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Not long after that, Della returns, and there is another round of introductions, cut short by the loud growl coming from my stomach. Everyone falls silent, turning toward me in unison.
Lewis and Della gape at me while Bram covers his mouth and fakes a cough to hide his laughter. Lawrence guffaws, openly enjoying my embarrassment.
Cassius takes me by the shoulders with a smirk and leads me toward the kitchen. “Why don’t the four of you continue to get acquainted while I find something for Miss Valmont to eat?”
Cassius sets a plate before me at the island counter in the middle of the room, then goes about gathering a wedge of cheese, some meats, two apples, and bread from the pantry.
I slice portions of the food, popping the occasional piece into my mouth as I go, too hungry to wait. He fills a kettle with water and lights the stove.
“You don’t have staff to do this?” I ask when I finish chewing a bite.
He smiles wryly, rolling up his sleeves and begins arranging a beautiful porcelain tea set for six on a tray. “I used to. I dismissed them when I moved into my rooms at the castle.”
Pausing mid-motion, my gaze flicks from him to the food in question.
“When Cherno told us to expect you, I picked up a few things from the market.” He frowns disapprovingly at the plate I made. “There wasn’t enough time to bring on a cook to prepare something better.”
I reach out and place my hand on his. “This is more than enough. Thank you, I’m truly grateful.” I stop as something occurs to me. “You can understand Cherno?”
The question seems to catch Cassius off guard for a moment. He shakes his head and resumes preparing tea. It’s strange to see a noble doing this kind of work, but he seems entirely at ease with it.
“No. I don’t have a connection with them. Fortunately, our demons can communicate with each other to pass on messages.”
Ah.
Cassius jerks his chin. “Eat.”
I dig into the food. After a few bites I realize I was hungrier than I thought. Cassius busies his hands with whatever he can think of doing, keeping me company. I am finished with my meal well before the water for tea boils.
He reaches for my empty plate, but instead of taking it away, he stands across the table, just watching me. “After you left, we were half sure we’d never see you again.”
I swallow thickly, not sure how to respond at first. I hadn’t thought about returning on the day of the attack when I left, or while I was at the Keep. The only thing on my mind was making sure Alaric was safe and unharmed. It never crossed my mind that I might have never seen my friends again… or that they would wonder. I took it for granted that we’d reunite eventually. But so much has happened since, and if anything had ended differently, they would have never known.
“I should have found a way to get a message to you.”
Cassius leans across the table and pats my cheek. “I didn’t say that to make you feel bad. You were missed, that’s all. We’re glad to have you back.”
He must see something in my expression because he sighs and looks at me with gentle disapproval.
“There’s no need to make that face. We’ve been over this already, little bird.” The kettle whistles, and he removes it from the stove and adds a mixture of dried leaves to steep. “I lost my humanity a long time ago,” he says quietly. “You reminded me what it was like to care for someone other than myself. Now that I have that back, it would be all for nothing if you let yourself fall in love with me.”
I stare, slack jawed. While I do care for Cassius, I could no more stop loving Alaric with every fiber of my being than I could sprout wings and fly.
Yet somehow, between the last time we spoke and now, it feels as if so much still remains unsaid. Though, I don’t know if there are words for any of it.
“Cassius—”
“Little bird,” he says, turning serious. “I am your friend. What I did for you is equal to what you’ve done for me. You need to put away any lingering guilt you’ve been telling yourself you should feel and focus on tonight. Come tomorrow, the world will be entirely different.”
I nod, knowing he has no intention of letting me get another word in on the subject.
We rejoin the others, setting the trays on the coffee table. Della sits across from the wolves, leaning forward as Bram finishes recounting a story of his childhood antics. She laughs, swiping a tear from one eye. Lawrence is perched on the arm of the couch beside her, not nearly as amused.
Reaching for a pocket watch chained to his waistcoat, Lawrence checks the time. “The coronation will begin in just over eight hours from now,” he announces, effectively altering the mood to a more serious tone. “We’ve managed to already sneak a few of the higher-ranking members of various packs in already. The rest will have to wait until nightfall when the majority of the guests arrive, or someone will notice there are more servants than there should be. With all the new faces, no one is likely to differentiate which of the newcomers do not belong.” He swallows, his lip curling in disgust. “It is one thing out of that tragedy that we can use to our advantage.”
My stomach churns. The massacre the night the Shade pack attacked was a side effect so bloody and terrible no one could have anticipated it.
It’s common knowledge that Elizabeth holds little love for humans, seeing them as a ready food source that also serves the needs of vampires. But even that act had shocked some of the oldest court members.
