The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

make Ian very uncomfortable.” Her crown glimmered as she
tipped her head back. “Are you Joined to this wolven? Or is it
the pretty blond one? Or one of those oh-so-gorgeous
females?”
The fact that she knew of the Joining didn’t escape any
of us. “I’m bonded to them,” I answered, waiting for her
gaze to settle on me. “To all of them.”
Her eyes widened slightly, and then she clapped her
hands together, surprising me. Casteel shot me a quick
glance as the Queen looked over her shoulder at Malik.
“Look at what you’ve missed out on.”
“I’m looking,” he replied dryly. “And I’m seeing.”
“What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” Casteel
snarled, his shock at seeing his brother—at the betrayal—
giving way to fury that tasted of blood instead of anger.
“You see, I’ve always seen my dear Penellaphe as the
future Queen of Atlantia.” Queen Ileana turned to Delano,
her grin resurfacing as his lip curled in disgust. She raised a
hand and snapped her fingers. I tensed, but it was a small
horde of servants who answered her summons, filtering into
the room, carrying trays of glasses. “Just married to the
wrong brother.”
I choked on my breath as Casteel stared at her. “What?”
I couldn’t have heard her right.
“Drinks anyone?” Queen Ileana offered, and none of us
accepted, not even Emil or Naill, who both looked as if they
could use an entire bottle at the moment. One shoulder
lifted in a delicate shrug in response to their refusal.
“What was that supposed to mean?” Casteel pressed.
“I had planned for my Penellaphe to marry Malik,” she
answered, and yes, I had heard her correctly the first time.
“It’s true,” Malik confirmed, plucking up a glass of what I
sincerely hoped was red wine. He lifted it toward me. “I was
your Ascension.” His lips curved into a smirk. “Or at least
that’s what we could call it.” He winked and took a drink.