Total pages in book: 241
Estimated words: 229266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1146(@200wpm)___ 917(@250wpm)___ 764(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 229266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1146(@200wpm)___ 917(@250wpm)___ 764(@300wpm)
But I did lift a hand, waving it through the tendrils of fog gathering around me. The mist dispersed, only to seep back to dance and swirl around the finger I wore my ring on. It almost seemed alive, as if it were interacting with my movements and not simply impacted by them. My eyes squinted as a wisp of mist coiled down the left arm of my cloak. I jerked my arm back, and the mist recoiled and stayed there, a foot or so in front of me, waiting…
Biting my lip, I stretched forward, extending my fingers. The mist pulsed and then slowly expanded, forming a stream that grew what looked like ghostly fingers. The hand flattened against my left palm.
I gasped and drew back. The mist responded in kind, mimicking my movements.
“What are you doing over there?” Casteel’s voice broke through the silence, seeming to startle the mist more than me. It scattered.
And then it struck me. “This isn’t normal mist, is it? The mist is the magic.”
“Yes,” came his response. “And you’re definitely doing something, aren’t you?”
I shook my head in wonder. “No…” I dragged the word out as the magic twisted toward the sound of Casteel’s voice. I rose onto my knees and stretched out, skimming just the tips of my fingers through the vapors. It shimmied. My brows rose. “Kieran said the magic here is tied to the gods. How is that possible if they sleep?”
“The short, very condensed version of a very convoluted reason is that even though the gods sleep, there is a level of consciousness still present. You already know that.”
I did.
“They created the mist to protect the Pillars of Atlantia,” he explained, and the mist turned back to him, as if it were listening. “But it’s basically an extension of them, or at the very least, an extension of their will.”
Something about being surrounded by a part of the gods’ consciousness was incredibly bizarre. “What do the Pillars of Atlantia look like?”
“You’ll see them tomorrow.”
“But—”
“Some say patience is a virtue,” his voice echoed back to me.
“Some deserve a punch in the face,” I muttered, but I fell silent. As much as it perturbed me to admit, Casteel was right. I eventually grew used to the mist or, more appropriately, the magic. I wondered though…if it were an extension of the gods’ will, then why did Atlantians trigger it? Then again, it had allowed the armies to pass through.
However, they were leaving instead of entering.
Casteel returned, as did Kieran. A small fire was lit, beating back the thickest of the magic. I took care of my personal needs, not far from Casteel’s presence, which was not something I cared to ever repeat, and no amount of intimacy or openness would change that. Then we ate by the fire. It wasn’t until afterward, when Kieran stretched out on the canvas that Casteel had laid down earlier, that I took a closer look at the sleeping arrangements.
There were three blankets, side by side and overlapping. My eyes widened as I stared at the two spaces beside Kieran.
“Are we sleeping here?” I demanded. “The three of us?”
“I was wondering when she was going to notice that,” Kieran commented.
My gaze narrowed as the mist slipped over Kieran’s chest. “Is it really necessary that the three of us sleep…so close?”
“Is it necessary for you to make it sound like we’d be doing something other than sleeping?” Casteel queried, and when my gaze shot to him, he grinned. “I mean, all we’re doing is sleeping side by side.” He reclined back on one hand as the dimple appeared in his cheek. “Unless you have a different idea. If so, I’m very curious to learn more about it, wife.
I stared at him as the mist seemed to still around us.
“What? I’m just a very curious soul.”
“Did you forget that I’m armed?” I asked softly.
“Are you thinking about using it against me?” In the glow of the fire, both dimples appeared. “If so, this sleeping arrangement may get very uncomfortable for Kieran.”
I immediately thought of the Joining, and the humor dancing across Casteel’s face was evidence that he knew where my mind had gone.
“Or…interesting,” came the wolven’s response.
“I’m going to seriously hurt you both,” I growled as the mist drifted away.
“And I’m so very…intrigued now,” Casteel replied and then laughed as he patted the space beside him. “It’s going to get even colder during the night, more so than when we were in the Blood Forest. In about an hour or so, you’ll be grateful for the body heat.”
That was highly unlikely.
“Which, by the way, is the only thing either of us is offering tonight,” Casteel tacked on, the teasing gone from his gaze.
Kieran snorted and there was a taste of sugar on my tongue—amusement. “Yeah, I don’t feel like having my head ripped off tonight.”