Page 41 of Bitten & Burned
“No,” I shot back. “This is between us.”
“He’s my coven leader. He should weigh in.”
I exhaled, exhausted. “Fine. Ask him.”
Vael’s jaw flexed once before smoothing into a mask of composure. He turned to Cassian. “Rowena wants to hold the bonding here. I want to do it in Moondale, as tradition dictates—at the Evergreen Conservatory. What do you think?”
Cassian studied Vael for a long moment before turning his eyesto me. His expression softened just a bit. “I think Rowena’s request is a reasonable one,” he said, his voice keeping an even tone, measured and disciplined. But final, as a judgment should be.
“A journey to Moondale in her condition would be needlessly taxing. It’s over two hundred miles away, is it not?”
“Three hundred,” Vael mumbled.
Cassian nodded in acknowledgement. “Tradition is worth honoring, Vael, but not at the expense of your potential bond or her health.”
Vael’s shoulders slumped.
“I’m sure Rowena would be more open to travel once she has recovered, once your bond is stronger. You can take her to Evergreen Conservatory then. In the meantime, the ceremony can be done here.”
Vael’s jaw worked, as if he were chewing on words he couldn’t speak. “As you say, Cassian.”
Cassian’s gaze leveled on him, cool, but not unkind. “Now, the lanterns?”
I nodded, relieved to change the subject.
Cassian led the way to the attic, with Vael and me in tow. Vael talked while we walked—not about the bond, at least, but about some half-forgotten repair the conservatory needed. He talked while Cassian found a key, and worst of all, he talked as we walked through the stuffy, dusty attic.
My head pounded, that sickening, tight pain that ran down my neck and spine. Spread out across my shoulders like wings.
I rolled my shoulders in a vain attempt to alleviate the discomfort that was rapidly devolving into blunt pain.
“They’re up here somewhere,” Cassian said. “Not altogether, unfortunately, but there should be plenty enough for Rowena’s purposes.”
We split up and began to search through the boxes. On any other day, I could spend hours up here, digging through all the boxes of things from times past. But as it was, my body was failingme, and I needed to lie down more than I wanted to look at old things.
Vael opened a dusty trunk, eyes catching mine over the lid. “I hope you know I only wanted what was best for you—for us. Moondale is special, Rowena.”
“I know it is,” I replied, not looking at him. My hands trembled, partly from rummaging in the chill attic, and partly from this seemingly endless conversation. “And since I clearly keep you from so much, it’s only natural that you’d expect me to ignore my physical needs and go where you dictate.”
He brushed some cobwebs from an older lantern, flipping the switch and blinking when it lit up. He switched it off and set it aside. “Rowena, don’t be like that, please. I just wish you would trust me—trust my judgement about these things. You shouldn’t bear every discomfort alone. If you had told me you were so unwell, I never would have—” The pounding in my head sharpened with every word.
“Ididtell you,” I countered, my voice more pointed than I’d intended. The sharpness struck him, I could tell by the look on his face. The way it hit him, the way he seemingly wiped it off to continue speaking.
He pressed his lips together in a soft laugh. “Of course, of course… my mistake. Next time I’ll listen more closely, hm? We’re still learning each other, aren’t we? This is new and?—”
His smile was polite enough to fool someone who didn’t know him, but I could see the stiffness in it.
Cassian, from the corner of the attic where he was searching, let a crate fall with a thud to the floor. “Vael,” he said, his voice as sharp as the box hitting the creaking floorboards.
“Cassian?” Vael answered, straightening. He blinked.
Cassian didn’t raise his voice, but the tone was there regardless.
“Let it rest.” He looked between us and then back at Vael. “You’ve said your piece; there’s no need to say it again.”
Vael bristled. It was subtle, the way his shoulders squared, his lips pressing together, his back straightened. “I only meant?—”
“Let it rest.”
