“Incredibly Foolish Actions?” he interrupted.
My head jerked back. “Excuse me?”
Whatever had held him quiet had vanished. “What are you doing out here?” he demanded, quickly glancing around the space. “Especially here, of all places?”
My spine went rigid.
“By yourself, with a Kolis-possessed Revenant?” He sheathed the dagger, not to his hip but to his chest, where another dagger was also secured.
How many weapons did he have on him?
“Do you understand what Kolis is? What he is capable of? That’s a rhetorical question, by the way.”
If he was anything like his great-grandson, at least five more weapons were hidden.
I glanced down, catching how the pant leg above his right ankle was thicker.
“You have to know because I’m sure Seraphena warned you about exactly what he can do,” Attes continued.
My gaze shifted to his left leg. Yep. Another dagger was hidden there, in his boot. I don’t know why I found that funny. Maybe because it was so bizarre. A laugh bubbled up my throat, and a tiny bit snuck out before I pressed my lips together.
Attes went quiet. For a second. “Did you…?”
I peeked up at him.
He looked utterly dumbfounded. “Did you just laugh?”
Figuring it would be wise to stay quiet, I kept my mouth shut.
“I would love to know what’s funny about…actually.” He held up a hand. “You know what, I don’t think I do want to know.”
I arched a brow as he stepped back, turned sideways, and thrust a hand through his hair. My chest warmed with something that reminded me of…fondness. Had we been friends?
“Do you have any idea…?” A muscle throbbed in his temple as he faced me. “What you would have done if I hadn’t shown up?”
“I would’ve done what I did in front of you.”
“Didn’t look like you were anywhere near doing that,” he gritted. I had hoped he’d somehow magically forgotten that. “I cannot believe you were out here—”
“Look, I already have a husband—” I stopped myself before sayingand a… I frowned, unsure what to call Kieran. I shook my head. It didn’t matter at the moment. “—who feels entitled to lecture me on my so-called recklessness. I don’t need—”
His brows lifted in an incredulous arch. “So-called reckless?” He stepped forward. “There’s no question about it. That’s exactly what this was. And whereisyour husband?”
“He’s…” My mouth snapped shut when I felt him—his presence—throb in the center of my chest. My shoulders slumped as a streak of crackling eather lit up the space behind Attes. I really wished he couldn’t shadowstep. Or was afraid of it, like Kieran was. “He’s not in bed, sleeping.”
“No,” Casteel growled, stepping from the tear in the realm. “He is not.”
Every muscle in my body tensed as I watched Casteel prowl forward. He must’ve pulled on the tight leather breeches in a hurry because they were unclasped and hung dangerously low on his hips. He wore nothing else besides fury-filled eather that settled over his flesh as thick as any cloak. His skin revealed the deep gray-and-crimson shadows beneath it. Tendrils of essence slid through the flesh of his arms and across his chest, swirling along the packed, taut muscles of his stomach and disappearing under his leathers.
The moment I heard his voice, I knew I was in trouble. And it was confirmed the moment my eyes met his.
I had no one to blame but myself.
Swallowing a sigh, I stepped toward him.
“Cas—”
Casteel was in front of me in less than a heartbeat, his fingers, cold as a winter morning, curled around my chin. I sucked in a gasp as he tilted my head back and to the side. “You’re bleeding.” The veins beneath his eyes darkened. “You’re hurt.”
