Page 40 of The Court of Truth

“You haven’t even heard it yet,” he grumbles, doubting my ability to know what’s troubling him.

Clearing my throat, I roll my shoulders back, standing as tall as I can as I cock a brow at him. “You can’t come on the tour.”

His eyes turn black and bleak, his pupils nothing more than pin pricks as he shakes his head. “I… I don’t think so, no,” he admits, dropping his gaze from mine, but I squeeze his wrist tight until he’s looking at me once again.

“Because the wolves need you,” I add, wanting him to know that I can see the whole picture, and he sighs. His shoulders slump, like the weight of the world hangs in the balance of his actions.

“But you need me too.” There it is. There’s the pain that’s tearing him in two. It’s impossible to put yourself in two places at once, and he’s currently being split right down the middle.

Releasing his wrist, I cup his jaw, running my thumb back and forth over his stubble. “I will always need you, Cassian, but they need you more right now, and that’s okay. I’m not alone. I have Brody, Kryll, and Raiden with me. The others too. Will I miss you? Without a doubt, but I’m not alone. It’s going to be okay,” I insist, desperate to reassure him and ease his worries.

“It doesn’t feel okay,” he admits, his pain whispered through clenched teeth as someone scoffs behind me.

“That sounds like guilt if you ask me,” Raiden grunts, making his thoughts known, and Cassian tenses against me.

“Fuck off, asshole,” he snaps, his chest heaving with every breath as panic and frustration claw through him.

“I’m not joking,” Raiden insists, and I sense him step closer to us. “You have to decide on your priorities,” he adds, and I whirl my gaze around to find his. He’s mad. Likemadmad. The tension is almost drowning me between them as I shake my head, silently pleading for them to not argue.

“He can choose both,” I state, and Raiden’s narrowed gaze turns my way.

“Not in my eyes,” he snaps, and Kryll suddenly appears, knocking him off balance as he shoves at his side.

“It’s a good thing your opinion doesn’t matter,” the dragon grunts, eyes finding mine among the chaos. “This is your adventure, Princess. I’m right here with you every step. We’re all entitled to our thoughts, you know that. We don’t all have to like this, but we don’t need to bury you with this burden too, not when you have an entire kingdom to uphold.” His words make my pulse thunder in my ears and my eyelids threaten to close.

It sounds selfish as fuck, but he’s right. Dealing with potential fallout here is not what I need on top of the kingdom’s problems.

“That’s fine, I’ll have this conversation privately with the wolf then,” Raiden states as he straightens, but Cassian shakes his head.

“She’s leaving in the morning. You all are. The last thing I’m going to do is spend what little time we have before then arguing with you,” Cassian grunts as he wraps his arms around my waist and bolts from the foyer a moment later.

I hold on tight, the familiar sense of nausea rippling through me since I’m not the one in control of the speed, but I try my best to hold it at bay. It forces me to slam my eyes shut, a fact I don’t realize until we come to a stop and all I can see is the back of my eyelids.

Prying my eyes open, I startle at my surroundings when I find the familiar furnishings of Cassian’s home on the Kenner compound. He brought me all the way out here?

Fuck.

Leaving the castle grounds without Arlo’s knowledge and protective detail in place is going to cause trouble for me later, but I can’t say that I’m sad to be here. I attempt to step back from Cassian so I can take in my surroundings, but his hold on me tightens as he cups my cheek, bringing my gaze to his.

“They can hate me, Alpha, but not you. I can’t have you hating me. Ever,” he rasps, emotion clogging his throat as I shake my head.

“I don’t.”

“You promise?”

I stare deep into his eyes, the desperation for confirmation clear in his gaze. I don’t want him to doubt me, not ever, not when I’m telling the truth. He might be able to sense it in our bond, but I want him to know it in my voice too. “I swear,” I insist as he presses his forehead to mine, keeping our gazes locked in place.

“Then kiss me.”

23

CASSIAN

My plea hangs in the air, dancing with the breath that lingers between our lips as she blinks up at me.

Kiss me.

Two words, two sources of pain, two heartbeats joined in every way possible.

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