Title: A Soul of Ash and Blood
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Fiction
What Its About:
Poppy, Cas, Delano, Kieran and Nektas make their way through the underground tunnels below Wayfair Castle, and Cas notices that Poppy does not look good—she has shadows below her eyes and it worries him. Something's off and Kieran also confirms it to Cas through a silent look they share as they make their way through the tunnels. The ground shakes even inside the castle and when someone says that one of the gods must've woken up, Poppy realizes that it must be her namesake, Penellaphe, as she slept nearby at the Atheneum. Poppy hopes to meet her. They hurry on until they find the cages, in which Poppy's father, Ires, paces as a cave cat. He looks thin, weak, and not himself. Nektas tells them that he may not be himself, and begins the process of melting the bars, while Poppy touches her father and slowly begins to make him change from the cat form into the human form. At first, they are unsure if he can speak or if he recognizes her, but her confirms that he does and then asks about Millicent, his other daughter. Cas tells him that she's fine, even though he has no clue where she is and where Malik is. Nektas takes Ires, wrapped up in the banner that Kieran was able to find and begins to leave. Poppy looks even worse and after denying that something is wrong, she faints as Cas catches her. Nektas asks if she has slept after Ascension, and Cas tells him that she didn't, to which Nektas tells him that she has fallen into Stasis—who knows when she'll wake up and what is more—whether she will remember herself and them. Nektas tells Cas that talking to her can help her remember herself, after all that is what Nyktos did for his Consort when she fell asleep. Once Ires is safe, Nektas dos to return to search for his daughter, Jadis, who has been captured and according to Ires, she's been kept in a nearby town.
Cas finds a bedroom in Mayfair Castle, where he lays Poppy down and orders his men about—to delay his father and to find some clothing for Poppy that she'd be comfortable in. He's not sure what to talk about, but he's willing to do what he can to follow Nektas' recommendation and settles on talking about his love for Poppy and how all that started for him.
He had been on the rise when a Craven attack occurred and he helped them fight back, but then he noticed that one of the members of the party that rode out beyond the wall had been inured. So after finding out the location of the man's dorm, he goes to hime and helps the man so that he doesn't get infected and become a Craven. The man tells Cas (as Hawke) that he wished that he would get the treatment from the Child of the Gods, who'd let him die with dignity. Hawke dismisses this information as the ramblings of an infected man.
Later, Hawke spars with Viktor, and notices the white dress of the Maiden from one of the windows, so he wonders what she looks like, making it seem to Vikter that he's not paying attention to his surroundings and/or is arrogant. Unbeknownst to Viktor, Hawke has better hearing and reflexes born of centuries of life. Viktor warns him that letting his guard down can be enough for someone to slip through, which Hawke laughed off at the time. That evening, Hawke gets called by one of the Descenters to a tenement, where he discovers that the man and his wife had been turned into craven, then killed, but also the baby in the basket on the floor had been turned into a Craven. Hawke kills the babe and tells his follower that there will be payment for this.
A day later, Hawke meets with Kieran, Commander Jansen and another wolven, Jericho, in the room of the Red Pearl, where they talk about making an opening in the Maiden's Royal Guard—either Victor or the other man, Rylan Keal, would have to go. They make the plan to take out one of the guards during the Maiden's evening stroll to see the night blooming roses, which Hawke finds endearing as the roses are native to Atlantia. The Commander, Jericho and Kieran leave, so Hawke is alone with his thoughts, thinking about his brother and the plan they have in place. Suddenly, someone walks into his room in a clock. At first, he thinks it's Britta—one of the castle maids—so he starts getting frisky with her despite not recognizing her smell, due to the alcohol. He takes her to bed and at that point, he realizes it's the Maiden. He finds out that she's a redhead with green eyes, and while she never tells him her name, they do speak and he realizes she has quite a sharp tongue. He touches her and finds out that she's wearing a bloodstone dagger with a woven bone. Unfortunately, before he can go any further, Kieran interrupts them with a knock, and tells them that the envoy is here with the supplies. Hawke excuses himself, asking her to stay put for him. She nods and pulls out the dagger as if she knows how to handle it, while he leaves the room to meet Kieran.
