Chapter 123: Don’t worry, there’s enough Draken to go around
The footsteps stopped outside of the door, before there was a loud knock. Cass swallowed.
"Come in?" He said, knowing full well who was on the other side. Draken pushed the door open, his face not hiding his anger and upset.
"What were those feelings just now? You’ve been feeling-why are you crying, Fiona? Did you two argue about me?" Draken looked upset and baffled. Cass and Lady Fiona shared a look, before both of them burst into laughter. Lady Fiona was the first, her shoulders shaking while Cass tried to stop himself, but was unable to.
Draken stood before them, the door closed to the study, his hands on his waist, and a frown making his brows furrow.
"This is not funny if you two were arguing about me. I would not like it. I know I am a catch, but I do not want my wife or my husband arguing." Draken insisted and Cass shook his head. He was being very full of himself, but it wasn’t a bad thing. They had needed comedic relief, he was just a little late. Cass didn’t know how this bond between them worked, but maybe there was a delay when they had enough distance between them?
He didn’t want to look into it more, but he might have to. For his own safety.
"No, we weren’t arguing about you. Lady Fiona just had something in her eye, and needed some advice." Draken froze, turning his gaze to Cass before he narrowed it.
"Those are not the eyes of someone who got something stuck in their eye, Cassian." He accused and Cass raised an eyebrow.
"Are you going to argue with me about this? How would you know? You have two eyelids. I bet you get nothing stuck in your eyes." Cass said and Lady Fiona sat in silence, watching the two interact. She had a slightly warped smile on her face, her own emotions affecting her. Cass didn’t care enough to know what they were, now that they weren’t alone.
Draken huffed, rolling his shoulders, his hands still on his hips. "This feels targeted. I may not be human, but that doesn’t mean I go around with my eyelids all the time. I can shape shift to be the perfect human, Cassian. I just let it slip around you because you like it." Cass gasped, his mouth hanging open. Lady Fiona’s gaze snapped to Cass’ face as he turned bright red, and Draken smirked, his eyes curling at the corners as he stared at him. "See? Your face is telling me all I need to know." Cass snapped his mouth shut.
"I just find it fascinating, that’s all! I’m not around non-humans that much, and I’ve also never had that much contact with others either." Cass huffed, flushed, and Draken smirked.
"Or they just didn’t tell you." He teased and Cass shook his head.
"No. My grandfather is racist, Draken. He thinks those who aren’t human are below him." Draken’s brow furrowed, the humour fading as Lady Fiona shifted uncomfortably across from him.
"But...you’re half fairy." Draken said. "So, he must have changed his mind, right?" Cass looked away from Draken, his lips twisting into a painful smile. Lady Fiona swallowed.
"The Duke is an asshole." Lady Fiona stated, and Draken turned his gaze towards her.
"What? Have you met him?" Lady Fiona chuckled.
"Draken, you’ve met him. Lord Cassian wasn’t able to attend the party, but the rest of us did. This was about four months ago. The Kingdom threw a party and all of the Duke’s were there. He was an elderly man who had orange eyes. That’s...well, it was the telltale sign of a Blackburn before." A shiver went down Cass’ spine. He didn’t know that. That hadn’t been mentioned anywhere.
Yet Cass...Lord Blackburn had red eyes. What had Lord Blackburn said when he’d spoken to him? He said that, or implied that he knew more than he let on, and that was why he wasn’t able to leave his body completely and their monthly episodes were linked. So, intrinsically, they were linked to the gods.
A horrible, awful feeling filled his gut as Cass remembered something.
The gods weren’t the only ones who could make contracts.
Lord Blackburn wouldn’t have, would he? If he had, this felt...way too fucking early. Cass shouldn’t worry about this at the moment. This wasn’t related to his eye colour, or why he was the black sheep of the Blackburn family. Hell, he was the only sheep of the Blackburn family, even if his Grandfather wanted it to be otherwise.
