Golden hair.
Golden mask.
Pale blue eyes lit by the faintest wisps of eather. Eyes I had believed belonged to a god. But Dyses had the same eyes, and he was something else entirely.
A Revenant.
I’d seen this male in Dalos, only a bit of his profile. He’d been in the hall, waiting for Davon. But that wasn’t the first time I’d seen him.
I’d seen him in the mortal realm, in my kingdom, and that was why the gold-painted wings had kept striking a chord of familiarity. He’d been at Wayfair, speaking with my mother. Ezra had told me his name.
Callum.
He stood a few feet on the other side of the cage, but it was the only other thing in the space that occupied the otherwise dark chamber that caught my attention. A single elaborate, gold-adorned chair.
A throne.
Bile rose, and I choked it back as I lowered my hand to the soft blanket on thebedI lay on.
The same taunting, half-formed grin I’d seen that day at Wayfair appeared now. “Hello, Seraphena Mierel. It is so lovely to see you again.” His head tilted, and he smiled, causing the edges of the painted wings to lift across his cheeks and above his brows. “Do you remember me?”
“Did the…” I cleared my throat, wincing as the band momentarily tightened. “Was the attack stopped?”
“Attes gave you his vow. Kyn’s forces pulled back.” His head straightened as I glanced down at the hilt of the sword strapped to his back, and the dagger secured to his thigh. He’d gotten rid of most of the golden attire. Only the embroidered tunic was the sunny color. The pants were dark. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I remember you.” My fingers dug into the blanket as I steadied myself, lowering my feet to the floor—mybarefeet.
I looked down, and this time, I flashed hot before going cold again as I sawgold. I no longer wore my pants or even my shirt and vest. I wore a golden sheath of nearly sheer, gossamer fabric.
“You were covered in filth and stank of the Shadowlands and the Primal there,” Callum explained.
My head jerked up. “The only stench I carry on me is that of this place.”
Callum’s grin kicked up a notch. “I would warn you not to let His Majesty hear you say that.”
Anger simmered through my veins, a red-hot fury. “Fuck His Majesty.”
The thing before me chuckled. “And I would strongly advise that you don’t let him hearthat,” he said. “Anyway, you were bathed and given cleaned clothing.”
Bile rose once more at the knowledge that I had no idea who had taken care of that. I couldn’t dwell on those things, though. Icouldn’t. I glanced around the chamber, spying one door and what appeared to be a sliding partition wall, both currently closed. “Do you expect me to thank you?”
“I would expect no such thing.” He drifted a foot closer to the bars. “But it would be nice.”
I sneered as I glanced at the dagger on his thigh again. “You were speaking to the Queen—”
“Queen Calliphe? Your mother, you mean,” he interrupted, and I stiffened. “Though I got the distinct impression that she wasn’t much of a mother.” He shrugged, and…good gods, wasn’t it telling that even he had noticed that.Gods. “But, yes, I was speaking to your mother. I spoke to her often.” His chin lowered as those pale, pale eyes glinted withmischief. “For many years.”
I jolted.
Callum came a bit closer. “Have you ever wondered how a mortal came into possession of the knowledge of how to kill a Primal?”
“Let me guess,” I hissed. “You?”
He angled his body slightly and bowed with a flourishing sweep of his arm as his gaze met mine. “Me.” He winked and then straightened, his smile fading as his eyes widened. “What? You seem shocked to learn this.”
Ihadwondered how my family could’ve learned such information, but I had assumed it was a Fate or maybe even aviktor. But this? Knowing that the knowledge had been gained only during the last two decades? It wasn’t hard to believe that my mother had lied, but that someone of Kolis’s Court had shared the information with her? Possibly even one of his Revenants? Never.
It didn’t make sense.