Poppy And Casteel Quotes

I don’t want to pretend,” I whispered. “I’m Poppy and you’re Casteel, and this is real.

I reacted without thought, slamming my elbow into his stomach. Casteel grunted out a curse. “Please don’t fight atop the horse,” Delano called out from somewhere behind us. “None of us wish to watch Setti trample either of you.” “Speak for yourself,” came Kieran’s droll voice. Casteel straightened behind me. “Don’t worry. Neither of us will fall. It was just a love tap.” “That did not look like a love tap,” Naill commented. “That’s because it was a very passionate one,” Casteel replied. “You’re about to get a love tap to your face,” I muttered under my breath. Casteel curled his arm more firmly around my waist as he laughed.

A low, humming sound came from deep within me, finally forming rough, guttural words. "It hurts." "I know. You're hungry. But you can't eat Kieran. That would make me a little sad.

Heartmates," he choked out. "What—?” Casteel kissed me again. Hard. Consuming. He kissed me as if he could draw me into him. When his mouth left mine this time, he didn't go far. "Gods. Poppy, I miss you so bad it hurts.

I don’t want to pretend,” I whispered. “I’m Poppy and you’re Casteel, and this is real.

You are…” “Devilishly handsome? Wickedly clever?” He turned back to the western sky, where it still carried the haze of fire. “Stunningly charismatic?” “That wasn’t what I was going for,” I told him. “More like ridiculous.” “Endearingly ridiculous,” he corrected.

Poppy," he breathed, kissing my cheek, the space below my ear, and then my shoulder. He pressed his mouth to the side of my neck. "My beautiful, brave Queen. I could stay here, holding you, forever." Oh, gods, I knew this was ending. Panic exploded. I wasn't ready. I wasn't. "Don't leave me. Don't leave us. I love you. Please. I love—" "Find me again." His head lifted, and his eyes... they were no longer bright, his features no longer clear. Things were hazy, and I couldn't—oh, gods, I couldn't feel him. "Find me. I'll be waiting here. Always.

You're an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature,' ...

Ignoring something doesn’t make it less true, Penellaphe.

No matter how much death I’ve seen, it never gets easier.

Some things can’t be forgotten or forgiven

You can let go. I'm not going to stab you.' 'I find that oddly disappointing.' 'And I find that extremely disturbing.

He was both the villain and the hero, the monster and the monster slayer.

Let's make a deal that we don't borrow tomorrow's problems today.

That... that's really sad.' 'Some say all great love stories are.' 'Some people are stupid.

If you wanted to kill me, you should've aimed for the head, Princess. But worse yet, you forgot.' 'Forgot what?' 'That it was real.

You know this shirt was beyond repair, right?' 'Wha-?' The sound of cloth tearing was my only explanation.

You can't do anything wrong. How have you not learned that yet?

The fear of failing was powerful, just as fear of the unknown and uncharted destinies was.

I'll cut my throat wide-open if any of you take another step forward. I doubt any of you will live if that happens. He'll take you down.' 'I'm about to take you down,' Casteel growled.

He exhaled heavily. "I don't think I've told you this. I didn't get the chance yet. When you asked me to kiss you under the willow? Deep down, I knew then that I would give you anything you asked for. I still will. Whatever you want," he promised roughly, his fingers tangling in my hair. "You can have it. Anything. Everything. You can have it all. I will make sure of it.

I was a little angry.' Casteel arched a brow as he glanced at me. 'A little?' I narrowed my eyes. 'Okay, I was very angry.' 'I didn't know that,' Alastir said from behind the rim of his cup. 'Obviously, Casteel takes after his father when it comes to women with sharp objects,' Jasper commented with a snort. 'I feel like I'm missing some vital information that Delano conveniently left out when he met me halfway.' I frowned, but at least I knew where Delano had been. 'You stabbed Casteel?' Jasper repeated. 'In the heart? With bloodstone? And you thought it would kill him?' 'In my defence, I felt bad afterward.' 'She did cry,' Casteel remarked. I was going to stab him again.

Then you should get changed,' he said, turning away. 'I'll get jealous if anyone else sees how pretty your legs are.

It's never too late. Not even after blood has been drawn and lives have been lost,' he said. 'Things can always be stopped.

