Free Web NovelChapter 592: Not a little ducking anymore
When Cass finally started to descend down the stairs with the help of the railing, he was feeling a bit more like himself. Both Edgar and Gideon hovered around him like he was a fragile baby duckling, but he found it more cute than annoying.
He could see how easily that perception could change if they made a wrong move.
Strangely, Cass found that he was far more irritable than he normally was. It was a bit of a throwback to when Cass had felt out of control of his emotions after the gods had fucked with him in an attempt to control him. He was surprisingly grateful for the experience since it was helping him regulate how he was feeling now.
There had been a point when he was getting dressed where he had gotten so frustrated with his clothes that he had nearly thrown a fit. He’d almost torn his clothes off of his body in protest, but because of his previous experience he had been able to calm himself down. He’d asked for Edgar’s help, much to the other man’s glee, and the process had been sped up.
Now, he was fully dressed, thanks to Edgar’s help, and taking the stairs one step at a time. His legs felt like jelly due to the fact that he’d been lying down for a while, and the strangeness of having his soul messed with. He’d felt a little wobbly when he’d first arrived in this body too, but he felt like he had a better grasp on what was going on this time.
He was able to go down all three flights with relative ease. When he arrived down in the foyer, Sam and Byron were there to greet him. Both were smiling at him softly and Cass could feel the wave of affection coming off of them, along with the weight of their powers. Cass didn’t flinch this time, but he could see how Byron’s lips curled up in knowing. He was able to tell that Cass hesitated for a moment, and he could see how the man was calculating what that meant for him.
Cass frowned deeply. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Don’t you dare even consider attempting to avoid me for ’my own good’. I will take it very personally and I’ll get upset." Cass told them seriously. Byron’s smile grew wider, a little unnerving, before he laughed, wrapped his arm around Sam’s shoulder, and pulled him against his side. He bent, pressing his lips against Sam’s forehead, much to the flustered expression on Sam’s face, but the smaller man didn’t fight his affection.
"I was trying to tell him that, but he insisted on us staying down here to greet you." Byron’s black voids for eyes were full of mirth, and Cass was at least happy about that. Cass turned a narrow-eyed glance towards Sam. Who, at the very least, looked a little embarrassed.
"Sam, are you serious?" Cass demanded, and watched as he flinched.
"My apologies, my Lord. I was just...being cautious. I have no idea what could upset you or hurt you, and I thought it was better to be safe than sorry." Sam gave him a small head bow, an acknowledgement that he was wrong in his judgement. "Forgive me."
Cass let out a rather loud, annoyed sigh and watched as Sam seemed to shrink further in on himself. Then he smiled, shaking his head.
"There is nothing to forgive, Sam. I’ve already told you before, we’re practically brothers. Thinking about me, trying to do things that are in my best interest, is fine. But not at the cost of your own mental health, alright? I was very confused as to why you weren’t there when I woke up." Cass told him honestly, and watched as Sam’s eyes went wide and watery.
"Oh. I’m sorry, my Lord. I didn’t-I never-I’m sorry." Sam looked like a puppy who was being scolded for peeing on the floor, and Cass thought that was enough of that. He smiled.
"Well, time to eat now. This is all water under the bridge. I’ve been still long enough, the ball is over, my family is up, and we have reason to celebrate. Things went well, Gideon beat his dad up, and my plans going forward have been given a stamp of approval by several higher powers, including the nursery tree, the gods, and the other half of my soul." Cass grinned. Saying it out loud felt...good.
Really good.
He watched as the others around him stared at him, confused, but they also seemed relieved that he brought it up first. Cass chuckled. Edgar cleared his throat.
"Then let’s go eat, Bunny. I’ll admit that I’m getting a little nervous seeing you swaying on your feet right now." Edgar told him, placing his hand carefully on the back of Cass’ back, near his hips. It was a gentle, but intimate touch. Cass felt it run down his spine, but he didn’t hate it. It was just....unfamiliar. His pulse raced, his body warming and Cass knew he was blushing.
This was the one thing he was going to have to relearn. His damn composure around the two men who were intimate with him. What their relationship was, what everything meant. He had a feeling that it was going to blow up as soon as he saw Lucian again.
The fact that Cassian had been honest with him about his feelings for the dragon before they’d merged meant that the reaction Cass was having now? That was going to be nothing when compared to how he was going to react to Lucian when he saw him.
Cass felt a cold shiver run down his spine, counteracting his reaction to Edgar’s touch. It was a cold splash on his reaction, a deep worry overcoming him. Let him hope that he didn’t meet with Lucian in public, because Cass was truly worried about what he was going to do to the man. Given how he was reacting with his ’little’ emotions for Edgar and Gideon, Cass had a fear he was going to beg Lucian to mount him then and there.
