35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

A few days later, Cassius walked into our room with a contagious smile. He was in a better mood than I had anticipated he would be in. I woke up to the wonderful smell of food he had made and brought to bed.

He leaned down and kissed me before pulling back with a big smile.

“Good morning, my love.”

“You’re very happy.” I raised my skeptical eyebrow at him.

“Today is the day we get our lives back, and I can’t wait to have you all to myself.” He sat at the edge of the bed as I started eating the warm bread and meats he brought me.

“I’m looking forward to it too.” I smiled. “Did you always cook for me before?”

“You’re a terrible cook.” He chuckled when my face fell. “But I was teaching you, and you were getting better.”

I nodded as I ate the food. Cassius rested his hand on my leg as he shared breakfast with me. This was a morning routine I could get used to.

“Do you want to hear the plan?”

“Yes.”

“We are going to ride to the far border of Crimson and cause a distraction. You’ll ride with us there, so you know when to travel to Cerithia using shadow magic. You can take Haden, Kace, and Zade with you when you travel, just in case you run into guards.”

“Seems simple enough,” I agreed. “Maybe I should go by myself. I can use my magic to get out of there, but having the guys with me might end up being a problem if they are caught.”

He mulled over my words and then nodded.

“That’s a possibility, I suppose. I don’t know how much I like the thought of you going alone, though.”

“I can do it. Taking them with me will only make me worry about their safety. If I go by myself, then I can go and get out within a few minutes. Besides, I’ve only used shadow magic a few times, and if I left one by accident, then I could never forgive myself.”

Cassius was silent for a long moment, and I thought he would argue.

“If you think that is best, then I will trust your judgment.”

Happiness and pride filled my chest. How lucky was I that my mate believed in me enough to let me do what I think is best?

“I love you.” I smiled.

“I love you too, little viper.” He leaned forward and kissed me before we stood and dressed.

We met the small group of guards that were going with us in the foyer of the castle. Cassius must have briefed them on the mission because no one asked any questions.

“Does everyone understand the plan?”

The guards all nodded.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Kace came running up to the group. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his clothes were disheveled.

“Where were you?” Haden asked. “You never came to the house last night?”

“Out.” Kace was a bit annoyed. It was odd to see his bad mood, but maybe he was nervous for today too.

“You know the plan?” Cassius questioned.

“Yes,” Kace sighed and fidgeted with the buttons on his uniform. Haden wouldn’t stop staring at him intensely.

“I’ll move us all to the border,” Cassius said as his hand gripped mine tightly. He leaned in and gave me a chaste kiss before shadows wrapped around us. Once the shadows disappeared, we all stood in the clearing that separated Crimson and Cerithia.

As the guards started getting into place, I began to feel uneasy. My eyes drifted around the woods; it felt as if someone was watching us. Cassius had been talking with Haden when he stopped and glanced around the woods too. His eyes met mine as he started toward me.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” I whispered.

“There’s no animal noises in the woods,” he frowned. “We should head back to the castle. Something is wrong.”

I glanced around at the men and noticed Kace was missing. Haden walked toward us.

“Where is Kace?” I asked, worried he was missing.

“He disappeared into the woods as soon as we arrived.” Haden frowned. “He’s acting strange. Honestly, he’s been odd for the past few months.”

Cassius turned to tell the men we were leaving. “Let’s pull ba-”

A moment later, a loud explosion had everything around me blurring in a frantic mess. I could see Cerithian and Kizar guards coming toward us, and I threw up a shield as quickly as I could, but then everything went dark as I landed on the hard ground.

★★?★★

Confusion spread through me as I woke up from whatever had attacked me. Wisp circled me with black flames. Something was very wrong. My head pounded so fiercely that I almost fell over as I stood on shaky legs. My eyes looked at the massacre in front of me. Men lay dead; trees were toppled over as if something had exploded.

My mind pieced together what had happened before we had been attacked. I glanced around the clearing for Cassius, but I didn’t see his black uniform among the dead guards. Immediately, my eyes focused on our bond, but I couldn’t feel anything through it. Fear took over my every thought. I needed to find him.

“Thea.”

