Chapter 117
I have had fantasy dreams plenty of times before. Usually it's about celebrities I'd probably never meet in my lifetime. I wasn't exactly an innocent soul. But none of them had ever come close to what I'd seen the previous night.
And, because apparently my subconscious had decided to ruin my life properly, this time it had chosen Rhaevan.
My actual partner in this ridiculous treasure hunt.
To make matters worse, I had woken up with my body still reacting to the dream, apparently loudly enough to alert the very man I had been dreaming about.
Brilliant.
Just absolutely brilliant.
And now I had to sit across from that very man at breakfast and pretend I hadn't just directed an entire erotica starring him in my head.
I couldn't even bring myself to look at him.
I sat silently across from him while we had breakfast at a nearby inn.
Rhaevan occasionally glanced in my direction, but he never said a word. I was grateful for that. If he asked me anything remotely personal, I was fairly certain I would spontaneously combust.
Once we left the inn, I deliberately kept a few paces behind him. Rhaevan slowed his pace without comment, occasionally glancing back to make sure I was still there or to check whether I needed anything.
Relax, Cassiane. It's just proximity. You haven't spent this much time around a man in either of your lives. And not just any man. A rather good-looking one. Obviously your hormones are peaking. That's all this is.
Perfectly normal. Completely explainable. There is absolutely nothing weird about this.
That was when I made the mistake of looking at his back.
Big mistake. Very, very big mistake.
My treacherous brain immediately started mentally undressing him, and the dream came rushing back with absolutely no warning.
Oh, for the love of every wet pebble in that cursed lake.
I wanted to run away. Preferably to another planet.
Instead, I took a slow breath and forced myself to keep walking.
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The human mind had an incredible talent for taking one completely random thought and turning it into an entire conspiracy.
You thought about something once, then your brain asked what if?, and before you knew it, you had somehow constructed five different scenarios, analysed each one from every possible angle, and arrived at a conclusion that had absolutely nothing to do with reality.
That was exactly what was happening to me now.
One thought led to another.
Then another.
And, before long, my brain had found a completely new subject to obsess over.
Had Rhaevan ever had a dream like that?
The thought came almost innocently.
Then my brain supplied the next question.
Had that someone been Lysenne?
I frowned.
Wait.
Did they...?
They had spent so much time cooped up together in that study.
Oh my god.
My brain helpfully filled in the rest, conjuring an image I absolutely did not want to see.
I immediately looked away.
No. Nope. Absolutely not.
Unfortunately, the image had already lodged itself in my head.
What was this strange, unpleasant feeling twisting in my stomach?
Was the food from breakfast not sitting well?
Why was I suddenly so angry?
There was absolutely no reason for it.
None.
I looked at Rhaevan again.
He had slowed down and was watching me with a puzzled expression.
"Cassiane?"
I stopped.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
His brows drew together.
"Like you want to stab me."
Oh, I definitely do.
"Nothing," I said quickly, turning around and continuing down the path.
I had barely taken two steps when his hand caught my arm.
"Wait."
I stopped.
"You've been acting strangely since yesterday."
His brows drew together as he studied my face.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
He didn't let go of my arm.
"Cassiane."
"I'm hungry."
"You just ate."
"I'm still hungry."
He stared at me.
I stared back.
He sighed. "I'll just go back and get you more food."
"No," I snapped.
He looked genuinely confused.
Unfortunately, that did absolutely nothing to help my case.
"Fine. I'm just..." I searched desperately for an explanation that didn't involve dreams, hormones, or the horrifying possibility that my sister and the man standing in front of me had actually-no. Absolutely not.
"I'm just distracted."
"By what?"
Your abs. Your mouth. Your wet shirt. Your possible sex life with my sister.
"The expedition."
His expression softened slightly.
"You're worried we won't find the fragment?"
"Yes."
It came out so quickly that even I knew it sounded suspicious.
Rhaevan studied me for another moment before finally releasing my arm.
"Don't worry. We'll find it."
