Page 62 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

Brim frowned at me, and I could feel his sadness for me. This tiny man cared for me even though I didn’t know him. He stepped forward and gripped my hand in his.

“I believe in you, Thea, my dear. But you need to make sure you don’t tell Cassius, no matter how much you want to. Because this will be far more difficult than you can imagine. Your bond will demand that you tell him.”

I squeezed his hand back.

“Losing Cassius is not an option,” I said truthfully. I felt sick to my stomach as I thought about it.

Della was still next to me.

“They are getting ready for the meeting of the kingdoms. Thank you, Brim; if you learn anything more, summon me.”

Her starlight took us back to the forest outside of the castle so quickly that I felt dizzy. The sun was up now.

“Thea?” she asked, concerned.

“I can’t lose him.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you had a vision of him dying?” She was angry.

“Because I didn’t know it was him until he showed me his golden eyes. He just told me a day ago, and I immediately ran from him so I could figure out how to save him.”

Della frowned.

“It’s fine. We have enough details that we can protect him.”

Tears rolled down my face.

“Della, what if I can’t save him? You will have to kill me because I will destroy the realm.” I stood up and stared at her. “Promise me, if he dies, you take me too.”

“Thea…”

“Promise me! My vision shows me destroying everything around me when my bond breaks.”

“I promise.” Her eyes filled with tears.

I nodded as I headed to the meeting.

Chapter 19

Cassius

My body hummed with anticipation as I looked around the room. Thea wasn’t at the meeting. Where the fuck was she? The meeting had been going on for twenty damn minutes, getting nowhere. Jesper smiled at me like he knew I was looking for her.

“If you’re looking for Thea, just know that she will not be attending. We made sure of that.” Jesper sneered and interrupted whoever was talking. Everyone fell silent as I stepped toward him.

“If she gives us any indication that she remembers you, I will cut her fucking head off in front of you.” He smiled when my shadows burst out of me.

“Let me be very fucking clear to you and Luren. If you harm Thea in any way, you better pray to the stars, the heavens, and the gods to save yourself from my wrath. I will storm your kingdoms and gut anyone who is important toyou. If Thea dies, no one else deserves to breathe. I will eradicate your bloodlines from our realm, and I’ll make both of you watch me do it. Then I will bargain with the gods to bring your souls back so I can fucking kill you over and over again.”

Jesper stepped forward and glared. But I could see him thinking of whatever he could to piss me off. After my last encounter with Thea, he would be smart to shut the fuck up, but Jesper had always been stupid. He was being brave today as he stopped only a few feet in front of me before whispering.

“I think I’ll fuck her before I kill her.”

I lost it.

Jesper’s eyes widened when I reared my fist back and punched him square in the face. I didn’t stop. I grabbed his hand and snapped his fingers, one at a time, making him yell. He punched me, cutting my eyebrow.

“How can you touch her if you don’t have any fucking hands?” I called out as I grabbed my daggers. Jesper’s eyes widened because he knew I wasn’t bluffing. “Say goodbye to your hands, and then I think I’ll cut out your tongue so I do not have to hear you say stupid shit ever again.”

---