Chapter 14
L ukas
“What did you do with Katarina?” Cassia jumped up from the couch, her skin pale and shoulders shaking.
“She will be fine,” I stated, walking over to her. Her hands were empty.
A soft sigh left her lips. “Well, where is she? No one’s brought me any food.”
Her observation gave me an idea, and I turned around and walked out, listening to Cassia swear under her breath. The verbal vomit didn’t hit as hard as she intended, her usual voice drowning under emotional exhaustion.
A passing slave received instructions from me to pack a lunch that included donuts, wine, and plums.
“I thought you were busy again,” Cassia said. She walked across the room to the large window and stared out. I would have loved to know what she was thinking. Probably bemoaning her circumstances once again.
Standing behind her, I placed a hand at her waist and leaned down, letting her unique honeyed scent fill my nostrils. She stiffened slightly, but then she relaxed, letting her back rub against the silk of my shirt and tie.
I’d been patient, and I knew I was running out of time. Soon, very soon, I would have to claim her. God forbid anyone challenged me for her flesh.
“Leave it outside the door,” I called, turning my head.
“Who are you talking to?” Cassia’s eyes were glassy as she peered up at me.
My hand slid from her waist as I turned to retrieve the food. “I ordered food.”
A leather satchel sat on the narrow table just outside the entrance. “Grab a coat. I’m taking you out.”
She froze and stared at me. “You are? Okay, that’s cool. Where are we going?”
“Don’t worry, you won’t be disappointed.” She had changed into leggings and a casual shirt, which were perfect.
Once she was situated, I led her out of the room, scooping up the bag. She eyed it curiously but didn’t say a word.
I was stopped not once, but twice. First, Kalix found me and wanted to discuss his new assignment. He left us alone after I told him we’d discuss the matter at length later. The next irritant was a slave captain, needing resolution for a matter of discontent. I ordered him to eliminate the problem.
When we reached the stairway and I shut the door behind us, a deep exhalation loosened from my chest. I felt my spine relax.
Cassia eyed me. “You don’t get many breaks, do you?”
“Never.”
She sighed. “You don’t have to take me anywhere. If you need to just disappear on your own or something, I understand.”
Her consideration made my heart grow warm. “Thank you but you don’t need to worry about that.”
The corridor I had brought her to consisted of multiple staircases and many long hallways nestled deep inside the mountain.
The palace was about a third of the way up from sea level, which left considerable elevation to navigate.
I could have transitioned the two of us to the destination I had in mind, but I wanted to conserve all my energy considering the tasks I had to deal with upon my return.
“Seriously, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Just get me Katarina and I’ll hang out in the room.”
Failure had never been in my vocabulary, but it seemed today was a new day. “I want to do this.”
It was true that I wanted to spend time with her. She was to be my wife and although time had been scant, I enjoyed the small moments I’d been by her side. She was witty, funny, and a genuinely good human. I had chosen well.
In the past, when vampire social graces dictated, I had taken a few women out on dates.
The typical places were a nice restaurant, nightclubs, and other socially focused events engineered for maximum attention.
The locales weren’t the result of me looking for prominence, but the women I’d courted out of pressure from Annalise, and society, expected it.
It was a good look. It kept citizens entertained and gave them something to talk about.
Cassia needed a different type of attention, and I would give it to her.
It took a while before she began to suffer but I suspected her pain started earlier and she didn’t want to voice complaint. Her steps slowed, and her breaths grew ragged. I didn’t ask before I scooped her up and carried her.
I knew I’d done the right thing when she repositioned herself against my chest. She wound one arm around my back and grasped my shoulder with the other, fitting perfectly. She fell asleep by the time I reached the upper door.
For a moment, I just stood there, gazing down at her face. Her features were slack, missing the normal tension that seemed to plague her. For all her fussing, she had certainly made herself at home in my arms. Some part of her trusted me, and that was the part I would have to appeal to.
“Cassia,” I said, bending my head and brushing my lips along her forehead.
She startled awake, looking lost, and then shy. “I think I fell asleep.”
She squirmed and I set her down on her feet. “You did.”
“Ugh. I’m sorry. What did I miss?”
“Endless stretches of stunningly ordinary granite carved by legions of resentful demons.”
She flicked a glance at me. “You just joked.”
