My head cut to Kieran. “You want me to address them? Without my Queen beside me?”

  “That’s not what I’m saying. You know I don’t think an address serves any real point at this moment in time.”

  “Good.” My gaze tracked its way back to her. “Because right now, no one really knows what’s going on. They don’t even know for sure that we are in the capital. If I go out there,” I said, jerking my head toward the window, “people will know, without a doubt, that something is up. And it would take no leap of logic for them to believe that she is injured or in a position where she is unable to rule. That could give others ideas, including anyone loyal to the Blood Crown, the Revenants still roaming around, and Kolis.”

  The unease that blew off Kieran at my mention of the true Primal of Death matched mine.

  “Considering that motherfucker is apparently non-corporeal or whatever, he could be anywhere,” I said, even though he didn’t need the reminder. “That’s the last person we need thinking that Poppy has been weakened. That is…” I trailed off, unable to finish the thought as I drew my thumb around the ring now laying against my chest.

  Kolis may already know.

  Fuck.

  We knew so little about the true Primal of Death. We didn’t know what he was capable of or if he could still gain strength and take on his physical form. We didn’t even know what his ultimate goal was.

  Things happened too quickly after Poppy ended that bitch of a Queen for us to have any real, in-depth conversations about Kolis. Poppy had briefly fallen unconscious, and when she woke, finding her father and the missing draken became the top priority.

  We’d only been able to accomplish one of those things before Poppy entered stasis to complete her Ascension.

  And while Reaver was more familiar with Kolis than any of us, he had only been a child during the true Primal of Death’s reign. The only other individual who could give us more information was Nektas, and none of us had seen him since Poppy went into stasis.

  “Agreed,” Kieran said. A few moments passed. “You know, when you were taken captive, Poppy wanted to come straight to the capital and burn through the kingdom to get to you.”

  My lips curved up as I eyed her. That’s my girl.

  “She didn’t care about being a Queen or leading an army. Her only thought was getting to you,” he told me. “But she knew she couldn’t neglect her duties. Knew everything happening was bigger than you—than both of you. She understood that if she went straight for you, not only would she be jeopardizing your life but also endangering the lives of countless others. She pulled herself together because her heart was—her heart is—big enough for you and the people. And you’re not that different. You care about the people of Solis.”

  I opened my mouth.

  “I know you. Shirking your duties will get to you,” he continued. “Maybe not right now, but it will.”

  I snapped my mouth shut.

  “You are a King, whether you prepared to be one or never wanted a crown. It’s in your blood,” he said as my gaze tracked the sliver of moonlight falling across the foot of the bed. “You need to see what happened to these Ascended.”

  Rubbing my hand over my brow, I exhaled heavily. “You must be getting really tired of being the one to keep both Poppy and me in line.”

  Kieran chuckled as he approached. “Someone has to do it.”

  “I…” Drawing my lip between my teeth, I shook my head. “The idea of leaving her side…”

  “I know.” His hand curved over my shoulder. “I won’t let anything happen to her. Nor will Delano.” He paused. “And if she happens to wake while you’re gone, I could simply knock her out before she realizes you’re not here.”

  I snorted. “You would never.”

  A slight grin appeared. “Depends on whether she wakes up asking a bunch of questions.”

  I laughed. “We’d truly be blessed if that’s the…” I sucked in a sharp breath, realizing that we may not be blessed if that happened. Poppy could wake up with questions driven not by her curious nature but because she had no knowledge of who she was.

  We both fell silent as our attention fell on Poppy. Those unspoken thoughts hung in the air like a thick, choking fog.

  “Go,” Kieran said quietly. “She will be safe. And if anything happens, I will make sure you’re notified at once.”

  I rubbed my thumb over her knuckles and briefly closed my eyes. I knew what I had to do.

  Neglecting my duties to the realm would eventually get to me. I had responsibilities—several million of them. It took repeating that a few times for me to convince myself it was true—or at least get me to move. I may not have needed as much convincing before Poppy. But now, she was the only duty I felt obligated to see to.

