Page 51 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

They all glanced at each other.

“Technically, Mikel bound the fae from talking, not witches. That, and we were in a ward because of Yerma, so I’m sure that stopped it too,” Genia said.

“So, you can tell me everything?”

Genia hesitated before glancing around at the women. Her eyes met mine, and she nodded. Genia sat down on the bed and held my hand tightly as she told meeverything she knew. I listened carefully. But it wasn’t until she revealed that Cassius had killed me that her words sank in.

“What do you mean he killed me?” I stood up and began pacing around. I waited for the betrayal or anger to course through me, but I felt nothing. Why the hell wasn’t I upset about this?

“He did it to save you.” A pretty woman spoke. “He is not a bad guy.”

Genia narrowed her eyes at the woman, like she said too much. I froze and stared at all of them as they watched me like I would explode.

“Are you alright?” Genia frowned. “You aren’t freaking out.”

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet.” I lied because the words definitely sank in, but I didn’t care that he killed me. I was relieved that Cassius was mine. Fuck, how long had I been gone for?

“I need to go before my father knows that I am missing,” I said, panicking.

I stood quickly but paused after getting my boots on. Turning to the woman who looked at me like I was something fascinating.

“I will come check on you guys soon. I have some things to figure out.”

They smiled and bowed to me. Something about the gesture made me sad.

“Use the bloodstone to call us if you need us. We will be there immediately.” Genia smiled. I don’t know where my bloodstone is. “We will stay here until you have broken your curse and called us.”

“If something happens to me..." I paused and swallowed hard. “Genia will take over as queen.”

Genia’s eyes filled with tears as the women behind her gasped.

“You will do great. Your mother would be so damn proud of you.” She gave me a tight hug before releasing me. A moment later, Cassius’ shadows swarmed around me, and when they moved from my vision, I realized they hadn’t taken me to my room. I was in Cassius’ room; my eyes flickered around the room, and I sighed relieved when he wasn’t there. I glanced over the portrait he had on his nightstand and picked it up. Gods, I looked fucking happy in it. I set it down and closed my eyes. My darkness crept out of me as I told it to find Cassius. It moved silently throughout the castle, searching for him.

I smiled when it located him on the floor below me. Slowly, I walked out of the room and into his living space. Pausing, I looked over the space and had an overwhelming sense of comfort. Smiling to myself, I headed out of hisroom and downstairs. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I glanced around the corner to see no guards. My heart pounded with anxiety about getting caught, but I was also excited to see Cassius.

His deep voice floated through the hallway, and I followed the sound. I came to a door that was open and heard him speaking. I glanced in cautiously. Cassius stood with Haden, Leer, and Zade. The king sat quietly on his throne.

“Maybe we should attack the castle while they sleep,” Haden said.

“Or we could take Thea as a prisoner. She obviously feels something for you.” Leer smiled. Gods, that was the understatement of the century.

“No, we don’t want to complicate this. Thea loves me; she just doesn’t understand. She has blocked me from visiting her dreams, and she does not communicate through our bonds.”

Bonds. Dreams.

He rubbed the crown tattoo, and I glanced down to mine. They were nearly identical. What kind of bonds were these? Fuck, Cassius looked good. The sleeves of his black uniform were rolled up, showing all of his tattoos, and his dark hair was messy and chaotic. I couldn’t help myself, as I admired everything about him. Was this because he was my mate? All these feelings felt overwhelming,and I wanted to march into the room and demand that he take me to bed. Cassius ran his tattooed hands down his face. Fuck, seeing him now after the witches told me he was my mate made me instantly long for him. I watched everything about him. The way his dark hair was messy, or the way his hand rubbed his stubbled chin. My eyes widened as if they needed to be bigger to watch him lick his lips as he concentrated on the map in front of him. Gods, why was I so feral with lust?

A moment later, Cassius froze before rubbing his crown bond that matched mine. His eyes were solid black as he smiled softly to himself.

“What? Is she communicating through the bond?” Haden asked.

“Yes.” Cassius closed his eyes as he gripped the table tightly in front of him. His fingers turned white at the strength he was using. Gods, the muscles of his arms flexed, and his jaw clenched. He was fucking perfect.

“Oh…” Haden chuckled softly. Oh shit, he could feel how turned on I was. Closing my eyes, I tried to focus on anything that wasn’t him, but all that flooded my mind were images of Cassius kissing me, smiling at me, and fucking me. Stars above, I was making it worse.

When I opened my eyes, Cassius’ eyes seemed more black, and his shadows swarmed him as if he had nocontrol over himself or his magic. His chest rose and fell in short breaths. I smiled to myself at his reaction.

“So, take her prisoner and tell her the truth,” Leer spoke again as if he had no idea what was happening. “Thea loves you, and she will understand, but we can’t draw this out much longer.”

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