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“Years?” I sat up and stared at him. “How long have we known each other?”
He lifted his hands like he was counting. “A long time,” he answered back.
His fingers made small circles on my naked skin as he watched me. My eyes darted around the room at the simple, but tasteful design. It did look like something I would have picked out and decorated.
“The trial is tomorrow,” he whispered. “We held it off as long as we could because I wanted you around longer, even if you hated me.”
I nodded in understanding at him. The final trial before I was to travel to Cerithia and get the witch's bloodstone. To break the curse and be able to stay with Cassius. Free everyone in Exile.
“The sooner I get it done, the sooner I can free everyone from Exile.”
“What’s it like there? You’ve never said anything about it.”
“Horrible,” I said. “There are no more animals to hunt. The creek ran dry. It’s so hot and eerily silent.” My eyes glazed over as I remembered the years of Exile. “I can break free of the boundary and get what I can, but it hurts every time I leave.”
A flicker of something crossed his face as he broke eye contact with me. He grabbed my hand and held it tightly.
“We know you can break free. I’ve sent men into the woods to track you when it gets close to the trials, but I had to stop because you slaughtered them.”
“Everyone in Exile believes Crimson is responsible for locking us away.”
“Why do they think that?” His eyes flashed black in anger. “Do they not remember either?”
“I’m not sure anymore. They were acting oddly towards me before the trials.”
"That's why you kept saying I was your enemy." His whisper was so quiet that I nearly missed it. “Hopefully you’ll never have to go back. And if you do go back, maybe this time we can find you and break you free.”
“I doubt you’d ever be able to find Exile, it blends in like it’s not even there. There’s a large oak tree in the middle of the forbidden wood. You can’t miss it, it’s the only one in the whole woods and stands taller than any other tree. It’s marked with an X. That is the start of the shadow boundary around Exile.”
He rolled onto his back and pulled me to his side as the blankets draped over our naked bodies. I wanted to keep asking questions, but exhaustion clouded over me with Cassius holding me against his body heat.
Chapter 23
The next morning, I woke up when Cassius jerked awake. He stared down at me and smiled before kissing me.
“As much as I’d love to worship you some more, the trial will be starting shortly. You should get dressed unless you want to do it naked.” A playful gleam shined through his eyes.
“Maybe it will help me against the others like it does with you.” I chuckled when his face lost its humor, remembering how important my performance would be today.
Reluctantly, I stood up and got dressed. I stared in the mirror watching Cassius dress in his black uniform. The tension radiated off of him and he didn’t look at me. He hadn’t said anything for a long moment, so I walked to stand in front of him. His eyes finally looked at me and I saw how dim in color they were.
“I’ll be alright, Cassius.”
“This is where you fell from the top ten last time.”
“Was it something I did?”
“No.” He frowned. “You were distracted by Cerithia men. You disappeared before I could say anything to you.”
“But Cerithia can’t compete?” I questioned.
“No, they can’t but they are clever at sneaking into the trials. Which is what happens each year no matter how diligent we are in stopping them.” He sighed.
“Well, I won’t get distracted this time. Besides, I'll expect you to ravish me as a prize for making the top ten, so that’s a good motivator.” I smiled up at him when his eyes flashed black momentarily. He leaned in and kissed me hard while holding me tightly to him. A knock on his door had us breaking apart so he could answer it. Two guardsmen in red uniforms stood at the door to tell Cassius it was time to go.
I waved at them when their eyes went wide as they spotted me in the room. They avoided my eyes like they would be crucified if caught looking at me. Cassius said something to them before they left, and he turned to me and held out his hand. Stepping forward, I slid my hand into his. I didn’t look back in the room to admire it because I would be back shortly.
We walked hand in hand into the hallway where the dining hall was. The remaining contestants gazed over at us as we walked towards them. They must have been told to get ready for the final trial, too. Haden’s eyebrows shot into his hairline when he saw us. The guardsmen stood waiting for Cassius to give orders. When Cassius stopped at his spot I kept walking, but he pulled me back and gave me a hard lingering kiss.