As Cas and Kieran walk down to the Grove to meet Emil so that Cas can feed—he needs to feed off of another elemental to stay strong and Niall isn't available—Cas tells Kieran that the Maiden is in his room. When Kieran wonders why they aren't running off with her RIGHT NOW, Cas tells him that it's very important she trust him, otherwise they'll never make it very far past the rise. Kieran relents, and then Cas feeds on Emil. Once he's okay and proves it to Kieran by letting Kieran press his hand to Cas' wrist, Cas tells Emil to head back to Atlantia and run interference with Alastair, because he doesn't want the guy to find out what he's truly doing. Cas returns to the Red Pearl, but the Maiden is gone. He is able to follow her all the way back to the Castle, and then he notices an Ascended following her. Knowing that the Ascended wouldn't know who she is because none have seen her, the vampiry will attack the girl, so he takes it upon himself to kill the vampire, send it over the bushes and protect the Maiden.
The group isn't able to carry out the plan as the Maiden hasn't gotten out at night. Turns out that one of the ladies-in-wait had been murdered, and during a conversation, everyone starts blaming the Dark one and Atlantia, including the annoying leader of the rise. Cas zeros in on Lord Mazeen, and when the meeting is done, he gets information out of Britta—the poor girl had been drained of her blood, had puncture marks, and her head was snapped. Britta tells him that the girl was last seen with Lord Mazeen and many people make themselves scarce around him because the man doesn't know boundaries, even with the Maiden. There is a court, where the Tullis family asks the Duke and the Duchess to speak to the gods and let them keep their third child because their first two passed away from a blood disease. Hawke knows that it's really the vampiry getting bloodthirsty and drinking from the children. The Duke and Duchess deny them the request, so he gets an idea about getting them out.
Not long after that, however, the plan gets carried out and Cas gets the news that Jericho disobeyed his order by trying to kidnap the Maiden. Instead, he actually got hurt in the process—she had cut him with her dagger and then he was called off by Kieran. Furious, Cas goes out to meet and kill Jericho, but Kieran reminds him that this may damage the relationship with the wolven. So Cas sees Jericho, notices that he's in a bad shape, gives him a drink and then chops off Jericho's hand as a warning.
The funeral for Rylan happens and the Maiden comes to it. As Victor was the closest to Rylan, he had to set the body on fire but he didn't want to leave the Maiden unprotected. Hawke stepped up, and tells her that she does them a great honor for showing up. Hawke also interviews with the Duke about the role, and ultimately gets the role to be one of the Maiden's Royal Guards. In a meeting with her, the Duke forces her to take off her head covering. The Duke then says that half of her is beautiful but the other half is a horror, to which Hawke replies that she is beautiful as she is, and takes the oath of protecting her, speaking directly to her, though he does take note of the Duke's sadistic pleasure in what he was forcing the Maiden to do. He escorts the Penellaphe and her lady to her room, while Victor goes to talk to the commander and complain about Hawke's status. He overhears Tawny calling Penellaphe, Poppy, and her telling Tawny about the Red Pearl.
Hawke guards the girls when they get a visit from other ladies-in-wait, who seem to giggle over him. Poppy doesn't talk much, until one of the girls makes a comment, and she uses that sharp tongue of hers, which forces them to leave. The girls had also talked about Prince Casteel—some of the things they mentioned were only partially true. Hawke gets a message after the other two ladies-in-wait are gone, that the Duke wants to see Poppy. When he relays that message to the two girls, the notices that they stiffen. Tawny leaves and then he escorts Poppy, who doesn't say anything to him until he irritates her by calling Tawny her maid. As he lets her go through to door to the Duke's office, he tells Poppy he will wait for her. Since he called for Vikter, Vikter shows up and relieves him without telling him anything about the Duke's calling and the ladies' reaction. Hawke doesn't see Poppy again for a couple of days; however, he does experience one of her screams at night and goes in to check on her. She wakes up and he can see the horror in her eyes; he recognizes what she is doing when she goes back onto her side—fighting to go back to sleep, which is something he himself has done in the past. He also notes that her room is bare, and smells plants that he associates with healing, but he doesn't wait around for longer than that.
