The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

Chapter 41
The King of Gods stood before us, dressed in a white
tunic that he wore over loose black pants.
He was also barefoot.
I didn’t know why I focused on that, but I did.
It was also why I was a little behind everyone else who
had already lowered themselves to one knee, placing a
hand over their hearts and their palms to the ground.
“Poppy,” Casteel whispered, his head bowed.
I dropped so fast I nearly face-planted. The sharp ridges
of the diamonds dug into my knee, but I barely felt them as
I placed my right hand over my heart and my left palm to
the rocky surface. Hot breath stirred the wisps of hair at the
back of my neck, sending a bolt of unease down my spine. A
rough, chuffing sound followed, reminding me an awful lot of
laughter.
“Interesting,” came a voice so laden with power and
authority that it pressed upon my skull. “You’ve awakened
Nektas and still breathe. That can only mean one thing. My
blood kneels before me.”
Silence echoed around me as I lifted my head. There
were several feet between the god and me, but his silvereyed
stare pierced straight through me. “It is I.”
“That I know,” he answered. “I saw you in my sleep,
kneeling beside the one you kneel behind now.”
“It was when we married,” Casteel spoke, his head still
bowed.
“And I gave you two my blessing,” Nyktos added. “Yet,
you dare to enter Iliseeum and wake me. What a way to