Page 134 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

“I pictured hell-raising, mini-Theas,” he chuckled.

“Maybe we will have both.” I glanced at the room, smiling, before shutting the door. “Gods, help us when we do,” I laughed.

Cassius grabbed me and dragged me back to our room. We stood in front of the windows, admiring the scenery.

“Do you know what I am looking forward to?” Cassius finally broke the silence. I looked at him as he stared at me. “Just regular days with you. Days where we lay in bed and do nothing. Just being together. I’m looking forward to you and me having time alone, having fun together.”

“Me too.” I stared at him and felt that overwhelming sense of love filling me. I loved him so much that words failed to describe it.

“I’m so lucky to have you, Cassius. I know I say I love you all the time, but if I could find a better way to explainhow much you mean to me, I would. My life would have been nothing without you. I would have been nothing without you. I will spend the rest of our existence loving you. I would go through everything again if you were my prize at the end of it.”

He blinked rapidly as wetness pooled in his eyes.

“You don’t have to say it out loud, my love; I hear you thinking about it all the time,” he whispered. His hands came up and cupped my face, his thumbs rubbing across my cheeks to wipe the tears.

“I don’t know how I feel aboutthatbeing the power you got from me through the bloodstone.” I pursed my lips, and his smile widened.

“You think about me all the time; how do you get anything done?” he teased.

I laughed loudly because I did things as fast as I could so I could see him. I couldn’t stand to be away from him for more than a few hours.

“I have a secret I’ve been keeping.”

“Bigger than a house?” I frowned.

“No.” He released me. “I’ve been practicing for a week. Haden is usually with me so he can extinguish the fire if it gets out ofhand.”

My heart rate picked up.

Cassius lifted his hand, and a small ball of fire floated in it. My mouth fell open as he focused hard on it, and it moved across the room to the fireplace, igniting the wood on fire. My eyes snapped to his.

“Cassius… You got more powers? What else can you do?”

“That’s it. Fire and mind reading, but only your mind still.”

My eyes drifted down his body to the crown tattoo, and I smiled.

“I told my father that we will not be leaving our home for a month, and I meant it.” Cassius breathed heavily as he stepped forward, wrapping his hand in my hair and pulling me to his mouth. I kissed him back, deepening it. Cassius moaned as I pulled away.

“You should’ve told him two months.” I smiled.

"I'll tell him three." Cassius lunged at me.

My Soul to Take- Della 11 years ago

Iwalked aimlessly through the small village in Kizar undetected by anyone, always undetected. I took in the sight of all the fae as they laughed, kissed, hugged, and smiled at one another. I wondered what that was like. To be seen by another—let alone smiled at.

There was nothing special about this place. It was one of the worst villages in Kizar, with the poverty level extremely low and most homes falling apart. But I couldn’t shake this feeling of urgency that filled me. I was meant to be here, but I found no reason as to why I was constantly being called here. This was a feeling I did not understand—never felt.

So, I walked around without purpose, jealous of the fae who lived, even in squalor, because they felt something. I only felt longing. Longing for something else to fill my boring days. I was so lonely that I wasn’t sure if life would ever bring me any sense of joy. The soul-crushing sadnesswas threatening to consume me as I thought of how lonely I truly was.

I summoned my star mist to take me to my home in the stars but stopped when I felt that tugging again. It started in my chest before a warmth seeped throughout my entire body. I turned around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. With quick glances, I looked over everything to make sure I wasn’t missing something important. When nothing caught my attention, I frowned with disappointment and turned forward.

Then I found what I was looking for.

Walking up the dirt path was a tall man, fit and handsome. His dark blonde hair was chaotic as if he had been running his fingers through it. His clothes were old and tattered. He was talking to a girl his age, who had bright red hair. She looked at him in a way I didn’t like—like he was hers. Stars, he was beautiful. I startled myself with the thought, never having one like that before.

He was getting closer to me, but his face was turned toward the girl as they talked heatedly about something. I couldn’t stop staring at him. His smooth skin, his straight nose that led to kissable lips, a perfect smile.

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