Chapter 21
C assia
Rolling over, I saw the beautiful creature’s hooves hovering over me.
There was a light shimmer in the air around it, similar to what I’ve seen around Kiam and Lukas.
Wondering why I could see it sometimes and not others, I dug my fingers into the ground, intent on getting away but then in a rush of wind, I was back by the tree line.
Lukas was pissed, his eyes burning green and black, and his jaw set as he glared at me. Maybe he had reason to be mad— this time. Worth it because there was no way I was going to miss the chance to pet a unicorn.
“Holy shit. A fucking unicorn.”
We both turned our heads at the strange voice. A man dressed all in black, with a fancy coat covered with embroidery, walked into the clearing. His gleaming black hair was longer than Lukas’s and I had to admit, the man was almost as beautiful. Almost.
“Zaynan,” Lukas growled. “If Cassia died, I would have pulled your entrails out through your mouth.”
The man scoffed. “You’re welcome to try. I can’t believe that was a unicorn. I heard they were all gone.”
Lukas’s eyes narrowed. “Were you following us?”
Zaynan smirked. “Maybe. I’ve been poking around. The two of you had a good day, haven’t you?”
My skin heated and I knew I was blushing. Just how much did this guy see? “Do you want me to kill him?”
Surprised that he was asking, I met Lukas’s gaze. “You’re asking me?”
I glanced at the other man, and his lips were pressed together, a few fingers against his mouth.
Lukas’s chest heaved. “No. I’ll let him live another day. That can be his punishment.”
The statement sobered Zaynan. “Yeahhhhh,” he drawled, “About that. Annalise formally requests your presence.” He ran his hand through his hair and then placed both on his hips. “She’s a whack-job.”
“You can say that again,” I chimed in.
He canted his head at me and twisted his lips. “My mother.”
I almost fell over. “What?"
He nodded, running his tongue over his teeth. “Yep. Lucky me.”
Lukas spoke up. “What does she want? Do you know?”
“It's not good, I can tell you that. She’s on a rampage.” He straightened his posture. “She wants me for my power and I’m not going to give it to her and... she’s pissed at you.”
Lukas stood there contemplating and staring into the distance for several seconds before he said, “Let’s go.”
He grabbed me, and in a whirl, we were suddenly back in the room. As many times as he’d relocated me this way, it still messed with my head. “Remember I asked you for a little warning the next time?”
His brows furrowed as he flicked a glance at me. “I warned you.”
“Dude...,” I said, taking a look around.
There was no point in arguing with him over it. “Okay, what now? Where’d Zaynan go?”
Lukas went into the walk-in closet and came back out while I perched on the arm of the couch. “I’m going to go meet with Annalise and figure out what to do next.” He started pacing back and forth. “She’s going to want blood.”
“Why is she upset with you? I guess I can kinda understand her being upset with Zaynan—a lot of parents expect a lot of their kids. But what did you ever do, really?” For a moment I was distracted by his change of clothes.
He’d put on a long coat with a wide collar that stood up.
He looked more vampiric than I’d ever seen him, without his teeth extended.
He glanced at me and rubbed his forehead. Then he went back to his pacing. “I declined her advances.”
“Excuse me?” What the fuck was even happening around here?
“She knows you’re with me though,” I hissed.
Lukas widened his eyes at me with his eyebrows raised like what I’d just said was too stupid to mention.
He wasn’t the only one feeling spicy. I wanted to claw her eyes out. How dare she?
The maybe ten feet between us disappeared and he was right in front of me. “You’re going to wait here. I am going to go to her. I’ll be back. Don’t open the door for anyone.”
Snagging his arm, I said, “Oh no, I don’t think so. I’m going with you.”
“No, you are not.”
“Queen bitch needs to see that you’re with me. I’m not going to curl into a ball or run away and hide.”
My anger was growing, stirring through my veins and leaving me restless. I needed to be there. I couldn’t punch her in the face no matter how bad I wanted to, not without getting literally torn to shreds. So, she needed to see me by his side—there was no question.
He held my shoulders, rubbing his thumbs against my skin. “I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I am not going to let you go in there.”
I wrenched my shoulders from his grasp. “It’s not your decision.”
“Cassia,” he said, and pressed his lips together. “As a matter of fact, it is. It is my job to keep you safe. I’m not going to fail.”
The very smallest trickles of doubt started to fill me. Did I really think I could go up against vampires? I shoved the thought from my head. I’d do whatever I had to. “You can’t stop me. Remember how your door magic doesn’t work? Huh?”
“Enough, Cassia. Watch me.”
He stormed out of the room, leaving me with an unsettled feeling. I knew I was being crazy. I knew it beyond any shadow of a doubt.
But at the same time, was this going to be my life, having to be shut away every time the shit hits the fan? I was willing to bet this crap wasn’t all that out of the ordinary. Not when you had a building full of supernatural creatures all living in relatively close quarters.
Lukas was gone now, walking into God knows what, while I got to sit here helplessly wondering what was going to happen.