  I rose and leaned over, softly kissing her slightly parted lips. Then, I did what I didn’t want to do but had to.

  Because Kieran was right.

  I was a King.

  Whether I wanted to be or not.

  The auburn-haired Elemental Atlantian riding beside me was surprisingly quiet—and he was never quiet.

  Emil had joined Hisa and me as we left Wayfair, and a tart and lemony taste gathered in my throat when I glanced over at him. Unease. I couldn’t fathom what could’ve happened to the Ascended that would’ve bothered him or Hisa.

  My gaze flicked up to the city as the Golden Bridge came into view, its gilded sides glimmering in the fractured moonlight. Jacaranda trees lined the road, their normally pinkish-purple blossoms taking on a paler, silvery hue in the moonlight as the rows of stately homes appeared.

  Something in the air shifted as thinner, arrow-straight trees replaced the jacarandas, and we got closer to the Luxe. It felt…heavy. Not with humidity, but like Setti was trudging through pea soup.

  “You feel that?” Hisa asked, speaking in a soft tone I’d never heard from her before.

  “Something’s definitely off,” I said, adjusting the hood that concealed my identity. “Can’t put my finger on what yet.” I glanced at Emil as thick clouds moved in, blocking the moon. “You?”

  He nodded as Hisa surveyed the shadows clinging to the courtyards’ stone walls. “I do.” He lifted his head slightly. “It’s almost like they can feel it, too.”

  My gaze followed his, and I felt myself stiffen atop Setti when I saw about a dozen or so mortals standing in small groups on verandas, wrapped in their house robes. They spoke in hushed tones to one another as they followed us with their gazes, some stares worried while others were openly hostile.

  I knew how Poppy felt in crowds.

  One look in their direction had concern swamping me while bitter anger pooled in my mouth. Pulling my gaze from them, I quickly constructed a thick wall in my mind, shutting them out until only my emotions resided inside me.

  I didn’t know how Poppy did it. If I didn’t already know how to put up mental blocks, the emotion they projected would have choked me. And she’d had to learn how to shut herself off through trial and error—no one had been there to teach her. I knew my wife was strong, but gods, the reminder was a blessing in a way. If she’d gotten through life so far struggling to block out others’ emotions, she could return to us as she was before.

  Eather throbbed in my chest as a sudden sense of awareness rose. Instinctually, I glanced at the night sky, seeing nothing but dark clouds.

  But I felt something.

  Craning my neck, I caught sight of the shape above. My eyes narrowed—

  Large wings sliced through the thick clouds like a blade through smoke, scattering the shadows across the night sky. The draken came straight at us like an unleashed arrow, beams of silver moonlight reflecting off his purplish-black scales.

  Feeling a surge of panic press down on me, I tightened my grip on Setti’s reins. Not even a heartbeat later, screams erupted as Reaver dove low.

  A gust of wind roared down the road, lifting the edges of my cloak as the draken’s wings skimmed the roofs on either side of us.

  Emil’s head jerked up. “What the—?” He cursed as Reaver’s spiked fucking tail whipped through the air inches above our heads, nearly causing Hisa to topple off her horse.

  “Asshole,” I muttered. Setti snorted with irritation, shaking his mane.

  A loud, rough sound like laughter came from the draken as he suddenly veered upward, sending the mortals fleeing into their homes.

  Emil slowly turned his head toward me, his brows raised. “I think I just saw my life flash before my eyes.”

  That fucking draken.

  Rubbing Setti’s neck to calm him, I watched Reaver extend his wings and disappear back into the clouds.

  “That was…fun.” Hisa straightened in her saddle, her face pale. She cleared her throat. “I’ll ride ahead and let the others know you will be there soon.”

  Emil’s gaze followed her. “I have to admit,” he said, one side of his lips curling up, “if I were a draken, I’d be doing that shit all the time, too.”