Nothing should ever make you forget that I laugh because of you

You are nothing to me if you're dead.

I had to do it,' he said, dipping his head so his cheek pressed against mine. 'No one, and I mean no one, speaks of you like that. Threatens you and lives.

You are a descendant of the gods, Poppy. You run from no one and nothing. -Kieran-

You're more than a Queen. More than a goddess on the verge of becoming a Primal. You're Penellaphe Da'Neer, and you're fearless." "And you run from no one and nothing.

Let me help you replace the fear and helplessness. I can erase it. I promise,' he whispered, guiding me back until I was lying down once more. 'Let me be enough, at least for tonight.

Casteel let go of my hands and stretched up, cupping my cheeks. He leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine, and I swore I felt his hands tremble. 'Always,' he whispered in the breath we shared. 'You heart was always safe with me. It always will be. There is nothing I will protect more fiercely or with more devotion, Poppy. Trust in that- in what you feel from me. In me.

Your heart, Poppy? It is a gift I do not deserve.' He placed his hands on my knees as he lifted his gaze to mine. 'But it is one I will protect until my dying breath. I don't know what that means.' He stopped, curling his fingers into the leggings, into my skin. 'Okay. Fuck. I do know what that means. It's why I'm in awe of everything you say or do- everything you are. It's why you're the first thing I think about when I wake and the last thought I have when I fall asleep, replacing everything else. It's why when I'm with you, I can be quiet. I can just be. You know what that means.

I need to feel your lips on mine.' He planted his hands on the carriage wall, caging me in. 'I need to feel your breath in my lungs. I need to feel your life inside me. I just need you. It's an ache. This need. Can I have you? All of you?

We're not pretending, Poppy? No more? You want me. Knowing everything, you want me.' 'What do you think?' ... 'I need to hear you say it, Princess.' Of course, he did. 'Yes, I nearly cursed. 'I want you.' 'Good.' ... 'Because this is real.

Death is like an old friend who pays a visit, sometimes when it’s least expected and other times when you’re waiting for her. It’s neither the first nor the last time she’ll pay a visit, but that doesn’t make any death less harsh or unforgiving. -Casteel

There is no side of you that is not as beautiful as the other half. Not a single inch isn’t stunning.” His lashes lifted, and the intensity in his stare held me captive. “That was true the first time I said it to you, and it is still the truth today and tomorrow.

Casteel's head snapped down, his eyes feral and lost as they'd been the morning he woke from the nightmare. He caught one of the roots as it fell over my stomach and stared at it for a moment before he broke it, tossing it aside. "I cannot let you go. I won't. Not now. Not ever." His hand moved to my cheek, but I barely felt it. "Kieran, I need you to pull the bolt out. I— I can't—" His voice shattered. "I need you. I can't do that." "You're going to..." Kieran rocked forward. "Fuck. Yeah. Okay." He tore through the roots. "Let's do this.

What I feel? Like how I want to take your pain away and yet throttle you at the same moment? How your stupid dimples are infuriating, look for them every time you smile because I know that's a real smile. I don't know why I look forward to arguing with you, but I do. You're clever, and you are kinder than even you realise- even though I know you have earned the title of the Dark One. You are a puzzle I want to figure out, but at the same time, don't. And when I realised You have so many masks- so many layers, I kept wanting to peel them back, even though I fear it will only hurt more in the end.' I shook my head as I curled my fingers around the collar of my tunic. 'I don't understand any of this. Like how do I want to stab you and kiss you at the same time? And I know you said that I deserve to be with someone who didn't kidnap me, or someone I don't want to stab-' 'Forget I said that,' he said, closer to me when I looked up. 'I have no idea what I was talking about. Maybe I didn't even say that.' My lips twitched. 'You totally said that.' 'You're right. I did. Forget it.

You're beautiful when you're quiet and sombre, but when you laugh? You rival the sunrise over the Skotos Mountains.' He sounded so genuine, as if he truly meant that, and I couldn't understand it. 'Why do you say things like that?' His gaze searched mine. 'Because it's the truth.

I go by several names. The Dark One. Bastard. Cas. Prince Casteel Da' Neer,' he said, and there was no mistaking the slight widening of her eyes. She hadn't known that- who he truly was. 'Call me whatever you like as long as you know it will be my voice that will be the last sound you hear.