"Oh, he was one of those old men who came to speak to us? He wasn’t that impressive." Draken snorted and Cass felt his shoulders shake as he began to laugh again.
"That’s nice to hear, considering how awful and how much power he holds." Cass said, and Lady Fiona’s face twisted as Cass spoke. "He’s the reason why people who like the same gender aren’t safe, Draken. He’s a bigot, just awful, and perpetrates crimes against those he deems lesser." Lady Fiona didn’t look particularly well hearing it out loud, but Draken’s face didn’t change much.
"I know he’s family to you, but...did you want me to deal with him?" Draken asked casually. Cass, who felt like his head was swimming with thoughts he hadn’t really considered before, turned his gaze towards Draken. He’d managed to say something so outlandish that he was able to get his mind off of the thought that Lord Blackburn had made a contract with a demon.
If he was honest, it made complete sense. The sub villain, linking up with the main villain. In most stories it would make sense. Cass just...couldn’t really see the vision in this story. It didn’t make sense, really, if Lord Blackburn wanted power. Because it wasn’t like humans couldn’t become demons.
That happened sometimes when humans made contracts with demons. Sometimes they turned into demons through the contract. That was a possibility for Lord Blackburn, which could mean that if they got rid of the demon king, he could become the next one.
If that had been his plan. So why did he need to steal the final item at the end? It was supposed to kill the demon king, but whatever he tried to use it for, it didn’t work and he ended up dying in the end? What had he been trying to put an end to? What was Lord Blackburn not telling him?
"Cassian? Was that too much of a shock?" Draken’s voice broke through Cass’ thoughts again, and he jerked, surprising both Lady Fiona and Draken who had been watching him. Cass blinked a few times, before he shook his head slowly, frowning.
"Sorry. I just had...something to think about. No, you can’t kill him. I need to get something from him first, and I have no doubt that he’ll put something ridiculous in place if he dies so that I don’t get it." Lady Fiona’s face tightened.
"He wouldn’t be that petty, would he?" She asked and Cass gave her a look.
"Lady Fiona, I’m the Duke in everything but name. The old man is conniving, otherwise I’m certain my father wouldn’t have been chased out of his seat." She looked a little shocked at the honest way that Cass was speaking about this, but she seemed to...like it.
"Is that all the work you’ve been doing?" Draken asked, and Cass nodded, turning and gesturing with his wrapped hands around the study.
"Yup. And also why that damn little snitch is nearby." He muttered and Lady Fiona and Draken stared at him in confusion.
"A snitch? Who? I’ll deal with them." Draken said, smacking his chest. Cass hated that he had the brief thought that he wanted to see his pecs jiggle. He was sure that they would. Cass cleared his throat.
"Not a snitch that would bother you. A snitch just for me." Cass muttered, glancing at the bookcase that was out of its normal place, pressed against a part of the wall that no one would think there was a staircase. He was still pissed that he’d snuck someone in during the planning phase and that they had made secret passages in Lord Blackburn’s fucking mansion.
Lady Fiona followed his gaze, but she just stared at the bookcase, not understanding. Cass didn’t blame her. She wouldn’t know. He was pretty sure the only reason Draken would be able to catch on to what was going on was the same reason Byron found out in the first place.
Draken’s nostrils flared, and he followed Cass and Lady Fiona’s gaze. For a moment, nothing happened, before the colour of his eyes flared and a rumble sounded. Cass knew it originated from Draken, but it felt like the loveseat he was sitting in shook. Lady Fiona had the same feeling, as she braced.
"They’ve been watching you? Following you?" Draken rumbled, his anger washing over them.
"Draken, it’s not-"
"I’ll kill them. Not bothering me fucking bullshit. They’re spying on my husband. I should have their neck. Should I follow my husbands example and torture them in public so the other idiots realise that they have no where to hide?" Draken rumbled, and Cass glanced at Lady Fiona, but she wasn’t much help.
She also looked pissed.
"L-Lucian, I already have a plan!" Cass shouted, a last ditch effort.