Some time later, he is walking on the Rise thinking about what is going on with Poppy and the Duke, when he notices the unnatural mist rising in the Blood Forest. Even though he doesn't really have to, he goes out to fight the Craven. During the fight, he finds Vikter and realizes that no one is guarding Poppy, so he heads back to the Castle when's something catches his eye—someone is in the Archer's nest in a cloak. He smells the Maiden, and says something to her hoping that he's wrong, but the figure turns and points a bow and arrow at him. He notices a reaction from her but figures that she must think that he doesn't know who she is, so he decides to pretend with her and see what happens. She refuses to speak to him and he realizes that she has a bow, which raises so many questions for him. Hawke tries to stop her and she evades him, sweeping his legs out from underneath him, shocking him. It shocked him that she almost managed to get him on his ass, even though he caught himself on the wall—rarely has anyone done that to him recently. She then runs away from him, so Hawke grabs the dagger from his belts, slings it with precision, catching her against the hood of the cloak. He gets interested when she slips the blade like a pro and throws it at his face, then runs off in her slippers. He laughs, launches himself on a ledge and pursues her. Hawke catches up to her, walks up to her while she's utterly still, ignoring the danger. She kicks him, whirls one way and when he goes to block her, she plays him like a novice, which he feels like at the moment. Hawke then runs up to her again, cut her path off, and then teases her when she tries to kick him and he catches her by the ankle. He makes fun of her foot wear, then lets her foot go, and captures her whole against him, blocking her, but then he finds a blade against his throat. That pisses him off as he had forgotten that she had the wolven bone dagger. Then she nicks him, drawing blood and it shocks the hell out of him. The anger is replaced by amusement and lust due to her boldness, bravery, skill and recklessness. He tells her that she's an absolutely stunning murderous little creature and then tells her that the bloodstone and wolven bone dagger is interesting before calling her a princess. She tries to get away but doesn't get far before he catches her. They have a bit of a banter with each other and at one point he has her cornered against a wall, so she tries to throw him off only to ride his thigh and arouse him. He reveals to her that he knew who she was the moment she removed the veil. Poppy tries to fight back and Hawke tells her that it might be a good thing if she were forced to reveal her identity because it would make his life as her guard easier, but he wouldn't betray her because he needs her trust to do his job of protecting her. When he mentions telling the Duke this, Poppy tells him he has no idea what the Duke would do, and then cuts off the remainder of what she was going to say. He tells her to go back to her chambers and that they'll have to have the conversation later.
Hawke decides to freshen up and realizes that he can no longer thing of her as the Maiden. She was now just Penellaphe to him, but he's not sure when that actually started. Hawke goes to her room after, even though Tawny claims that she's asleep and he's just taken with Poppy's features. Poppy eventually sends Tawny out of her room after some back and forth with Hawke, so that Poppy and Hawke can talk. He notices that Poppy is wearing a thin white gown that leaves nearly nothing to the imagination, and when she pretty much confirms that was all she was wearing under the cloak, he is mind blown. They talk and he realizes that Vikter trained her, but she doesn't reveal anything about what the Duke would do to her. He tells her that he knows her based on everything that he's witnessed about her. Poppy does tell Hawke about her reason for fighting—her childhood trauma when her family was attacked and she tells him that if the Dark One knew she was unprotected, he'd send the Craven after her. Hawke knows that he had nothing to do with her family's death, but he ultimately realizes that Poppy wants that small chance at survival that comes with knowing how to defend herself—something that neither her parents nor the small town in which they stopped for the night knew how to do. He asks her what she does to those who come back infected, and she doesn't tell him, but then he tells her that he also helps the cursed find peace. He realizes that she does the same and wants her trust. He leaves her telling to wear better shoes and better clothing next time, but does not tell her to stop doing what she's been doing.
Viktor asks Hawke why he's not reporting her and Hawke tells him that technically he did, to Vikter, who was supposed to be watching her. He also tells Viktor that he knows why Poppy does what she does and that Vikter did a hell of a job training her. Viktor tells him that the only thing that makes sense as to why Hawke won't tell the Duke about this is because he wants Poppy's trust. There's an assembly where the Duke and the Duchess speak about the Craven attack, saying it happened because the gods are angry that the people are questioning things. The people shout and clamor about what had happened, and Hawke doesn't believe it all because he knows most of it is bullshit. Poppy seems to tremble at something the Duke had said and Hawke knows that there's something going on with the Duke and Poppy. He also notices one of the Descenters, Lev, making his way forward with a couple of men. Poppy then points Lev out to Vikter, who in turn tells Hawke to watch out, and Hawke replies that he has been tracking the guy and three others for the last twenty minutes. Hawke knows that Lev won't be fine and when the speech ends, Lev starts screaming that it's all lies, before throwing a Craven hand at the Duke, Duchess, and Poppy. Lev then looks directly at Hawke and yells "From Blood and Ash, we will rise," as another guard seizes him.
Hawke's thoughts are won Lev as the girls gossip about all that had happened, and Hawke comments that the 3rd children aren't seen by family in response to Tawny's mention that the third sons and daughters are seen by priests and priestesses. Poppy says that they can't make accusations without evidence or else chaos descends, and Hawke agrees though he doesn't really—he just cannot say anything. He goes to check on Poppy's room first to make sure no one has gotten in and takes note of another door. They talk and he tells her that he hates talking to the veil—she also dismisses her reactions in court as dizziness—but she doesn't take off the veil so he steps out.