  “No part of me is surprised to hear that,” I replied dryly, glancing at the homes we passed.

  Night had long since fallen, but it wasn’t that late. Still, no sounds of music or conversations drifted from the open windows, covered porches, or elaborate courtyard gardens. With the pleasant weather, this area of Carsodonia should be alive with activity, even with all the businesses and establishments closed due to the curfew. Except for those who had been out on their verandas, I saw no one else.

  Everything that had happened in recent days likely played a role, but it wasn’t like the mortals were forbidden to be outside at night. They could do as they pleased as long as they remained on their property.

  The city was quiet.

  But it wouldn’t—couldn’t—stay that way for much longer.

  As much as I hated to acknowledge it, things needed to start happening if Poppy didn’t wake soon. We needed to find Kolis. Lift the curfew. Deal with the Ascended locked in their homes. And those were only a few of the decisions I’d have to make—choices I didn’t feel right making without Poppy.

  My grip tightened on Setti’s reins. She would wake soon.

  She had to.

  CHAPTER 2

  CASTEEL

  “You want to tell me what I’m about to ride into?” I asked Emil.

  “Something very odd.”

  His tone drew my attention. It was off. “How many dead do we have on our hands?”

  “Right now?” Guiding his horse closer to mine as the street narrowed, he exhaled deeply. “About a dozen. Six in one home. Three in another.” He paused. “Four in a third. But there could be more. I left with Hisa while they checked the last known Ascended’s residences.”

  I took that information in. For there to be anything left of the Ascended to count meant whoever had done this hadn’t used bloodstone.

  When an Ascended was taken out with that, it left absolutely nothing behind. But that wasn’t the only way to kill an Ascended. Destroying the heart, removing their head, and throwing their asses out into the sun would take care of them, too. But those methods left something behind, even if it was just a patch of scorched ground and charred bone.

  I glanced at Emil. He was entirely too quiet. “You know,” I said, scratching at the stubble on my chin, “I think this is the longest I’ve gone without threatening you.”

  Emil’s head cocked as he squinted at the night sky. “Is it?”

  It was. Which was a good indicator of exactly how uneasy Emil was about what he was leading me to.

  “Cas?”

  I glanced back at him, my brows raised.

  “I don’t think I’ve told you this,” he began, his amber gaze sliding to mine, “but Poppy looks just as ravishing in armor as she does in her sleeping gown.”

  “Fucking gods,” I muttered. “You really don’t have any sense of self-preservation, do you?”

  He chuckled. “According to Netta, no.”

  My brows rose at the mention of Kieran’s sister. “Kieran is going to neuter you.”

  “Nah.” He grinned. “That would upset Netta.”

  Lips twitching, I shook my head and stroked my hand down Setti’s black mane. The damn horse snorted through his nostrils and flicked his head. Clearly, he was still annoyed with the lack of attention I’d given him over the last week or so.

  The grandeur of the Luxe became clear the moment we entered. The roads were wider—vast enough for carriages to pass one another—and lit by lamps that cast a bright yellow glow onto the clean, smooth stone sidewalks lined with large pots overflowing with flowers. Lawns and carriageways in front of two- and three-story homes were near replicas of one another, all painted in varying shades of cream and ivory and brightly lit from within. They had spacious, walled courtyards in the back, too.

  Wealthy mortals and the Ascended lived like Kings compared to the rest of the capital, where luxuries like open spaces, electricity, and clean, running water weren’t even a consideration, let alone affordable. Even Stonehill paled in comparison. But the districts of Croft’s Cross and Lowertown, where most of those within Carsodonia lived in dilapidated homes and overcrowded apartments overflowing with disease and hopelessness, felt like they existed in a different realm altogether compared to the luxurious Garden District and its most elite neighborhoods.

  I expected nothing less from the Ascended. But how could mortals live like this while others had so little? Perhaps it was because they believed they were different. Better. Blessed. More deserving than others. In reality, even with their fancy homes and fat coin purses, they were nothing more than cattle to the Ascended.