It didn’t take long for me to stand back up.
Grabbing the stiletto, I tucked it into a leather holster I found and secured it to my waist. When I pulled the hem of my sweater down, I heard knocking at the door.
Keeping my steps light, I walked over to the door, trying to listen for anything I could hear. Everything was silent. Then, I heard Katarina’s voice.
“Cassia!” She whispered, just loud enough that I could hear her.
When I grabbed the doorknob, my palm tingled and I realized Lukas must have put a fresh, new one of his wards or spells on the door so I couldn’t open it. My sweaty palm lost its grip, and I accidently smacked myself in the stomach.
“Are you okay in there?” Katarina asked. She must have heard my grunt.
Trying again, the door finally had some give. “I am. I just punched my stomach trying to get the stupid door open. Hang on a sec.”
My arms were straining and I let go, taking a deep breath. After stretching my arms, I went for it again, bracing one foot against the door frame. “Stick your foot in,” I told my friend.
The tip of her shoe showed in the narrow gap, and I pulled on the door, my breath growing ragged until finally, it was open.
Katarina scooted inside and rearranged the skirt of her uniform. “Something big is going on,” she said, hurrying to the center of the room. “Annalise has everyone summoned and they’re in the throne room.”
“Did you see Lukas?”
She pushed the loose strands of her hair back behind her ears with shaking fingers. “I didn’t, I’m sorry.”
My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth for a moment as I started pacing. The path I trod brought me over the large windows and I stared through the panes separated by diamond brackets. If Katarina didn’t see him, where was he?
A pit formed in my stomach, thinking the worst.
As if she’d read my mind, Katarina spoke up. “Don’t worry about him yet, I’ve seen him in action. He’s fucking brutal.”
Her words tightened around my heart like a steel vice. “I’ve seen what he can do, too. But what if they do that stuff to him?”
“Zaynan said she needed to talk to him,” I said, trying to convince myself, “so maybe that’s it. Just talking.” Thin clouds streaked past the red sky as if they were trying to wash away blood.
Katarina tilted her head to the side a fraction, giving me a tight-lipped smile. “We can hope.”
She joined me by the window, and the two of us gazed at the landscape, neither of us truly seeing it. Everything was silent and still, as if the very air itself were awaiting a verdict.
“I don’t think I can stay in here while I have no idea what’s going on out there.”
Fingers lightly brushed my arm. “He’s got Kalix and Zaynan. Probably Ezekiel, too. So, he’s not alone. They don’t like her any better than he does.”
That was all fine, well, and good, but...
My muscles ached and my whole body buzzed with electricity. Either I needed to find out what, exactly, was going on, or I needed a hamster wheel to burn off this energy.
“I’m going out there,” I announced. “You can stay here or come with; it's up to you.”
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. She might as well have stuck a fork in a light socket. “Are you crazy?” She nearly shrieked. “You’re going to get yourself killed!”
“Not if everyone’s busy.”
“Dumbass, they can smell you.”
I turned around. “Did you just call me a dumb ass?”
With her back suddenly straightened and her hands clasped in from of her she said, “My apologies, miss.”
My shoulders slumped forward. “It's fine. And don’t call me that, I was just surprised.” I peeked at her. “How are your thumbs?” They seemed to be fine now. But the guilt still lingered.
She held her hands up and nodded.
While she sighed deeply, I headed over to the desk. Drawer after drawer showed no new contents. I was hoping for another weapon. The stiletto still hung from my waist but having another sharp object at my disposal wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“Can these people even die?” The walk-in closet didn’t have anything I could carry. The swords were at least five feet long, and I couldn’t lift them. “Do you know where there’s any more daggers or something?” I yelled over my shoulder.
When I turned around, she was right behind me. “Please don’t go out there. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you.”
Her puppy dog eyes were hard to resist but that was my man out there. “I have to do this. Just wait here for me, I’ll be back.” The words left my mouth but fell flat. We both knew I couldn’t be sure of anything if I left this room.
Katarina covered her mouth with her hand and walked out of the closet, hanging her head.
I followed behind, covered by an oversized hoodie I’d had in my bag from home. It was bulky enough to hide the stiletto.
“He’s going to be very angry you broke through his ward again,” she warned, sitting down hard on the couch, as if her extra bounce was going to stop me.
He definitely would be, she wasn’t wrong. “I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least try .”
Where this extra-protectiveness for a man came from, I wasn’t sure. It was an entirely new mode of operation for me. But it felt right. I’d been trying to ignore the novelty, but serious feelings were growing for the stoic vampire.
I’d honestly be really upset if something happened to him.
And that was why I was going to sneak off to some kind of homicidal, bloodthirsty, vampire summit. Or whatever they were doing.
Squaring my shoulders, I marched to the door and yanked on the handle. The door opened so easily I had to take a step back. I glanced at Katarina and she arched a brow just before I left safety behind and plunged headfirst into God knew what.
Hopefully I’d see her again.