Hawke attends Poppy's lessons with the Priestess Analia and is annoyed with how the Priestess tries to make Poppy pronounce Skotos several times claiming that Poppy is mispronouncing it. He doesn't get why Poppy is reading from a book full of lies on history, when the Priestess keeps interrupting her every five seconds and wants to whack the woman over. In fact, he'd love to see Poppy whack her in the head with the book. Hawke is in a foul mood because he hadn't slept well again, so when the Priestess tries to correct Poppy yet again on the pronunciation of Skotos, he tells her that Poppy is pronouncing it correctly as he's from that general area. He adds that while it may be hard for some people to master pronunciation, the Maiden isn't one of them. Poppy continues to read more, none of which is true according to Hawke, as the book seems to indicate that Nyktos is the father of Theon, when he really isn't. The Priestess goes on to say that the Atlantians bit people to rise to god-like strengths and Hawke feels like biting her. As Poppy continues to read, he realizes that it's more lies that they are being taught. Poppy shudders when she reads about the blessing and the Priestess accuses her of being disturbed. Poppy denies it, and so the Priestess raises her hand to slap her, but Hawke stops her from hitting Poppy. He is also disturbed by the Priestess' mention of the cane and allusions to Poppy getting used to it. He really hoped that the Priestess would not remove her hand from Poppy so that he could justify doing more to her, but seems like the woman has some semblance of self-preservation and removes her hand, after which she dismisses them. On their way out, Poppy tells him that he should've allowed the Priestess to hit her, and he's shocked, when she further elaborates that he will end up hurt for something that barely would've hurt her. He's further shocked when she worries about him and his position, but she does admit that she wanted to chuck the book at the Priestess. Hawke tells her that he doesn't care if she reports him to the Duke, as he doubts that he will be okay with that treatment, but Poppy makes a comment about the Duke, leading to Hawke suddenly putting everything together—the Duke hits her with a cane, though Poppy refuses to admit that. They talk more about the Priestess, the Duke and the role as Maiden, and whether Poppy would run away. She says no, and they talk about the Rite and whether she had ever tried to sneak in. Poppy admits she would like to go to the Courtyard—it had been her safe space until Rylan was killed and Hawke feels guilty for taking that away from her. He reveals, when asked, that he had a brother—there is a lot of anguish in him because he isn't sure if Malik is alive or even would be when he finally got to him. She puts her hand on him, surprising him, and when she takes it away, he feels lighter and at peace.
That night, Hawke falls asleep and sleeps so well past his wake time that he gets awaken by Britta who offers to have sex with him. He is not interested in that offer despite having morning wood and ducks out of the room.
In the present day, Kieran teases Hawke about Britta and updates him on what is going on with the Descenters and the City. There hasn't been any news on Millie or Malik.
Back in the past, Hawke checked in on Poppy and found out that she was the one that chose the location of he bedroom due to the secret passageways. He then visits Kieran in the Red Pearl and walks in on Kieran having sex with another woman. They offer for him to join, but Hawke isn't interested. He fills Kieran in on what happened at the Rise with the Craven and with the Duke. Hawke doesn't care that it's revenge as Kieran points out if he were to do something to the Duke. Kieran then tells Hawke that he cares about the Maiden and at first Hawke denies it, saying that the plans haven't changed. Kieran can't believe she was caned and tells Hawke to make it hurt like hell. Hawke checks on Poppy again and finds that she's gone, so he tracks her to the library to find out that she borrowed the book called Ms. Willa's Diary, which is very descriptive in her sexual exploits. He starts reading some of the items to Poppy, finding it utterly adorable when she squirms, and he fails to stay angry at her. Kieran's words play in Hawke's mind while they are at the library and there are things in the book that Hawke wants to try with Poppy, starting with kissing her. He does get her to admit that she used the old servant's access door in her room to get out. She tells him that she's safe and has her dagger, which she used on the man that tried to kidnap her when Rylan was killed. Poppy tells him that she thinks that the Descenter that chucked the craven hand will be killed and that she doesn't like the idea of the guy dying in the dungeon. She states that while an execution in broad daylight is still bad, it at least doesn't feel like it's—she's unable to finish the words, so Hawke finishes it for her—not something that is hidden. He had held his breath and now realizes that she doesn't like how the Ascended handled things. He reads the diary then and Poppy reveals that she would like to be in love before she ascends and asks if he has ever been in love. He tells her that he has, a long time ago. Hawke then takes her back to the castle. They continue talking and he wonders if she has ever laughed, but he realizes that he hasn't smiled or laughed as easily as he did around Poppy. He tells himself that things would change for Poppy when, but then he realizes that he was planning on using her to get his brother back as a trade and so she would be right back here. His heart races as he wonders how she should react to the truth about the Ascended.
