Chapter 111: Why do you think I can trust you?
"As a Doctor, I am always going to recommend a more personal, more natural method compared to what Lord Blackburn and I were discussing. Of course, his opinions on this matter most, Lord Draken." The Doctor said and suddenly Cass was faced with a bright eyed, smiling Draken. Draken had shoved Sam aside, coming around the front of the loveseat and cutting off Cass’ vision of the Doctor, and everyone else, quite frankly. Cass tried to keep his gaze on places that were respectable, but it was hard.
Draken was wearing a shirt that showed off his chest, after all. Bent as he was, the loose fabric was showing off a lot of him. Cass needed to steal his heart and his mind.
Sam was forgotten, even as he sputtered, as Draken shoved his way into Cass’ personal space, his face mere inches from his own.
"Cassian." He started and Cass was already frowning.
"No, Draken." Cass replied tartly, firmly and Draken was not deterred. The dragon forged ahead.
"You should listen to the Doctor in this regard, shouldn’t you? I would be delighted to help. No, it would be a great honour. I will make sure you are comfortable, and well taken care of. It would be enjoyable for you." Draken was coaxing, his words soft. His orange eyes were big, wide, and Cass could watch as the pupils shook, moving quickly between human and decidedly inhuman slitted pupils. It was tempting, Cass wouldn’t deny.
But Cass wasn’t budging.
"While that may be the case, I can’t trust you, Draken." Draken froze, staring into Cass’ unmoving eyes, his expression firm. Draken swallowed, scanning his expression and realising that it wasn’t changing. The confidence he had, the self-assured nature faded in between one breath and the next. Cass heard the couch crunch under his hands and tried not to flinch or panic at that sound.
"You can’t...trust me?" Draken repeated slowly, seeming very surprised by what Cass had said. Cass had no idea why. It wasn’t as if he had hidden that he had some problems with him, and Draken knew that. Cass had fucking told him.
Just because they were on better terms right now didn’t mean that he could trust him. He also didn’t want the man anywhere near his dick. Cass didn’t trust him, especially when it was so clear to him that he was looking at this as an opportunity to get closer to Cass.
Cass didn’t think of the next month’s week in the same way. Draken had felt what Cass had felt. Not the lust, apparently, but everything else. How in the world could the man look at him like this after knowing what he’d gone through? Was he fucking mad? Or was it so easy for him to get over, even when as soon as he knew that Cass was out of it, he’d rushed here to see him?
Was he dumb? Or did his memory reset too?
"Draken, I don’t want to talk about this right now. There are too many things to consider, and I need to get some rest. We can talk about this later." Cass told him, not answering his previous question and Draken’s gaze dropped. He was still caging Cass in, but he looked...pitiful. If he was anyone else, Cass would have thought it was a ploy. Especially if it had been Vespertine.
"Oh. Okay." Draken pulled away, looking quite upset and sad. He let out a terribly loud sigh, glancing around at Sam who was near Cass on the couch still, and the Doctor, who was still finishing up their work. Draken sniffed, before he turned and headed for the door. "I’ll go let the others know that they can come in." Draken murmured, and Cass was not going to let him make him feel bad for saying no. Even if he could feel his heart aching for the man. He was blaming that sympathy on Lord Blackburn, who despite his actions, apparently had a bleeding fucking heart. Maybe just for Draken, but dear lord, was it a lot.
This wasn’t Cass’ body, and it also wasn’t Draken’s fucking choice what he decided to do. If he decided to use an aide, that was his problem, not Draken’s. Just because he got a little excited, and a little curious about what Cass went through didn’t mean that Draken wasn’t the reason he even had access to Lord Blackburn’s body in the first place.
Repeating that to himself, Cass steadied himself as the door closed behind Draken’s form. Sam cast Cass a worried look.
"Was...that the right thing to do?" Sam asked, and Cass glanced at him. He thought Sam didn’t like Draken, so this was quite the surprise. Did Sam want him to spend his next...week with Draken? That was unexpected.