I held my dagger out but lowered it when Haden stood behind me with Kace and Zade. Haden and Zade were covered in dirt and grime from the explosion, but Kace looked untouched.

“You got your barrier up and saved some of us,” Kace answered my unspoken question. “They couldn’t get to you because of it.”

“Have you felt Cassius through the bond?” Haden frowned. “He’s the only one we can’t find.”

“No.” I tried again. “We need to get to Cerithia.”

“It could be a trap.” Zade was the one to question it.

My thoughts swarmed with images of Cassius being taken by my father. “I must make sure he’s alright. I’m going to use magic to get into Cerithia. I’ll meet you back here at the border.”

“That’s not a good idea. You should wait a little bit and see if Cassius shows,” Kace argued.

“We searched for him, but he isn't here.” Haden glared. “Where were you before the explosion? In fact, where have you been sneaking away to, because you are acting strange?” Haden crossed his arms over his chest and stared down Kace.

“Nowhere,” Kace snapped.

Haden looked at him with an odd look, but I didn’t have time to stay and argue.

I took a deep breath and concentrated on using Cassius’ shadow magic. His powers surged around me instantly, taking me away from the field. My body swayed as the shadows left, leaving me in the middle of the throne room in Cerithia. It was empty when I scanned around me. My ears caught no noise either as I headed for the door.

That odd sensation I had felt in the woods was thick in this room. This wasn’t right. Why couldn’t I hear anything in the castle? I hesitated at the wooden door, unsure if I should leave. This could be a trap.

I froze when I felt the bloodstone’s pulsing energy somewhere close to me. Turning back toward my father’s large wooden desk, my darkness searched frantically for it without me asking it to. Would my father leave the bloodstone in here without it being guarded?

I hurried across the room once my darkness determined it was in the top drawer. It was locked when I pulled on it, but I melted the lock with my fire.

There it was, the bloodstone, my bloodstone. My body hummed as the power of the stone pulsed through me when I picked it up. It was surprisingly heavy in my hand, and I watched it glow at my touch. My heart raced because I could still break my curse. But first, I needed to find my husband. Slipping the stone into my pocket, I headed toward the door.

It was so quiet in the castle. Something felt misplaced as I waited. I closed my eyes and let my darkness out, telling it to find Cassius by locating his shadow magic. I felt it explode through the castle as if it knew I needed to find him immediately. It scoured the entire building, only to find that Cassius wasn’t there.

Where the fuck was he? Something feral and evil snapped inside of me. It wanted our husband and mate now. If something happened to him, I would burn down the entire realm. Everyone would be punished. At that moment, Wisp appeared in front of me, flashing between black and red, letting me know something was wrong. Suddenly, a jolt of emotion came through the bond. It was worry, then an image of the boundary between Cerithia and Crimson. Cassius was in Crimson?

Before I could summon my darkness, it used Cassius’ shadow magic to take us to the border. When I stepped through the shadows, I saw Kizar and Cerithia guards holding Cassius, Haden, Zade, and Kace. Cassius looked unharmed, but he was staring at me, bound and gagged.

“Release them, now.” My voice startled me. It was laced with a promise of death. My vision pulsed red as the swirls on my skin glowed.

“Do not do anything stupid, Thea. If you do something to harm us, we have the rest of the Crimson royal family and elite magic holders, and they will be slaughtered,” my father warned.

Cassius started struggling, trying to break free of his hold. I froze at this news. My heart pounded wildly in my chest. Cassius would be lost without his family. My family. Our family.

“What do you want?” I looked at Cassius, and he shook his head.

“You,” Jesper smiled. “We will trade all of them for you, but you have to put these on.” He held up magic barbs. I stared at the cuffs and knew I didn’t have a choice.

“How do I know you will let them all go if I put these on?”

“We will release them so they can go back to Crimson lands, and we will take you and leave.”

“And the rest of them?”

“As soon as the cuffs are on, we will show you them and release them.”

Cassius was shaking his head no, but I didn’t have a choice. I would never let anything happen to him or Crimson. I could hear him trying to talk behind the gag in his mouth.