You're an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature,' he murmured. 'There'll be time for all the sweet whispers later,' Jasper said, and when Casteel pulled back, there was a fire in his eyes. 'You do look quite lovely, Penellaphe.' 'Thank you,' I said. 'What about me?' Casteel asked, and behind him, Naill sighed. 'You look passable.' 'That was rude,' he replied. 'Would you like to go sit in the shade and nurse your wounded feelings? Like you did when you were young and inevitably injured yourself doing something incredibly stupid?' Casteel's brows lowered as he looked over at Jasper. 'This marriage ceremony is starting off in a really weird way.

Your name isn't Hawke Flynn. You're him! You're the Dark One.' 'I prefer the name Casteel or Cas,' he replied then, his tone hard and distant. 'If you don't want to call me that, you can call me Prince Casteel Da'Neer, the second son of King Valyn Da'Neer, brother of Prince Malik Da'Neer.' I shuddered. 'But do not call me the Dark One. That is not my name.

Let me go.' 'I don't know if I should.' His thumb moved in an idle circle along the inside of my wrist as he said. 'Someone is likely to be very irritated if you stab me, and I end up bleeding all over the bed.' 'You could always clean up after yourself.' 'There's something innately wrong with the idea of being stabbed and then having to clean up my own blood.

Not about anything. Not even when you don’t want me to worry. I know you’re strong and so resilient it’s fucking unbelievable, but you don’t have to always be strong with me. It’s okay to not be okay when you’re with me,” he said, and my breath caught. “It’s my duty as your husband to make sure you feel safe enough to be real. You don’t have to pretend that you’re okay with everything that has happened, Poppy.

I can't do that. Right? I mean, I don't have... the, uh, parts for it.' 'Parts?' Kieran coughed. 'What have you been filling her head with?' The Prince slid him a bland look. 'Teeth. I do believe she means these.' Curling his upper lip, he ran his tongue over one fang, and my stomach dipped and twisted in a mixture of pleasure and unease. 'They don't need that. They just need your blood for them to complete the Ascension.

Our relationship was never one of raw need. That doesn't mean I cared any less about her, but it wasn't like this. There was no constant need to be inside her in every way imaginable, and even ways not yet thought of. I never found myself constantly hungering, and I believe you need that to find yourself exploring those things with someone you're commited to," he said, and my breaths became shorter and shallower. "I never had what I have with you with her, Poppy.

I'm not most people.' 'Most people aren't as insane as you,' I said in a throaty voice that wasn't mine. 'That's not a very nice thing to say.' He scraped harder with his sharp teeth, just below where he'd bitten me before, and I gasped as my body jerked. 'And the truth is, you like my brand of insanity.' My blood pounded through me in a dizzying push. 'I don't like anything about you.' He laughed as his lips skimmed the side of my throat. 'I love how you lie.

I'm getting you out of here.' A knot formed in my throat. 'I can stop this. They won't harm me. I can go-' 'They cannot have you, Poppy. I know what they will do to you.' His bloody fingers splayed across my cheek. 'I cannot breathe when I think about that. I'm getting you out of here.' A knot formed in my throat. 'What about the others? Naill? Delano? Von-' 'They will take care of themselves,' he swore. 'I need to get you out of here. 'That is all that matters right now.

Today.” Cas reached between us, curling his fingers under my chin. He brought my gaze to his. “It turned midnight just as I arrived. April 20th. Your birthday.” (...) Cas smiled. Just one dimple was visible, and that surprise gave way to a sweet rise of love, so much love that it almost hurt for my heart to be so full of it. “You remembered,” I whispered. “Apparently, someone had to,” he teased, sweeping his thumb over my cheek. His eyes fixed on mine. “And I would never forget, Poppy. I will be with you for each and every birthday.

