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“I don’t know,” I sighed heavily. “All I know is that I have to make a decision, but I’m afraid of the consequences. I am afraid of saying no to Father, when I have already agreed to all this. Backing out on this marriage means offending Luke’s family, and all the connections we would be creating would be non-existent then. Or even worse, by refusing to marry Luke now, I might be creating enemies for our kingdom, which we definitely don’t need. On the other hand, if I do marry him, I fear that I might be unhappy for the rest of my life, because I know that I can’t love him as a man. I love him as a friend, but that is all. And I will be expected to provide an heir for the family line. I… I can’t imagine sleeping with him, Cass. I just can’t.”
Cass leaned closer to me, wrapping her arms around me. “Don’t worry, Lil. We’ll find a way to sort out this mess. I promise you.”
“How can you promise me that?” I asked, fighting back the tears.
“Because you never know what waits for you just around the corner,” she told me with a mysterious smile. “See, just like me. I had no idea that I would find a kindred spirit without needing to venture too far away.”
I felt stunned as I absorbed the revelation that Cass had a secret boyfriend. At first, I felt as if the ability to speak had been stolen from me. All I could do was gasp silently, while she kept looking at me with that same look of mischievousness and mystery.
“How long has this been going on?” I demanded to know, once the power of speech had been magically returned to me. “And more importantly, why haven’t you told me?”
Cass was still smiling, although the tone of her voice was apologetic now. “This is something I’ve kept hidden for a while now, but please understand that there is a very good reason for it. I promise that, in due time, I will share everything with you. It is just not the right moment yet.”
I couldn’t understand any of this. I told her about having sex with Adrian almost the moment it happened. And now that we kissed again, I ran to her for advice, only to find out that she had a secret of her own, which she decided to divulge only now and only partly, leaving the most important piece of the puzzle still an enigma. This didn’t sound like her at all. Was she so in love with this mystery man?
Man…
The word exploded inside my mind. Maybe that was why she didn’t mention him, because he wasn’t a man at all, but rather a vampire? Was she in love with a vampire? If that was true, which I couldn’t see how, where on earth did she meet him, when she spent most of her time inside the castle?
I didn’t like the sound of this. I didn’t like it at all. My brows furrowed with a blend of confusion and intrigue. “Cass, you know you can trust me. We’ve always been not only sisters, but also best friends. Why the secrecy?”
Cass smiled at me reassuringly, her eyes filled with warmth and affection. It was impossible to be upset with her for anything.
“You know that your support means the world to me, my dearest sister. But there are… well, some circumstances surrounding my situation that need to be worked through. I need a little more time to ensure that everything is truly as I think it is before I share this news with anyone.”
She had never been this mysterious about anything before. That was how I knew that this was very important to her. My expression softened immediately.
“I want you to be happy, Cass,” I agreed, much to her delight. “If you feel that this secrecy is necessary for you now, I’ll respect that. Just remember that I am here for you whenever you decide you’re ready to share this with me.”
Cass nodded appreciatively, a mix of relief and gratitude evident on her face. “Thank you. Your understanding means more to me than you can imagine. Rest assured, when the time is right, I will share everything with you. Until then, just please be by my side, no matter what.”
“Always,” I smiled back, squeezing her hand. “There is nothing you could do that would push me away. Always remember that.”
With these words, we fell into each other’s arms. As I embraced her, that same inflamed curiosity gnawed at me. The identity of Cass’ boyfriend was something I was adamant to find out, sooner rather than later. However, at the same time, I knew that with Cass, it was about patience and trust. She never kept anything from me, and I doubted that she would keep this fromme much longer. Everything would be revealed at one point, but until then, I wanted her to know that she could trust me.
“You know,” she suddenly said, pulling away from me. “I think that somehow, some way, things will be alright in the end. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Your old, wise bones?” I teased her, and it felt so good to be carefree once again, even for one precious moment.
“Joke all you want,” she said playfully, “but you’ll see.”
I sighed, still with that amusement in me. “I wish I could be as positive as you.”
“You can,” she assured me. “Just stop being so serious about everything. You seem to think that the weight of the world is upon your back, but it’s not, Lil. The world won’t come crumbling down if you tell Father that you changed your mind about marrying Luke. Who knows, maybe there is another option out there.”
“What other option?” I wondered what she was talking about.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “I just know that when a door closes, a window is always left open. You just can’t see it yet, because you are too focused banging on the door.”
I chuckled. “You always had nice metaphors.”
“I like to paint a picture,” she laughed. “But seriously. If you think that Adrian might be your chance at true love, don’t waste it.”
I shook my head. “I haven’t even mentioned love.”
“You didn’t have to,” she gushed. “I can see it in your eyes when you talk about him. You can’t hide it.”
“Seriously?” I rolled my eyes helplessly. “Is it that bad?”