  Movement caught my attention, pulling me from my thoughts. I spotted a blackish-gray wolven ahead, blending into the sweetly scented shadows. And then I saw the armor and sword glinting under the moonlight.

  Guards cloaked in white mantles embossed with gold Atlantian Crests stood watch along the lane, mostly placed before homes inhabited by the Ascended. Those at the entrances inclined their heads as we passed. Sage joined us.

  I felt the shift in the air immediately.

  It was heavier, pressing down with the weight of a blanket made of stones, and there was a chill in the air that hadn’t been there moments before. Those weren’t the only differences, though.

  The street was dark as if no power ran to the streetlamps, but I could see that several homes—almost all—were lit from within.

  “We’re here,” Emil announced. “Well, we’re at the first home.”

  To our right, I spotted the tall figure of Naill La’Crox. Gods, when had I seen him last? The battle at the Bone Temple? I slowed Setti as the Elemental Atlantian broke away from the group and approached.

  “I was surprised when Hisa said you were right behind her,” Naill said, glancing at Emil. “You two took him away from our Queen?”

  One side of my lips quirked up as I drew Setti to a stop. I approved of where Naill’s thoughts had gone.

  “Kieran and Hisa believed he needed to see this,” Emil answered, bringing his horse to a halt. “And I agreed.”

  “She’s not alone,” I assured Naill as I swung a leg over the saddle, landing beside a large urn that appeared empty except for dirt. “Kieran and Delano are with her.”

  As I turned to face the Atlantian, he jerked to a stop, his eyes widening. Since everyone who saw me had about the same reaction, I knew he’d noticed the brighter eather in my eyes. He glanced at Emil, who lifted a shoulder.

  Stepping forward, I clapped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “Show me what has happened here.”

  The grass crunched under our feet as Naill led us across the lawn and circular carriageway. Unease was etched into his rich-brown features. “What do you know so far?”

  “That we have dead Ascended on our hands,” I answered, looking up at the large, two-story stucco home painted a pale cream. There weren’t many windows—only two on the first floor, framing the entryway, and the same above, set next to the door that led to the balcony. A soft, buttery light from either a candle or a gas lamp filled the panes. “Not how or why.”

  “How they died will seem obvious,” Naill said as Sage brushed past him, her shoulders damn near reaching his hips. He gave her a brief smile that didn’t reach his golden eyes, then faced the house. “Hisa went inside this one.”

  As we walked onto the veranda, I immediately noticed that something had blown the bulbs inside the wrought-iron sconces on either side of the double doors.

  Glancing down the street once more, I saw verandas lit by the soft glow of entry lights. Except for the one right next door and another across the street.

  Naill walked ahead of me, opening one side of the doors to a wide foyer. My gaze flickered around. A gas lantern had been placed on a nearby table by a settee. A rounded doorway to our left led to what I suspected was a sitting room. Halls were on either side of the two marble staircases.

  “Careful, Sage,” Naill advised, striding toward another door in the middle of the staircase wall. “There’s glass.”

  Lowering the hood of my cloak, I looked up. A golden chandelier hung from the pitched ceiling, each arm containing nothing but the edges of shattered glass globes.

  “They’re downstairs,” Naill said. “You’d think having only four windows in the entire damn house, they wouldn’t go underground.”

  “I suppose living so close to mortals has—or had—them paranoid,” Emil remarked. “It’s a lot harder to pull their asses from their underground chambers and into the sun.”

  Naill snorted as he opened the door. A sweet yet stale scent immediately hit me.

  Sage halted just inside the foyer, her hackles rising and her upper lip peeling back.

  “You okay?” I asked her, tasting her unease.

  The wolven nodded but didn’t follow Naill. As I entered the dark stairwell, I looked back to see her pacing in front of the front doors, her ears pinned flat.

  That was noticeably odd behavior for a wolven.

  “So,” Naill said from in front of me, “the eyes.”