Chapter 130: He was a fairy
"Uh, how far are we going?" Cass asked nervously. Draken was grinning widely, his eyes sparkling as he carried Cass in his arms like a damn princess again, his arms tucked into his lap. Cass felt uncomfortable, and hated that he had agreed to this.
Draken looked like he was meant to be in the forest. He hadn’t changed his outfit. He was wearing pretty much the exact same thing that he’d been wearing the whole time Cass knew him. Cass was hoping that the man had multiple of the same outfits considering that the others changed clothes, but with Draken? Who knew? At least he didn’t smell.
Cass however, knew he was wearing an outfit that was against being out in the woods. It had frills, and lace, and the colour was...to be desired. Okay, maybe he was like an exotic bird. A male one. Like a bird of paradise or something. He wasn’t supposed to fit in because he was-
He was not looking for a mate. He was just a male bird.
Damn it, he really hoped the clothing trend took off soon. He should check in with Sam and see how far along their plans were. He, tragically, was getting used to how gaudy his rooms were, even if he still woke up with a daze and a headache as soon as he saw all the colours.
"Cassian, don’t worry that pretty little head of yours. I’m going just far enough. There’s a clearing up ahead with a pretty little pond, and some nice boulders. I thought you would like it, because then you can sit down and play around with the water. Or, conversely, we can put out whatever fire you start on accident with the water." Draken’s tone was light, excited, and Cass felt his chest squeeze.
What the fuck? When did Draken get this thoughtful? Before he had been so pushy and aggressive and rude, and now he was out here finding clearings for them to practise magic that Cass would like? How did he even know that Cass would like it? Was he stalking him?
Cass realised, belatedly, that Draken had called him pretty. He sputtered.
"I-I am not pretty!" He declared loudly and Draken halted in his steps. They had left Sam behind and had taken Byron with them, but Draken had sent him far enough away that he could still be there in a second if Cass shouted, but they had a bit of privacy. So, they were basically alone.
Draken stared at him, blinking a few times before his expression shifted. He looked confused.
"Wait, you mean that?" Draken asked and Cass’ mouth opened.
"Of course I mean that? What man wants to be called pretty?" Draken thought about Cass’ words for a long, hard second, before he nodded slowly.
"I think I’d like to be called pretty, by you or Fiona. Yeah. I think I would really like that. My scales are super shiny, and pretty. So, yeah, I’d like that." Cass didn’t know what to say about that since he sounded so damn sincere. It was annoying, actually.
’W-Well, human men don’t like to be called pretty, Draken." Cass huffed, turning his head away. Draken started walking again, glancing at Cass a few times, probably hoping that he would look at him again, but Cass kept his gaze forward, avoiding him.
"Can’t you call me Lucian? At this point, I’ll even take Lucy. It feels rude and targeted that you continue to call me by my human last name. I also don’t like to be in the same category as Edgar or Gideon. And you also aren’t just human. You’re also part fairy, and they love to be called pretty. That’s where you get these cute, slightly pointed ears from." Cass let out a silent scream when Draken tugged on the corners of his ears with his teeth.
He hadn’t even noticed it before. Who the hell would? Why would he check out his ears when his hair usually covered them?
Cass reached up with a bandaged hand and shoved Draken’s face away.
"It’s actions like that that make me not want to call you by your name." Cass told him coldly, his cheeks flushed. Damn the man. One second, he was swooning, the next he wanted to strangle him. Fucking pick a damn lane, Draken! Cass only started putting up with your behaviour because Lord Blackburn thought you were hot!
"I just wanted to point it out, and my hands are full right now." Draken protested. "Would it have been better if I used my tongue?" He asked innocently.
"No! It would not have been better if you used your tongue!" Cass nearly shouted and Draken chuckled.
"That’s not what they normally say." He teased and Cass frowned.
"I am not like the others." He protested. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be seduced. He just wanted to learn magic, and leave. Hit it and quit it.
They broke through the canopy of trees and stepped into a clearing. Cass felt his anger halt for a second as he took in the beautiful scenery. Draken was right. It was a cute pond. There were several large boulders nearby, perfect for sitting, and if he wasn’t with a damn dragon, he was sure this area was a reprieve for other small creatures. Birds, small rodents, the whole lot.
