CHAPTER 262: A SLEEPING FLY ON THE WALL

Cass grumbled, half asleep by the time that they had reached the main floor. Edgar shuffled him, holding him tighter and chuckled.

"His eyes are so swollen." He murmured to the man next to him, and Cass only wondered for a sleepy second who it was before they spoke.

"He must have been crying. I feel like shit. Didn’t we leave a note?" Lucian asked softly, his voice a rumble. Cass could feel them moving across the floor, each step a gentle rocking motion that pushed him further into sleep. He felt most of it was due to his sheer level of exhaustion, from stress and crying.

"It doesn’t matter." Edgar told him. "If he woke up in the state that he did, there was no way he was going to find the note. I’m going to get rid of it when I put him to bed. While it might make us look better, it doesn’t matter." Edgar’s voice was soft, lulling Cass more to sleep. Feeling him speak, his chest vibrating, Cass sighed softly and nuzzled in closer. Edgar stuttered in his steps slightly.

"Did he just nuzzle you?" Lucian asked, baffled.

"You’re not taking him from me." Edgar shot back instantly. "It’s my turn." He sounded defensive, ready to fight.

"If he was more awake, he’d protest that." Lucian said, a smile in his voice. "But I’m not going to take him from you. I’m just jealous. I don’t think he’s ever nuzzled me. Even when I showed off my chest." He did sound like he was pouting and Cass felt them turn before he was rocked back and forth as they went up the stairs.

"So that was intentional? I did think it was rather weird when you kept leaning over like one of our courtesans." Edgar said. "And I know he’d be angry if I referred to him like that. It’s not what I meant when I said it. You just...he trusts you so much more and I need my turn to show him that I can be reliable." Edgar muttered and Lucian let out a dark laugh.

"You think he trusts me? The man would stab me if he could."

"I wish he would stab me." Edgar muttered under his breath.

"What?" Lucian exclaimed, and Edgar brushed it off.

"Don’t worry about it." Edgar muttered. "Should I put him back in the master bedroom? He freaked out last time and I don’t want him to-"

"-I can stay outside his room. I don’t need to sleep like the rest of you." Lucian said easily, cutting Edgar off. There was a moment of silence.

"Are you actually going to stay outside of his room?" Edgar asked. It was a rather valid question, given the lines that Lucian had already crossed. Lucian remained silent for a moment.

"I will." He said, as if he had to consider that. Cass felt a thread of anger run down his spine and a few seconds after Lucian laughed. "He heard that, and he’s mad. That’s the answer. I will stay outside, otherwise our dear, sweet Cassian might strangle me. It would be a good way to go. Be better if he was on top of me." Lucian seemed amused as he said that while Edgar let out a sigh.

"You keep talking like that and he won’t let you touch him." Edgar told him and Lucian scoffed.

"Says the one who got to touch his cock. Mind your manners. I let you do so because I knew he wasn’t kissing you in his office." Lucian told him sharply and Edgar stuttered in his steps.

"Stop fucking rubbing that in my face. I was grieving a relationship, and realising some other things." Edgar muttered and Lucian laughed.

"Grieving? Fiona never hid it, you just put your damn blinders on." Lucian told him and Edgar huffed.

"Oh yeah? So why were you an asshole to Cass then if you could see every fucking thing?" Edgar shot back and Lucian grew silent for a moment.

"Because that was what I was taught. It worked for Fiona, I thought it would work for Cassian. I was rude and aggressive with Fiona, and she liked me enough to ask me to marry her in her human customs. I thought I could do the same thing twice in a row and get the same results. I’m unfamiliar with the customs of this time, and I didn’t realise bringing Cassian meat like I would in the old days would be a good way to court him until after I’d already fucked up." Lucian said.

"One of the ways to court someone was by bringing them meat?" Edgar asked and Lucian chuckled.

"Yeah. Several times throughout history that worked. I usually got more than just a kiss for my good work as well. Hunters are desirable, and we have great bodies." Lucian bragged. "I had many a fun night doing so, but Cassian is different. I like him, and I want to impress him. This courting thing is only made harder because of his other memories, but I won’t give up." Lucian muttered.