I nodded, and a guard approached me cautiously, wrapping the barbs around my wrists. Wisp was circling Kace frantically. Her flames were black with warning. How did Cerithia and Kizar know we’d be here? My eyes glanced at Kace and frowned. Was he the other spy my father had mentioned?

Cassius knocked down the man holding him and ripped the gag from his mouth.

“Thea, don’t!”

“It’s alright, Cassius,” I reassured him as they tackled him.

My father released Haden and the other guards. They all crossed back to Crimson and toward me, but I held up my hands so they would stay back.

“The elitist and royal family... Show them to me, then release them, and I’ll come over.”

My father’s eyes shifted to the woods, and I saw the Crimson royal family and the elite magic holders emerging.

“It’s illusion magic; they never had the royal family or elitists!” Haden called out. When I looked back, it was just a bunch of Kizar guards emerging from the woods. My eyes snapped back to my father as he smirked at me.

"Easy, Thea, or we will kill him.” Jesper now held a dagger at Cassius’ throat.

“Release him, and I’ll come willingly.”

“Come to Cerithia's side, and we will release him once the guards have you,” Jesper demanded.

My eyes met Cassius as he silently pleaded for me not to do it, but I couldn’t let him be killed. I would do anything to save him. My feet started walking before my mind comprehended that we were moving. Once the guard grabbed me, Jesper shoved Cassius to the ground.

I sneered at Jesper, but several guards lifted Cassius up and escorted him to the border. Once he crossed, Haden helped him get his bindings off.

“My love, come back over here,” Cassius pleaded. “They don’t have any other prisoners.”

My father scoffed as he looked over me and my magic barbs. The witch’s bloodstone hummed in my pocket, reminding me of how close I was to breaking this fucking curse. Cassius couldn’t cross over to save me without dying. My eyes locked on him, and I tried to have him understand what my plan was.

Cassius’ eyes scanned over my face. I tried to communicate through our blood bond. I needed him to understand that we could get out of this, but we needed his magic to do it. I sent him images of what my plan was.

“No,” Cassius said, shaking his head. I knew it was risky, but it was the only way.

“We were so close this time, Thea. So close to you picking our side and getting rid of Cassius for good,” my father sighed. “I really thought you would kill him.”

I scoffed.

“You did a piss poor job trying to get me to choose you or your shitty kingdom.”

My father’s face burned red.

“I will always choose Cassius. He is my home.”

I felt love and terror surge through the bond, but I didn’t break eye contact with my father. He made a disgusted grunt.

“He murdered you, you stupid fucking Crimson whore!”

“No, he saved me,” I shot back.

Jesper took a step toward me but stopped when I looked at him.

“It’s a shame we must do this over again, Thea. Hopefully, next time you will choose correctly.”

Realization hit me. They wanted me so they could kill me. They knew I would never fight against Cassius now.

They were resetting the curse.

“I chose correctly this time,” I answered back.

“Thea, please come over here,” Cassius pleaded, but I knew I would be killed before I could make it there. My eyes flickered at him.

“I love you with my whole soul.” I cried because I didn’t know if I would get out of this one.

“Don’t you dare say goodbye to me.” He started walking toward Cerithia's lands, but Haden and Zade held him back so he wouldn’t die by crossing over. “I love you too,” he whispered.

“How fucking cute,” my father scoffed. “I don’t enjoy killing you, Thea.”

“You’re a fucking liar. I want you to know that one day my blade will stop your cruel heart, but not before I slaughter every disgusting member of your family—Jesper included.”

Jesper paled at my declaration.

I focused on the bond, telling Cassius exactly what I planned on doing. He needed to be ready for when I ran. He quieted down at the border, and I knew he understood.

“I think I will enjoy killing you the most, Jesper. I think I’ll take my time.” Jesper took a step back. My eyes flickered over the guards holding weapons pointed at me. “I will remember each face here, and one day I will make you pay for this.” The guards swallowed hard but didn’t move.

“Are you done?” My father snapped.

“Yes, but before you kill me, take this as a parting gift.” Confusion clouded his face before my dagger flew out and embedded into his shoulder. Damn it, I missed his heart. But I was already running toward Cassius.