"He’s just curious, Sam. he’ll get over it once he gets a taste, and I just don’t feel like humouring him right now." Sam nodded, before he hesitated. Cass waited as Sam worked up the courage to speak his next words.
"Is that the same for all of his kind?" Cass now had an inkling as to why Sam was asking for clarification, but Cass didn’t have the answers. He didn’t know. He wasn’t a dragon expert.
"I’m unsure if it’s just a Draken thing. I haven’t met many of his kind. They are supposed to be rare." Cass knew he sounded a bit bitter about that, but it wasn’t a slight against Byron. He was just worried.
The longer he stayed around Draken, Lady Fiona, and the rest of them, the more likely he was to run into beings and creatures that were supposed to be rare. Hell, the Doctor before him could be one of said creatures. They were suspicious enough that it could be the case, but Cass didn’t even want to ask to find out.
That was none of his damn business.
There was a knock on the door before Sir Forsythe and Byron came in. There was a slight shock as Cass realised that Draken wasn’t with them, and something awful twisted in his gut. Just because he said no, the man ran away. Figures. Everyone was like that. As soon as you said no, they never stuck around. You didn’t give them what they wanted, and so you had no more use. Cass tried to ignore how much that hurt to realise. Fuck. Maybe he had begun to trust him.
"Where is Draken?" Sam asked, confused, and Byron and Sir Forsythe shared a look.
"Well, we were waiting patiently for your call, my Lord, when Byron heard a disturbance at the doors to your rooms. I went to go interfere, and found that Lady Fiona, Lord Vespertine and Lady Ava were there. They...saw me leave and come back to the mansion and were curious who I had brought at this time of night, and so secretly." Sir Forsythe recounted what had happened, but Cass had a feeling there was more to it.
With the way that Lady Ava was turning, there had to be more to it. Especially since Byron looked like he was ready to fight someone, and Sir Forsythe’s hands were clenched, his eyes sharp.
"I see. Did you tell them?" Cass asked and Sir Forsythe shook his head.
"Of course not. While Lady Fiona might be entitled to information about you as your wife, the others have no such rights. I refused to tell them, but said I would tell Lady Fiona on her own. She just was not allowed to disclose it to anyone else. None of them liked that." Sir Forsythe sighed. "Things were about to escalate when Draken arrived." Ah. The sharp, uncomfortable feeling in Cass’ gut shifted, and he let out a soft exhale.
"I see." Cass replied. Sam’s movement beside him had Cass looking towards him. Sam had a determined look on his face.
"Shall I go give them a piece of my mind? I’ve been meaning to. Not a single word or guard was sent to check on him, and now they show up as soon as they can accuse our Lord of something nefarious when all you did is get a Doctor? All because Lady Ava cried once about having another healer in this mansion and now the mansion lacks one?" Cass was surprised by Sam’s hatred of Lady Ava, and how it was only getting worse.
What had happened when he had been out of service?
"No, Sam. That’s not needed. I’m sure Draken is...dealing with them sufficiently." Cass was, admittedly, worried about what Draken was doing, but he also knew that either one of them would have stayed behind if they thought that Draken would have done something to hurt Cass’ standing.
Both of them had interacted with him personally now, so he had some trust in what they thought of the dragon’s capabilities. He was relying on that feeling since he knew he couldn’t confront them himself. Well, not as a strong, powerful Lord Blackburn.
Wait...it might be fun to make them feel terrible for suspecting him. Should he-?
"Doctor, how much longer do you think you have until you need to leave again?" Cass asked and the Doctor looked at the things laid out before them.
"Well, after payment, I probably have only a few more moments. Why?" Cass grinned, glancing at Sam.
"Sam, please make sure that the Good Doctor is paid. Byron, you’ll be carrying me back to my rooms. Sir Forsythe, you’ll be at the front with our guest in between me and you. Sam, you can be wherever you like. I am sure Draken is having a fun time dealing with those fools. I should go make sure he is doing okay."