"You’re viewing his memories as a challenge?" Edgar asked as they continued walking and Cass was shifted slightly so Edgar could get a better grip on his ass.

"Well, in the way that they are getting in the way of having the whole man to myself, yeah." Lucian said.

"You aren’t getting the whole man to yourself." Edgar said quickly, defensively, and Lucian let out a laugh.

"That’s not up to you, now is it?" Lucian was cocky, sure of himself as he responded and Edgar snorted.

"And it’s not up to you, either." Edgar shot back.

"Which is why we agreed to share, remember? Neither of us is going to own Cassian fully, we can’t. The man is probably married to his work first." Lucian muttered. "I hate that I can’t have the first husband title, but that’s okay. I’ll take the favoured second husband and bond partner." Edgar laughed at Lucian’s words.

"Second husband? Who said you get to be the second husband? I want that." They were devolving into arguing with each other, and Cass didn’t mind. He could feel them speaking, the gentle rocking doing wonders on his mind, and he let out a soft sigh. His arms were practically limp around Edgar’s shoulders, his body only held up by the strength of the other man.

Cass didn’t realise he was this strong. Edgar didn’t look like a small man, but for some reason Cass had never considered him strong. Was it because he was a mage like Lord Blackburn? It was a slightly biased view, since Lord Blackburn, and by extension, Cass, was weak and fragile.

He was wrong, clearly, since the man had carried him up at least two flights of stairs at this point without having difficulty breathing and was able to argue with Lucian the whole way up. Cass felt a little cheated. The man felt so skinny and thin, and he was already so damn pretty, it just wasn’t fair.

"...Not fair." Cass mumbled into Edgar’s chest, complaining softly. Whatever the two men were arguing about they shut up, paying attention to the sleepy Cass.

"What’s not fair sweetness?" Lucian asked, his voice soft and warm. A stark contrast to how he’d been speaking to Edgar just a moment before.

"He’s pretty and strong. Not fair." Cass mumbled, not even sure if the words made sense. He could feel how Edgar stiffened slightly.

"Who, Cass? Who’s pretty and strong?" Edgar asked and Cass made a face.

"You, asshole." Lucian started laughing at the bitter way Cass said it, but Edgar was still stiff.

"I’m pretty?" He asked and Cass nodded. Edgar gave him a squeeze. "Wow. I didn’t think I’d like it if someone else called me pretty, but it’s different when it’s you." Edgar bent, and Cass felt something warm and slightly damp touch his forehead. "You can call me pretty all you want. To my face, or in your dreams. I’m just glad you’re thinking of me." Edgar told him with such warmth in his voice it woke Cass up a little bit.

Cass grumbled, annoyed at being awakened even just a little bit, and groggily blinked his eyes as he tilted his head back to look at the man holding him. Edgar smiled at him, his face practically fucking glowing.

He looked like a damn angel. An angel of death. He could only be this pretty because he was a vampire, right? Because otherwise, this was just unfair. A man shouldn’t be this attractive. Cass would believe someone if they said Helen of Troy looked like Edgar. He’d get it.

Cass glowered at him and then Lucian’s face popped into frame. Lucian’s eyes were curled at the corners as Cass glared at the two handsome men.

"You look so displeased. Were we talking too loud? Sorry sweetness. Go back to sleep, alright?" Lucian’s hand reached out, rubbing Cass’ head and Cass made another face. He jerked his head away, ducking it under Edgar’s chin and both men chuckled.

"It should be a crime how cute you are." Edgar told him. "I’m glad that no one else is around right now. We get to keep this moment to ourselves." Edgar sounded very pleased about that, while Cass was just glad there weren’t that many people to see him being embarrassing and sulky. He knew that was what he was being. A problem.

"Just...get me to bed." Cass mumbled, and another rumble started from Lucian.

"He didn’t mean it that way." Edgar hissed and Lucian growled.

"I know that! That doesn’t mean I can control my response!" Lucian shot back. Cass was lulled to sleep by their bickering. His brief moment of awareness fading once more into nothingness as the second dream of his time here came to him, and he smiled in his sleep.