The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

A laugh bubbled up, but I managed to squash it. Now
was not the time for hysterical giggles.
Casteel reached between us and took my hand. My gaze
snapped to his. Those eyes of his were like endless pools of
warm honey, and when I breathed in, all I tasted was
chocolate and berries.
“I love you,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.
Casteel smiled. Two dimples appeared, one after the
other. I saw a hint of fang, and a wholly inappropriate twist
started up low in my stomach.
And then we were walking forward, out into what
remained of the evening sun and the breezy air, to stand
above a crowd that nearly stopped my heart.
There had to be thousands—tens of thousands. There
was a sea of people in the courtyard below the Temple,
some standing on the rolling green hill and beyond, on the
nearby buildings’ balconies, and in open windows. People
even stood on the roofs of the shorter buildings. As far as I
could see, the streets of Evaemon were filled.
“With the support and respect of the Council of Elders
and the former King and Queen of Atlantia, the abdication
and ascension of the Crown have taken place.” Willa’s voice
carried from the balcony, falling upon the people like soft
summer rain. “It is a great honor that I introduce He who is
born of the First Kingdom, created from the blood and ash of
those who fell before him, the second son of the former King
Valyn and Queen Eloana—Casteel Hawkthrone Da’Neer, the
King of Blood and Ash.”
My breath caught at the title that belonged to the
Ascended— to the Blood Crown. Casteel stiffened beside
me, but the crowd erupted in shouts and cheers, roaring
applause that echoed throughout the valleys and the streets
like thunder.
Willa held up her fist, and silence fell. “He is joined by
She who carries the blood of the King of Gods, the Liessa,