It's official,' Casteel said, watching Emil as he stopped to speak to one of the Guardians. 'I'm going to have to kill him.' My head whipped in his direction. 'What? Why?' 'I don't like the way he looks at you.' Confused, I glanced back to where Emil was walking toward the stairwell. 'How does he look at me?' His hand was a scalding brand on my hip, even through the layers of clothing. 'He looks at you like I do.' My brows lifted. 'That's not true. You look at me like...' Those heated amber eyes met mine. 'How do I look at you, Princess?' 'You look at me like...' I cleared my throat. 'Like you want to eat me.' Casteel's eyes narrowed into thin slits as his gaze return to Emil. 'Exactly, he snarled.

When you call me Cas, it reminds me that I'm real." "Cas," I whispered, blinking back tears. "Don't," he pleaded softly. "Don't cry." "I'm sorry. It's just that I want..." Gods, there was so much I wanted for him. I wanted him to never have experienced any of that, but I couldn't undo the past. "I want you to know that you are always Cas. You were never a thing, and you aren't one now." I rose, easing him onto his back. The buttery light of the gas lamp flowed over the striking lines of his face. "You are Casteel Hawkethrone Da'Neer. A son. A brother. A friend. A husband." I leaned over him, and there was no mistaking the deepening of the color in his eyes as his gaze dropped to my breasts. Clasping his cheek, I guided his gaze back to mine. "You are a King. My King. And you will always be my everything, but never will you be a thing.

Silence stretched, filling the room, and then he said. 'Can I... can I just hold you?' he asked, and I'd never heard him sound so uncertain. 'There are things I should be doing, and I know we're not in public, and I know that what we shared doesn't change anything, but... can I... can we just pretend?' My heart thumped heavily again, and I didn't know if it was the effect of the feeding or what we'd done afterward. Or if it was the softness of his request, the vulnerability of it, and the feeling that things had shifted even more between us. It could've been all those things that led me to say, 'You can.' Casteel's exhale was ragged, but he didn't move. When I looked over my shoulder, his eyes were closed, his lips parted. I wondered if he was all right. 'Casteel?' Think lashes swept up, revealing extraordinarily bright amber eyes. 'I... I didn't think you'd let me.' Lying my head back down, I wet my lips. 'Should I have not?' 'Yes? No? I don't know.' Casteel moved then, slipping one arm under me and the other around me. He tugged me close, sealing my back to his chest. 'Not takebacks now, though.

My mouth dropped open. 'You're naked!' 'I am,' Kieran replied. And he was. Like completely naked, and I saw way too much tawny-hued skin. Way too much. I quickly spun around, my wide eyes clashing with Casteel's. 'You should see your face right now,' Casteel gripped the arrow in his stomach. 'It looks like you've been sunbathing.' 'Because he's naked,' I hissed. 'Like, super naked.' 'What do you think happens when he shifts forms?' 'The last time his pants actually stayed on!' 'And sometimes they don't.' Casteel shrugged. 'Those pants were looser, I suppose,' Kieran stated. 'There's no need to be embarrassed. It's only skin.' What I saw was not only skin. He was... well, his body was a lot like Casteel's. Lean, hard muscle and... I wasn't going to think about what I saw. At a loss for what to say, I blurted out in a whisper. 'He has to be cold!' 'Wolven body temperatures run higher than normal. I'm just a little chilled,' Kieran commented. 'As I'm sure you noticed.' Casteel smirked. 'I doubt she knows what you're referencing.' I inhaled deeply through my nose and exhaled slowly. 'I know exactly what you're referencing, thank you very much!' 'How do you know that?' Casteel lifted his brows, and I noticed that his pupils seemed to have returned to their normal size. 'If you know what that means, than someone has been very naughty.

Your scars are beautiful,' he said, and there was a swift, swelling motion in my chest that couldn't be deflated no matter what my brain yelled at it. 'But I refuse to allow your body to be scarred again.' My heart started thumping once more. 'You say that like you mean it.' 'Because I do.

Did you just pull me into a pantry?' 'I did.' Casteel's chin dipped as he stepped into me. Dark hair toppled forward onto his forehead. I stepped back, bumping into a shelf. Jars rattled. He was so tall, I had to crane my neck all the way back to meet his gaze. 'Why?' 'I wanted a moment alone.' He placed his hands on the cupboard above my head. 'With you.' Senses hyperaware, I watched him lean in as a confusing tremor of anticipation coiled its way down my spine. 'And you needed this moment alone in a pantry?' He turned his head slightly, lining up his mouth with mine. 'I just needed.

