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“Or something,” he muttered so softly that I knew he didn’t expect me to hear him as he turned his head away from me. He ran his hands over his face and my eyes watched all of his muscles ripple at the movement. “Do you really want the men here thinking that I’m feeding you information about the trials before they happen? Because that’s what they think is happening. You spread your legs for me, and I will give you information. Saying that today was a good way to stop the rumors. You’re welcome.”
“Why would you care if they said that? We both know that’s not true.”
The muscles in his jaw clenched. Cassius was clearly trying to be careful with his words and it only made me more curious.
“Because maybe I don’t want you to get unfair treatment from them. Maybe,” he stepped towards me, “I don’t want others thinking I slept with you. Maybe,” another step, “I just like knowing I can get under your skin. Or maybe I’m giving you a real reason to hate me.” I had to tilt my neck back to meet his eyes as he stood too close.
“There is a real reason to hate you.”
“I've done nothing to you, Little Viper, so why do you look at me like you hate me so fucking much?”
“Because I do,” I breathed.
“Liar.” He leaned down so he could stare me in the eyes. “Is that what I should call you from now on? My Little Liar.”
My heart pounded quickly at the way he stared at me. I did hate him, but I couldn’t tell him about Exile. There was no way I could tell him he served my biggest enemy. His golden eyes swarmed with blackness as he waited for my answer.
“You’re my enemy,” I whispered. Black shadows swarmed behind him with an angry tension.
“Who filled your pretty head with these lies, my Little Liar?” Something flickered in his eyes before he sighed heavily. “You can keep trying to convince yourself and everyone else that you hate me, but no one believes that bullshit. Even you don’t believe it.”
“I’m not trying to convince anyone.”
“Why are you here in the middle of the night if you don’t care?” His captivating eyes pinned me to my spot. He was right, there was no reason good enough to be at his room in the middle of the night. “It’s because you care what I think about you. That doesn’t sound like something my enemy should care about.”
My fists clenched as I held in my retort.
“I just wanted answers, but if this is the game you want to play, then I’ll play it with you.” Disappointment filled his eyes.
My heart was beating too rapidly to think of something to say. This was getting too dangerous, so I turned to leave. Cassius called out to me in the dark hallway making my feet pause.
“When you’re ready to admit the truth, it will be on your knees begging for me. The longer you make me wait, the more begging I will demand from you.”
Chapter 11
Startled by the relentless pounding on my door, I sat up in bed, questioning if I was caught in the grasp of a vivid dream. As the pounding persisted, I gathered my thoughts and quickly dressed myself. When I mustered the courage to open the door, to my surprise, there was no one in sight. Intrigued, I cautiously peered into the hallway, only to find an empty corridor with no signs of anyone nearby.
I headed outside to the garden to get some fresh air. I glanced at the guards that were gathered in the hallways. My eyes immediately scanned for Cassius, but he wasn’t around.
“Looking for your boyfriend?” Haden asked with a friendly tone, but I knew better. I hadn’t even heard him come up behind. Instantly I had an uneasy feeling form in my stomach, but I ignored him. When I didn’t answer, he chuckled. “Tell me, Thea. I’m curious. Does the Captain of the Guardsmen trade you trial secrets when you spread your legs for him?”
My fire magic raged deep in my chest. He wanted to get a rise out of me, and I wouldn’t do it. Continuing to ignore him, I sat on the edge of a beautiful black stone fountain. My heart raced in my ears as Haden sat close by. The sound of the flowing water helped ground me and kept my magic from surging forward.
“You alright?” Nev looked genuinely concerned for me when I turned. I hadn’t heard him either. My focus was not doing well today.
“I’m fine,” I lied as I swiped my hand into the cold pool of water.
In the grand scheme of things, Haden wasn’t important. What he thought about me wasn’t important. No sooner had I started relaxing, than the ground began shaking and the blinding light from the first trial shone so bright that I shut my eyes tightly.
When the light dimmed, we were in the colosseum again, only it seemed bigger than before. It curved more around our backs. The amount of fae watching was at least double what it was last time. My eyes immediately found the Crimson King and next to his side was Cassius. He didn’t look at me, so I turned away.
“Then there were thirty-six left!” the king bellowed. “Welcome to the second trial!”
The crowd roared so loudly that I plugged my ears.
“Today’s trial will be something we’ve never done before.”
The crowd of fae in the stands quieted at this news. We waited impatiently as the king stayed quiet. His eyes gazed around at the spectators before landing on me. Cassius was watching me closely as if he expected me to have some kind of reaction to the news the king was about to announce.
