The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

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Solis, who live in fear of the gods who aren’t even asleep?Who can barely fend for their families while being forced togive their children away? What about the Craven, Isbeth?” Idemanded. “What about me? I’m your daughter, and yousent me off to live with a man whose favorite pastime waswhipping me and humiliating me.”Her chin lifted on a sharp inhale. “I didn’t know aboutthat. I would’ve flayed the skin from his body and left himalive to be eaten by buzzards if I had known.”“That doesn’t matter!” I shouted, tears clouding myeyes because this—all of this was so messed up. So wrong.“You can’t blame Eloana or Valyn or Atlantia for anythingelse. This was you. All you. You became this.”Casteel side-stepped me then, forcing me back until Ifelt Kieran’s hands on my shoulders. “I think it’s safe to saythat we do not agree to your terms.”“You don’t really have that authority, do you?” QueenIsbeth said, her lips thinning. “I know what she is. She is thetrue ruler of Atlantia. You’re just a pretty accessory.”“Oh, I’m pretty, all right.” Casteel’s chin dipped. “AndI’m also a very deadly accessory. Don’t forget that.”The Blood Queen smirked. “I haven’t. Trust me.”Sickened by the knowledge—by the implications and thereality of what…what my mother had done to Casteel—to somany people—I nearly doubled over. “No,” I forced out. “No,we do not now, nor will we ever agree to your demands.”“You won’t like what happens if you refuse me,” she saidsoftly. “Don’t do this, Penellaphe. Give me what I want andend this.”“How will giving you Atlantia end this?” I asked,genuinely curious. “Would it mean you will stop theAscended from feeding on innocents? Will you stop the Rite?How will giving you Atlantia change what you did to them?”Dark eyes met mine. “It won’t, but you’re not in aposition to negotiate.” She shook her head. “I can’t believeyou’re making me do this.”
“I’m not making you do anything.”“But you are.” Queen Isbeth’s shoulders went back asher gaze remained fixed on mine. “Kill him.”My entire body jerked as I reached out to grab Casteelbecause she had to be talking about him, but no guard orknight moved toward us. Neither did the Revenant. Iscanned the room—Casteel shouted. “No!”I locked eyes with Ian. A knight had stalked up behindhim, sword already unsheathed. The knight was fast,sweeping the blade through the air and then slicing itthrough tissue, muscle, and bone. Ending life.
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The Crown of Gilded BonesA Blood an
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A lover and heartmate…But the gre
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Also From Jennifer L. ArmentroutCli
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Standalone NovelsObsessionFrigidSco
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Table of ContentsBook DescriptionAb
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DedicationDedicated to the heroes
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Chapter 1“Lower your swords,” Q
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“My Queen,” he breathed, and th
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Beckett’s broken legs—the same
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“She’s right,” Alastir uttere
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And in an instant, I could see it a
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Temple. Of the wolven, only Jasper,
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“But I didn’t touch them, Caste
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His father didn’t. “As long as
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Chapter 2Alastir Davenwell was Cast
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“Wait!” Alastir shouted, his ch
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the vibrant golden swirl across my
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jerking straight and then bowing. T
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Nothing.I felt nothing in him, Kier
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arms. Flipping the dagger in my han
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Chapter 3What a pretty little flowe
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An image of him formed in my mind,
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Nyktos himself who bestowed the pow
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“But he would’ve been greatly i
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skating over the side of a coffin.C
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Realization swept through me in a w
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“Actually, no,” he replied, sur
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Gritting my teeth against the press
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Fury burned through my chest and my
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not have had anger-management issue
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swore an oath to protect Atlantia a
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inn?”He nodded as the torches fli
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“Liar!” I shouted. “Casteel h
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Chapter 5I couldn’t have heard hi
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My stomach hollowed. The idea of be
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marry your great-niece or another f
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“Growing up among the Royals and
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“You?” I laughed. “You want w
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Blessed. The Maiden. And that part
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Numbness swept through my body, dea
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had fallen before Pompay during the
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I forced myself to show no reaction
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“I don’t know. Not that long,
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“A little?” I whispered.“Okay
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hatred. I didn’t try to stop it.