She sounded stunned and I grinned at her confusion. “You didn’t miss anything, we’re going outside,” I reassured her.
“I haven’t seen you smile like that since I threw that soup spoon at you.”
Tomato soup had gone everywhere. I was fairly certain I could still smell it every time I entered what had once been my own quarters. “We should work on your aim, it’s atrocious.”
“You grabbed the freaking spoon out of the air. What does that have to do with aim?” She canted her head and stroked her chin. “Get me a sword and let me practice.”
Ridiculous. “You couldn’t lift a sword if your very life depended on it.”
Cassia nearly fell over. “You really are a person. I was starting to think you were a bloodsucker robot or something.”
I tried my best not to roll my eyes and failed. “Yes, I am a person. And now I’m off the clock, so to speak.” I moved towards the heavy wooden and warded doorway to our right. “Just so you are aware, calling a vampire a ‘bloodsucker’ is a slur generally utilized by demons. Don’t use the term.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
Unhooking the latch, I motioned for her to join me. She shuffled over to my side, nibbling on her bottom lip. The moment I pushed the door open, a breeze swirled around our legs, relieving the stagnant air in the chamber.
Once I had her hand in mine, I led her outside.
The view was magnificent, miles and miles above the valley.
Most of the ground around us was barren, but multiple hardy plants and flowers thrived.
Low to the ground lay clusters of tiny white blossoms and shrubbery with crimson leaves.
Large, velvety black butterflies flitted from bud to bud, indulging in the nectar.
To the left and the right, sharply angled slabs of granite and slate jutted into the sky like teeth, some higher still than our own elevation. Straight ahead lie the valley, bisected by a bright blue river.
A dense pine forest bordered the water; the trees’ fluffy branches casting shade over the rushing deluge. She couldn’t see it, but large blue and red fish leapt between the crests, snatching whatever winged insects dared tread too closely.
One of the things that fascinated me about this woman was the fact that my magic wasn’t as effective as it should have been. She’d been able to open the bedroom door despite the fact that I’d warded it. Her breaching my precautions was an impossibility. Or so I’d thought.
The only thing that made sense was that some part of me belonged with her, was owned by her, or recognized her soul. Such a thought was far more fanciful than I’d ever allowed myself to dwell on, but I couldn’t deny what I’d seen with my own eyes. My magic couldn’t work against itself.
Another thing was the torn drawing I’d found on her apartment floor before I let her see me and Kiam in her apartment. That paper was repaired and sitting in my pocket—the perfect match for the view spread out in front of her eyes.
That gaze was as wide as saucers, currently. A pleasant wash of self-satisfaction poured through me, and I tried to respect her speechlessness, let her take it all in without disturbing her. Regardless, an amused snicker left my throat.
“Lukas,” she whispered, as if fearful others would hear her, “I’ve... I’ve... Oh my God, I’m going to sound crazy.”
Her already light skin paled further. “I promise you won’t.”
I could sense she wanted to look at me, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the landscape. “I’ve seen this before. In my head, I mean. I swear to fucking God I painted this right before I met you.”
She took a deep breath. “This,” she said, waving her hand in front of her. “All of this. Next thing you know, a unicorn will gallop by shaking its hair.”
“We have unicorns here.”
That forced her to move. “No fucking way,” she gasped, her voice low. “No fucking way.”
“Yes, Cassia. We do.”
She glanced up at me. “Where are they? I want to see one. If that’s possible. I mean, please if you get the chance.” Her words rushed out of her quicker than the water in the river miles below. “I don’t want to bother you, but it would be so cool to see one.”
She was too cute. I didn’t want to break her heart and tell her a unicorn would likely turn her into a kabob at first sight. “Maybe someday. They are very dangerous and tend to shy away from people. All people.”
“Thank you,” she said, sincerely. She’d taken what I said as a “yes.”
I watched as she lightly jogged to the edge of the clearing and peered down. If I wasn’t capable of great speed, I would have worried about her proximity. She backed up suddenly, reminded of her own mortality and then looked over the edge more carefully.
“How high up are we? I went to the Rockies once—they’re big ass mountains out west. The air is hard to breathe there, because of the elevation. It's not, here. I feel like I could do a triathlon or something.” She giggled, probably thinking about her own lack of athletic ability.