Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Cassia
The palace always radiated a dreariness and reminded Cassia of a long, soulless tunnel.
But on days the weather particularly nagged her, the suffocating emptiness of each room made her want to scratch her skin off.
Leaning her head against the dusty window of her and Cade’s old training room, Cassia studied the sky.
It was sunny, and bits of snow melted into the ground from the unexpected warmth, but something just felt off.
In the distance, where she knew miles away Kastron lay, dark clouds swirled above the horizon.
They had for days. Each morning, she’d woken up and anticipated rain, but it hadn’t come.
The clouds hadn’t moved an inch in their direction, despite the howling wind blowing their way.
Just as another gust of wind rattled the glass underneath her forehead, two figures strolled into her line of sight, invading the deteriorating garden below.
One she recognized immediately. But the other…
Hai? Or Ondine? She couldn’t remember which Kastronian girl had died during the tournament, but the alive one was currently trying to flirt with her brother.
Even three stories above them, the girl’s loud, nervous giggle pierced the room through the window.
However, a girl trying to impress her brother wasn’t what had Cassia swimming in confusion.
Over the years, she’d seen many girls attempt to woo her brother.
Each one more nauseating than the last. What confused her was Cade’s receptive grin at whatever joke the girl spouted off. Still, it didn’t reach his eyes.
Cassia tapped on the glass, knowing he probably already sensed her watching them, and waited for the tell-tale prick in her temple that he was connecting with her mind.
Below, he determinately turned his back to her and brushed some lingering, melting snow off of his companion’s shoulder.
The Kastronian girl immediately turned red.
Gritting her teeth, Cassia tapped again.
Finally, her brother’s annoyed, laborious sigh echoed through her mind. What do you want?
That was fast, she said. Didn’t you just agree to restart the tournament yesterday?
Didn’t you know? Father had all the girls and their families sequestered in Astraeus for months. Most of them returned to the palace this morning.
Cassia snorted. Of course he had. Their father’s plan had been to finish the tournament all along. He’d just been waiting for the right time. And he was the master of getting what he wanted. You played into his expectations like a fiddle.
That’s not what’s happening.
When Cade glanced up at her with a quick glare, Cassia fought the urge to roll her eyes. There was only one plan that seemed to be winning and in place right now. And it wasn’t Cade’s.
Moments later, Cade picked off one of the only blooming camellias from a shrub and handed it to Hai. That was the girl’s name, if she remembered correctly. What are you even doing? Didn’t you basically already pledge yourself to Marin?
Behind his back, Cade held up his middle finger. Hai was too busy stuffing the flower in her hair to notice.
Really nice, Cassia snapped.
I never claimed to be.
Cassia pulled on their connection, trying to find some way into Cade’s mind to get a glimpse of what he was really thinking and planning.
Because there was no way he was out for a stroll with Hai just for the hell of it.
The harder she pulled and searched, though, the more distant his presence became.
Cassia growled and sent him a wave of frustration.
Poor Bridget, all alone in the human realm while you let other girls try their best seduction skills on you.
With a whipping tug, Cade severed their connection.
Cassia flinched, just as the window between them cracked.
Just a sliver. Just enough that satisfaction roared through her knowing that at least that had gotten a real reaction from him.
When she looked back out the window, Cade was already leading Hai away with a new stiffness in his shoulders.
Maybe if her brother would just be honest with her, she wouldn’t have to hit him upside the head with things he didn’t want to hear. Roughly spinning on her heel, Cassia made up her mind to go find someone that did want her help. Because maybe—
She wasn’t alone.
Cassia recoiled back into the window, thumping her head against the glass. Heart pounding, she stared into Castor’s dark, penetrating eyes. Heat traveled up her neck when she spotted the amused twist of his lips.
“Hi.”
She dug her nails into her thighs and hoped she didn’t look too flustered. Even though it seemed to be her constant state around him.
Castor cocked his head. “Why do you look so surprised?”
“Why did you sneak up on me?” Cassia shot back.
Now that he was moving closer, her hands trembled.
She knew the only reason he was there was because she’d asked him to help her, but now that they were alone, she hated that she’d even suggested it at all.
How could she have possibly thought she would be just fine with being friends?
