Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Cas doesn’t take kindly to learning that his brother was the source of Poppy’s pain—both physical and psychological—and compels him to pick up a dagger and put it to his throat. When Malik says even more, insinuating that he would have tried to kill her even if he had known she was his brother’s heartmate, Casteel launches himself at Malik, taking him down and beating him until Poppy uses her power to separate the two.
When cooler heads prevail—a bit—Clariza warns them a group of guards is approaching, and Malik tells everyone they need to get out and make their way to the docks. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen, and Isbeth, Callum, and her guards burst in.
Isbeth tells Malik that he belongs to her and accuses him of betraying her—which he did. She then tells him to get over what was done to him and Cas. He’ll never get over it. He finally speaks up, telling her to fuck off, and she insinuates they haven’t engaged in that in many years.
As much as I adore sex, I simply cannot imagine anyone with Isbeth, let alone Malik. But I digress.
Callum wounds Kieran, and Malik moves to grab him, but the shadows throw him back first. When Isbeth tells them they can all go except for him, he tells the group that it’s okay and heads for Isbeth. Cas tries to stop him, and Malik demands he let him pass. Poppy attempts to convince him to stay with them by reminding him that he’s no good to anyone dead, implying Millie. Kieran knocks him out to make sure he doesn’t go with the Queen.
When Malik awakens, they are already on their way to Padonia, and he is bound by bone chains with his hands behind his back, riding astride a horse led by Reaver. He explains how the white banners above the doors signify that those places are havens for Descenters.
The group reveals the details of their plan, and Malik makes it very clear that he is appalled they’re even thinking of doing what Isbeth wants and giving her Malec. As they talk more and discuss the curse that Callum put on Kieran, he tells the wolven that he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to him and that he still cares. When Reaver mentions the curse not working if Kieran, Cas, and Poppy are Joined, Malik feels relief. He assumes they are and hadn’t even thought of that—unfortunately, they’re not. Yet.
As they camp, the brothers have a bit of a heart-to-heart. He imagines that Casteel hates him, and Malik doesn’t blame him. He knows that Cas looked for him for the entire century he was gone and wished and prayed that he would give up. When he heard that the Descenters were calling Cas the Dark One, he hoped his brother would hear of the man they called Elian and think Malik had betrayed Atlantia, forcing him to give up his search. Things get heated, as sibling discussions can, and Cas tells him that he lied to and betrayed Poppy for Malik’s benefit, making it clear that doing so is something he can’t easily forgive. He then asks how someone who abhorred violence of any kind could even consider harming a child. Malik explains that when all was said and done, he couldn’t leave Poppy there to die. He took her back to Carsodonia and the Queen. He goes on to say that he got a glimpse of Poppy before they put the veil of the Maiden on her and saw what his actions had done. And while it’s a small comfort, Cas is lucky he didn’t see the wounds when they were fresh.
As more details of that night in Lockswood come to light, Malik reveals that Alastir saw and recognized him. He also says that when he saw the Consort in Poppy’s eyes, he believed what Cora did: that Poppy would end the Blood Crown. Over the years, however, he realized that it didn’t matter who Poppy was at heart. All that mattered was whether Isbeth found a way to exploit Poppy’s power: Isbeth will stoke her anger, Poppy will respond with rage, and after her Culling, she’ll reply with death. Cas takes offense to the insinuation and grabs Malik by the throat, telling him she’ll never do what he says she will.
Malik wants to believe that Poppy can control her actions and tells Cas he won’t hurt her like he would have done when she was younger. He also reminds him that Millie hasn’t tried to hurt her either. When Cas mentions what Millie said about him ultimately killing Poppy after her Culling, Malik replies that it couldn’t have been easy for her to tell him that. While the Handmaiden doesn’t know her sister, she wouldn’t wish that kind of end for her. Still, he hates that his brother had to hear that he would be the only one who could stop Poppy and that it would mean his brother killing his heartmate.