My brow furrowed. “How do you figure that?”
“Two reasons. One, you were in stasis, and I would not address the people alone.” Casteel leaned toward me, his glass in one hand, and the other finding its way to my leg again.
I looked at him, but he avoided my gaze as his hand drifted up my thigh. “And the second?”
“Unlike with Oak Ambler, the people here are aware of who we are and what we stand for.”
I bit into the strawberry. “I’m not sure I follow your line of thought.”
“It would’ve made sense to address them days ago to reassure them they have nothing to fear from us,” Kieran said. “But given that they have been interacting with Atlantians and wolven daily if not hourly, they know that.”
I thought it over. “And you both think they don’t need further reassurance?”
“I think you and Casteel will need to make a public appearance at some point.” Kieran straightened the knife beside his plate. “Be seen, so it is known that all is well.”
“Really?” Doubt rose. “That’s all?”
“Do youwantto give an address?” Casteel questioned.
“Not particularly, but…” I sighed. “I think it would be wise to do so, so they know who we are.”
“They know who you are,” Kieran replied. “And that you’re a god.”
I tensed. “That’s not what I meant.”
He lifted his glass. “I know.”
“Honestly, I would prefer it if theydidn’tknow that. I don’t want people feeling like they need to treat me like a god.”
“But youarea god,” Kieran pointed out.
Since he’d stated the obvious, I felt I could, too. “So are you.”
He stiffened. “That’s—”
“It’s not different. You are the Advisor to the Crown. Casteel is the King. The three of us are gods. The three of us rule. It is not different.”
Kieran’s eyes narrowed a fraction of an inch. “I’m not sure how we ended up having this conversation or why it matters.”
I rolled my eyes. “Neither of you feels like we should speak about who the Blood Crown truly was?”
“That is being done already,” Casteel stated. “We’ve been having town halls in each neighborhood, using the smaller venues to explain who the Blood Crown was and what the true purpose of the Rites were.”
Surprise washed through me. It never would’ve crossed my mind to do that. “How has that—?” My breath stuttered in my lungs as Casteel’s hand slipped farther up my thigh, one of his fingers a mere inch from where sharp tingles radiated.
He raised his brows, a small smile playing on his lips. “You were saying, my Queen?”
“I was asking how the meetings have been received,” I said.
“There have been many questions, and from what I gathered, a fair amount of denial,” Kieran answered when Casteel looked at him. “But the town halls have been going relatively well. I can request a more detailed report from Perry and Delano. They have been overseeing them.”
“I would like that,” I said, clearing my throat. I felt so out of the loop, almost detached from everything that had happened or had been decided while I was in stasis. “What about curfew? Can that be lifted?”
“While I would like to allow them to regain some normalcy, I’m not sure it would be a good move,” Casteel said after a moment. “The war is not over, and there is a greater threat than the Ascended among us.”
“Plus, some mortals benefited from the Blood Crown’s rule,” Kieran added. “They won’t wish to deviate from the status quo.There’s not much we can do to keep them separate from the general public, but we can stop them from attempting to free the Ascended as soon as the sun sets and thus getting themselves killed.”
That made sense. “Do the people realize there is a greater threat among us?”
