Page 99 of Secrets & Curses of Cerithia

The weight of everything lifted slightly off me the further from Cerithia we got. I had never belonged there, but this was the first time I felt free from it. It was the first time I tried to escape from my father. My horse finally slowed down at a creek, which told me I was in Crimson lands. Tears sprang to my eyes as my father’s confession of killing my mother and elite magic fae came back to me.

My ears perked up when I heard footsteps. Before I could grab my dagger, Crimson guards came from the woods with their weapons drawn.

“Captain,” one of them said to me.

“Leave me be, or I will not hesitate to kill you,” I warned, but I knew that I couldn’t fight them off. My body swayed with exhaustion. There was no way to use my magic to save myself. A moment later, Cassius emerged from the woods on his black horse. Relief nearly floored me when I saw him, but his unforgiving black eyes made me step away from him.

“Good work, Kace. Cuff the prisoner,” he said. Prisoner?

The guards did as he asked, and I was too weak to fight them. Cassius’ shadows swarmed around me before settling me on his horse in front of him.

“What a turn of events. You belong to Crimson now, little viper. And I don’t think I will ever let you go,” he whispered against my ear.

Then he took off toward Crimson Castle.

?????

I gasped for air as I sat up in our bed. The memories swirled inside my head. My eyes glanced out the window and saw how dark it was. I hadn’t realized I had fallen asleep.

My chest tightened with uneasiness. My father murdered my mother. Grief and anger swarmed inside of me, waging a war of sadness. I needed Cassius. I slipped out of bed and headed out to find him. He wasn’t on the couch like he had been. My first thought was to go to the room he stayed in during the trials.

The castle was kind of creepy at night, when no noises could be heard and no lights were shining. When I got to the door, I crept inside. It smelled like him the moment I stepped over the threshold. My nerves calmed down as I searched for his bedroom. The small hallway only had two doors, and one of them was opened wide enough that I could see Cassius sleeping on his back with no shirt. His arm draped over his handsome face.

I swallowed hard as I snuck in. My eyes drifted over all his tattoos but paused on the ‘T’ over his heart. Then I saw the marks under it. Six slashes, as if he were keeping track of something—maybe how many times I died.

I shook my thoughts away and slipped under the covers with him. His deep breathing stopped before he lifted his head up to meet my stare.

“My love?”

“Can I sleep in here?” I whispered.

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.” He frowned.

His response devastated me, so I stood up to leave. A moment later, Cassius lifted me off my feet and put me back in his bed.

“What’s wrong?”

“I had flashbacks, and I didn’t like them.” We lay on our sides facing one another, and I traced the tally marks on his chest.

“Of me?”

“Mostly my father and the queen, but you were there for another one,” I sighed. “When you told me who you were.”

He seemed confused at first, but then he smiled softly.

“When you told me you loved me,” he chuckled.

“I didn’t quite say that.” I rolled my eyes. I scooted closer to him, and he wrapped me up in his arms. I leaned into his chest and kissed his neck.

“My love, I was serious about not sleeping with you until you talk with me.” I sighed heavily. It just felt good to be close to him. “Why won’t you talk to me? Don’t you want to know why I killed you?”

I pulled back so I could see his face.

“Yes, I want to know, but I’m scared.” Tears filled my eyes. “I know I should hate you for killing me, but I don’t. That scares me, but it scares me more to think that I do not belong with you.”

He brushed the hair from my face, then traced a finger down my cheek.

“Do you think I would do something so cruel to you without a reason?” He stopped his movements and stared at me. Our legs tangled together under the blankets.

---