Please don't fight atop the horse,' Delano called out from somewhere behind us. 'None of us wish to watch Setti trample either of you.' 'Speak for yourself,' came Kieran's droll voice. Casteel straightened behind me. 'Don't worry. Neither of us will fall. It was just a love tap.' 'That did not look like a love tap,' Naill commented. 'That's because it was a very passionate one,' Casteel replied. 'You're about to get a love tap to your face,' I uttered under my breath. Casteel curled his arm more firmly around my waist as he laughed. 'There's the vicious little creature. I missed her.' 'Whatever,' I grumbled.

As soon as Delano arrives with the horses, I'll be all prim and proper again.' I flinched as Casteel pulled the second arrow out. 'I don't think you've ever been prim and proper.' 'That's true,' Kieran said...

You took out the mouthy one?' I nodded as Casteel cursed when the arrow he'd been pulling on most likely got stuck on something important. Like an organ. 'With your dagger?' Kieran sounded impressed. 'That and my sparkling personality.' The wolven snorted. 'It was probably the latter than did him in.

The way Casteel is with you- the teasing and trying to get a rise out of you- isn't how he is with most.' 'So, it's an act?' 'No, Casteel is just more... alive when he's with you,' ...

I like that,' Casteel said. 'What?' 'You looking at me.' I watched him toss the rolled-up pair of breeches into his bag. 'I'm not looking at you.' 'My mistake, then,' he murmured, the dimple in his right cheek remained.

No one else matters but you and me.

Sorry,' he whispered against my lips. 'I know I should've asked you first, but your laugh... It undoes me, Poppy.' He slid his hands over my cheeks, his fingers not hesitating when they reached the scars. 'You're more than welcome to punch me for it.

And now I want to kiss you, but I can't because you're on your own horse.' The corners of his lips turned down. 'This was a bad idea.' I laughed. 'A really bad idea.

Only on one condition,' I said. 'You have a condition now?' I nodded, my heart thundering. 'I don't want to pretend,' I whispered. 'I'm Poppy and you're Casteel, and this is real.

But he... he was the catalyst in a way. And I chose him. I chose him because he made me feel like I was something other than the Maiden, and he saw me when no one else ever really did. He made me feel alive. He valued me for who I am and didn't try to control me.

That's the last thing I want to do right now.' 'Do you have better ideas?' He stepped closer, the heat and scent of him reaching me. 'I know I do.' My gaze shot to him. 'If you're suggesting what I think you are, I am going to stab you in the heart again.' Casteel's eyes flashed a warm honey. 'Don't tempt me with empty promises.' 'You are so twisted.' 'Alastir was right. I do take after my father when it comes to women with sharp objects,' he said. 'I don't care.

Do I even want to know why you just hit Kieran?' Casteel asked as he rejoined us. Kieran's eyes lit as he opened his mouth- 'No,' I jumped in, shooting Kieran a look that promised death if he spoke as Casteel came to stand beside me. 'You do not.' Grinning, Kieran backed up. 'When has she ever needed a reason to be violent.' 'Good point.' Casteel glanced down at me, one side of his lips quirking. The damn dimple winked into existence. 'I guess I should be grateful that she didn't stab you.' 'There's always later,' I muttered. A throaty, feminine laugh snapped my head around. 'You're right, Kieran. I like her.

It's just you look... adorably confused, and now you look adorably violent.' I shook my head at him. 'There is something so wrong with you.

If we had time, we would play.' His hands tightened on my waist. 'But we don't have time, Princess.

Glad to know the disturbed apple doesn't fall too far from the crazy tree.

You did what you needed to do to survive. I hope you truly believe that.' Casteel didn't answer, and when I looked over at him and saw the vast emptiness in his expression, my heart ached. Because I knew. I knew he didn't. And all I wanted was to bring warmth back to him. 'I still want to stab you.' His head shot in my direction. 'Just not as frequently,' I amended.' One side of his lips curled up, and then he laughed. The sound was rough and a little hoarse, but it was real. 'I would be disappointed if you didn't.' I looked forward, smiling. 'That is such a weird statement.' 'What can I say? I have a thing for women with violent tendencies.' 'That doesn't sound any better,' ...

