Page 29 of Lady of Starfire

He was here, exactly as she’d known he would be. He sat on the sofa before the fireplace, staring blankly into the empty space. It was cold in here, and with a thought, flames sprang to life in the hearth. He didn’t even blink. There was an empty liquor glass on the small table beside the sofa, his eye patch lying beside it. His shaggy brown hair hung in his face, and he was shirtless, his tunic on the floor. It appeared shredded.

“Your wings appeared?” she asked quietly.

“I do not—” He paused, his entire body seeming to shudder. He released a long breath, steadying himself. “I do not have much control right now. He… He steadied me when things felt out of control. I was hoping being in his rooms would give me some of that, but it has not.”

He still hadn’t looked at her, but she nodded anyway. Silence fell again, and she looked around the space. It was clean and tidy. It looked like no one had even stayed in here. Other than the open decanter of alcohol near the window, it appeared to be a guest suite waiting for an occupant.

“He slept on the sofa in my rooms,” Cassius said. “Or sometimes he’d take the bed, and I’d take the sofa.”

Her attention darted back to him just in time to see his gaze shift from her back to the hearth.

She cleared her throat. “We’re going to get him back, Cassius.”

“We both know he will not be well when we do, Scarlett,” he replied, reaching for the liquor glass and then seeming to suddenly remember it was empty. He clenched his hand into a fist, bringing it to the arm of the sofa. “Think of all the things Alaric did to us. You think he won’t do the same to him?”

He wasn’t wrong. Alaric could, and likely would, do all manner of things to Cyrus and Neve. She knew time was of the essence. But she also knew that until Sorin’s power was back, she was weakened without a Source. She would have one chance when she went to get Cyrus. That mission would not be about killing Alaric. It would be about surviving him and getting her family back here safely. It was never that simple with Alaric though. There was no preparing for him because he was anything but predictable. The only thing predictable about the Maraan Prince was that you learned to be prepared for anything and everything, and even that was rarely enough.

But the next time she faced off with him? When Saylah fulfilled her end of their deal and Sorin was back at her side at full power?

Then she was bringing the war to her former Master, and only one of them was walking away.

She pushed off the door, making her way over to Cassius. “You’re right,” she replied, lowering down onto the sofa beside him. “We don’t know in what state we will find him, but, having been on the receiving end of Alaric’s wrath numerous times, we will know the best way to help him. We can remind him that we are here. You can remind him that…”

“That I love him?” Cassius supplied bitterly. “I told him to get the fuck out, Scarlett. He’s not going to believe a damn thing I have to say. Why would he?”

“Do you?” Scarlett asked. “Do you love him?”

Cassius blew out a long breath, brushing his hair back from his face. “I don’t know.”

“Of course you know, Cassius,” she scoffed. “You wouldn’t take blood from anyone else. He stays in your rooms. He grounds you and helps you find control when you feel like you have none. You wouldn’t take him as a Source because you didn’t want him to feel trapped, but you refused to take anyone else.”

“And look where that got me,” Cassius interrupted. “Forced to take another Source.”

“You’re not taking another Source. Not if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

“You do, Cass,” she said, reaching over and taking his hand. “I am giving you this choice. I am sorry for trying to force you to do anything otherwise. We have had enough choices stolen from us. If Cyrus is the Source you want, then we will wait and see if he is still willing.”

“I don’t deserve him.”

“That is for him to decide.” Cassius made a noise of acknowledgment. She reached up, gently turning his face to hers. “But Cassius, coming from someone who is the farthest thing from being deserving of a crown, the loyalty of numerous Courts, and a twin flame, it will take more than a fight to drive Cyrus away from you. I know him. He does not walk away. It will be far harder to forgive yourself and accept his forgiveness if it’s offered.”

“We were never offered such a thing nor taught how to give it, let alone receive it,” Cassius replied, turning away from her.

“I know. He molded us into the perfect specimens for his plans. Take without remorse. Avenge the smallest of grievances. Meet every problem with wrath and a dagger. We lash out at those who want us, and try to do everything ourselves. We were taught we were stronger alone, could depend on no one, and to not even trust ourselves. I won’t deny how hard it has been to change. But Cass, you? You made sure the light never died, even when Juliette, Nuri, and I were nothing but the Wraiths he had trained us to be. I did not deserve you, and yet you stayed. Guardian or not, you stayed, Cass.”

He had turned to face her fully as she spoke, and when she finished, he pulled her into him. She squeezed him back just as tightly. “Our entire lives we did not know who we were. For years we did not know where we belonged, and now we do. Now we fight to keep it. We get back up, and we fight because we are deserving of the good as much as we are deserving of the bad. So get up, Cassius. Cyrus needs us. He has been there for us when we needed him most, and we will not fail him now.”

“When did you become so wise, Seastar?” he murmured into her hair.

She shifted onto her back, her head in Cassius’s lap, staring up into his eyes— one chocolate brown, the other a milky white where Alaric had tortured him with shirastone. “I think it’s the shoes,” she answered, wiggling her feet. They were clad in gold silk shoes while the rest of her was adorned in black with numerous daggers and knives.

“You look ridiculous parading around in those with weapons strapped to you.”

“They are incredibly comfortable though. I’ll change into boots before we see the others off to get Ashtine.”

A comfortable silence fell between them. Cassius had an arm stretched along the back of the sofa, the fingers of his other hand drumming every once in a while on the arm. It was a scene she was all too familiar with, and despite everything they were facing, it brought a sense of comfort to her. It seemed to silence all her doubts, and she drew a certain strength from him. This was a different kind of strength than what she gained from Sorin or the others. This was a strength born of nearly two decades together. He had been through nearly every storm, every step, and when it had hurt to get back up, he had been there, pulling her to her feet and telling her to keep going. A soulmate through and through.