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Once she was situated, I led her out of the room, scooping up the bag. She eyed it curiously but didn’t say a word.
I was stopped not once, but twice. First, Kalix found me and wanted to discuss his new assignment. He left us alone after I told him we’d discuss the matter at length later. The next irritant was a slave captain, needing resolution for a matter of discontent. I ordered him to eliminate the problem.
When we reached the stairway and I shut the door behind us, a deep exhalation loosened from my chest. I felt my spine relax.
Cassia eyed me. “You don’t get many breaks, do you?”
“Never.”
She sighed. “You don’t have to take me anywhere. If you need to just disappear on your own or something, I understand.”
Her consideration made my heart grow warm. “Thank you but you don’t need to worry about that.”
The corridor I had brought her to consisted of multiple staircases and many long hallways nestled deep inside the mountain. The palace was about a third of the way up from sea level, which left considerable elevation to navigate. I could have transitioned the two of us to the destination I had in mind, but I wanted to conserve all my energy considering the tasks I had to deal with upon my return.
“Seriously, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. Just get me Katarina and I’ll hang out in the room.”
Failure had never been in my vocabulary, but it seemed today was a new day. “I want to do this.”
It was true that I wanted to spend time with her. She was to be my wife and although time had been scant, I enjoyed the small moments I’d been by her side. She was witty, funny, and a genuinely good human. I had chosen well.
In the past, when vampire social graces dictated, I had taken a few women out on dates. The typical places were a nice restaurant, nightclubs, and other socially focused events engineered for maximum attention. The locales weren’t the result of me looking for prominence, but the women I’d courted out of pressure from Annalise, and society, expected it. It was a good look. It kept citizens entertained and gave them something to talk about.
Cassia needed a different type of attention, and I would give it to her.
It took a while before she began to suffer but I suspected her pain started earlier and she didn’t want to voice complaint. Her steps slowed, and her breaths grew ragged. I didn’t ask before I scooped her up and carried her.
I knew I’d done the right thing when she repositioned herself against my chest. She wound one arm around my back and grasped my shoulder with the other, fitting perfectly. She fell asleep by the time I reached the upper door.
For a moment, I just stood there, gazing down at her face. Her features were slack, missing the normal tension that seemed to plague her. For all her fussing, she had certainly made herself at home in my arms. Some part of her trusted me, and that was the part I would have to appeal to.
“Cassia,” I said, bending my head and brushing my lips along her forehead.
She startled awake, looking lost, and then shy. “I think I fell asleep.”
She squirmed and I set her down on her feet. “You did.”
“Ugh. I’m sorry. What did I miss?”
“Endless stretches of stunningly ordinary granite carved by legions of resentful demons.”
She flicked a glance at me. “You just joked.”
She sounded stunned and I grinned at her confusion. “You didn’t miss anything, we’re going outside,” I reassured her.
“I haven’t seen you smile like that since I threw that soup spoon at you.”
Tomato soup had gone everywhere. I was fairly certain I could still smell it every time I entered what had once been my own quarters. “We should work on your aim, it’s atrocious.”
“You grabbed the freaking spoon out of the air. What does that have to do with aim?” She canted her head and stroked her chin. “Get me a sword and let me practice.”
Ridiculous. “You couldn’t lift a sword if your very life depended on it.”
Cassia nearly fell over. “You really are a person. I was starting to think you were a bloodsucker robot or something.”
I tried my best not to roll my eyes and failed. “Yes, I am a person. And now I’m off the clock, so to speak.” I moved towards the heavy wooden and warded doorway to our right. “Just so you are aware, calling a vampire a ‘bloodsucker’ is a slur generally utilized by demons. Don’t use the term.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Oh. I’m sorry.”