I wish they could feel the same pain they inflicted upon you.

How does anything taste like moonlight?' 'Magic, I imagine. Now stop distracting me when I'm trying to tell you about my idea.

Let me go.' 'I don't know if I should.' His thumb moved in an idle circle along the inside of my wrist as he said. 'Someone is likely to be very irritated if you stab me, and I end up bleeding all over the bed.' 'You could always clean up after yourself.' 'There's something innately wrong with the idea of being stabbed and then having to clean up my own blood.

What are you doing?' I demanded. 'Making sure you're comfortable.' 'And how will you accomplish that by lying on top of me?' 'I won't.' A shadowy grin appeared. 'I'm doing that because I like lying on top of you.' 'Well, I don't.' I bit out, pulse thundering. His chest brushed against mine, sending a velvet shiver through me. 'That's a lie.' 'It's not.' I held the dagger to his neck. 'Truly.

But you came back.' 'There were times when I didn't think I would, Poppy.' He stared into the flames, his voice barely audible. 'When I forgot how much time had passed. When I forgot who I was and what mattered to me. It was like parts of my brain had turned dark.' He dragged a hand through his hair and then dropped it to his knee. 'But I came back. Not the same. Never the same. But I found parts of who I used to be.' I swallowed against the knot in my throat. 'I'm-' 'Don't say you're sorry.' He cut me a sharp look that would've stung my feelings before, but I understood it- understood him. Sympathy wasn't always wanted. 'You did nothing you should apologise for.' 'You're right. I was going to say I'm glad you found yourself.' A harsh laugh burst from him. 'Truly, Poppy? Are you really?' 'Yeah, I guess I am.' I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. 'You may have come back as an asshole, but that's better than being lost in your own mind. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.' The laugh that left him was softer, and it tugged at my lips. 'True.

I felt your hunger, Casteel, and I don't need to do this. I stopped doing things I didn't want to do the moment I took off the damn veil. I want to help you. Because as stupid as this may make me, and only the gods know why, I care about you! So, yeah. I don't want to have my throat ripped open, and I also don't want to know that you're suffering for no reason.

I'm so incredibly unworthy of you,' ...

You are...' 'Marvellous? Charming? Undeniable?' 'Increasingly annoying.' 'But you still haven't used the dagger at my neck.' 'I'm trying to think of the people who will have to clean up the mess.' 'How thoughtful of you.

Have I told you that you're beautiful?' 'What?' The shift in conversation threw me. 'I might have, but I couldn't remember if I did,' he went on, tugging gently on the strap. 'Then I thought that it wasn't something you could say too often. You're beautiful, Poppy.' My stupid, stupid heart skipped. 'Is that why you decided to wake me up in the middle of the night?' 'You're beautiful.' HIs head tilted, and I gasped at the feel of his lips on the longer scar on my cheek. He kissed that one and then the shorter one, above my eye. 'Both halves, and you should never question why anyone would find you utterly, irrevocably, and distractingly beautiful.' The skipping was back, but I ignored it. 'That is a lot of adjectives.' 'I can come up with more.' 'That won't be necessary,' I advised. 'So, now that you've told me this, you can get off me.' He smiled against my cheek. 'But you're comfortable, Princess.

Do you think I understand any of this, Poppy? None of this was supposed to happen. I had plans. Capture you and use you. Free my brother and, maybe, if the gods were good, prevent a war- or at least lessen the bloodshed.' Casteel turned sideways, shoving a hand through his hair. 'That was the plan. And fuck if it didn't go off the rails the moment you walked into the godsdamn Red Pearl.' His eyes closed. 'And each time- every damn time- I spoke to you, each time I saw your smile or heard you laugh, and the more I got to know you, the less those plans made sense. And trust me, Poppy, those plans made way more fucking sense than this- than all of this.' The breath I took got stuck as I grew incredibly still. 'I'm a Prince. A kingdom of people is counting on me to solve their problems- even the ones they're unaware of, but I... I couldn't do it. I couldn't give you to them, not even for my brother.' He turned to me, his eyes nearly luminous. 'All because when I'm with you, I don't think about the kingdom full of people counting on me. I don't find myself in the middle of the day, when it's too quiet, back in those fucking cages. I don't sit and think of everything I know they're doing to my brother. Beating him. Starving him. Raping him. Turning him into a monster worse than even they can imagine. When I'm with you, I don't think about that.' I curled my hands against my chest- against my thundering heart as his features blurred. And finally, I felt him. HIs pain. His confusion. His wonder. 'I forget.' He quieted as he shook his head in confusion. 'I forget about him- about my people, and I don't even understand how that's possible. But I did. I do...' ... 'And truthfully, I have no idea how you can even bear my touch after my lies, after what I did and caused. All I do know is that I didn't plan any of this in the beginning, Poppy. I didn't plan on being drawn to you. I didn't plan to want you. I didn't plan on risking everything to keep you.

