Lino blinked, withdrawing his hand from hers. He had expected a lot of things, but not that. “What—What did you say?” he stuttered, stunned by her words. Her grip tightened on his fingers that lay on her bare chest and his eyes shuttered as he felt her heartbeat. Her eyes pleaded that he believed her, but how could he? How could that be? A single tear slid down her cheek and Lino’s fingers twitched to wipe them away, but he didn’t. He watched her, desperately trying to align her words with his thoughts and he failed. She repeated those miserable words that broke him again and Lino jerked. “She killed me.” He shook his head. “Cass, I—“ Her hands slid up to cup his cheeks as she stared deeply into his eyes. “Listen to me once, Lino. Listen to me.” He shook his head violently, shaking her hands off his face. “I can’t! Do you realize the meaning of your words! She killed you—that would mean you died, Cass! Died!” Her face crumpled and she began to cry. It took eve
Lino followed the freshest trail that he could find of Eleanor but it was scattered about in numerous direction. It was almost as though, she had been expecting him to come after her and she had scattered her tracks and scent so that he wouldn’t be able to follow her. Still, she couldn’t have scattered it so perfectly all by herself. The peaks were vast and led to countless mountains and forests that even he would be cautious to go through, lest he got lost. She couldn’t have covered this much area if she had been alone. He paused in his trouncing and sniffed the earth at the center of the forest. Around him lay five different directions in which she could have gone. All of them were fresh tracks, though three out of the five smelled faint. . .subdued, like someone had carried a piece of her clothing. He disregarded those paths and he was left with two. He itched his hind with a paw as he tried to sort through every single detail he knew about El. He had spent years with h
Cassy lay still, even as her mind became a chaotic jumble of thoughts and feelings. The sorcerer wanted her alive? Whatever for? She spied Eleanor’s face and she could tell that whatever plan Eleanor hand concocted with the sorcerer, her being alive wasn’t part of it. Eleanor said as much running her hands through her hair, seemingly disoriented. “That wasn’t the plan, Sasha. We can’t afford to take her. He will track her and find us. Lino will kill us for touching. . .her.” The last word was laced with so much venom that Cassy might have cringed if she weren’t already in pain. Eleanor spoke like she was poison. Like she was a disease. Cassy only hoped they argued for long enough for her back to heal. But it seemed like fate wasn’t on her side. Sasha pinched Cassy’s chin between her fingers and raised her chin. Her eyes widened with mirth as she said, “How odd. She really did save you. How delightful.” Cassy jerked her chin from Sasha’s grasp. “What do you want with m
Eleanor drove her claws into Cassy’s chest and blood sprayed. She didn’t mind getting herself covered in Cassy’s blood or killing the woman again if it meant she could escape Lino’s wrath. Her plan had depended heavily on Sasha and she hadn’t expected that the woman would hand her over to Cassy on a silver platter—after everything she’d done. Indeed they were cunning and crafty and would never do anything if it didn’t benefit them. Solely. She should have known better. She had sought Sasha out to help kill Cassy and place Lino underneath another spell. She would not let Cassy have him. Lino was hers. Till death. Once Cassy died, Lino would feel a pain so great he would wish nothing but to follow her into the great beyond. It would have been easy to get past his mental walls and just as easy to restructure what was behind it. Sasha had said she could do it. She could make Lino forget about the night before. She had banked on that and it had flopped. Terribly. Lino was n
The walk back to the castle was long and tiresome but Cassy barely felt it with all the anger shimmering in her. Lino to his credit said nothing to her as they walked and kept a safe distance away from her. He stopped them once to rest and handed Cassy a waterskin. She refused to take it from him and when he dumped it on her lap, she threw it at his head. Lino, of course, ducked before it could reach his head. "What is your problem? You won't let me explain and you won't let me apologize either." She said nothing, glaring at the ground and stomping her now healed foot into it, digging several holes into it. They continued not long after that, and Cassy trailed behind Lino silently. She would have left him behind but she didn't know the way back to the castle and she didn't want to get lost. So, she would bear watching his back for a few hours more and once they reached the castle, she would--frankly, she didn't even know what would happen once they reached the c
The questions began and Cassy wanted nothing more than to hide behind Lino as he gave them answers. “Eleanor has colluded with the sorcerers. It saddens my heart to say this but. . .” It was a pretty long address and the people listened attentively while he spoke, occasionally tossing looks of pity and awe in Cassy’s direction. It was detailed, explaining Eleanor’s betrayal and her crimes against the lands. It was also a warning to any that would consider giving refuge to her. They would be considered traitors and removed from whatever pack they belonged to. She was to be captured and brought to Lino’s castle. There wasn’t much else after that. There would be a bonfire to celebrate the conclusion of a successful hunt and everyone onne would eat and drink and make toasts in the Goddess’s name. Cassy, as usual, wanted nothing more than to sleep in through the entire thing, but as she was to be named Lino’s Luna, there wasn’t much she could avoid anymore. Like the row o
“Lino. . .” Cassy trailed off, turning her cup over again. “It’s empty.” Lino laughed. He quite preferred her this way. At least, she spoke to him nicely, and wasn’t inclined to tear off his balls. “Shall I get you another?” Her lips puckered and she nodded vigorously, quite like a child would when he was offered cookies. Lino’s smile broadened and he crouched down in front of her, taking the cup from her hand. Her eyes widened and she extended her hand, cupping his cheek as she stared at him with pure fascination. Lino went still. He wasn’t sure he was breathing anymore. Her touch. . .it was loving. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like he was at home. Cassy felt like home. It made him feel strange inside. So strange, he pulled away from her fingers abruptly. But Cassy wouldn’t let go of him. Somehow, she caught a lock of his hair between her fingers and she began to pull lightly on it, giggling. “Your hair is red.” A smile teased his lips as s
Cassy growled, threatening to throttle him if he didn’t desist from torturing her and Lino laughed against her skin. It was worth it. The wait. ************ Cassy sprinted out of his bedroom the next morning before the castle could wake up. She was wrapped in his bedsheet and her hair was a mess. More than that, she was more concerned about the fact that she had woken up naked with her legs entwined with his and her arms holding him like he meant everything to her. A heady wave of nausea had her sprinting towards her room and she barely made it towards the bathroom before she vomited the ail all over the floors. Goddess, it reeked terribly. Just how many jugs of the liquor did she consume? It had smelled so sweet, she had thought it some sort of juice extract. She had requested a cup and they had been all too happy to give her. Now, she felt sick to her stomach and her head hurt terribly. She threw up and gagged until there was nothing more to bring up. Eve