Page 87 of Secrets & Curses of Cerithia

“You can look at me; it all belongs to you anyway." He came into the water and sat across from me as I floated in the warmth. It smelled of forest and wildflowers here.

We relaxed in silence for a long time. Cassius never came too close to me. He just watched me from across the spring as I replayed the memory of us here. I glanced over my shoulder, where Cassius had emerged from the woods in his uniform. My cheeks heated as I remembered the kiss.

“Blushing, little viper?” Cassius whispered.

I hesitated a moment before responding. “I know why this hot spring is important."

Cassius’ eyebrows shot up.

“You do?”

“Our first kiss,” I whispered. “Well, second, technically.”

He didn’t move. Gods, he didn’t even look like he was breathing. His eyes burned bright gold before they began to swirl with black.

“You remember our kiss.”

I nodded. Cassius’ eyes dimmed a moment later, and I frowned at the shift in his mood.

“What’s wrong?”

“I wish you could remember all of it, Thea.”

I swam closer to him. The look of sadness that was painted over his features made me want to cheer him up.

“The night we met...” I started, but Cassius sat up straight.

“How much have you remembered?”

“A few things.” I smiled. “The night we met on the blood moon, why didn’t you let me see your face?”

His tattooed chest rose and fell with deep breaths as he watched me.

“I thought you would recognize me as the Prince of Crimson, and I didn’t want you to hate me. I don’t know if I could have handled you looking at me like I was a monster if you knew. I liked that you looked at me like I was some type of hero.”

“Why didn’t you ever come back?”

“I did,” he answered. “But you were never there. I didn’t realize you had been drafted into the war.”

“I remember when you learned I was the captain of the Cerithian armies.”

He smiled brightly.

“That may be one of my favorite memories of us.”

My cheeks heated again as I stared at him.

“I remember giving you your prize for winning that stupid game.”

Cassius’ eyes flashed black quickly at the memory. His chest rose and fell in choppy breaths.

“One of the best days of my life,” he muttered. “I knew I flirted with you a lot, but I never expected you to reciprocate my feelings, and if you did, I never thought you would act on them.”

He smiled at me for a long moment, and I knew that sharing this with him had made him happy, maybe hopeful for us.

“Anything else?” He sounded hopeful.

“No.” I shook my head. “I stopped seeing memories when Jesper started hurting me.”

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