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prepared to deliver a fatal blow. M
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Chapter 7Stunned, I looked up, my e
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“I’m going to fix that. I promi
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“There you are,” he said, his c
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“Then I will deal with what comes
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There was only fire on my skin and
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than all the stars in the sky.”
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There was a warm, damp touch to my
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eyes wouldn’t open again, but the
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“Her eyes,” the other said as t
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his wrist against my mouth. All tha
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Him. I wanted him.Keeping his wrist
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filled that gnawing, painful hollow
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Chapter 9Casteel shuddered as he wh
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flush to his chest, he ground his h
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He drew back enough that his forehe
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I dragged my thumb along his bottom
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“No. Not that.” Well, I could f
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doing. My eyes narrowed on the bare
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very first time in New Haven, I thi
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“Okay, and a little confused,”
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the kiyou were given mortal form. N
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physical changes. It was why Castee
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Kieran patted my shoulder, or rathe
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not steer you wrong, Poppy. It will
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Chapter 11Casteel’s chest rose wi
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I shut down the unnecessary panic s
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I could tell. I don’t know if the
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Alastir said that he didn’t kill
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what his father or Alastir wanted.
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what Casteel had been about to do,
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I opened my mouth, then closed it,
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scars there. “We have no idea why
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Naill’s brows lifted as he blinke
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you,” I muttered.A dimple appeare
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“They were like that when we arri
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Chapter 12Under a canopy of glitter
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while. But that sleep hadn’t been
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at my cool cheeks as my eyes adjust
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landscape, thickening in the distan
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One of the Atlantians stepped forwa
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friend? Or did he still believe tha
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your entire eye that is.” His hea
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The King of Atlantia rose slowly, c
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everything. There is nothing greate
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always a warning of very bad things
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“They will only know that you are
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Was it my bloodline—the eather in
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Casteel couldn’t even communicate
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Alastir stared straight ahead. “I
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Chapter 14Dawn arrived in vivid str
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Chambers of Nyktos from the road. I
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After he’d Ascended me into…wha
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But how could that happen? If Caste
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appeared frozen, and then an older
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Just curiosity and confusion. I had
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Chapter 15Jasper’s home sat atop
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The male grinned, but I had a feeli
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“You’ll get used to it,” Kier
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the ones from when we’d first ent
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how close I’d come to losing an e
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my heart…and I hoped that didn’
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“I think these straps are very im
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me. It’s okay to not be okay when
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get some food in us, and eventually
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A deep, rough sound came from the b
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deity or a goddess. Not when those
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my breast wrung a gasp from me as h
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had I been this exposed to him. A f
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finger, against his mouth. The sigh
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explain it, but it was like his uni
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Chapter 17Upon his return, I figure
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“Why do you like saying that word
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“True.” His arm eased off me, a
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My brows knitted. “All of that so
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I tipped toward him. “I know that
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“I’m sure you are,” I muttere
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feed from me, or that I saw you nak
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“What?” I didn’t know that.He
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Atlantians. “And things that have
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“And you think there’s somethin
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about to ask that. “It may have h
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Chapter 18My stomach tumbled as I s
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concern. It was a new experience to
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I swallowed hard as instinct demand
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As the other creature started to re
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then brought the dagger down, a dir
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Where my parents died. Alastir obvi
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The King turned to us—to me. “W
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them to be seen and heard, they wor
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“I think it is,” I said. “It
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“I wouldn’t.” Casteel came to
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“No one has spoken the name of th
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Crown—knew that one of your paren
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Other than his mother, as unlikely
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sealed his lips over the tingling s
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“Shocker,” I murmured.While Cas
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there wasn’t much for this artist
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There was that word again. It tugge
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crypt and remove the bones of the d
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“That’s because you’re both i
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“Very few who are still alive.”
