The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

before Nyktos and told him that he would not hurt my
friends. The locks that held it back had been blown to pieces
when I saw Ian fall and then awoke to find that Casteel had
been taken. It was a whole new awakening.
I wasn’t the Maiden.
I wasn’t a Princess or even a Queen.
I was a god.
And I was so over this.
“You don’t like me, do you?” I queried softly.
An icy splash of shock rolled through him, but he quickly
masked it. His chin lifted. “I think you know the answer to
that.”
“I do. And you know what?” I asked, my skin humming
as the air charged around me. A silvery-white glow seeped
from my skin, crowding the sides of my vision as Sven
inched away from Gregori. “In the entirety of the two
kingdoms, I couldn’t give a fuck if you or any other member
of the Council likes me. It does not change that I am your
Queen, and your tone and the manner in which you address
me is highly inappropriate.” I watched pink seep into the
man’s cheeks, and I smiled tightly. “Not just because I’m
your Queen, but because I am the grandchild of Nyktos, and
you speak to a god with such disrespect.”
Eloana sucked in a sharp breath as I let the restless
vibration from within the center of my chest come to the
surface. Silvery-white light spilled across the room,
reflecting off the walls and turning the glass to shimmering
diamonds. Sven tripped over the corner of the striped
carpet, catching himself on the edge of a chair. The furniture
and windows rattled as I took a step forward. Silver dripped
from my fingertips, forming webs of iridescent light that fell
to the floor, disappearing into the stone, and that beautiful
light could give life. It could also take it.
Hisa was the first to move, dropping to a knee, one hand
pressed over her heart, the other flattened to the floor. The