Page 104 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
“The hour is late. We must get you to bed. Shall I call the maids to dress you?”
I don’t want those strange women in my room. For all I know they work for Catreena. “Would you help me?”
“Anything for you, my love.” I turn my back to him so that he can unlace me. “Just don’t go telling Melly what a terrible handmaiden I am when she returns.”
“The worst I’ve ever had. Are you still back there untying?”
He chuckles. “Women’s clothing is complicated.”
“Even for a prince so accomplished?” My teasing tone is the most like myself I’ve been since I returned.
Cassius finishes opening the dress and shrugs it off my shoulders. I keep my back turned to him as I slip on my nightgown.
“I thought you might not come back.” Cassius speaks softly. I turn, finding him leaned against my bedpost.
“Me too.”
“If I promise to be a gentleman, may I lay with you while you fall asleep? I just need to hold you. To make sure you’re really here.”
The room feels too quiet when I crawl into bed. I hold the covers up, signaling Cassius to join me. After kicking out of his boots and stripping off his collar and cape, his muscle-heavy frame drops in beside me.
Cassius’s body against mine fills me with conflicted emotions. The warmth I usually welcome is stifling. Why didn’t he believe me when I told him about Catreena? My stomach drops. They killed an innocent woman. It was Catreena who cast the spell.
Warm fingers cover my hand, pulling it away from my mouth. I hadn’t realized I’d been biting my nails. He squeezes my fingers and several of the recently torn areas of skin burn with the contact.
“What’s bothering you?”
Where do I even begin? It’s been so long since I could fully confide in someone. “I know you think I’m remembering things wrong.”
“I know the spell caused you to believe things that weren’t real.” His words make me tick with irritation.
“Right. But if I am correct, Catreena sentenced an innocent woman to death. She has to face the consequences of her actions.”
“Please, Lenore. Get a good night’s sleep before trying to take down the new queen. Nothing can be done at this late hour. Sleep.”
“I can’t sleep. It’s all I’m able to think about.”
Cassius’s hand slides across my stomach. “Maybe I can help take your mind off of things.” My abs tighten when his finger glides below my belly button. My hand blocks his path.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m not in the mood.”
His hand immediately retracts. “At least let me hold you until you’ve fallen asleep.”
Strong arms encircle me. They aren’t Harrow’s arms. Which makes this wrong. I debate pushing him away, but give in to the close proximity. His warmth softens my muscles. Even though my body relaxes, my mind remains sharp. Something is not right. And I’m determined to figure out what it is.
I’ve been silently pretending to sleep for close to an hour when Cassius slips out of my room. I can’t shake the feeling that something is very wrong. My intuition is screaming at me. Everything Cassius has said makes sense. I’m struggling to accept his explanations.True love’s kiss. I do feel a powerful pull toward him. But love, love is… I’m not certain it is love.
There’s something that draws me to him, that makes me crave his company. A few weeks back I would have called it infatuation. The strength seems to have faded, not grown. Is that Harrow’s doing? My heart skips when I think of him. Harrow is where my heart lies. That’s what love feels like. This thing with Cassius is something else. I don’t know what the hell it is. Some of the fire Cassius has always lit within me has ceased its bright burning.
Something’s up. I need to know what it is.
I’m out into the hallway and following Cassius before I can rethink it. He’s quiet as he creeps through the halls. When he doesn’t return to the guest quarters, my suspicion grows. I halt my pursuit as Cassius stops to face the wall. With one quick tug he pulls a lit sconce downward. A passage opens up. I didn’t know about that one.
Cassius’s cape is the last to cross the threshold. I wait until the passage seals up to follow him. I pull the sconce and the wall opens again. A steep set of stairs lies before me. The sinking feeling in my stomach grows. The mystery of where this leads iseating away at me. Grabbing a candlestick holder off the nearest table, I sneak inside.
My bare feet pad silently down the many steps. The secret corridor leads deep into the lower levels of the castle. I can’t understand how Cassius would know about his place.
Voices reach me from the base of the stairs. Slowing my descent, I drop into a crouch. My veins are pumping with adrenaline by the time I find enough courage to peer through the doorway. The room before me is filled with glass vials and beakers. It appears to be a lab of some sort. Cassius doesn’t strike me as the science type. Cauldrons bubble and pipes release steam as colorful liquids stew. My gaze finds Cassius as he moves farther into the room.