The bigger fear was that Lucian would do it. No hesitation. That was what truly scared him. freēwēbnovel.com
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They made it to the dining room, Cass letting the others baby him on the way there for their peace of mind. He was fine, just slowly growing hungry. He was worried that the staff hadn’t been notified that he was hungry and that it would take them some time to prepare a meal for him. He was considering asking for a small snack or something while he waited for a main meal to be prepared, but he shouldn’t have worried. Not in a house full of fairies, and certainly not in a house that was being run by Sam.
The table was already set by the time that they got there, with trays of food steaming and ready for consumption. The staff, the normally quiet and unobserved fairies, were making their presence known. They weren’t hiding, and they seemed about as emotional as everyone else that Cass was awake.
Cass wasn’t sure why, but it was nice to see everyone. They were so warm and welcoming, and nice to look at. Cass was surprised by that thought, the mental comment. He hadn’t realised that one of the reasons why Cassian kept some people around was just to look at them.
It was a flustering thought and realisation, and one he would keep to his fucking self. No one else besides him ever needed to know that. God, it was made fucking worse when he realised that it was also partially directed towards Sir Forsythe. The man that Cass now viewed as an Uncle or father figure.
No one was ever going to know that.
When everyone sat down to eat, Cass didn’t have to make himself a plate. Everyone did it for him, fussing over him and checking in with every bite if everything was okay. Cass was pleased to see that he hadn’t lost his ability to see what food was safe for him and which wasn’t. It also made it easier since only one dish wasn’t safe, and Sam made sure that he knew it. It was more for Gideon and Edgar, but Edgar was on a liquid diet today.
That meant he had all the time to fuss over Cass while Gideon only had half of the time available to him to fuss. Especially since Cass put his fucking foot down and made sure everyone ate.
Sure, he mattered, but they couldn’t be of any help to him unless they took care of themselves. As soon as Cass said that, they stopped fighting against him and did as he asked.
Byron was the worst for it, surprisingly. He was watching Cass with the most inhuman gaze imaginable, to the point that Cass, after lunch. Breakfast-whatever the hell this meal was, pulled him aside to have a private word with him.
He didn’t even take him to his office, instead taking him to a small room nearby the dining room so that they could talk it out as quickly as possible. Sam seemed worried, so did Edgar, while Gideon was very calm about it. He even encouraged Sam and Edgar to join him in Cass’ office, knowing Cass well enough that he knew he was going to dive back into work, no holds barred.
Cass closed the door to the small room, Byron’s energy filling it up and spilling over behind him. It was a strange feeling, and a surprising one. He was a bit confused as to why he was able to sense him as much as he was able to now. Byron, for his part, didn’t seem to mind, but it was Cass’ ability to sense that he was looking at him with that damn reptilian gaze that had Cass’ skin prickling.
"What’s going on, Byron?" Cass finally asked when he could tell that no one else was nearby. Byron’s arms were crossed, his smirk in place as he stared at Cass. Cass had his back to the door, to the exit, but he didn’t view Byron as a threat.
Maybe he should have, but he couldn’t bring himself to consider him that way.
"Nothing, my Lord." Byron said, trying to bullshit him and lie to him. Cass crossed his arms, staring at the dragon before him. He’d spent too long with Lucian and his big, puppy-dog eyes to trust him.
"You’re too fucking young Byron, to think you can pull the wool over my eyes. What’s going on? Why are you looking at me like that?" Cass demanded and he watched as Byron’s expression shifted. He seemed shocked.
"You...can tell?" He asked and Cass had the sudden, uncomfortable realisation that maybe, just maybe, he was wrong about something. Maybe Byron hadn’t just started looking at him like this, maybe this was just the first time that Cass had picked up on it.
Cass didn’t like that feeling, because it meant that he’d been going through the world thus far muted. He’d been missing a defense that he hadn’t even known about until now, and Cass let out a small noise of complaint.
"Have you been looking at me like this the whole damn time?" Cass demanded and Byron flinched.
"Uh, no?" He said cautiously, but Cass could tell he was only trying to tell as much as he could get away with. Cass clenched his teeth,
"How long, Byron? Given that I have a feeling I know a bit about why dragons look at others like that, I doubt it would have been when Lucian was around." Cass told him and watched as the mask that Byron had been wearing faded. He looked a little...confused more than anything else.
"Why now are you picking up on it? Does it have to do with your soul merging?" He asked, less of Cass and more out loud. Cass grumbled.
"So it really has been a long time. You damn jerk. How could you? You’re a damn baby." Byron flushed, and it looked a little ridiculous with his teal-coloured hair.
"I’m older than you." Byron countered. Cass huffed.
"You’ve been an adult for less than a year, Byron. I am older than you through two lifetimes." Cass countered and Byron grumbled. He looked like he wanted to complain, but he held his tongue.