Cassia took a deep breath and thought of Delphine. It didn’t matter if she was fine with it or not. This was her reality now. She needed to get a grip.
Still, the resolve was hard to maintain when Castor continued to move closer to her. “Why were you so engrossed with the window that you didn’t notice me calling your name?” he asked softly, now inches from her.
Cassia’s breath hitched. Before she could answer, Castor’s gaze moved to the outside garden behind her. Sighing, he crossed his arms. “You’re spying on Cade.”
“I was not spying,” Cassia corrected, the heat returning to her neck. “I was here first. Besides, I wanted to know why he was in the garden with Hai.”
“Her family owns most of the land in Kastron,” Castor said. “I think he’s trying to figure out how to use that to find Quinn.”
Cassia had a feeling Castor didn’t just think that, but knew that was Cade’s intention. Whatever her brother’s plans were, he was always one of the first to know. Mirroring his stance and crossing her own arms, she blithely replied, “Well I think he’s playing with fire.”
“He can handle himself,” Castor said. For a long moment, he studied her. “Now you on the other hand…”
“Can’t do shit.”
Unfazed by her bluntness, Castor narrowed his eyes. “Need to focus on yourself. Did you not sleep?”
Too absorbed in her own thoughts about her brother’s plans, Cassia didn’t notice Castor raising his hand until he was already tracing the bags under her eyes. Briefly, she let herself enjoy the sensation of his touch before she stepped away. “It doesn’t matter.”
Because it didn’t. She wasn’t the one with a psycho Witch after them. Or the one with a curse dependent on their life. Or even the one with a secret Tuathan identity they knew nothing about. Wow, her brother had really been ringing up the surprises lately.
A muscle in Castor’s jaw quivered, but he didn’t push her. Fingering the crack on the window, he asked, “Do you know why Cade is asking me about an ancient artifact?”
“Like he tells me anything,” Cassia replied automatically. When Castor shot her a weary look, she sighed. “Which one?”
“The Tuathan ones.”
Cassia’s gaze cut to his. It was the last thing she expected him to say.
“Those haven’t been seen for centuries,” she said. A spike of trepidation shot up her spine. Every story she’d ever heard or read involving the Tuathan artifacts ended badly. Why would Cade suddenly be interested in them?
“There’s one in Tafari,” Castor said, surprising her. “Or at least, that’s the rumor. Obviously, no one has ever found it. But that’s not the one he’s interested in. He was asking about the crown.”
Cassia’s throat tightened. Of course he was interested in the most powerful, dangerous one. The one with the least amount of lore surrounding it. The one actually missing for centuries. “Why would I know about that one?”
“You read more than anyone I know.”
Except there weren’t any stories about the crown. And she hadn’t picked up a book in a very long time. Not since…
Now was not the time to harp on family drama.
Cassia straightened her spine. “I used to.”
“Cassia…”
Holding up her hand, she cut him off before she let him say something stupid like he knew her or something equally nostalgic. “Why don’t you tell him he needs to stop whatever idiotic plan he has to fool our father instead of focusing on an ancient toy that probably doesn’t exist anymore?”
“He’s not trying to fool anyone. Believe me, your father is well aware of the fact that Cade’s reasons for marrying Marin are ingenuine,” Castor replied.
“But he doesn’t care. Not when he’s getting what he wants.
And Cade… He’s going to do whatever it takes to find Quinn, especially now that he knows she still poses a threat to Bridget.
If your father gets in his way… that’s when you should be worried. ”
“I’m already worried,” Cassia admitted, bile rising in her throat.
“He’s not seeing the bigger picture. Do you really believe all these attacks on the border have been random?
That it isn’t Quinn trying to lure him back to Cavamyne?
” She paused, making sure her voice wasn’t croaky before she continued.
“Quinn doesn’t care about Bridget anymore, despite what Cade now thinks about their past and fate being tied together.
She wants the curse on the Sanguis broken. Which means she wants him dead.”
Castor shook his head. Grabbing her chin, he forced her to look at him. “Even though Quinn has the Bloodstone, she doesn’t have the power to orchestrate the attacks I’ve seen. That amount of magic… It would have killed her by now.”