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My mind was…well, it couldn’t e
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It could’ve been last night, when
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And I didn’t need to hide my scar
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His brows lifted. “At the time, n
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I took a shallow breath. “If the
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I kind of was, but I wasn’t confi
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The line of his jaw hardened. “If
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I sat back, weighed down by the tru
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Chapter 22“Why not?” I pitched
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“I imagine. I don’t know for su
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lied to you. That because of those
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never see Ian as anything but a vam
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He nodded. “Do you think I don’
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asked as Casteel looked over his sh
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one look, he picked up his pace, en
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“But the child, Your Highness. He
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while Kieran had gone still, all ex
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echoed around me as a faint silver
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My heart tripped over itself as I s
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hedge around hundreds and hundreds
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moments of wild abandon. That littl
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for free. Our hands were sticky fro
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“Remember what I told you about h
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“You sounded like anyone saying h
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“Not sure,” Kieran said. “Not
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celebration of a wedding,” he exp
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because I wanted to live. And I fou
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skinned man also danced alone, his
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“What?” he asked as he led me a
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propriety there was, demanded that
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as he trailed those fingers up the
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our relationship was never one of r
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He choked out a rough laugh. “You
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Chapter 25Casteel and I had spent t
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“Neither do I.” He tapped his f
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pit. The gray stone patio led strai
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My stomach dropped so fast I almost
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your parents?”Casteel nodded. “
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Casteel joined me, folding an arm a
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The driver’s wide-brimmed hat obs
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“It’s not my fault my thoughts
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couldn’t help but notice how diff
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grown angrier after their shock fad
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Standing by a large window overlook
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“I couldn’t let her die,” Cas
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“That is correct,” he answered.
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respectfully off your tongue. But w
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quickly. “I should’ve said this
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“My wife is far humbler than I am
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deity and an Atlantian had abilitie
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imagined him being able to accompli
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I focused on taking deep, even brea
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fault either. You were trying to fi
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“That was some four hundred years
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“I…” My stomach tumbled some
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“It is possible,” Kieran began,
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flesh-eating butterflies were in my
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“There was supposedly another bef
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several centuries ago, around the t
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Penellaphe. He was a deity—the mo
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I nodded. “He planned to use me a
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eyes as I glanced at her. Her lips
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Telling her that I hoped so probabl
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will go after every Ascended. There
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“I would say that doesn’t sound
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“And millions could die,” she a
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“It’s not that I don’t want t
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morning and could then take as many
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Chapter 30I was moving before I rea
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Skotos Mountains and descend upon S
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protected in case any in Spessa’s
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Atlantia, but my brother was more i
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things, I gave him a quick rundown.
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Chapter 31As we left Saion’s Cove
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wave of awareness. None of us was s
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ago, when Casteel and I had finally
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“You know I will never stop you f
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being a trap. Like I said, they kno
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A dimple appeared in his right chee
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intensity, stealing my breath. My e
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Vonetta arrived shortly after, her
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her. “This stress is the last thi
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“Thank you for explaining,” I s
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Lifting my chin, I heard myself spe
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storm brewing beside me. “Alone.
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he’d barely spoken of his wife, a
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Relief warred with disappointment s
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Nova frowned from where she stood b
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I nodded in agreement. “Are you f
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We stopped on the edge of the midni
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good Queen, but I want to make thin
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“Are you going to cry?”“I don
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Heart pounding, I stared into the d
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slumbered and that my blood would h
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Sitting in between Casteel and Kier
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“No.” Surprisingly, I wasn’t.
