Chapter 22
Cassian did as I bade, and I poured some water and wrung a washcloth before moving over to him.
The soft glow of the fire bathed us in its gentle heat as I sat behind him on the floor and dabbed at the ragged edges of the wound.
The fringes reminded me of his scales, which brought a question to the forefront of my mind.
I leaned to one side to catch his attention. “How come you didn’t use your scales to protect yourself?”
Cassian’s lips were somewhat pursed, and I noticed a slight tick in his cheek with each gentle dab. “The nethral have the ability to pierce all magic, even my scales.”
I wrinkled my nose. “What exactly are they? These nethral things.”
He turned his head far enough so one keen eye fell on me. “You truly don’t know what they are.” It was a statement rather than a question, but I answered it anyway.
“Not a clue.”
“Then all those in the four kingdoms envy you,” he mused as he stared ahead at the fire.
“The nethral cam into the world due to our hubris. They were crafted by powerful magic thousands of years ago. Some say it was for a great war, the scars of which can still be seen across some of the kingdoms. We’ll pass by one of the more famous ones after we reach the inn. ”
“So how come they’re still around?” I wondered. “I mean, you can kill them, so why hasn’t everyone got together and just wiped them out?”
“They return, and often not in the same place.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Every time?”
“Every time.”
“Even when you destroy those pit things?”
“Yes. New pits grow elsewhere, or revive themselves.”
“That must be some tough magic.”
“The best magicians in all the kingdoms have yet to figure out how it was crafted.”
A thought struck me that made me wince. “Like Vhulkar?”
A pensive expression slipped onto Cassian’s face as he gazed into the dancing flames. “Yes, those like him. He was a very talented man in his younger years. My father personally requested him to join the studies of the nethral. However, countless failures led him down darker paths.”
“Like using the nethral?”
“Yes. There is no use for such creatures aside from war, and the scars in the kingdoms are a heavy reminder that they shouldn’t be used at all.” He sat up and flexed his muscles. “I think that will do. There’s hardly any pain now.”
“You’re sure?” I asked him as he stood and faced me.
He held out the shirt to me. “Quite sure. Besides, you look tired, and we should both get some rest.”
I took the shirt and rose. “Thanks for the shirt, but this doesn’t mean I’ll let you watch.”
Cassian sighed and strolled past me. “Very well, my shy bride.”
I hurried into the shirt, and the cloth reached well below my knees. That meant I could discard my pants, as well, without fear of showing more than I wanted.
However, there was an issue with the locket. It still wouldn’t come off. I glared at the infernal thing.
“Is something amiss?” Cassian wondered.
I tucked the locket into my shirt and shook my head. “Nope. Just testing out the shirt.”
We made our bed, and lay in it, too. I slipped beneath the sheets and admired the softness of his silk shirt as the cloth pressed against my body.
Cassian snuffed out the candles, plunging the room into darkness except for the hearth and a faint light from the window.
The bed sank a little as he joined me on the other side of the large king-sized bed.
I just had to ask the question. “So is this bed really large enough for a king?”
He chuckled. “It’s slightly smaller than my own, but comfortable.”
I burrowed deep under the covers and let out a soft sigh. “Goodnight…”
“Goodnight.”
Sleep was blissfully quick to come, and I had vague dreams of shadows and smiling men offering tainted gifts. The chocolate was tempting, but that promise of dark adventure in his magnetic blue eyes warned me that something was amiss.
I awoke some time later when something looped itself around my waist. A yelp escaped me, and I tried to leap out of the bed. The intruder tightened their grip around me, and it was then that I realized what had captured me.
It was Cassian. His arm was now wrapped around my midsection.
I twisted around and glared at the darkness of my shoulder. “What are you doing?”
His murmured voice floated over me. “Getting warm. The fire is almost dead.”
I turned my head back and beheld a few cooling embers in the hearth. “Did you want me to get a blanket from the foot of the bed?”
“No,” he muttered as he pulled his front against my back. He nuzzled his face into my neck. “I’m quite comfortable in this position.”
I lay as stiff as a frozen fish, unsure whether I could reach an arm around and swat at him. His hand wasn’t helping, as his fingers massaged my hip. A faint heat pooled between my legs, and my breath caught in my throat.
A chuckle came from my companion. “Is something the matter?”
I couldn’t stop the blush on my cheeks, but I could add to it a sharp look over my shoulder. “You’re not helping me get to sleep?”
His eyes twinkled at me as he drew me tighter against his front. “Is that what you want?”
Curse my feminine instincts, as my body reacted to his closeness with warm desire. I swallowed hard and tried to keep my words from wavering. “That’s what you said we needed, remember?”
He buried his face into the back of my neck, and his voice came out muffled by my hair. “Did I?”
A soft rap on the door interrupted any chance of fun. “Grace?” The hoarse, whispered voice was none other than Vesta.
