Chapter Twenty-Nine
JULIAN
My heart is beating a bit wildly as that sinks in. Quickly, I rush up the stairs after Casimir. “You mean it?”
He glances back at me. “Mean what?”
“That you’d keep yourself safe for me? You really would?”
“If I don’t persist, more will die. But yes, I promise that I won’t be reckless,” he says.
“The others can come and fight them from far away, but think about this realistically. How much harder would it be for me to fight them if I have all of our side against me as well? Imagine having to fight our own people in a way that won’t hurt them. ”
I give him a slow nod, honestly hating it, but I know I have to trust him. He’s asked me to trust him, so I will.
Casimir stops before a bedroom door and sets his hand on the doorknob. “I need you to go get me the best noise-canceling headphones you can find, okay?”
“Yeah,” I say as I notice that his body language is odd. Did something happen? “Hey.” I set a hand on his shoulder and can feel the tension in his body. “Are you… anxious about going?”
“No,” he says as he pulls out his keys. “I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who isn’t stressed about that.”
“True…” Then why is his body language off?
My eyes drift over to the door he’s staring at, keys in hand.
Why is the room locked? Is it what’s inside that’s bothering him?
“Why’s the room locked?” I ask.
“To keep nosy people out,” he says, and I know he means it teasingly, but the way he says it just shows how off he is.
“Yeah? I promise I won’t nose through your things. I mean… besides your cupboard full of Gustov clothes.”
Casimir gives me a smile that seems a little forced. “I thought we agreed to never mention that?”
“Don’t remember that.”
He turns the doorknob and pushes the door open just a sliver. I’m dying to look at what’s inside, but that’s definitely not what I’m going to do after just promising him that I won’t be nosy.
“I’ll… go get you the headphones. Best I can buy!” I assure him.
“You like to play fetch, right?” he asks, but the words don’t hold the humor they usually do, even though he’s obviously trying to tease me.
“Favorite pastime.”
“Can you fetch my swords?” Casimir asks, and I hesitate as I look back at the room.
So he keeps it locked so people can’t be nosy… but wants me to go inside?
“Uh… yeah. Of course. You going to lock me inside or something? Is this how you’re planning on keeping me from following you?”
“Considered it,” he says as I turn around and set my hand on the door.
I push it open just enough to slip through before stepping into the room, honestly surprised by how bare it is.
I expected something more, or for it to at least be furnished, but all I see are a stand with the swords he’d used at the school and a chest resting off to the left.
I reach out and grab the weapons before turning.
My eyes land on the wooden chest and I realize how absolutely beautiful it is.
The carvings that adorn it are like a masterpiece that I want to examine.
I can see what look like hounds etched into the wood and what I think is a horse, but I’m afraid to look too long.
Clearly, something about this room is off and if Casimir wants the weapons… I can’t imagine they’re the issue.
No… whatever it is that is making the strongest man I’ve ever met stand back… is inside that chest. But then why keep it?
When I step through the doorway, he slides the door closed behind me and locks it before holding his hands out.
“You’re pretty talented with these, aren’t you?” I ask.
He’s quiet as he takes them, and I mentally kick myself. Did I fuck up again?
“I have a lot of talents. Taming wolves seems to be one as well,” he says as he gives me a wink and heads down the hall like none of that just happened.
I’m torn between going to fetch him headphones and wanting to trail after him.
He likes to beat himself up over things and I want to keep him from doing it, but I also don’t want to push him too hard.
We have a few hours before dusk, so I trail after him, but I find myself unsure of what to say at first.
Casimir disappears through the doorway into his bedroom, so I follow him inside as he sets the sheathed blades down on his bed before watching them like he just placed two venomous snakes there.
I slowly walk over to the bed and sit down on it in front of the weapons so he has to look through me to see them.
His eyes drop down to me and his eyebrow quirks. “Sorry I wasn’t paying attention to you,” he teases.
“You know I like your eyes only on me.”
“It’s going to make doing anything in life extremely hard if I can only ever look at you.”
“I like hard things.”
Casimir’s lips quirk. “You’re ridiculous. I’m fine, alright? I was just thinking.”
“You’re too pretty to think.”
That makes him snort as he shakes his head. “I… I’m going to go with no on that one.”
“Just don’t think too hard. I enjoy watching you try to figure out things like holding hands and pinky promises.”
“Yeah? But I know how to do the important things.” He leans forward and gently presses his lips against mine.
I lean into the touch, parting my lips, but instead of deepening the kiss, he softly nips me and when he pulls back, he has the longer of the two blades in hand.
