AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The carriage sways as we travel through the cobblestone streets. Hooves clomping fills the silence for most of the drive.
“You seem to have healed remarkably well,” he says with a note of suspicion. After a short pause, he adds, “I’m glad.”
The genuine warmth in those two words fills me with more emotion than I expect. I smile, unable to know how to respond. Della seems stunned into silence as well.
My friendship with Lawrence only exists because of a similar goal. I doubt he would have suffered my presence after the day we met, were it not for that. Still, I know I can trust him without a second thought. I think he is warming up to me.
Lawrence clears his throat as if sensing the direction of my thoughts. “I take it you will let us all in on whatever it is you’ve schemed up once we reach the manor?” His voice is flat and has an air of disinterest.
I nod.
He blows out a huff of breath through his nose. A moment later, he reaches under the seat for a small basket and hands it to me, muttering, “Food.”
Taking it, I fight to keep the smile from reaching my lips, earning a faux sneer, and Della sends a dubious look my way.
He is definitely warming up to me.
The food is simple but thoughtful. Two sweet rolls the size of my hand and a bottle of cider. Though I had stopped on the way to eat and let Nyx rest, the dried meat and hard bread don’t compare.
I finish just as we arrive at Cassius’s manor. The carriage comes to a stop, and the driver climbs down to open the gates. Metal clinks and a moment later, we’re moving again.
Della exits first, then once more, Lawrence offers me his hand. His arm curls around my lower back as he escorts me up the front steps.
Cassius throws open the door the moment we reach the stoop. He surrounds me in an encompassing hug while simultaneously dragging me inside, unwilling to let go yet.
“Between the two of you, she’ll suffocate before she can tell us anything,” Lawrence says flatly, immediately followed by an oomph, which I suspect is from Della prodding him again.
The remark does its job, and Cassius releases me. “You must be hungry,” he says, guiding me into the sitting room.
I laugh. The physically affectionate nature of vampires still takes me by surprise. The notion that a dangerous predator could have such a soft side is an unexpected and strange amalgamation of traits. Though, the more I am around them, the more it fits who they are.
“I ate in the carriage.”
Cassius arches a brow, looking over my head at Lawrence as if to say he’s been found out.
There is already a tray with tea and a cup for each of us waiting on the glass and wrought iron coffee table. Curls of steam rise from the spout, filling the room with the gentle scent of chamomile.
Being in the arms of safety allows the exhaustion I’ve ignored with the help of adrenaline to sink into my body and mind. All three hold tension along their spine and lean forward, waiting for me to start.
If I asked, they would let me sleep and bathe first. And even though the morning is still young, the coronation is tomorrow night, and there is so much we need to do and organize before then.
I tell them everything. Understanding settles on their faces as I fill in the gaps from the little Cherno knew before they returned. I even explain which parts of our plan we will keep from the wolves and that they will do the same with parts of theirs.
As soon as I finish, the three vampires divide the remaining tasks between themselves, adding several small errands to the list that I hadn’t thought of. Della and Lawrence leave right away, promising to return soon. I rise from my seat because if I don’t, I might fall asleep right here.
Cassius is before me in a blink. He cups my face in his hands and looks into my eyes. “You have no idea how worried I was.”
He leans in and lowers his face to press a kiss against my forehead. I pull in a sharp gasp as he lifts me and my arms go around his neck on reflex.
“I can walk. You don’t need to carry me,” I protest. It doesn’t help my case that each word feels weaker than the one before.
Cassius strides through the hall toward the stairs. “I know I don’t have to, little bird—Iwantto.”
He only sets me down once we are outside the bathing room attached to his bedroom. He enters first, filling the tub with hot water and scented oils.
I lean against the doorframe, watching him. Once, I would have felt uneasy about his motivations. Now, my heart twinges slightly. He’s doing this as my friend, expecting nothing from me in return, but behind every gesture, I feel his love.
I wonder if I would love him the way I love Alaric if we had met first. Maybe… but maybe not, if what he told me was true because things would have gone very differently.
