22. Cassius

22

CASSIUS

I burst into the cave, my eyes blazing with fury. The sight before me sends a jolt of unfamiliar emotion through my body. Faye, bound and bleeding, her eyes wide with a mixture of relief and fear. And Darana, her face twisted into a cruel smirk, standing over my... over Faye.

"Cassius" Darana purrs, but I hear the venom beneath her words.

My fists clench at my sides. I've never felt rage like this before. It burns through my veins, hot and fierce, melting away centuries of apathy.

"You shouldn't have touched her." My voice comes out as a low growl, barely recognizable as my own.

My eyes drift over to Faye then, and I see the moment that my presence hits her. She relaxes, like she knows I will save her, and then she slumps to the side, her body no longer able to withstand the torture she's been through.

Darana's smirks, not even noticing Faye's collapse as she moves toward me. "Or what, Cassius? You'll kill me? We both know you don't have it in you. You're too... detached."

She's wrong. For the first time in centuries, I'm feeling everything. The fear in Faye's eyes, the scent of her blood in the air, it's all fueling a fire inside me I thought had long since died out.

I take a step forward, my wings unfurling behind me. "You have no idea what I'm capable of, Darana."

She laughs, a high, manic sound that echoes off the cave walls. "Oh, but I do. I've seen you at your worst, remember? This little human has made you weak."

I glance at Faye, seeing the strength in her despite her situation. No, not weak. She's made me feel alive again.

"Last chance, Darana. Step away from her."

Instead, she produces a wicked-looking knife, pressing it against Faye's throat. "I don't think so. You see, I've realized something. If I can't have you, no one can. Especially not some pathetic human."

The sight of that blade against Faye's skin snaps something inside me. In a blur of motion, I'm across the cave, my hand around Darana's throat. I lift her off the ground, my grip tightening.

"You're right, Darana. You don't know what I'm capable of anymore." I lean in close, my voice a deadly whisper. "Because I've changed. And you're about to find out just how much."

I tighten my grip on Darana's throat, feeling her pulse race beneath my fingers. With a snarl, I hurl her across the cave. She slams into the wall with a sickening thud, but I'm on her before she can recover.

"You fucked up, Darana," I growl, pinning her against the rough stone. "You really fucked up this time."

My whole body trembles with rage, a sensation so foreign and overwhelming that it nearly staggers me. But I don't fight it. For the first time in centuries, I let the emotion wash over me, through me.

"You think you know me?" I laugh, the sound harsh and bitter. "You don't know shit. You never did."

Darana struggles against my grip, her eyes wide with fear. Good. Let her be afraid.

"I've lived for centuries, Darana. I've been through the war. I've bathed in the blood of my enemies." I lean in close, my voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "And you thought you could take something that's mine?"

The possessiveness in my voice surprises me, but I don't dwell on it. There's a fire burning in my chest, fueled by fear for Faye and anger at Darana's audacity.

"I let you into my bed, Darana, not my life. You were a distraction, nothing more." My words are cruel, but I don't care. She needs to understand. "But Faye? She's different. She makes me feel again."

Darana's face contorts with rage and jealousy. "She's just a human!" she spits.

"She's everything," I growl back, shocking myself with the intensity of my words. "And you almost took her from me."

The realization of how close I came to losing Faye hits me like a physical blow. My grip on Darana tightens, and I see genuine fear in her eyes.

"You have no idea what you've awakened in me, Darana. The apathy that protected you? It's gone. And now you get to deal with the real me."

I tighten my grip on Darana's throat, feeling her pulse quicken beneath my fingers as I nearly crush her windpipe. Her eyes widen with fear, and I relish the sight. It's time she understands the consequences of her actions.

"You want to play games, Darana?" I snarl, my face inches from hers. "Let's play."

I throw her harshly to the ground near where Faye lies unconscious, hearing something snap. Darana tries to scramble away, but I pin her down with my foot on her chest.

"Look at her," I demand, gesturing to Faye. "Look at what you've done."

Darana turns her head away, but I grab her chin, forcing her to face Faye's battered form.