But until then?' He stepped into me, causing my breath to snag. 'I am honoured that you are standing beside me now.

Are you hungry?' he asked. 'Thirsty?' I shook my head as he lifted his gaze to the western sky. 'But you're cold.' 'Just a little.' 'A little is too much.

They cannot have what they want,' Casteel snarled as his gaze shot to mine. 'Ever.' I stilled as he held my gaze. There was a vow in his words, one that spoke volumes- one that said he knew where my thoughts had gone. 'They're here for me,' I said, holding his stare and willing him to hear what I couldn't say in front of others. 'We can't risk-' 'Yes, we can,' he cut me off, eyes burning an intense yellow. 'And, yes, I will. They cannot have you.

By giving yourself to them, you won't be saving lives. You'll be destroying more of them.

I should be here with you,' Kieran stepped closer to Casteel. 'My duty is to defend your life with mine. That is what I'm bonded to do, the oath I took. How can I do that running away from the battle?' His voice lowered. 'Don't do this, Cas.' ... 'You took an oath to protect me, and you will,' Casteel said. 'You're not running away from the battle. You will be keeping safe what is most important to me, and that is Poppy.' I jolted. 'Wait. What?' 'You will leave with them. It will be hard,' he said, still holding Kieran's gaze. 'There will be no breaks, and you will need to listen to everything Kieran tells you, especially when it's night in the mountains, but-' 'I'm not leaving,' I cut him off. 'You can't be here,' Casteel replied. 'Not when they come. This is not up for discussion.' I shot to my feet. 'Let me make one thing clear. I don't know if you realise this or not, Casteel, but I'm not duty-bound to obey a single thing you say.' Casteel stiffened. 'And maybe you should actually look at me when you try to order me to do things,' I tacked on. He turned to me, his head cocked. 'I'm looking at you now.' 'But are you listening?' 'Oh, man,' Delano murmured under his breath as the rest of the room went dead silent. 'Someone is getting stabbed again.' Someone, I think it was Jasper, snorted. 'Oh, I'm listening,' Casteel replied. 'Maybe you should try that. Along with this thing called common sense.' 'Definitely getting stabbed,' Kieran confirmed.

Tell me about the conversations you and your brother escaped? The ones that drove you to the caverns. Tell me why you refuse to take the throne even when you know your brother won't be fit to do it when you free him,' I demanded. 'Tell me why you thought it was okay in the first fucking place to kidnap me and use me as random before you even knew me!' Frustration crowded my throat. 'Tell me why it never occurred to you to mention the Joining. Tell me about Gianna, Casteel. Does she care for you? Does she want this engagement? Do you care for her? He exhaled roughly, shaking his head, but I wasn't done. 'Tell me why you never told me the truth about Spessa's End until I was here? Was it because you didn't trust me with that information? Tell me about her. The one you loved and lost because of the Ascended. Tell me what happened to her. Will you even say her name?' My chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, and my anger overwhelmed my senses, blocking out his emotions completely. 'Tell me how you can stand to be near me when I represent the people who took so much from you. Tell me why you really came to my room tonight. Tell me something that matters. That is real.' Casteel's chest rose with a heavy breath. 'You want something real?' 'Yes.' 'I came to your room tonight to learn if what you said at dinner was true. That I was the first person to ever seen you. That I was the first thing you ever chose for yourself. That you chose me when you knew me as Hawke, and even after you learned the truth, you still chose me,' he growled, his eyes luminous. 'I came here tonight to learn if you really felt like you were betraying Vikter and Rylan, all the others and yourself. I came here to see if that'd changed. Was all of that real, or were you just pretending?' I took a step back, entirely too exposed, and it had nothing to do with the ridiculous nightgown. I hadn't expected him to go there. I wasn't sure why, but I hadn't. He shook his head as he barked out a short, humourless laugh. 'Yeah. Silence. As usual. That's why there was never a reason to tell you any of those things you've demanded from me.' I stared up at him, hands and arms trembling. 'I don't know what you want from me.' 'Everything,' he bit out between clenched teeth. 'I want everything.