In the present, Cas asks her how much she wanted to stab him when he took the book from her. He admits that Kieran already knew what was going on and how Cas felt about Poppy because of what he wanted to do to the Duke, even though he never found out the full extent of it until later.
On the night of the Rite, he visits the Duke's office where he wakes for the Duke, having found out what exactly the Duke's lessons were from a guard who got hard just talking about it when Hawke used compulsion on him. He waits for the Duke and they talk, until the Duke learns who he really is. Hawke handles the duke, turns him around, and using the Blood Forest cane, which damages the Vampiry skin badly, he cause the Duke the way the Duke did to Poppy. He then kills the Duke and gets the idea of making him a centerpiece at the Rite. He had the Duke blink how many lashes he had delivered to Poppy. As a result, Hawke was late to the event, but when he sees Poppy in that red dress, his breath catches, and he understands why Poppy tells Tawny to go have fun even though she's not allowed to mingle, as reminded by the Duchess. Poppy wants to leave, but she doesn't exactly want to go back to her room, and Hawke is able to convince her to go to the Grove with him, which is surrounded and hidden by the weeping willow. He tells her a bit about his brother and his friend going through hidden caves and how he hadn't changed those sad memories into good ones, though he doesn't think he ever plans to. He pulls Poppy onto his thigh as they sit down on the bench, and they tease each other with words, and touch. Hawke roams his hands across her body as his heightened senses pick up on her breath and her heart quickening. Mindlessly, he tells her that he cares about who she is and then realizes in that moment that Kieran was right about his feelings. Poppy's doubt comes out about she looks and Cas gets angry with the Duke all over again, wishing he could murder him all over again, but tells her that the Duke is a weak man threatened by Poppy's strength and resilience. He calls her Poppy, which she points outs and he tells her it's because they are friends. At the same time, he feels guilt for deceiving her. Hawke is shocked further when Poppy begs him to kiss her, and he does kiss her, promising her that she will have all the experiences, no matter what. He's willing to give it all to Poppy an the loves how she shows him how much she wants him. They touch each other and play a bit, before they leave to go back to the castle.
At that point, they run into Vikter, who throws a wrench into Hawke's plan to hand Poppy off to Kieran. He doesn't want to kill Vikter as Hawke doesn't want to give Poppy an even more horrifying memory than the one he gave her with Rylan. The two men trade words and Hawke doesn't like the language and tone Vikter uses towards Poppy. He doesn't like how Vikter accuses him of doing things that they never did do. Viktor tells him that it will be over his dead body if Hawke spends alone time with her, and Hawke calms—not a good sign—but doesn't do anything, just tells Vikter that it would be unfortunate if something were to happen to him. He lets a bit of who he is come to the surface so Vikter knows Hawke is a predator and Vikter dismisses him. Hawke walks over to Kieran, tells him the update and Kieran tells him that things are in motion, so he needs to go get Poppy and take her to the Grove.
In the present, Cas tells Poppy that the rightness he felt under the willow with her was his soul recognizing hers as heart mate. Kieran reminds him that he didn't want to believe it when Kieran told him she is his heart mate, and Kieran admits to Cas that he's known something was up since the Red Pearl because Cas didn't want to talk about her as he was protective of her. Cas then asks what Millicent is, thinking about what his brother claimed—she's his heart mate—as she's not a Revenant, and she is Ires' daughter thereby making her a Goddess, though not one that has ascended. They talk about Revenants for a bit, and then they turn to the night of the Rite again. Kieran reminds him that it wasn't what he planned, but Cas says he's still responsible because they did fight back in his name. Both he and Kieran had to kill some of the Descenters, those who risked everything for Atlantia and freedom.
