Chapter 40
Poppy
It was early evening by the time we finished discussing our plans to leave for the Blood Forest, and I was able to spend some time with Tawny. I entered the chambers, relieved to find two deep tubs side by side, both filled with steaming water.
While Casteel had lingered behind—hopefully to speak with his father—I inspected the chambers as I undressed. The exposed beams of the ceiling and the white-washed stone walls reminded me of the bedchambers in New Haven. However, these were far grander, outfitted with sitting and dining areas separated by a standing screen. The wardrobe doors were open, and I found the clothing Vonetta had brought hanging there. But it was the items that hung next to it that brought a smile to my face.
Clothing for Casteel.
They truly hadn’t doubted that we’d return. Together.
A crate sat at the bottom of the wardrobe—the one that held King Jalara’s crown. Another would join it soon. I still didn’t know what I would do with them.
I drifted to the table by the bed and placed my hand on the cigar box, knowing what lay inside.
Our crowns.
Inhaling deeply, I left the box closed and went to the tub. A faint ache returned to my jaw as I bathed and washed away what felt like a week’s worth of grime before drying off and finding a robe, slipping it on. A knock sounded on the door just as I finished tying the sash.
“Come in,” I called out, passing the standing screen.
Kieran entered, closing the door behind him. “You’re alone? I figured Tawny would be with you.”
“I was with her, but she grew tired.”
He glanced around. “I just wanted to check in and see how you were holding up.”
My brow rose. “I’m fine. And you?”
“Perfect.”
I stared at him.
Kieran stared back.
“Are you also here because Casteel is speaking with his father?” I asked.
He laughed roughly. “That obvious?”
“A little.” I padded over to one of the chairs by an unlit fireplace. A decanter of some kind of amber liquid sat on a small table beside a couple of glasses. “Want something to drink?”
“Sure,” he answered as I poured two drinks. “I figured if I lingered, Cas would use me as an excuse to not talk with his father.”
My chest tightened as I handed Kieran a glass. “I hope he’s speaking with his father and with Malik, but…”
“But he’s got to have a lot in his head.” Kieran leaned against the mantel as I sat in the chair. “And he may not be in the right headspace to hear whatever his father wants to say.”
I took a sip of the smoky whiskey, thinking of what Valyn had told me. “I don’t think he’ll like what his father has to say.”
“Neither do I.” Kieran took a drink, staring out the narrow window as my gaze dropped to the thin scar on his forearm.
Curling my legs up, I sank into the cushy chair as I watched Kieran. Casteel would’ve definitely found his way to me sooner rather than later if he believed I was alone. But Kieran could’ve visited with his sister or any of the friends he hadn’t seen in weeks. He could be spending time with Malik. But he probably also wasn’t ready to sit down and talk with him. Either way, Kieran was here because of other reasons, and I had a good idea what they were. “Did Casteel tell you that we spoke about the Joining?”
Kieran glanced over at me. “He did.” A moment passed. “He said that you wanted to do it.”
Telling myself not to turn a hundred shades of red, I took another small drink. “He wants me to take the next couple of days to think it over, but I know the answer. It’s not going to change.”
His wintry eyes held mine. “You should take those days, though, and really think it over.”
“I will, but it’s not going to change. Casteel went over everything. I know what it entails—what could and couldn’t happen.” I knew what the Joining entailed. Casteel had gone over it in detail as we sat above the Wisteria Woods. No matter what it did or didn’t become as we joined their essences to mine, it would be intimate. Intense. Life-altering. None of us would be the same afterward in any way. “Are you sure this is what you want? Truly?”
“It should be me asking that question, Poppy.”
I lowered the glass to my bent knee as I watched him go to the chair across from me and sit. “We wouldn’t be having this conversation if I wasn’t sure.”
“True.” He leaned forward, glass in hand. “The same goes for me, Poppy. I’m here because I want to be.” The hue of his blue eyes was vivid, the glow behind the pupils brighter. “I don’t think many wolven would turn down Joining with a King and a Primal.”