I haven't spun any tales.' He paused. 'Yet.' Casteel's eyes narrowed as he stood beside me. 'How about you keep spinning tales to a minimum?' 'But I've interested in spun tales,' I remarked.

A man must have his secrets. Isn't that part of the allure?' Struggling for patience, I tried to count to ten. I made it to three. 'Your secrets are the exact opposite of alluring. If there was an anti-allure potion, it would be exactly that.

Were you injured?' 'Would you fret with worry if I was?' The corners of my lips turned down. No? Yes? 'Not particularly.' 'Ouch.' He pressed a hand to his chest. 'You wound me yet again.' 'He's not wounded,' Kieran answered. 'At least, not physically. Emotionally, I believed you left him shredded.' I rolled my eyes. 'Then why ask if he's okay if he's not hurt?' Kieran started to reply, but Casteel beat him to it. 'He's a worrywart. Constantly fearing that I've been injured or that I've overexerted myself. Wanting to know if I've gotten eight hours of rest and eaten three square meals a day.' 'Yeah, that's exactly it,' Kieran replied drolly.

Gently, he pried my fingers from the dagger. 'I'm just putting this down. It's still within reach in case you want to stab me.' I watched him lean over me, placing it on my other side. 'I don't want to stab you,' I croaked out. 'That would be a first,' he teased, and I hiccupped a shaky laugh. 'Try to remember you said that later when I'm sure I'll give you a reason to stab me.

I didn't think...' His exhale was frayed, tattered. 'I didn't think you'd be alive when I reached you.

And here I thought I would make this grand entrance, rescuing you. I'm not sure you needed rescuing.

I can hate that I'm nothing more than a pawn to you and still understand why I am.' 'You're not just a pawn to me, Poppy.

I will find you a diamond so big it will enter the room before you do.

...that is my future you are walking away with. Guard her well. Your life depends on it.

There are many times when I'm in utter awe of you.' I stilled. Every part of me. 'I shouldn't be surprised by when you're capable of,' he went on. 'What you're willing to do. But I am. I'm always in awe of you.

There is one more thing I need. Something that I've needed for days. Weeks. Months. Maybe forever.' The bridge of his nose brushed mine. 'But I know you won't allow it. Not like this.' The pounding in my chest moved lower. 'What... what have you needed for so long?' 'You.' I shuddered. 'So, maybe, just for a few minutes, when no one is looking- when there's no one but us- we can pretend.' Leaning into the cupboard, I felt dizzy, as if I weren't getting enough air into my lungs. 'Pretend?' 'We pretend that there's no yesterday. No tomorrow. It's just us, right now, and I can be Hawke,' he said in the heated space between us. I shook once more. He touched my cheek, sending a bolt of awareness through me. His fingers drifted over my chin, my lower lip. 'You can just be Poppy, and we can simply share a kiss.' 'A kiss?' He nodded. 'Just pretend.' His lips now a whisper against my cheek. 'Just a kiss.

I thought you were going to kiss me.' 'Isn't that what I'm doing?' I shook my head. 'That's not what you can do.' He chuckled against my lips. 'You're right. It's not.' Then he truly kissed me.

By the way, I'm not yours,' I told him. 'I don't belong to anyone but myself. Nothing changes that.' 'What if I just wanted a piece of you?' He shifted the reins to his other hand. 'A tiny piece that belonged to me? I can think of a few I would love to have, Princess.' My cheeks warmed. 'I bet you can.' His laugh was rough and deep. 'Tell me what piece of you I can have. It can be any piece of your choosing. Whatever it is, I'll take it.' His chin grazed my cheek. 'It will be my most prized possession.