Chapter 297: Like a big sister
As usual, or as Cass was finding out, the two men made sure that Cass was all cleaned up and somewhat presentable before anyone else saw him. Whether it was out of possessiveness or consideration, Cass wasn’t really willing to look at it too deeply right now.
He was fighting his own embarrassment at the moment.
He knew that he’d gotten into the carriage knowing that something like this could happen. He’d stepped willingly into the dragon’s den. Pun intended. That didn’t really mean he was ready for the consequences of his actions.
Cass felt like his heart was going to beat out of his damn chest. He was short of breath, he felt like his vision was a little blurry, and he was trying to get a grasp of the situation but could barely hear the other men talking.
He was grateful that they hadn’t opened the door to the carriage yet, because he needed to get himself under control first.
’-s, Cass!" Edgar’s voice cut through the dazed, embarrassed state that Cass was in and he turned, meeting the concerned gaze of Edgar. Edgar reached out, cupping Cass’ face.
Cass had thought that they were going to move him from out of Lucian’s lap, but that wasn’t the case. He was still there, but in a more comfortable position. Edgar was still to his right now, and he was staring at him with very concerned eyes. The blue was still monstrous, still glowing, but beyond that his fangs were back in and he looked human.
"What?" Cass asked, trying to sound annoyed. Instead, he just sounded tired. Edgar didn’t seem soothed. When Cass looked towards Lucian, he had the same concerned look on his face.
"Are you alright? I feel like this happens almost every time we do something together." Edgar said carefully and Cass flushed. He opened his mouth, closed it, before he closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands. He let out a groan, not really wanting to explain what was happening because he wasn’t even fully certain.
"It’s...getting close to the time that I normally have to lock myself away for a week. I think...it’s just bleeding into my normal life." Cass muttered. Edgar didn’t really know what that meant, but Lucian did.
His grip on Cass’ waist tightened.
"It’s coming so soon? I thought you had more time." Lucian said quietly and Cass felt his face warm more. The concern in his voice only made this more embarrassing.
"Yeah, well, that’s the only reason I can come up with. Otherwise I wouldn’t-" Cass cut off. That wasn’t quite true, and there was no reason to hurt their feelings right now. Cass grumbled. "Either way, I think I’m reacting like this and getting...dazed after because of it. I think it’s connected." Cass told them quietly and Lucian let out a soft sigh.
"That’s...there is no other way to say that it’s concerning, Cass. I’m sure you’re worried." Lucian spoke quietly, and Cass appreciated it. They were soft spoken words about something that was greatly impacting not only Cass’ life, but Lord Blackburn’s.
Cass closed his eyes, letting the worry wash over him before he shook himself.
"Who was knocking outside?" Cass asked, pushing the concern to the back of his mind. He could worry about it later. He would worry about it later. He could assign it to someone else. Like Sam.
Lucian and Edgar shared a look, as if they didn’t like Cass’ behaviour and were considering whether or not they were going to drop it. Lucian eventually sighed, releasing one of Cass’ hips to push his hand through his hair.
"It’s Fiona. She’s worried about you, and also apparently wanted to speak to you." Lucian told him. He wasn’t happy in the slightest. Cass knew that he was running away from the issue at hand but why was Lucian upset about it? They’d just...had a moment together. He should be over the moon, in Cass’ opinion.
Cass slowly raised his hands up, using the top of the carriage as support as he got out of Lucian’s lap. The man looked extra unhappy now as Cass slowly stood up, adjusting himself and making sure he was able to walk. He was, but his legs felt like damn jelly. Was this going to happen every fucking time?
That was annoying.
Cass turned his back to the two men, ignoring the way that they were looking at him as he headed for the door.
"I should go speak to her. She might rip the door off otherwise." Cass joked and Edgar let out a soft sigh behind him.
"She’s not a monster, Cass. She’d knock first." Edgar told him and Cass snorted. Fiona, while she was human, shared more traits with a dragon than anyone else. She may be human, but that felt like only in name. Once you got ’hero’ attached to you in any capacity, things got a little strange.
"Hmm. I’d hope so." Cass said before he opened the door and found that he was in front of his own house. Sir Sanders stood in front of Fiona, keeping her from the door. Fiona looked pissed, upset, and it was only Ser Hune nearby who was keeping her from truly exploding.
"My Lord. You were in there for quite some time." Ser Hune said. He would have taken her words at face value if it wasn’t for the sparkle in her silver eyes. Cass felt his face heat more, while he avoided looking at Fiona in her entirety.
It had nothing to do with the fact that she was pissed. It had everything to do with the fact that Cass had caught her and Lady Ava coming home one night, and now here she was, doing the exact same thing to Cass. Did he believe with every fiber of his being that he hadn’t gone as far as she had?
Yes.
Did it make the shocked, judgmental stare easier? Of course not.
Cass stepped down and out of the carriage, clearing his throat as Fiona continued to stare at him, and then stared at Lucian and Edgar as they got out of the carriage behind him. Lucian looked grim, while Edgar gave her a smile and a wave, his hat in one hand.
"Cass, may I have a word?" Fiona finally said and Cass frowned. He had no idea what had gotten her worked up like this, but he wasn’t exactly sure if he wanted to know. He should be a big boy about this though.