I squirmed out of Cassian’s hold and threw on a spare blanket before padding my way to the door.
The hall was dark, but a faint light from the starry sky shone through the paned window to my right.
The glow allowed me to see the shivering mess of a human that was Vesta.
She wore a thin nightgown with a shawl draped over her shoulders.
Her black hair was down, and the tips of the strands swung at her hips.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
A soft sob emanated from the quivering girl. “I-I’m so sorry to wake you at this hour. I…I just need someone to talk to…”
“You don’t have to apologize,” I assured her as I grasped her upper arms.
She gave a soft yelp and drew away. I jerked my hands back before my eyebrows crashed down. Questions filled my mind, but they had to wait. The little waif at our doorstep needed comfort, not questions.
I stepped aside and swept my arm toward the interior. “Please come in.”
She took an eager step, but abruptly stopped herself. I couldn’t make out the finer features of her expression, but she seemed to shrink back. “I…I’m not sure if I-”
“Of course you should,” I insisted as I grabbed her hand and pulled her inside.
Cassian had taken the time to dress himself and now stood at the foot of the bed.
He grabbed a chair from the corner and set it down near the fire for our guest. I led her over and seated her while Cassian worked away at reviving the embers.
She took a seat, and he soon had a fire going, one that allowed me to see her face.
Vesta’s cheeks were splotchy, and she grasped her hands so tightly together in her lap that the knuckles turned white. She bowed her head, but I could see the glisten of tears in her eyes.
I knelt in front of her, and my breath caught in my throat. Vesta wasn’t wearing her scarf, so I could now see the bruises on her neck. They were a deep purple, the kind that needed a lot of strength to pull off.
“What happened to your throat?” I whispered to her as I looked the rest of her over. Her shoulders were covered by her nightgown, but I suspected her flinching from my touch had something to do with more bruises.
She sniffled. “The squire.”
Cassian knelt beside me and examined the injury. A dark look slipped into his eyes. “This must have hurt.”
She could only manage a nod.
“Did you wish us to call a doctor?”
Vesta shook her head.
“Did you tell Mrs. Arvina about this?” I asked her.
Vesta cleared her throat, but still spoke in a hoarse, trembling whisper. “No. I was afraid she would try to hurt the squire and lose her job. Her husband was injured in a wagon accident a month ago and can’t work quite yet.”
“Does she sleep here?” Cassian asked her.
“No. She lives in a cottage on a street behind the manor. It’s cheaper that way.”
“Cheaper than what way?” I inquired.
Vesta tightened her grip on her lap. “My master charges me room and board…”
My jaw hit the floor. “He what?!” She winced, and my heart dropped into my stomach. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound, um, so loud.”
“It’s alright,” she whispered as she rubbed a hand up and down her arm, though not high enough to brush over where I had touched her. “I…I know I’m in a bad spot, but there’s nowhere else to go.”
A thought struck me that made my eyes light up. “You could come with us!”
Vesta lifted her head and blinked at me. “With you?”
I bobbed my head. “Yes! You could leave with us tomorrow! Just pack up everything you own, tell the squire off, and walk down the road with us!”
She bit her lower lip. “I’m not sure. That’s such a short time…”
“We could help you pack,” I insisted as I looked to Cassian. “Couldn’t we?”
“We would welcome your company,” Cassian invited her.
Vesta trembled all over. “I…I’m not sure. To leave everything behind so suddenly…”
“I’m sure you’d be happier somewhere else,” I insisted. “And I’m sure we’d be able to find you a job somewhere, maybe even with the king.”
The young woman closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. “I…I don’t think I could.” She opened her eyes, and there was a flicker of hope in them. “But thank you for the offer. I feel better just for that.” She stood and smiled at me. “Truly. Thank you.”
I followed her to the door, where she paused and grasped the handle. Her hand wasn’t shaking anymore. “I’ll think about what you suggested. About leaving.”
“One moment,” Cassian called, and he soon joined us at the entrance. He grasped her hand and turned it so the palm faced upward. My companion pressed his hand against hers and looked into her eyes. “Should you still desire to leave, this will help you on your way.”
Vesta opened her fingers, and her eyes widened. The meager remains of our coins lay in her palm. She lifted her eyes to us and shook her head. “I-I couldn’t take this-”
“Of course you can,” I insisted as I closed her fingers around the money. “Just think of it as a thank-you for the dessert.”
“There’s enough money there for the coach, and a place to stay for a night,” Cassian told her.
Vesta clutched her hand against her chest, and her eyes shimmered again, but this time there was a smile on her lips. “Thank you. Thank you so much. Both of you. God bless your marriage.”
She slipped out like a shadow and shut the door behind herself. I moved to follow, but Cassian set a hand on my shoulder. I turned to find a gentle smile on his face. “She needs time to think things over, and we need sleep.”
My heart fell, but I knew deep down he was right. We returned to bed, and this time there were no more disturbances.