Page 101 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
The fuzziness clouding my thoughts dissipates. “Catreena.”
I sit up too fast. My head swims, and my stomach threatens to retch up whatever acidic bile has been culminating in my gut since I bit the apple.
“The queen?”
“It was Catreena.” My words come out thick and slurred. “Catreena poisoned me.”
Cassius shakes his head. “That was just an illusion brought on by the spell. The magic must have tapped into your distrust of the new queen and used it against you. Catreena has been working tirelessly to find a cure since you fell ill.”
That sounds like bullshit. “No. It was her. She gave me one of my mother’s apples.”
“Your mother’s apples?”
“She had a golden apple tree in the castle.”
Cassius’s frown deepens. “Nothing has grown in the castle since your mother passed.”
“It wasn’t really a golden apple.”
He purses his lips before speaking. “She didn’t give you a golden apple?”
Ugh, what part of this is he not understanding? “No. It was an apple, but it wasn’t gold. It was red and then black.”
“A black apple?”
“Why are you looking at me like I’m crazy?” My fists bunch in my skirts.
“You’re not crazy, you just need rest,” Cassius coos. “That witch cast one hell of a curse. We don’t know what the after-effects may be.”
“What witch? Catreena is the one who did it. She’s the witch.”
“The witch who cast the spell confessed. She was hanged for her crimes just hours ago. Her last words weretrue love’s kiss. That’s how we knew to break the spell.” Cassius blushes. “I hadn’t realized how deeply our feelings for each other ran before that moment. It was Catreena herself who encouraged me to try. You waking up is proof of our love.” He raises my hands to his chest.
“True love’s kiss?”
Cassius grins and presses another kiss to my dry, swollen lips.
The room fills with cheers once more.
My head throbs. Every sound is like a sword clanging against a shield mere inches from my face.
My fingers press against my temples. “I need quiet. I can’t think here.”
“I’ll take you to your room.” Cassius grabs the nearest servant, whispering orders, then swoops his muscular arms beneath me, lifting me as if I’m a child.
“I can walk.” I squirm in his hold but Cassius just tightens his grip. “Cassius, put me down.”
“Save your strength, Princess. I’ve got you.”
The women in the crowd practically swoon at the sight of Cassius’s chivalrous actions. Their faces may be lit with joy but I hear their scrutinous whispers as we pass.
“He’s such a catch.”
“She came back crazy.”
“What a shame.”
“He could do so much better.”
