Page 24 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

“Widen your stance.” Cassius looked over his shoulder at me. “That’s why you lose your footing so often. Widen it. I taught you better than that.”

He was giving me fighting advice. What the hell was happening here? I glanced around and saw our men were pretty evenly matched as they still fought.

“I look forward to sparring with you again soon, Captain.” Cassius smiled at me before his shadows burst out into the field, covering everything in sight. They caressed my face softly before they disappeared, taking all of the Crimson guards with them.

I stared at where he had been and felt confused about why I felt... sad.

Chapter 8

Thea

“Again,” I demanded.

“Cap—”

“Now! That’s an order.” I breathed heavily. The Kizar guard looked at me like I had lost my mind. I had. It had been a week since Cassius let me go, and I trained every day in the base camp. I had to keep my mind busy because Cassius haunted my every thought, whether I was awake or asleep. At least I wasn’t dreaming of haunting golden eyes watching me as they lost their light. Now, Cassius consumed everything.

He was in every thought. He was in every breath I took. He was in every damn thing I did. I’m sure he was having fun teasing me until he could catch me off guard and sink his dagger into me. But gods, I couldn’t stop thinking about him kissing me. A heavy ache had settled over me,and I desperately needed a release, but I would not give my enemy the satisfaction of getting off to his handsome face.

The guard swung for me, but I dodged him quickly. I was getting quicker and not tripping over myself. I widened my stance.

“Such a good girl.” Cassius’ voice took over my thoughts. A flash of him smiling at me took over my vision.

His face disappeared as soon as the guard punched me in the face.

“Oh shit.” The guard came over to me to help me off my back. “I’m sorry.”

What was wrong with me? Was I daydreaming about my enemy, or were these memories? It had to be daydreaming. It didn’t make sense to have memories with that man.

“I’m alright,” I grunted and wiped the blood from my face. “I was distracted. Rest up. We’re hunting down Crimson in the morning.” I smiled because I couldn’t wait to see Cassius. When I walked into my tent, the man with brown eyes who had been stalking me was waiting. He was wearing the same simple clothing as he had been the first time I saw him. He ran his hand through his hair as I glared him down.

"Why the hell are you following me around?" I glared. He gave me a big, friendly smile.

"I'm making sure that you are staying on track." He cocked his head to the side as he watched me. "Since Mikel isn't interfering this time, we can help you. But Della will not be pleased if she finds us."

"Who the fuck are Della and Mikel?" I asked. "What do you mean, keep me on track?"

"They are the gods. Don't worry, you are on track. You can hardly keep your emotions for Cassius in check. A blind man could see how much you like him. Don't let your father know of your affection for Cassius."

I gaped at him. Excuse me. He laughed softly as I stared at him.

"He is my enemy. I don't even know him."

"My mate was once my enemy too." His eyes twinkled mischievously. "Don't worry; you are doing exactly what you need to do to break your curse."

I watched him disappear before I could ask what was going on.

?????

Cassius apparently had the same thought to hunt us down because I woke up to my men screaming that we were being attacked. I slipped on my trousers and boots, tucking in my black camisole as a shirt before leaving my tent. Cassius and his men were headed straight for me. My dagger was already in my hand when Cassius jumped offhis horse and immediately started fighting me with a giant smile on his face.

I dodged his first swipe, then his second, then his third. My training had been paying off. He smirked at me when I readjusted my stance wider. His eyes drifted over my outfit before he clenched his jaw.

“Did you want to put on a shirt or armor?”

“No,” I said. My cheeks heated under his intense gaze. His eyes glanced around at our men fighting before coming back to land on me. I rushed forward, thinking he was distracted enough, but he knew and pinned me to the ground with little effort. Fuck. Cassius’ weight pressed into me as he straddled my hips.

My cheeks heated more when a small moan left me.

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