Page 86 of Secrets & Curses of Crimson

She disappeared before I could respond.

Chapter 24

Thea

“You want me to pretend to like Cassius and then stab him?” I glanced around at my father and the guards. This was the most stupid plan I had ever heard. “He won’t ever fall for that. We're enemies.” Tell me what he is thinking, I told my magic.

“Cassius is fond of you. He will fall for it.” My father waved his hand as if to dismiss me.Don’t be fucking difficult, or I’ll start this curse over again.“Once you’ve gotten into the castle, you will use your magic and destroy it—with the royal family inside.”And finally, get rid of Cassius forever.

“How am I supposed to convince him not to kill me and that I like him?” I acted appalled, but my stomach was clenched with anticipation. As soon as I glanced at Jesper, images of Cassius fucking me on Jesper’s thronemade me feel dizzy with longing. I knew he was pushing those images into my mind through the bond.

“You’re clever; you’ll figure it out.” My father pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation.Because he fucking loves you, and I will use that weakness against him.

“This is a terrible idea.” Jesper stood. “Cassius could fill her head with lies!” I glanced at Jesper and focused on his thoughts.

“For once, I agree with Jesper,” I said.

Luren has lost his fucking mind if he thinks that Cassius won’t convince Thea to be with him. She fucking can’t stay away from him. Thea will never choose us; we should just kill her each year and stop trying to convince her to be on our side.

“She knows that he killed her, and she won’t fall for his manipulation. Right, Thea?” I glanced at my father and focused on his thoughts.If you do, we will just kill you again.

“Of course, but I’m more worried that this is an obvious plan, and he’ll slit my throat open or something.”

My father and Jesper seemed to contemplate this plan again. It was sick to sit here and think that they were manipulating me. They knew Cassius was important to me, yet they used it as a weapon. Did my family and kingdom hate me that much?

“Let Jesper and I discuss. I’ll come find you when we know a better plan.” My father dismissed me. Quickly I left the room, but I did not leave without hearing what they had to say. I waited at the door.

“What do you think?” My father asked Jesper.

It was silent for a long moment before I heard someone walking around.

“Well, she thought it was a bad idea, so she must not remember him,” Jesper sighed. “But Thea is also clever; she could be putting on a whole show. Someone killed all the guards in my castle.”

Shit.

My mind raced with what I would do if they knew I was protecting Cassius.

“It was probably Cassius. Thea can’t get to Kizar, kill all of your men stationed there, and be back in a short time. The guards said she didn’t leave her room. Besides, you saw Cassius at the meeting. She devastated him; that was no act.” My father laughed. I just smiled to myself because my father had no idea how much I had seen Cassius since that meeting. I needed to find the bloodstone. “We’ve never been in a position where she does not choose Cassius. It seems the gods are in favor of us.”

Rage simmered under my skin. They think this is funny. My life is just a joke that they can use as they see fit. It was sick.

“What happens when she kills the family and realizes we lied?” Jesper questioned the king.

“We will worry about that when the time comes. Besides, it will be easy to blame it on Cassius or his family. Maybe a different curse that cannot ever be broken.”

“Alright.” Jesper breathed heavily. “But she can’t pretend to like Cassius. If she spends any time with him, then she’s going to start remembering him. Maybe we should lock her up until we can get the Crimson family prisoner. Then she can kill them.”

“If we lock her up, then she will know what is going on. Besides, we don’t know all the magic she has inside of her or what she’s collected. She could escape. We need to just keep pushing the war off.”

I didn’t even know what kind of magic I had. I was severely at a disadvantage here. Half the stuff they talked about went right over my head. One thing for certain was that I did not belong here. My heart pounded as I turned and left. I went to my room even though all I wanted to do was run far away from here.

Cassius was not going to stay out of my way. He would try, but I knew he wouldn’t be able to help himself. So,I needed to break the curse without him knowing. By the time he realized I remembered it, it would be after I fulfilled the prophecy.

Cassius was much safer without me telling him anything. I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling of my ugly, white, sterile room. The weight of everything settled on my chest, making it difficult to breathe or concentrate. My father was going to keep me prisoner here by any means necessary. All the lies and deceit were enough to make my darkness swarm around me.

I would need to use my magic to trick my father into telling me where my bloodstone was. I had no idea what magic I had, and I had no idea how I could figure it out. Maybe tomorrow I will try to use some. My darkness would help. At the thought, my darkness hummed in approval. This was ending very soon; I missed my husband.

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