It was...it was nice. He could admit that much.
"I see you like the area I’ve chosen." Draken’s soft, proud voice filled Cass’ ears and he gasped, forgetting that Draken was so close. Cass grumbled, not wanting to admit to shit, but when he slid his gaze towards Draken, he knew that it was already too late. The man could tell he was enchanted with the area, and his little happy smirk told him all he needed to know.
Cass turned his gaze away, frustrated, and knew his face was flushed.
Draken chuckled, not saying another word until he cleared the large patch of grass and flowers between them and the boulders, and gently placed Cass on his feet. Cass used Draken’s arms for stability, but only for a second before he looked around. It was...nice. The sun was out, it was nice and warm, and the smell of grass and flowers relaxed something inside of Cass that he didn’t know was tense.
Draken also remained silent, quiet, as Cass continued to take in everything. He let him wander around, taking his time. Draken sat down on a boulder nearby, and that bit of trust did something to Cass.
The man was a hoverer. He knew it. But he was letting Cass, with bandaged hands and injuries on his body, wander around like he knew what he was doing. Like he trusted him to know when he’d reached his limit. Even if it was an illusion, it was a nice one, and he appreciated it.
Cass took his time, enjoying the outside for what it was, and when he wandered back over to Draken, he noticed that Draken’s expression had softened in a way that Cass couldn’t recognise the emotion. Cass’ emotions had mellowed out enough that he just didn’t really care.
"I had wondered, since your fairy traits weren’t as obvious as the others, how it affected you, but I can see now that you just hold them rather tight to your chest. You’re glowing in this clearing." Draken told him, and Cass grew slightly uncomfortable at the compliment.
Cass had always been like this. He’d always liked parks and the outdoors since he was a kid. He wasn’t a backpacker or liked to go camping or anything like that, but he just liked...outside. He would admit, and say that he’d once borrowed a bird book from the library once. He had learned that near his house were a lot of crows, chickadees, and a few other songbirds that he found interesting.
"This is just-I am not glowing." Cass retorted, uncertain, and Draken just smiled at him.
"Sure. You aren’t glowing." Draken agreed easily, readily. He held out a hand, gesturing to one of the boulders. "Why don’t you sit down now and we can talk about your magic, hmm? I can try to see how I can help, since I know you still have it even if it’s a little different from what it used to be." Draken’s voice was soft, deep and warm. Cass wasn’t sure what to think about that, but he slowly approached and sat down. He was one boulder away from him, not the two like he wanted to sit.
He watched Draken as his eyes crinkled up with his smile, as if he knew it was Cass’ petty way of putting some distance between them. He didn’t comment on it, but Cass could feel that he knew.
"Uh, I have something to confess." Cass said, and Draken just waited. He didn’t get mad as Cass hesitated. "I...was able to use some magic after my week from hell." Cass told him and Draken’s gaze widened slightly.
"How? You aren’t able to use your hands." Draken asked, curious. He wasn’t accusatory, just genuinely interested. Cass swallowed. He knew enough of the magic in this world to understand that what he had done, magic without chanting or swinging his hands and fingers was...odd. His only guess was that because a ’god’ had gotten involved, even if delayed, this was the outcome.
"Uh, well, it was...chantless. And I didn’t have to use my hands in the slightest." Cass began to ramble before Draken could jump in. "I know that’s unusual. Spells are supposed to have verbal or somatic components, but I just-I just thought really hard and it happened!" Cass told him, the words spilling out of him.
Draken was watching him, his eyes slightly narrowed, his expression thoughtful.
"Interesting." Draken said. "Hmm, but you’ve performed spells in a way like this before, but I guess since your memory was affected that you don’t fully remember that. Granted, you’ve never just thought something and it happened. You usually just waved your hands and a fireball would fly my way." Draken said, and Cass felt his chest squeeze.
Ugh. He couldn’t even get mad at Lord Blackburn now for the memory loss. Not now at least. Draken was easily accepting whatever he told him, and unfortunately, it was having the undesirable effect of Cass feeling his body relax.
Damn it. He could feel himself beginning to trust this man.