CHAPTER 260: IT WASN’T WHAT YOU’RE THINKING

Cass wasn’t sure how long he was there for, but eventually he could hear that people were coming back into the house. He was fairly certain that his senses were even more heightened then when he had first woken up in this body since he could tell how many people it was.

Several. Probably seven people? About the number of people who were missing from the house.

Cass frowned, his face feeling tight, uncomfortable. He was feeling slightly more stable as he heard the steps move away from where he could hear. It took about 2 minutes before several came racing down the stairs, the steps frantic. Cass wondered what they were freaking out about.

He tucked his knees closer to him, and the nursery tree whispered comforting words to him.

It shouldn’t have surprised him when Lucian, Edgar, Ser Hune, and Sir Forsythe came tearing into the grove. Especially not Ser Hune, but Cass was surprised. He didn’t think they would care.

He knew it was petty, but when one woke up after passing out the way that he had, he kind of expected that someone would be there with him. The fact that no one, not even Sir Forsythe or Ser Hune was there? Or Lucian?

Cass was just...tired.

"Cassian! What are you doing down here? It’s dangerous!" It was Lucian who shouted that, looking stricken as he saw how close Cass was sitting next to the tree. Cass scoffed.

"They would never hurt me." He told him, and Lucian’s jaw clenched.

"It tried to swallow you whole." Lucian told him, and Ser Hune shot him an angry look.

"They were not doing that! They were comforting him! I already explained this to you!" Ser Hune told Lucian angrily, before she came to a halt. Cass could tell that she was listening to the tree, and Cass could tell that the tree was intentionally speaking only to her. Ser Hune’s face went pale, her skin taking on a shade that it hadn’t been even when she was in terrible condition in the undead forest.

She turned, grabbed Lucian and Edgar, and threw them towards Cass.

"Go fix it right now." She ordered. Two men who she had no right to order. She did the same to Sir Forsythe. "Go! Right now! Cass is pissed!" She said and Lucian gave her a strange look as he fixed his clothes that Ser Hune had scrunched up. Edgar, unlike Lucian, wasn’t about to fight what Ser Hune was about to say. He just began to cross the small bridge over the brook and came towards Cass

"No he’s not. I can’t-" Lucian’s eyes went wide, before he also looked ill. His hands stopped smoothing out his shirt, and he looked towards Cass. He looked desperate, worried, before a look of relief crossed his face and then he looked ill again. "Cassian, sweetness. Are you alright?" Lucian asked, his voice gentle, his expression full of concern. Cass dropped his head into his knees, not making eye contact.

Edgar was close, as was Sir Forsythe. Ser Hune stayed back, as if rooted into the place where she stood. Cass could feel them approach, able to distinguish everyone by their footsteps. Edgar’s was soft, quiet. Befitting someone who was a vampire. Sir Forsythe’s was heavy, but firm. Sure.

Lucian?

Lucian felt bigger, more intimidating than Cass could put into words. It was just a choking weight moving across the ground. How had Cass not realised this sooner? No wonder the fairies all knew what he was if this was what they felt and saw walking towards them. Humans were the ones who were blind.

"Cass? What’s going on here? Why weren’t you in your bed?" Edgar asked softly, and Cass could feel the air shift. He bet that the man had bent down so that he wasn’t just looming over Cass. Cass felt his lips crumple into a strange shape. Emotion was choking him, a hand around his throat.

He’d thought he’d had it under control. All it took was them showing up to have all of that crumbling around him again. What control? What inner strength? He was a weak man, with a weak body, and a weak spirit. He was-

"Cassian. Stop thinking like that. I don’t know what exactly you’re thinking, but please. Stop. My hearts are going to break." It was Lucian, and he was begging. Cass let out a shaky breath.

"Why do you care?" Cass said quietly. He’d meant to say it loudly. He’d meant to confront them. Fully dressed, strong, probably in the foyer. Arms crossed, face scrunched, powerful. Instead, he had his knees pulled up to his chest, his shirt over his knees, his arms wrapped around and his head buried in them. This was the furthest from strength that he could think of.

He was even borrowing strength from a tree that had lost a part of itself to help Cass. To help Lord Blackburn.

"...No one was around when I woke up." Cass said. "I checked. Not even Ava was in the building." Cass sounded as weak and miserable as he felt. Sir Forsythe let out a shaky breath, as did Edgar. Lucian rushed to Cass’ side, sliding down onto his ass next to him but didn’t touch Cass. His body heat was warm enough that he didn’t need to for Cass to feel him next to him.

"Sweetness...I’m so sorry. We thought you would remain asleep while we completed our prank." Lucian’s voice was soft, careful. Terribly sad as well. That shocked Cass. He had completely forgotten about the prank, and about how he had given permission from them to do so.

