The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

She threw back her head and laughed. I lost control of
my will as Casteel whipped around, staring up at the Blood
Queen. “Did you not believe what I said, dear child?” She
reached out, flicking a red-painted nail against the
thrumming wall of power. The light flared and then
collapsed into shimmery dust. “That has always been one of
your greatest weaknesses, Penellaphe. Your doubt in what
you see with your own eyes and what you know with your
heart. If you had truly believed in what I said, you wouldn’t
have dared such a reckless thing. You would know that we
are gods, and you don’t fight a god like that.”
She lifted a hand. Icy-cold fingers gripped my throat,
digging into my windpipe. I reached for the hands—hands
that weren’t there. A razor-thin bit of air worked its way into
my throat as my eyes widened and then…nothing. I
stumbled back, scratching at my neck.
“Poppy!” Casteel shouted, dropping a sword as he
grasped me around the waist. I stared up at him, my mouth
moving but without air to give my words life. His head
twisted toward the Blood Queen. “What are you doing to
her?”
“Teaching her yet another valuable lesson—”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lyra shift, heard her
clothing rip. It was so fast. She’d been mortal one moment,
wolven the next, and…
Isbeth turned her head toward her.
Kieran shouted a warning, and then Lyra’s high-pitched
yelp and thick, snapping and crunching sounds followed. I
tried to turn my head but I couldn’t. The grip on my throat
tightened.
“A lesson that will get worse if another single wolven
who’s eyeing me like I’m dinner takes another step toward
me. The same goes for the Atlantians,” she said, and I
wheezed pitifully, damp sweat coating my skin. “I will snap
her neck.”
“Stop!” Casteel yelled. “Stand down. Now!”