The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash 3)

The hum in my chest found my blood as the hem of my gown twirled around my ankles. A new hand closed around mine as Delano let go. Whirling, I found myself held by Kieran.

I grinned up at him. “Hi.”

His lips curved up. “Hello, Poppy.” He stepped back, spinning me. I stumbled, laughing as he caught me. “You surprise me.”

“Why?” I asked as we moved around the flames.

“I didn’t think you’d dance,” he said, pulling me to his damp chest. “You honor us by doing so.”

Before I could even begin to question why that would be an honor, Kieran spun me out, and another hand folded around mine. I turned to find that it was Lyra who now danced with me. We were nearly as close as she and Kieran had been, her legging-clad thighs brushing mine with every sway of her hips. Taking hold of my other hand, we moved together around the fire. Strands of hair stuck to my neck and temples as we weaved in and out of those flowing with the beat around the fire, each spinning into different partners. On and on, I danced, both with people I didn’t recognize and those I knew, and all the while, that buzz in my chest and my blood vibrated in my skin. My head tipped back, my face exposed to the flames and moonlight as I was whirled into Delano’s arms and then into Kieran’s, who lifted my feet from the sand. Grasping his shoulders, I laughed as he turned us around and around.

“Someone is jealous,” he said when my feet touched the sand once more. We spun—

Kieran’s chuckle tickled my cheek as Casteel snagged me by the waist. I all but fell into him as he said, “I am definitely getting jealous.”

“No, you’re not.” All I felt from him was smoky spice. “You’re…”

“What?” he asked as he led me away from the fire, the dancers, and back into the moonlight-flecked shadows.

Breathless, I followed on tingling feet. “You’re turned on.”

He dipped his head, pressing his forehead to mine. “When am I not turned on around you?”

I laughed softly. “Good question.”

“Admittedly, I am more turned on than usual.” He drew me down onto the thick blanket, pulling my back to his chest. “It’s your fault, though.”

“How is it my fault?” I wiggled back, grinning as I heard him groan.

“It’s your laugh.” His lips brushed the damp skin of my neck. “I’ll never get used to hearing it or thinking you do it enough.” His chest rose sharply against my back, and I sensed something raw and sharp from deep within him. “After everything that happened with Shea and my brother, I honest to gods never thought a laugh could wreck me like yours does. And when I say it wrecks me, I mean in the best way—in the most complete way. And I…” A shaky breath left him. “I just want to thank you for that.”

“You’re thanking me?” I twisted as far as I could in his embrace, searching for his gaze and finding it. “I should be thanking you. It is you who made it possible for me to laugh without recourse.”

He dropped his forehead to my temple. “Yeah?”

“Yes,” I said, curling my hand around the back of his neck. “I’m living because of you, Cas, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. You think you’re not worthy of me? In reality, I sometimes wonder if I’m not worthy of you.”

“Poppy—”

“It’s true.” I squeezed the back of his neck. “Nothing you say can change that, but I know. I know in here.” I pressed my palm to my chest. “That I would do anything for you. I know you would do anything for me. You have, and nothing in this realm or any other will ever change that or how I feel about you. Nothing should ever make you forget that I laugh because of you.”

Shuddering, he pressed his lips to my temple and then folded one arm around my waist, resting his hand on my hip, where his fingers traced idle circles. He didn’t say anything as he rested his chin atop my head, and neither did I. Words weren’t always needed, and inherently, I knew this was one of those moments.

We just were as I watched those dancing around the fire break into smaller groups, some drifting out toward where the waves ebbed and flowed over the sand, and others into the canopied tents. I caught sight of Kieran once more. He was with who we thought was Lyra. Or at least I thought so. I honestly couldn’t be sure. His arm was around the woman’s shoulders, his head bent toward hers as they walked into the shadows of the bluffs.

I looked away, watching those who were still at the fire for a couple of minutes before I glanced back toward the bluffs.