In the past, that night, Hawke found himself killing men and surrounded by a whole battlefield in the Great Hall, He's furious because that wasn't supposed to happen—all of this—he even finds a child crouching in a Descenter mask, whom he's never recruited. No Children. He watches as Lieutenant Smyth, who has been a pain in his arse from the beginning tries to get the child to stand up and face the sword. He snaps forward, thrusting his sword into Smyth, finally killing him like Hawke has wanted to for a while. He tells the child to go. Hawke then heads down the corridor and hears Poppy scream so he runs and he sees Vikter's face leached of all color. A Descenter pulls out the sword from Vikter—it wasn't supposed to happen—so he cuts the guy's head off and is hyper focused on what he had brought upon Poppy by his own actions. Poppy demands Hawke helps Viktor, but as he puts his hand on Vikter's chest, Hawke knows that he will not make it, and wishes that he could do something about it. Viktor apologizes to Poppy for not protecting her and looks at Lord Mazeen, who looks amused while simultaneously not doing anything to protect the people though he could have. Hawke makes a note to deal with him. Then Vikter dies, and Hawke puts his hand on Poppy's, at which point Lord Mazeen states that the Maiden has crossed a line with her Royal Guards and her lessons weren't effective. Hawke tells him to stop speaking or else his tongue will be cut out. He's aware of Poppy's hand moving from his, and then watches her grab a fallen sword, turn on Lord Mazeen, who continues to smirk and makes another comment about not forgetting Vikter. Hawke realizes that there's nothing he could've done to stop Poppy's next actions, as he recognizes her scream of pain and anger because it was one he made himself when he realized what Shea had done. He watches as Poppy takes off the Lord's hand, at which point the man stops laughing, then she takes his head, and then keeps cutting him into pieces. Hawke stops her at that point, and drags her out of the room kicking and screaming. He has to scut off her air supply to knock her out and walk out with her limp body from the room as Tawny and the Duchess speak to him, but he ignores them because all he can hear are Poppy's screams.
It takes a while before Poppy is awake though Tawny tells him that she needs time. Tawny tells him that he cares about her and his own inside voice has been doing that chattering for him. Then Tawny leaves and he's left alone with Poppy, dealing with his own guilt around the Rite. He realizes he's never expected her, nor expected to care for her. Now he wants a lot of things for Poppy and doesn't know how to get them there. The Duchess had called him in and told him that the Crown has grown concerned about Poppy's safety, so she expects there will be a summons. He goes through all of the different possibilities and caresses Poppy when she wakes briefly. The Duchess does check in and mentions that Poppy has been on a sleeping draft. Once the woman leaves, Hawke finds the drafts and throws them out. Poppy, once awake, sneaks out of her room and Hawke finds her wandering the streets. He throws a dagger at her, pulling her cloak against the tree, and then tells her that she wouldn't have seen the attack coming. They talk some, and Poppy confides in him that someone had tried to warn them at the Rite about an upcoming attack, and she clearly wants to do something about that person out of anger, but Hawke talks her out of it.
Cas meets with Kieran at the Red Pearl, because Jansen is guarding Poppy and Kieran tells him that he's been promoted to Huntsman. Cas tells Kieran that a summons will come for Poppy, and describes what Poppy did to Lord Mazeen. Kieran is surprised but asks if Case couldn't get her to the Grove before the summons, to which Cas replies that her being weak for their journey wouldn't bee good. Kieran says that it sounds like he'll like Poppy, and Cas is sure that if she had a choice, she wouldn't have become a Maiden. At some point, he visits Poppy and tells her that it's okay that she feels the way she does, but that he's taking her to the Duchess.
In the present, Cas tells Poppy that watching over her while she was sleeping those days made it clear to him how Kieran felt watching over him when he returned home. He knows that the trauma still impacts Poppy with what the Duke did to her because he's the same—he used to tell himself that what was done to him didn't matter, and as such it was dealt with, but now he knows that it's not the case. He wonders how things would've been different if Isbeth and Malec could have gone to live in peace. Cas then returns to the day she stood on the rise.
It was the day they left Masadonia, and he had introduced her to Kieran and the rest of the traveling party. He rode with her the whole way, and even laughed heartily while with her. When they stopped, Kieran had told him that he hadn't heard him laugh like that in years. Hawke made the decision to cuddle with Poppy that night and finger her, making her come for the first time. When he wakes up the next day, he talks to Kieran who reminds him what why are doing and makes him promise that he will leave her the way he found her. They go through the Blood Forest and he finds out that Poppy is scared of Barrats, but they have a bigger issue—Craven attack them. Poppy fights off the Craven at their side and Hawke comments to Kieran if he's seen her, which Kieran says he did. Then, Hawke watches in shock as one of their gravely injured men starts to act like he's okay, courtesy of Poppy, which is when Hawke realizes that she has powers and has used them at least twice on him. On their way, he relays that information to Kieran, who in turn tells him it's impossible as she's mortal. Maybe she's half-Atlantan but the bloodlines capable of doing what she did had died out years ago.
