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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.
When Malik asks Cas about the Joining, he’s stunned to learn they haven’t completed it. When Cas asks him why he didn’t try to kill Poppy again—or why Millie didn’t—Malik explains that Poppy is still her sister, even if she wasn’t supposed to know about her. As for him, by the time Poppy was old enough that he didn’t see her as a child, he figured Cas would kill her to get back at the Blood Crown. When Cas asks him if he wants to defeat the Blood Crown and if Millie does, as well, he answers in the affirmative. Malik then agrees to join them in finding Malec, killing Isbeth, and ending the fight once and for all.
Just before Casteel removes the bone chains, he asks Malik about the rhyme he said while in Lockswood. Malik listens to Cas recite it and says it’s disturbing, but he has never heard it before.
They reach the others, and when Malik sees Delano, he kneels. Delano, in wolven form, nudges his hand with his head, making Malik shudder. He places a palm on Delano and closes his eyes, unable to stop the tears. Preela was Delano’s sister, and that pain is still as fresh as it was when the Blood Crown took her from him.
In Padonia, the reunion with his father is tense. And even though he’s no longer chained, it’s clear he isn’t completely free. Naill and Email watch his every move. During dinner, he’s shocked when Valyn reveals the Blood Queen’s true identity, making it known that he and Eloana knew all along.
The distrust remains clear as they set out to find Malec. They won’t even give him a weapon, despite the threat of the Craven. He insists they give him something to fight with when they are attacked, trying to reason with them that he can’t help them take down the Blood Crown without something to fight with. He’s told to use his charming personality and to shut his mouth.
Poppy casts the Primal magic locator spell, and he can tell it worked and says as much. As they follow the trail, he assumes it will lead them to the coast. He asks Poppy why she hasn’t asked about that night in Lockswood. She doesn’t reply, so he nudges her, insinuating that she must have lots of questions. Poppy asks him how Coralena died, and he explains that Isbeth made her drink draken blood, but that she favored the Handmaiden, so it was one of the few times the Blood Queen didn’t draw out a death.
When they reach the tunnel and are set upon by Gyrms, Malik once again asks for a weapon and then suggests that Poppy just go all Primal on them.
After retrieving Malec, Malik rides next to the wagon. In Padonia again, they put him in a chamber under guard once more. He’s always been good at being where he’s not supposed to be, however, so he sneaks out and surprises Poppy in the stables, where she’s with Malec’s casket. He touches it and remarks that it doesn’t feel like anything special to him. He asks her if she senses anything, and she shrugs, clearly lying.
Later, as they’re discussing sabotage and sacrifice, Malik reveals that all manner of things crossed his mind regarding thwarting what they were about to do but that he prefers not to be burned alive. When he reminds Poppy that she sacrificed her father to save Cas, at least in a way, he adds that he’s relieved to know she did. He explains how he’s done all manner of things for Millie. When asked if she would do the same for him, he replies that Millicent would be more apt to set him on fire. Poppy seems stunned, and he explains that while they’re heartmates, she doesn’t actually know that.
Malik hopes Millie won’t be at the Bone Temple but assumes that Isbeth will likely demand her presence. When Poppy asks why Millie hasn’t tried to stop Isbeth, Malik explains that while she is strong and fierce, she’s not a demis like the Queen. And that while she is Isbeth’s daughter, she’s not evil. She’d never kill a child or her sister—unlike him. He then tells Poppy how Jalara killed Preela in front of him, and that Poppy carries a piece of his bonded wolven with her in the form of her dagger’s hilt.
Once they reach the Bone Temple, they finally entrust him with a sword, and he helps Emil and Naill unload Malec and carry him to the Temple. Without looking at her, he asks Millie if she’s okay.
As events unfold and Poppy pieces together her part in the prophecy—that she was the bringer of death and destruction by bringing Malec to Isbeth—he swears when it all comes together. As the earth cracks open and the dakkais spill forth, he fights and tries to safeguard Millie. Delano saves him at one point, but Malik ends up fighting Callum. When Isbeth lashes out at Millie, he protects her as best he can but dies—until Poppy, with the Consort inside her, brings them all back to life.
Awakened, he sees that Millie is gone and goes after her.
She’s always his first thought.
His first priority.
Later, he returns to Wayfair with Millie to talk with Poppy and Cas, only to find Poppy in stasis. He makes sure Millie can sit with her and then talks with his brother for a while. They air a lot of stuff, and once everything is said, they come to a bit of a truce. While talking to Cas, though, he brought up he and Millie being heartmates while she was just in the other room. He’s not sure if she heard or not.
But does it really matter? She hates him—or so he says. And he believes she should.
MILLICENT “MILLIE” MIEREL
Click here to see a full-size image of Millie by art.bymikki.
There is still so much we do not yet know about Millicent, but I am utterly intrigued by what we do know and anxious to uncover more.
Hair: Nearly white-blond and waist-length with tight curls.