Cass slowly raised his face from his knees to look around at the faces that were genuinely quite upset. Cass swallowed thickly.

"You...left to pull a prank?" Cass confirmed and Edgar reached out, his expression torn as he hesitated before he cupped Cass’ face.

"Yes. We did. You gave Lucian and Sir Forsythe permission, remember? They told me that they had plans and I wanted to help. I’m so sorry that you woke up while we were gone. We were only gone for a moment. As for everyone else...Lady Ava and Fiona joined us so that she could grab a few of her things without alerting Father. They just came back with us and went to their rooms. I’ll have to drop by to let them know you are safe." Edgar’s expression was distraught. "I thought the worst. That they had realised what we had done and had turned to you immediately." Edgar said and when Cass turned his gaze to Lucian, he was barely controlled.

His eyes were that of his dragon, orange, vibrant, slitted. Cass sucked in as Lucian vibrated next to him.

"Ugh, Cassian, you’re so...I’m sorry. I never wanted to make you feel this way. I’m so sorry." Lucian’s eyes poured over, tears falling down his face and Cass jerked. He wiped them away quickly. "I’m sorry. Your emotions are just so overwhelming right now that all I can do is cry. Can I hug you? I need to offer you some comfort for what I’ve done to you, but I just..." Lucian shook, his big shoulders shaking. Edgar’s hand was warm against Cass’ cheek, proof that he wasn’t alone.

Cass normally wasn’t this weak. He wasn’t. He felt his head nod down and Lucian shifted closer. He didn’t move quickly like Cass expected, instead he was careful, slow. Like he didn’t want to startle Cass.

He wrapped his arms around Cass as he was, enfolding him in his furnace-like warmth and Cass could feel his heat, hear his heart. Edgar’s hand continued to cup his face from the other side. Cass wasn’t sure when he started shaking, just knew that he was and Lucian let out a deep rumble.

It should have been terrifying, should have scared him deeply. Instead, it brought him comfort. It was like hearing the rumble of an engine, but it was soothing, and Lucian pulled him closer.

"You aren’t alone. We would never do that to you, not after what you went through. Ser Hune had to talk me out of hurting the tree." Lucian told him quickly. Cass jerked.

"No!" He shouted, and Lucian didn’t seem surprised that Cass shouted at him. He chuckled, holding him closer.

"She said you would react that way. I’m glad I controlled myself. I thought it was swallowing you into itself. I panicked." Lucian admitted quietly. "We’ll make sure we get some more guards so that you can feel them around. I don’t want you to wake up feeling this way again." Lucian said.

"It’s my fault. I should have stayed behind, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes." Sir Forsythe said, his voice tight with emotion. "I’m sorry, my Lord. I forgot my main duty in my desire for vengeance. I left you alone, and there is no way I can make that up to you. I will accept any punishment you give." Sir Forsythe said and Cass let out a shaky breath. He didn’t say anything for a long, long moment before he finally spoke.

"This tree...this nursery saved me. Prevented me from dying as a kid." Cass said quietly into the air. Ser Hune knew, but he didn’t know if she’d explained this to them. If she had thought it was her place to do so. "It wasn’t trying to hurt me, not after it had given so much of itself to me to keep me alive. It was just...welcoming me home." Cass whispered. "I feel more attune with my fairy side since coming here, since that moment. The black? The scar? That’s from trying to reach out to the Blackburn estate. They hurt themselves to keep me alive." Cass told them, his throat closing with the extreme emotion he was feeling.

"Oh Sweetness. I almost did something terrible." Lucian whispered. "I almost killed your Mom." Lucian sounded stricken and the tree?

The tree laughed and Cass shook.

"They’re laughing at you, saying that you wouldn’t have done so. You..." Cass flushed. "You care about me too much to have followed through." It was a taunt, Cass knew it, as did Lucian. Instead, he gave Cass a squeeze.

"You’re Mother is wise." Lucian muttered and Sir Forsythe cleared his throat.

"My Lord has two Mothers, if that’s the case. Do not forget the late Lady Blackburn." Sir Forsythe said, and Edgar chuckled.

"Believe me, I am sure no one forgets her, but it would be fair to give the tree the flowers it deserves. You wouldn’t have a Lord to take care of without it." Edgar told Sir Forsythe and Sir Forsythe said something so quietly under his breath that Cass couldn’t hear it. No one else heard it either.

"My Lord, I’m sorry as well! I shouldn’t have left you alone either, but I’m the best at sneaking into estates! I apologise profusely! May I come closer?" She asked and Cass finally felt that feeling slowly begin to leave. They hadn’t abandoned him. They had just been working. Getting revenge on his behalf.

Cass nodded.