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I looked down, running my finger ov
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by nudging the mare with his nose a
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signified that there were still Uns
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My flesh sparked.Silvery-white embe
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Chapter 35“It could’ve been som
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you looked, strips surrounding the
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Needless to say, I was grateful for
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“For once, that bitch spoke the t
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been. I was surprised to hear that
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coated the inside of my mouth. Perr
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Although this was the Temple, a wic
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golden, shining bone. I hadn’t se
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Chapter 36Eloana unclasped her hand
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A tremor coursed through me. I reac
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throughout Evaemon that their new K
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kindness and strength, and to lead
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manager—or the magician of the pa
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Taking my hand, we walked forward u
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“As you were,” Casteel issued w
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That throaty, smoky voice stopped m
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take seats at the table but took tw
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paid dearly for their sins.” My g
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bay,” Casteel said, making it cle
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my Queen? The plan isn’t set in s
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Chapter 38After Willa’s unsettlin
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shoulder to the door. “And I knew
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Hisa stood at the doors. The Elders
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A laugh bubbled up, but I managed t
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Casteel choked on what sounded an a
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And there were many indecent things
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neither Ian nor I really celebrated
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“Whatever.” I bit down on my li
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brother to me and that there is no
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“Nyktos is protected by guards,
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I shuddered.“Sorry.” Casteel ge
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morning—”“Is that what you tw
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“What is in this book? I have a f
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grasped his sister’s hand, pullin
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I exhaled roughly, looking over my
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“I’m assuming that didn’t hap
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Free from whatever hole it had lite
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surface. Silvery-white light crowde
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back with dirt. The landscape was o
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“You all are staring at diamonds,
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full of intelligence, it awed me. I
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show your gratitude. Should I kill
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Drawing in a shallow breath, I nodd
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decades.”I didn’t touch the gla
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to even process what that could mea
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Chapter 42You always had the power
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for me to learn how to lead an army
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day in the halls as I’d left to e
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wanted him to marry would have to b
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“Good.” I met her gaze, smiling
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“I have to agree,” Hisa spoke u
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The way those two words rolled off
Page 603 and 604: started, “it might help if you st
Page 605 and 606: faster, pulling the shirt up and ov
Page 607 and 608: Pulse pounding, I scanned the page.
Page 609 and 610: I drew his blood into me, struck fi
Page 611 and 612: ‘Cas.’ Or my mother calling me
Page 613 and 614: His gaze swept over me, lingering o
Page 615 and 616: Atlantia. The group that had travel
Page 617 and 618: crates are loaded, you will take th
Page 619 and 620: “I suppose I was sleeping,” Cas
Page 621 and 622: Casteel chuckled. “That won’t b
Page 623 and 624: station guards in these tunnels jus
Page 625 and 626: to his lower half. The sharp defini
Page 627 and 628: She was no servant. If the clothing
Page 629 and 630: “You’re going to let me go?”
Page 631 and 632: stationed in front of each one. Sev
Page 633 and 634: thick, cold slush. I looked past th
Page 635 and 636: Chapter 45“What a happy reunion,
Page 637 and 638: Ian said nothing.Queen Ileana tugge
Page 639 and 640: “But I suppose it could be consid
Page 641 and 642: if you thought that any of us would
Page 643 and 644: smiled as she drew a thumb across t
Page 645 and 646: “What about their heads?” Caste
Page 647 and 648: podium. It was then when I realized
Page 649 and 650: this entire time that Queen Ileana
Page 651 and 652: that I was the same.” Her eyes we
Page 653: “All of this for revenge?” I wh
Page 657 and 658: Her dark eyes glistened with tears
Page 659 and 660: I dug at my throat, panic blossomin
Page 661 and 662: darkness staining the rose color of
Page 663 and 664: colliding with the world around me.
Page 665 and 666: Innocent.Behind her, people scatter
Page 667 and 668: “You’re wrong. I stopped,” I
Page 669 and 670: My gaze lowered to my hand. I turne
Page 671 and 672: I looked down at my hands—at the
Page 673 and 674: Chapter 48I stalked through the pal
Page 675 and 676: before Nyktos and told him that he
Page 677 and 678: Eloana rose, collapsing onto the se
Page 679 and 680: I lifted my left hand, showing her
Page 681 and 682: “I know.” I curled my fingers a
Page 683 and 684: they send had better be fit to rece
Page 685 and 686: their parents were en route to Evae
Page 687 and 688: “And?” he queried quietly. “Y
Page 689 and 690: Casteel…he had been right.Nektas
Page 691 and 692: My breath caught, burning my throat
Page 693 and 694: material, though. Colder weather ha
Page 695 and 696: Led by Valyn and the Guardians, the
Page 697 and 698: mortal form. If things went the way
Page 699 and 700: Slowly, the King turned his head to
Page 701 and 702: on to his arm, not letting him get
Page 703 and 704: now. And if she kills Casteel? If a
Page 705 and 706:
the one thing he wants more than an
Page 707 and 708:
Sign up for the Blue Box Press/1001
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TREASURED by Lexi BlakeA Masters an
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On Behalf of Blue Box Press,Liz Ber
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Chapter 32Chapter 33Chapter 34Chapt
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