"This is what your obsession has led to," I hiss. "You're pathetic, Darana. So desperate for attention that you'd torture an innocent woman."

I lean down, my voice dropping to a menacing whisper. "Tell me, what did you think would happen? That I'd see you torturing her and suddenly realize I loved you?"

Darana whimpers, tears forming in her eyes. "I just wanted you to see me," she chokes out.

"Oh, I see you," I spit. "I see a sad, insecure little girl playing at being a woman."

I release her chin and stand up, pacing around her prone form. "You know what your problem is, Darana? You've never faced your own inadequacies. You've always blamed others for your shortcomings."

I crouch down beside her, my voice deceptively soft. "But not anymore. It's time for you to face the truth."

I grab her arm, yanking her to her feet. "You're nothing, Darana. You're not special, you're not powerful, and you're certainly not worthy of my attention."

Each word is a knife, and I watch as they cut deep. Darana's face crumples, her carefully constructed facade finally cracking.

"But... but we had something," she stammers.

I laugh, the sound cold and cruel. "We had sex, Darana. That's all. And even that was mediocre at best."

I see the moment my words hit home. Darana's eyes fill with tears, her body shaking with suppressed sobs.

"You want to know why I never loved you?" I continue, twisting the knife. "Because there's nothing to love. You're empty, Darana. A hollow shell trying to fill itself with other people's affection."

I grab her face, forcing her to look at me. "But it will never be enough, will it? No matter how many people you manipulate or hurt, you'll never fill that void inside you."

Darana breaks down, collapsing to her knees. I stand over her, my voice cold and unforgiving.

"This is who you really are, Darana. Weak. Pathetic. Alone."

I stand over Darana's crumpled form, my voice cold and final. "I choose Faye. She's everything you're not - strong, genuine, and worthy of my attention. You're nothing to me, Darana. Nothing but a mistake I should've corrected long ago."

Darana sobs, her body shaking. I feel no pity, only a burning desire for vengeance. My eyes flick to Faye's unconscious form, and rage consumes me anew.

I grab Darana by the hair, yanking her to her feet. "Now, you get to experience everything you put her through."

I drag Darana across the cave floor, her nails scraping against the stone as she tries to resist. Slamming her into the ground, I leave her dazed long enough to gently undo Faye's wrists. The angry welts there only enrage me more, and I stalk to Darana, using the same rope to tear through her skin as I bind her wrists tightly, just as she did to Faye.

"Please, Cassius," she whimpers. "Don't do this."

I ignore her pleas, securing her ankles next. "Funny, I bet Faye begged too. Did you listen?"

Darana's eyes widen with fear as I produce the same wicked knife she used on Faye. I trace it along her skin, not quite breaking the surface. "How does it feel, Darana? To be helpless? To know that pain is coming and you can't stop it?"

I make a cut along her arm, watching as blood wells up. Darana screams, the sound echoing off the cave walls. I lean in close, my voice a deadly whisper. "I will give you every mark you left on Faye."

I continue, methodically repaying every injury I can see on Faye's body. Darana's screams turn to whimpers, then to broken sobs. And once her skin is carved up and blood, I unleash my magic.

I break every bone that is not snapped in Faye's body in two places so she feels the pain two fold. I rip her muscles, I tear through her skin, I puncture her lungs myself, grinning as she sputters and coughs up blood.

When I'm done, I step back, surveying my work.

"We're not finished yet," I growl, scooping her up roughly. I unfurl my wings and launch us into the air, soaring out of the cave and over the dense forest.

Darana struggles weakly in my arms as we climb higher. "Where are you taking me?"

I look down at her, my eyes cold. "Somewhere you can think about what you've done. For however long you survive."

Without warning, I release her. Darana plummets towards the forest floor, her scream fading as she falls. I watch dispassionately as she disappears into the canopy, knowing the forest's predators will find her soon enough.

I turn back towards the cave, my thoughts already on Faye. I won't let anyone threaten her again. She's mine to protect now, and I'll tear apart anyone who dares to harm her.