In the present, Cas tells Poppy with Kieran nearby that neither one of them could figure out how she had those powers. He was blown away that she would use those powers on him. Suddenly, there is a commotion outside, where Emil is standing watch and Millicent and Malik show up. Millie mentions hat they've killed some Revenants and reveals that she used to watch over Poppy as a child. She says that Poppy loved to wander the hidden hallways below the castle often as a kid. Cas leaves Millie with Poppy and Kieran watching, while he talks to Malik, who tells him that even if he had sent word home, Cas wouldn't have believed him and come straight to the capital anyway. Malik wanted him to stay far away, and he adds that Isbeth knew that he and Millie were heart mates, so she used that to control him, though Millie doesn't know any of it. And Malik adds that aside from Poppy, darken fire or darken blood can be used to kill a Revenant. Eventually both Millie and Malik leave to take care of other things, but not before Malik tells Cas that he is fit to be a king because he paid attention in lessons.
In the past, they make it to New Haven, and Hawke worries that his people will give him away, but they do not, and Magda takes Poppy to a room, while Hawke visits with Ethan and some of the men there. After changing, Hawke speaks to Poppy in her room at New Haven and she tells him that she's always had these powers, but that they've gotten stronger in recent years as she gets closer to her ascension. She reveals that she's been forbidden from using them. He tells her that he understands why he felt lighter and admits that the first time she did that to him, he slept better than he had ever before. He's also confused by Poppy's mention of the last Maiden, because as far as he knows she's the only one. He tries to leave when Poppy looks at him in a way that he believes he doesn't deserve to be looked at, especially not by her. She asks him to stay with her tonight, and he does—after he makes her promise that she will remember this is real, they have sex for the first time. While they are having sex, he gets the urge to bite her, and though his fangs graze her skin, he manages to pull himself back from the brink twice. He cleans her up and then they cuddle. While laying there, Poppy asks him about his scars, most of which were from his years of training, but one is the Royal Crest branded into his skin from his time in captivity. He realizes then that he can't go through with giving her back to the Blood Crown, but also admits that he may not have any other choice to get his brother back. He wrestles with the what ifs and eventually does fall asleep. He awakens to a quiet knock and Magda delivers clothing for Poppy and tells him that Elijah wants to see him. Hawke tells Poppy to go to sleep and goes down to meet Eli, who has a room with Orion, Alistair's messenger. Emil had sent Cas a message, cleverly coded that his father is coming and they know of the plan Cas set in motion. Clearly the letter was read by Orion, so Cas calls him on his bullshit and how the guy arrived so quickly after they did. Orion reveals that he's to meet with the King at Berkton, which is half a day's ride from New Haven. Cas kills him, and tells Elijah that something befell Orion en route to Berkton if anyone asks, especially after Orion tells Cas that his father plans to return the Maiden's head to the Blood Crown. Cas is not surprised—his father isn't a cruel man, but after what was done to Cas and what Malik may be going through, his father may be up to anything. Cas makes the decision to go to Berkton in the morning, and Delano offers to now with him. Cas asks that Delano stay two guard Poppy. Niall suddenly comes running in and reports that the Royal Guards are stealing Poppy away and that they've hurt Kieran when he check on her, so he's shifted into a wolven.
The Royal Guards had managed to get Poppy into the stables so Hawke heads there with Niall, Elijah and Delano. Elijah stops him and tells him that while people will follow Cas, if they think that he's gotten himself wrapped around the Maiden, who is a symbol of all they've lost, he'll lose their support. He lets himself become the Dark One, with Anger, and deals with the situation. Hawke kills Phillips and the others take care of the other Royal Guards, while Hawke stalks forward. Jericho, who Poppy tried to kill, says that he wants to kill her, but Cas tells him that he will get a lot worse fate than a chopped hand if he does that because they need Poppy alive. Cas tells Poppy that they need to talk, and Poppy realizes that Phillips was right—they are all Descenters. He tells her that there were many things that she thinks that are true but really aren't—he tells her the truth about Rylan and also about his plan with her. Poppy doesn't realize yet that he's the Dark one, but keeps asking questions and her patience gets thin. She gets cornered and lashes out, resulting in her fighting with Cas. He realizes that she's making the same kind of sounds she did when she went after maze, and he knows that this is going to be rough. Elijah keeps having a great time watching them, as do all the other men since they've been ordered not to approach Poppy and Cas. When he finally gets her to stop and reveals his fangs to her, she calls him a monster, which hurts Cas deeply, but he shuts his feelings off. When she gives in, it's not what he wanted—he wanted to comfort her—but it's what he deserved.
