Page 52 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

“I know she loves me, but she still hasn’t brought up the bloodstone or breaking her curse. I don’t know how much she knows. I don’t know how I’m supposed to tell her I killed and cursed her. I was thinking that waiting until she hands me the bloodstone, that way she doesn’t have time to lose her shit. She’ll remember I did it to save her.”

Is that what I felt when he was near me? Love. Cassius was the only one who made me happy. He was my fated mate. Something about that made me feel untouchable. It made me feel like I could take on the whole realm.

“I just don’t want to lose her again,” Cassius admitted to all of them. “This time has been so different. Besides, Bayla has sent extra help. Thea will break her curse and fulfill the prophecy."

Bayla. The man with brown eyes said she had sent him to help me. I had seen how hearing that name affected Cassius. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. He didn't seemworried about it, though.

“Does the curse allow you to take the bloodstone too? That way we can take her and the stone and make her give it to you so the curse can be broken." Haden asked.

“No,” Cassius sighed. “She has to bring it to me herself. It has to be her choice.”

Bloodstone.

My mother’s bloodstone. My bloodstone. I didn’t know where the fuck it was.

“Well, you should tell her how to break her curse. Maybe she will come to the decision on her own,” Leer said hopefully.

“My concern is that her father or Jesper will kill her before she decides that she is willing to try. Thea is smart; she will see how that kingdom treats her, and she will start to ask questions. I just worry that it will raise their suspicions, and I will lose her again.”

Gods, he knew me well, but he didn’t know that I had already reached that conclusion myself. Deep down, I knew that something wasn’t right. The moment I saw Cassius, I had lost that feeling of something missing. He was what I was searching for. He was why I felt so lost in Exile and why I felt it whenever I was away from him.

“Thea will find her way home,” the king said. “She always finds her way back to us, son, even if it is short-lived.” He stood and walked to Cassius, grabbing his shoulder. “Her heart knows that you are her home. The gods could not take away the fate of you.”

Cassius nodded.

“I just want my wife back.”

Wife.

My darkness vortexed inside of me. I gasped when he spoke the word. Feral need wrapped around me as the word wife pierced right into my heart.

“Someone is in the hallway,” Zade muttered.

Fuck.

I immediately used the shadows and disappeared as their loud footsteps came towards me. I collapsed on the floor in my room. My head just repeated the term wife over and over in my mind. Wife. I was Cassius’ wife. I should be freaking out, but I just sat on my floor smiling to myself because he was mine.

The handle to my room jiggled, and I hurried out of my cloak and boots before diving into bed. I pretended to be sleeping. A moment later, I sensed someone in my room.

“I told you she was here,” one of the guards said. “We make sure she doesn’t leave.”

“Well, she’s sneaky, and I wanted to double-check. Double the guards outside of her room from now on.”

Jesper.

Asshole. They left a moment later, and I sighed heavily into the room. My body was on fire with lust and need. I closed my eyes as I pictured Cassius. All mine.

I couldn’t even think about everything that happened with the witches tonight. All my mind kept thinking about was Cassius being my husband, my mate.

Chapter 16

Thea

The next day, Jesper appeared at my bedroom door as soon as I left it to go to training. His blue eyes stared at me in a way I didn’t like.

“What?” I didn’t hide my dislike for him.

He cocked his head to the side as if he were trying to see something. The sun shone brightly from the window behind me, making Jesper’s eyes appear purple as he flinched away from the light. He smelled like liquor.

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