“Me too.”

Swallowing back the bitterness I felt saying it, I headed for my room.

?????

I kept my eyes shut, but I heard something moving around in my room. I had laid in bed for hours after my talk with Jesper and Luren and had only just relaxed when the noise caught my attention. Where had I left my dagger; was it on my nightstand or in my boot by the bed? Whoever moved around was almost completely silent. I thought maybe it was Della, but she would have made herself known.

My eyes flashed open when I felt something touch my face. I sat up quickly. The only thing that I was met with was complete darkness. I could feel someone watching me, even if I couldn’t see them. Standing, I grabbed my dagger and headed for the door to see if the guards were there. I opened the door to both of them.

“Is something wrong, Captain?”

I shook my head.

“Sorry, I think I was having a weird dream.” I lied and shut the door, locking it. When I turned around to scout the room, I was ambushed. The man’s hand clamped around my mouth as he ripped the dagger from me and set it down quietly. I was about to scream, but the scent of rain and forest surrounded me.

Cassius.

He pressed me against the wall with his body before I saw his glowing golden eyes.

“It’s just me, my love.”

He slowly removed his hand from my mouth before dragging me toward the window, where the moonlight shone brightly enough to see his face.

“What are you doing here?” I snapped. I hadn’t seen him since my father told me that he killed me. Honestly, it was probably for the best because I was trying to plan my prophecy. But I also needed to break my curse and couldn’t find the damn bloodstone.

“I wanted to see you, but more importantly..." He stepped forward, trapping me between him and the wall once again. His eyes stared into mine intently. “I want to know why you saved Sy and Petra.”

Gods, I couldn’t concentrate when he was touching me this much. His hands caged me to the wall, but that didn’t stop him from leaning his body flush against mine.

“I don’t know why I did it.”

He leaned down so he could look into my eyes. What was he looking for?

“Did you break your curse?” He whispered like he was scared I’d say no.

“Of course not.” I breathed. “Why would you think that?”

“Because you saved our friends. Because you told him to warn me and Falgon about the assassins. You’re betraying your father and Jesper.”

“I don’t want to be a monster.” I glared. “I will not let my family take all of Elloryon for greed.”

Something in his eyes changed as he listened to me.

“You have never been a monster.” He leaned close to me. “I had hoped you somehow broke your curse and remembered me, us. I was hoping to take you home with me tonight.”

His lips pressed into my neck softly. I sighed as his stubble rubbed my skin as he kissed down my neck.

“I think you deserve a reward for being a good girl,” he whispered as he leaned forward to press his lips into mine.

No thoughts came to me. Cassius smiled against my lips before pulling away from me.

“You won’t be needing all of this.” He waved his hands over my clothing. I immediately discarded my camisole,making him chuckle softly. I should probably resist him a little bit, but I couldn’t. There was something about this man that made me lose my fucking mind. Cassius hooked his thumbs into my underwear and slowly sank to his knees as he dragged them down my legs. His mouth leaving a trail of soft bites and licks down my stomach.

He tossed them to the side before lifting my leg and devouring me. Fuck. His tongue swirled around me as he plunged two fingers into me at the same time. My fingers dug into his hair as I tried everything in my power to not make any noise. He was fucking relentless. I did my best to hold out, but it was useless. The man knew how to use his mouth for more than flirting. It didn’t take long for me to cum. Cassius smiled as he sat back.

“Fuck, Thea. I barely touched you.”

“Get up,” I demanded.