Delano puts Poppy in the cells and Cas takes some time to calm down. He talked to Kieran first and asks how Phillips figured it out. Cas also gives Kieran the information that Alistair knows, and tells him that he won't allow his father to hurt Poppy. Cas tells him that he doesn't expect Kieran to stand with him on that as it's treason and Cas doesn't want Kieran outside from his family—it's an order. Kieran tells him that Cas let her get the upper hand in the stables multiple times. Cas is an elemental Atlantian, after all, and could have easily gotten her under control but didn't, and Kieran now wants to know why. Kieran wants to know what Cas is keeping from him, but Cas avoids it even though he knows he's keeping things from Kieran because it's different. Cas visits Poppy in the cells and tells her the truth about Atlantians, while he cleans her cut and bandages her. She had resisted him, not wanting him to touch her and that hurt him. He can tell that her thoughts are painful and she asks him if any of it was real. Cas gets upset—she had forgotten—and is also furious with himself that he expected her to remember. Ultimately, he decides not to answer her because he realizes that she won't believe him anyway. He tells her the true history—about the Atlantians and the Ascended, and that while the Descenters follow the Dark One, they often act on their own; they aren't lead by him. When Poppy tells him that she won't stop fighting him, won't submit to him, he admires her but is concerned as well because he needs her to realize the truth. So he tells her that one of the scars he has—the one on his thigh that she asked about—is actually the Royal Crest. He was used like cattle by the Blood Crown, not just for food but all sorts of entertainment, so he knows what it is like to not have a choice. He also reveals that they plan to use her to get Prince Malik back, and he has to go meet with the king, but that more comfortable sleeping arrangements will be made for her.
In the present day, Cas tells her that he wishes he could go back and never leave her that night. He had already fallen for her that night but didn't know it was love because he didn't think he was ever deserving of such a thing, after all he'd done and he couldn't be forgiven. Cas thinks about Millie and Malik, and what Malik had said about not telling Millie that they are heart mates. His heart constricts for Malik. He then tells Poppy that Delano and Niall were to move her once Jericho had left, and everyone else was occupied because New Haven was a powder keg that night. Cas had ridden to Bekrton, found Alistair and convinced him that Cas has everything handled. He tells her that if his dad was there, he would've ridden to New Haven anyway, but he wouldn't have let his dad hurt her. He tells her of the fear he felt when he heard about the attack on her, and he should've known then the intensity of his feelings. Kieran certainly did.
They had been riding back from Berkton, when they heard the alarms. Kieran shifted and ran to New Haven. They barely got to Poppy in time and Cas saves her by giving her his blood in a separate room, despite it being forbidden. Poppy stabs him and actually nicks him, so Kieran comes running in and in anger tries to go after her but Cas tells him not to. He is just as intrigued and aroused by her, and goes after her, catching up to her and they have sex again in the snow. He bites her and drinks her blood, realizing that she is Atlantian. He tells Kieran and Poppy that, and decides on the spot that the solution to all of the issues would be for him to marry Poppy. A such, he makes the announcement at the hall that night without her knowledge.
In present day, Cas asks Poppy if she wanted to kill him for that announcement. He tells her more, but then falls asleep only to be woken up by the cold hand of a Revenant who carries the bone of the ancients (a knife) and stabs Cas. He starts losing his ability to move, and Vikter's warning from that sparring day comes to mind. Then, the Revenant goes for Poppy and Cas feels horrible that he cannot protect her. Suddenly, there's a silvers hammer and he changes into a cat, destroys the Revenant and sits on top of Poppy. Kieran shows up with Delano and cannot believe what he's seeing, but when the cat growls, Kieran tells Delano to leave. Kieran then coaches Cas through shifting back to his human form, reminding Cas that he was with Kieran during Kieran's first shift. When Cas is back to himself, he tells Kieran that he lied to him about shifting not being painful. Kieran tells him that it's only the first time, but then it gets easier over time. Kieran tells Cas that he was a cave cat, and they agree that it's because of who Poppy's dad is. They also agree that Poppy will be absolutely over the moon excited about being able to shift.
Then, Poppy wakes up, and Cas looks into her eyes, which are now fully silver.
My Thoughts: I absolutely loved seeing Casteel's point of view of how everything started. There were so many points throughout the first book where I wondered what Casteel was doing or what he was thinking in that moment, and now I finally know. While there was a lot of repetitive content from the first book, From Blood and Ash, it was still fresh and interesting as the book was the first time. In fact, it made me go back and re-read the whole series because of how much I fell in love with the characters all over again. And no, I would not change my opinion on any of these books after reading them a second time.
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