Page 74 of Blood of Two Crowns

Ataraxus quirks a dark brow. “Oh? Somnus didn’t mention it.”

I hum in affirmation. “So much so that you could easily be confused for brothers.Twins,even, outside of your dark hair and somewhat… colder features.”

Ataraxus chuckles at this. “I can assure you I’m anything but cold. At least with you.”

I smirk, forcing myself to neglect the urge to lean in and kiss him.

“You don’t have any long-lost siblings or anything?”

Ataraxus frowns. “No. Definitely not.”

“How can you be so sure, though?”

Ataraxus’ throat worked on a rough swallow. “Because I was my mother’s only child before her husband murdered her.”

Chapter

Forty-Two

MALEKAI

Miroslav was dressed in black trousers and a tunic while the rest of us,all 2,000 of us, were dressed in fighting leathers. Though it might make a mockery of the rest of us, it was obvious that his presence bolstered our soldiers’ confidence and courage.

Many of us witnessed first-hand the ease with which Miroslav could kill in an instant, with nothing more than hiswill,all without spilling a single drop of blood. He was an Orisha, but unlike Famei, he was one of the feworiginalOrishas. Beings so powerful that not even Zurie dared to mess with them lest she incur their wrath. They were also known to be reclusive and rarely left the haven of the Yatól Mountains. Outside of Miroslav and Famei, I’d never seen another of their kind.

But fuck, if it wouldn’t make me feel that much better if Mors would show up.

I scrubbed a hand down my jaw, anxiety reaching a crescendo the seemed to be triggering Pomona and Val’s maternal instincts.

Fuck me, what I wouldn’t give to have Nakoa here to punch me in the face.

“Yew, alright, lad?” Val asked as he clapped me on the back, and Pomona rubbed soothing circles on my shoulder, looking just as tense as I was.

I blew out a breath, needing to expel this energy somehow. “He wouldn’t have left without us, right?”

Val huffed a nervous laugh. “What? No… No? No. No, no, no. Mm-mm. No. He wouldn’t do that.”

That instilledzeroconfidence.

Pomona glared at him. “Maybe if you saynoagain, you’ll find that conviction you’re looking for.”

A hush went out across our army, and a few of them began pointing towards the skies, drawing my gaze.

Oh, thank fuck.

Nakoa, side by side with Rumiel, made a swift, sharp descent before drawing up at the last second in an impressive, near-silent landing.

Hisolana kah’heirushed him, battering him with questions regarding his whereabouts that he shrugged off. His eyes lifted to mine, an obvious apology in there somewhere when he saw the tension lining my features.

Nakoa made a beeline for me. “Somnus visited me.”

Oh, thank fuck.

“Is he coming?”

Nakoa shakes his head. “No, but… he told me she’s in the mountains somewhere… Safe.”

Despite the fact he used the wordsafe,anxiety and dreadfist my heart. I can see the hesitance lining every bulging, rigid muscle of Nakoa’s body.“Safe?”

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