The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

believe that he was different? After all, he’d descended from
the King of Gods. He couldn’t be like the others.”
“Malec?” I guessed.
Alastir nodded. “But a lot of people were wrong. I was
wrong. He was the worst of them all.”
Tensing, I watched him come forward and lower himself
to the stone floor before me. He sat with a heavy sigh,
resting an arm on a bent knee as he studied me. “Not many
people knew what Malec was capable of. What his godly
powers were like. When he used them, he left very few
witnesses behind. But I knew what he could do. Queen
Eloana knew. King Valyn did.” His cool blue eyes met mine.
“His abilities were a lot like yours.”
I sucked in a short breath. “No.”
“He could sense emotion, like the empath bloodline. It
was believed that their line branched off from the one that
birthed Malec, having mingled with a changeling line. Some
believe that was why the gods favored the empaths. That
they had more eather in them than most,” he continued.
“Malec could heal wounds with his touch, but he rarely
did it because he was not only descended from the God of
Life, he was also a descendant of the God of Death. Nyktos.
The King of Gods is both. And Malec’s abilities had a dark
side. He could take emotion and turn it back on others, like
the empaths. But he could do so much more.”
There was no way.
“He could send his will into others, breaking and
shattering their bodies without touch. He could become
death.” Alastir held my gaze as I shook my head. “I like you.
I know you may not believe that, and I understand if you
don’t. But I am sorry because I know that Casteel cares for
you deeply. I didn’t in the beginning, but I know now that
your relationship is real. This will hurt him. But that is the
blood you carry in you, Penellaphe. You are descended from
Nyktos. You carry the blood of King Malec inside you,” he
said, watching me. “I belong to a long line of people who