like to think I would have, but I think
it’s something you really can’t know for sure until you’re in
that position.”
Silvery moonlight glanced off the curve of his cheek and
jaw as if the light of the moon were drawn to him. “So, you
believe that Ian isn’t like the others? That what he said is
true?”