It was free information. That’s what it was. Fiona hadn’t caught them at a bad moment. That wasn’t it either.
"Sure." Cass said carefully, and Sir Sanders let out a soft sigh.
"Ser Hune is going to take over as your guard while I oversee the unloading of the carriages, my Lord." Sir Sanders said and Cass glanced at him. Lucian stepped in almost immediately.
"I can oversee the carriages being unloaded." He said easily, and quickly. Sir Sanders turned his gaze towards the taller man, his face unmoving. He continued to stare at Lucian like that before he closed his eyes and let out a louder, more exhausted sigh.
"You are not my lord, Lord Lucian." Sir Sanders said coldly, before sliding his gaze to Cass. Cass was unsure why these two were...fighting? It didn’t really feel like...fighting actually. Cass wasn’t exactly sure what was going on.
Ser Hune burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes closed, her laughter doubling her over.
"Stop being so cute, you two. I’m fine, and more than capable of doing anything, alright? Lord Lucian, if you treat me like this, I’m going to have to get my Lord to punish you for underestimating me." Ser Hune threatened, a smile on her lips. Lucian looked appalled, but at the same time, resigned.
Cass wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. While Lucian had seemed to like Ser Hune, they hadn’t been overly close before. Cass blinked. Wait, did Lucian, with his big fucking ears, overhear something that he shouldn’t? Or witness something he shouldn’t, and now he was sworn to secrecy? That was making Cass curious.
Ser Hune walked towards her husband, cupping his face. Sir Sanders’ expression didn’t shift, but colour did rise on his cheeks.
"And you," Ser Hune started softly, "need to not be so damn protective. Who would always win our fights before we started dating, hmm?" Ser Hune murmured quietly and Cass felt like he was listening in on something he shouldn’t be. Like he had walked in on his sister flirting with her husband.
Cass let out a gasp as his eyes widened.
His sister...Lucian being overprotective...the nursery tree...
"Wait. Is this what I think this is?" Cass asked, shocked as he stared at Ser Hune, Sir Sanders, and Lucian. Edgar and Fiona looked like they were completely lost. Honestly, if Cass hadn’t thought that Ser Hune was behaving like his sister, he probably wouldn’t have made the connection either.
Ser Hune’s grin was infectious as she stared at the shocked, pale, well kissed Cass. Her eyes curled up at the corners as she raised a finger to her lips.
"Unsure so far, so keep it to yourself, my Lord." Cass gulped, his hand rising to his chest. He placed it over his heart, feeling it race under his hand. That was a big deal. Cass still wasn’t fully sure how fairies had babies, but this was...
"Is it because of...where we are?" Cass asked softly and Ser Hune’s expression softened. With great hesitation she stepped towards Cass, reached out a hand, and halted. Then, as if it was natural, she pressed her hand against Cass’ cheek. If it had been anyone else Cass would have pushed them away.
It was Ser Hune though. She wouldn’t hurt him.
"Partially. Mostly because...I felt it was time. This tree..." She closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling as she inhaled and exhaled slowly. "It feels...I resonate with it. I’ve already spoken to it, and they’ve agreed to take on the task. Now, it’s just up to us." Ser Hune opened her eyes, the sparkling silver making Cass’ eyes widen. "Wish us luck, my Lord." Ser Hune said with a wide, teasing grin. "I can tell you are also hard at work." She teased and Cass flushed.
He was more focused on the wonder in Ser Hune’s voice, at her statement that he brushed off her teasing.
"Yeah yeah. Whatever. If that’s the plan, let Sir Sanders attempt to take care of you. The earlier months are the most dangerous." Cass said, speaking from experience. He’d had to stop his sister more than once from doing something ridiculous. "Lifting what you normally would can cause-" He halted, aware that others were around. "Problems." He finished, clearing his throat before he gave her a pointed look. "As your Lord, listen to your husband, Ser Hune." Cass told her.
Ser Hune’s grin faded for a moment before it came back in full force and she reached out, ruffling his hair. It was so against what a normal guard would do to their hired lord, but they had a strange relationship to begin with.
"Wow. I never expected that you would be so well versed in these topics! You must really like reading, my lord! With that being said, I guess I will have to listen to all of you blockheads about this." Ser Hune grinned. "Thank you for being so concerned, but it isn’t like women haven’t been doing this for centuries." She teased and Cass grumbled.
"Yeah, and the men around them will always worry. Have some sympathy for the man whose ass you beat in school and then married, would you? Look, he’s sad." Cass gestured to Sir Sanders, hoping that he would get the memo. He did.
The man’s ears drooped, and he gave the best big dog eyes imaginable. Ser Hune laughed, a hand on her stomach as she did so.
"Oh, you’re going to gang up on me? Not a chance. Come on, my Lord, Lady Fiona. You had something urgent to tell my Lord, right?" Ser Hune said, cutting off conversation about herself. Fiona, who looked suspicious of the whole situation, nodded, while Edgar seemed to still be in the dark.
Cass snorted as Ser Hune slid her hand into his and dragged him towards the door.
"I’ll be borrowing our lord then! Bye bye!" She called in a singsong voice, waving behind her. "Behave, you foolish men!" She said, giving them a wink as Fiona trailed after her. Cass was glad he had her on his side. She was a breath of fresh air.