The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

assuming the role, it wasn’t because I didn’t want to be
King.”
“I know,” I said quietly. “It was because of your brother.”
“I know I can do this. I know you can. But it’s not such a
shock to me.” Casteel worked his fingers between my
knees, releasing my hands. He held them loosely in his. “I
want to protect my people and the kingdom, and if sitting
on that throne will do that, then it’s what I want. But,” he
stressed, “I want you to have the choice—the freedom. I
also want you to know that you don’t have to justify or
explain your reasons for taking the Crown. Not to me. Not to
my mother. And there is no one right reason, as long as it is
your choice. So,” he said, running his thumbs over my
knuckles, “is it your choice to take the Crown?”
My heart skipped a beat. “It is,” I whispered. It was only
two words, but they were life-altering and terrifying, and it
was strange. To think that before I could remember being
called the Maiden, forces had been at play that strove to
stop this very moment from happening. There was a
bittersweetness to this, but there was also a sense of…
rightness that buzzed through my veins, in the blood of the
gods. Like what I felt when I first stood at the Chambers. I
almost expected the ground to tremble and the skies to
open.
All that happened was Casteel bowing his head as he
drew our joined hands to his heart. “My Queen,” he
murmured, lashes sweeping up as his eyes met mine. And
that connection—the one tied to my heart and soul was just
as life-changing. “I guess I will have to stop calling you
Princess.”
My lips twitched. “You’ve barely called me that since we
got here.”
“You noticed?” His brows rose as he kissed my hands.
“Didn’t feel right calling a Queen a Princess. Didn’t matter if
you never took the Crown.”
“You’re being sweet again.”