I blinked.
"That's it?"
"What else should I say?"
"Nothing."
I huffed and continued walking.
Rhaevan followed.
--
I was seething inside.
Don't worry? That's all he has to say?
He was walking beside me as though nothing had happened, perfectly calm and completely unbothered, while I was internally falling apart over a problem he didn't even know existed.
It was all his fault.
Stupid jerk.
"Have you kissed anyone?"
He abruptly halted, staring at me with the expression of a cat that had just bitten into an exploding firecracker.
"What?"
Well, I had no intention of backing out now. I was feeling far too petty, and apparently, my dignity had already left the building.
"You've kissed someone, haven't you?"
"Cassie... I..." He looked completely thrown. "That's... why would you ask me that all of a sudden?"
"Because I'm your partner, and I can ask questions."
I raised an eyebrow, daring him to argue.
He stared at me for a long moment, clearly trying to figure out what had possessed me.
If only I knew.
"That's quite personal, Cassiane. I'd rather not answer that."
"So you've kissed someone."
His eyes widened slightly.
"That's not what I said."
"You didn't deny it either."
I took a step towards him.
He instinctively took one backwards.
"Did you like it?"
His face drained of colour.
"What?"
"The kiss. Did you like it?"
He stared at me as though he'd completely lost track of how this conversation had gone so spectacularly wrong.
"What's gotten into you?"
By then, my hormones had apparently taken heavy road rage, and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.
"You answer first." I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms.
He blinked twice, then closed his eyes and sighed as though he was gathering every ounce of patience he possessed.
When he opened them again, his expression had settled into something calmer.
"No, Cassiane. I haven't kissed anyone."
I studied his face carefully, looking for even the slightest sign that he was lying.
There wasn't one.
"Hmm."
I turned and started walking.
He hesitated for a moment before slowly catching up with me.
We walked in silence for approximately five seconds.
"Have you thought about kissing someone?"
He stopped again.
I stopped too.
"Seriously?"
Round two, guys.
I stared at him.
His face had gone pale.
"I... I..." He looked completely lost.
Oh, come on, you cunning piece of cabbage patch. Spill it out.
"I... yes."
"What?!!!"
"No. I mean..." He rubbed the back of his neck, visibly struggling to put the sentence together. "I... may have."
I stared at him.
Oh.
My brain immediately supplied several completely unnecessary possibilities with complete visual aids of his smooches.
Oh, this perverted asshole.
"Who is it?"
"Huh?"
"Who is it?" I pressed, stepping closer.
His gaze flicked from my eyes to my lips and back again before he quickly looked away.
"Can we... can we not talk about this, please?"
I stepped back, still annoyed.
For a few seconds, I said nothing. Then the question slipped out anyway.
"Is it Lysenne?"
He turned towards me so abruptly that I almost flinched.
"What? Why would you-why would you ask that?"
"No reason."
I turned away, pretending I suddenly found the path fascinating.
Then I glanced back at him.
"Is it her?"
"What? No." His expression was almost incredulous. "She is like a sister to me."
I blinked.
A sister?
He shook his head, clearly done with the conversation.
"All right, Cassiane. I can't talk about this any further. It's not something I'm comfortable discussing. Please... let's just-"
He turned and started walking away.
"Don't you love her?"
He stopped.
I hadn't even meant to say it aloud.
But I couldn't believe what I had just heard.
Then what had I heard that day?
The memory of Lysenne's voice on the balcony flashed through my mind.
What had that confession been about?
Rhaevan remained still for a moment. He didn't turn around. He only looked sideways, his expression unreadable.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"I've never loved her."
My chest tightened.
He finally glanced back at me.
"Cassiane, please. I can't answer anything more than that."
And then he turned away again.
I stood there watching him walk away, still trying to process what I had heard.
So all this time, he had never loved Lysenne.
Why was my heart fluttering at that?
Why was I ......happy?
I pressed a hand against my chest, as though that would somehow make the answer clearer.
It didn't.