He draws it out of the sheath and examines it.
“You’re intoxicating, but I need to stay focused or the next thing I know, I’ll be letting you talk me into taking a werewolf army with me. ”
“Hmm…”
He turns the blade just right so the light shines off it.
“It’s a beautiful blade,” I say.
“It is, isn’t it?” he agrees. “A… gift.”
The word seems to sit oddly between us, making me feel like the person who gifted him the two blades wasn’t exactly someone he liked.
“Blades like these weren’t seen in Europe at the time.
I never would have learned about this style of blade if it weren’t for a vampire who provided us foreign weapons unlike we’d ever seen and that most of Europe wouldn’t see for years.
The katana excelled in slicing, unlike the many piercing blades that were more common.
It’ll do nicely for hacking Ivo’s head off,” he adds.
“I bet. It also works nicely for terrifying cops.”
That makes him grin, clearly enjoying the memory. “I bet they’d cut your clothes right off.”
“I’m sure they would but… you’re right. We need to stay focused and I need to get the headphones first.”
Casimir tsks and slides the blade back into its sheath. “Right. Now don’t fret so much.”
“I’m not fretting.” I want to tell him I’m only fretting because he is and… he’s not even fretting about Ivo, he’s fretting about… I’m not sure what. “I… I’m going to go get those headphones.”
“Don’t cheap out on me,” he says as he holds out his credit card.
“I can pay for it.”
“Take it. And buy yourself something good, like more canvases or paper to paint Gustov.”
“Is… Is that buying myself something?” I ask skeptically.
“Sure is,” he says with a beaming smile like he can fool me into believing it. “Take Cyrus with you.”
“Cyrus has been gnawed on by a wolf.”
“He’s got another leg. He’ll be fine.”
I raise my eyebrow at him, but he doesn’t seem deterred in the slightest. So with a sigh, I head downstairs so I can go to the store. Cyrus proceeds to insist on going with me and assures me he’s not hurt at all, which… seems unlikely, but he won’t take no for an answer.
Casimir’s phone beeps and I look over at it to see that it’s a message from someone called “Satan’s Nut Hair.”
“Is that Steve?” I ask.
Casimir glances at his phone before smiling fondly, like I’ve said something that pleases him. “It is.”
“Of course it is.”
He opens the phone and stares at it so long that I can’t help but be nosy enough to look.
Satan’s Nut Hair: We’re having a meeting. Do you think you can make it?
“Well, Steve’s been abducted by Ivo, which… I mean… honestly, does anyone care?” Casimir asks. “Finally, an excuse to kill him.”
“I’ll go for his ankles, you go for the throat,” Ezio says, like this helps the situation at all .
“Or, we could… you know, not kill Steve,” I suggest.
Cyrus sighs, like he’s already exasperated from dealing with these two. “You guys are missing the big issue here. If Ivo has Steve… he’s probably not at the school.”
“He’s at the casino,” Casimir realizes. “Fuck.”
“What time does the casino open?”
“It’s open now. I’ll call some of the humans to close it,” Casimir says as he hurries toward the garage.
“Casimir, stop, we need to plan things?—”
“The plan hasn’t changed,” he declares.
“But now we know he has some of your vampires to use against you,” I say.
“Steve’s life doesn’t matter.”
Of course he thinks it doesn’t. “Yes, but aren’t Dan and Genevieve always there too?”
Casimir shrugs. “I can handle them just fine.”
I sigh because Casimir’s going to do what he wants. He’s confident he can stop Ivo… so maybe I just have to trust him.
“Okay,” I say.
He glances at me, even raises an eyebrow. “Okay?”
“Yeah… I trust you.”
That puts a smile on his face, which makes my heart swell. Who am I kidding, this man could probably convince me into doing anything.
As Ezio drives, Casimir calls the casino and I’m stuck twiddling my thumbs, feeling like I’m not doing enough.
Cyrus is in the front passenger seat, tapping his finger on the door in a way that I feel hypnotized by.
He doesn’t seem overly worried about any of it, even though I feel like my insides are twisting into a ball of anxiety.
Like… I’m a freaking art professor! Not some badass werewolf!
I make jokes about chasing balls, not going out for brawls!
Casimir reaches over and squeezes my leg as I realize he’s ended the call. “Stop fretting. You’re going to be perfectly safe.”
“I’m not just worried about myself,” I mutter.
“As long as you’re not worried about Steve, that’s fine.”
“I would love to know why you started disliking Steve.”