The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash 4)

Malik’s eyebrows rose in doubt as Casteel turned on him, forcing Malik to jump onto the bed and move to the other side.

“I just need one of you to distract him.” I clasped Kieran’s cheeks. “I’ll calm him first. Okay? I won’t let him hurt me. None of us will.”

A muscle thrummed against my palm as Kieran’s eyes glowed a luminous blue. “Fuck. I hate this.”

“Me, too.” Stretching up, I pressed my lips against his forehead.

A fine tremor ran through him, and then he released me. “Please…”

Kieran didn’t finish. He didn’t need to as I faced Casteel. He was only a few feet from me now, snarling and snapping.

“I’ll get behind him this time.” Kieran looked at Malik. “I need you to get him close to you.”

Malik nodded.

Kieran took a deep breath. “Once I get a good hold on him, you’ve got to do your thing. Understood?”

Casteel howled, the sound so eerily similar to that of a Craven that my insides turned cold.

But I wasn’t afraid.

I was never scared of Casteel. Not even in this state.

“Ready?” Kieran said.

“Yes.”

Malik yanked the chains toward him, attempting to wrap them around one of the bedposts. Casteel twisted toward his brother, taking his eyes off Kieran. The wolven darted behind Casteel, clamping one arm around Casteel’s chest, pinning his arms to his side as he managed to get his hand under Casteel’s jaw.

Casteel went wild, thrashing, growling, and spitting. He threw his weight back, slamming Kieran into the wall. Plaster cracked. The chain slipped away from the bedpost.

“Now,” Kieran grunted.

Tapping into the eather, I began to conjure up happy thoughts—memories of him and me under the willow tree in Masadonia. Memories of him playing with my hair and teaching me how to control a horse. All of those and more filled my thoughts as my hand closed around his skin—his cold, cold skin. Silvery-white light sparked from my fingertips.

“Don’t do this,” Kieran rasped as Casteel bucked against him, straining toward me. The sheer intensity of Casteel’s bloodlust pulled Kieran away from the wall. “Come on, man.”

Casteel broke Kieran’s hold around his neck.

“Shit,” Kieran groaned, his boots skidding across the wood floor.

Malik was there, having dropped the chains to grab his brother by the chin. “I got him.”

“Please, Cas,” Kieran said—begged really. “You’ve got to let her help you find calm.”

Casteel’s answering growl raised the hairs all over my body as warmth rushed from me. I knew the moment the healing energy hit him because Casteel went rigid. The shimmering web swept over him, filling the chamber for the briefest second before fading into his skin. The ragged wound in his chest was awash with eather as Casteel staggered back, falling into Kieran. They both went down to the floor, and Malik and I followed.

“Gods,” Malik uttered as he stared at his brother’s rapidly healing chest. The glow had faded, revealing a bright pink patch of newly formed skin. His eyes shot to Casteel’s face. “Cas?”

His lids were lowered, lips parted as he panted for breath. He trembled so badly he shook Kieran.

I slid my hand up his arm. His skin was still far too cold. “Casteel?” I whispered.

His eyes opened wide, and a thin strip of gold was visible as they locked with mine. He was there—a piece of him recovered, at least.

I lifted my wrist to his mouth. “You need to feed.”

“I…I can’t,” Casteel forced out, words guttural as he twisted his head to the side.

“You have to.” I cupped his cheek with my other hand.

“I’m…I’m barely here…right now.” His gaze flew back to mine, and I saw it then, the red glint in the darkness there. “You need to get away from me.”

“Cas—”

“Get away from me.” The red glint brightened.

“You fucking idiot,” his brother growled, grip tightening on Casteel’s chin. “We don’t have time for you to be all heroic and worry about taking too much blood from a godsdamn god.”

Casteel’s head jerked back, cracking into the side of Kieran’s. Tendons stood out starkly in his throat as his lips peeled back over his fangs. “Get her away from me!”

The force of his words knocked me back.

Malik twisted toward me. “He’s not going to do it without some real strong motivation. Like, for example, the scent of your blood.”

“No,” Casteel roared, his feet kicking against the floor as he pushed himself and Kieran back. Malik lost his grip on his brother’s chin.

“Do it.” The muscles of Kieran’s arms bulged as he fought to hold Casteel in place. “Do it before the entire neighborhood hears him.”

I moved quickly, unsheathing my wolven dagger. I pressed my lips together to silence the hiss of pain as I dragged the edge of the blade across my wrist.

The moment the scent of my blood hit the air, Casteel’s head swung around. No longer fighting to pull away, his entire being appeared fixated on the blood welling up on my skin.