Chapter 177: An old dog can learn new tricks
"Fiona, I know that we know a lot about-Lucian! Go back!" Cass turned, shouting at the other man as he approached. He was anxious, he’d just heard that Fiona wasn’t going to leave him alone out of solidarity, and he was crying for a completely different reason now.
Lucian jerked to a stop, his eyes going wide, before his gaze hardened and he came over. He grabbed the back of Cass’ neck, the exact same way that Fiona had, and forced Cass’ head against his own, rubbing their foreheads together. Cass had never seen him do this, and he had no concept of what kind of move this was.
Cass was at a loss, unsure what to do, what to say when he pulled away, releasing him.
"I’ll leave again. I just wanted to check on you. You’re going through waves, and Fiona’s behaviour towards you made me worried. You are treating him well, Fiona?" Lucian kept his hand on Cass’ neck and Cass felt his whole face go red.
His mouth went dry as he grappled with the feelings inside of him. When Fiona had grabbed the back of his neck with her strong, used hands, it had felt like a support but also a threat. When Lucian did it? It felt like a brand. His hand, like Fiona’s, had rough calluses on it, and Cass’ neck, Lord Blackburn’s neck was that of a man who was studious, inside. He didn’t do physical labour so his skin felt even more aware of his rougher skin.
Cass had a feeling that if any of them, like Lord Ridgewood, Fiona, or Lucian touched Cass in the wrong way he might get a red mark on his skin.
Cass tried desperately not to think of Lucian’s hand against any part of his skin. Holy hell.
Fiona was staring at Lucian, before dropping her gaze to Cass. She took in everything, the way Cass was breathing, his face lightly pink, while Lucian’s grip on Cass’ neck was firm. Finally, she opened her mouth.
"You never looked at me like that." She said. Cass felt his eyes bulge at the simple was she said it. No jealously, no embarrassment, nothing. As if she was just talking about the weather, and not her marriage.
Lucian’s grip on the back of Cass’ neck tightened.
"What do you mean by that?" Lucian asked. "Have I done you wrong? Are you upset about that?" He asked and Fiona’s lips turned up slightly.
"Lucy, do I look upset?" She asked, a small, teasing tone to her voice while Cass felt uncomfortable. He wanted to continue talking about what they had been, but with the addition of Lucian, he was worried the others were going to come over. Then he’d never be able to talk about this again.
"You...You don’t look upset, but I do have a hard time telling what some humans feel sometimes." Lucian muttered, and Cass wanted to jerk his head towards him to stare at him, see his expression. He wasn’t able to move at all with the way that Lucian was holding him. Fiona chuckled lightly.
"I’m not upset at all. I’m just interested in the way you treat us differently. I am your wife, but it’s clear to me that Cassian is more valuable to you. Is that just because he’s bonded to you?" Cass felt his stomach turn. What the hell was she doing? While he was here? He didn’t want to know this!
"Of course not. While I enjoy both of your company, I have always enjoyed Cassian’s company a bit more. When we would spar before he’d lost his powers for a little bit, he was so much fun to be around. Trying to read his emotions was hard, and he was always so smart. Still is. He’s funny, and strong in ways that compliment me. Why wouldn’t I treat him better? You and I are married because we are so similar." It was a peek into Lucian’s inner thoughts, and Cass wasn’t sure what to do with the glimpse he saw.
Fiona stepped forward, placing her hand on Lucian’s shoulder.
"I’ll try to make sure that you two share a tent going forward. I’m worried for Cassian since he wasn’t able to sleep against the floor above the dungeon. Now that we are in the dungeon, I doubt he’ll be able to even touch the ground with the length of his body. And Lucy, you don’t have to worry about me." Cass wasn’t sure what was going on. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around this.
Was...Was Fiona trying to wingman him again? After the disaster she caused last time?
"I’m not going to do anything without Cassian’s consent this time. I didn’t like what happened last time, and since he hasn’t said anything, I’m not going to do anything. I’ll leave you two alone now." Lucian’s words washed over Cass. It wasn’t quite a cooling effect, but it was something similar. Cass wasn’t sure what to do.
Lucian was...respecting his boundaries? Not going to bulldoze everything because he wanted to? Cass could even feel the hesitation in his grip because he didn’t want to let go of Cass, but he did.
Cass was finally able to sit up properly and he was able to see how Lucian kept glancing behind him as he walked away. He looked anxious being away from him, and Cass wasn’t sure what to do with that information. Fiona’s soft chuckle had Cass jerking his head in her direction.
She had a soft, warm smile on her face and Cass felt himself go pale.
"He’s really curious about you, isn’t he?" She murmured, and Cass’ jaw dropped. He picked it up quickly, swallowing, and her grin grew wider. "I think he might truly like you. I didn’t anticipate that it would be like this, but...hmm." She seemed thoughtful, before she leaned in towards Cass. "We’ve done nothing outside of a few dates, Cassian. I promise. We didn’t even kiss to seal the marriage ’in the human way’." She used her fingers to put her words in quotes, and Cass felt a wave of heat wash over his face.
"Fiona! There isn’t-stop this!" Cass hissed and she tilted her head back, laughing loudly.
"You should see the look on your face! You look about as red as a tomato and I can’t take anything you’re saying seriously. Gosh, if I didn’t know the truth..." Her smile faded from her face, but her eyes remained kind. "Thank you for telling me. I know I didn’t...really give you a choice, but honestly, I was going to accept whatever you told me." Cass’ eyes widened. "Honest. Swear to the gods." She said, placing her hand over her heart. "I’ve done wrong by you, consistently, before you went away for a few decades and came back. Granted, I didn’t know that part before, but I was willing to lie to the others for you."
It was...it was sweet, in a kind of twisted way. Cass didn’t think it made up for the things she had done, nor her most recent behaviour and implication, but...he did appreciate it. She didn’t have to, but she was recognising that she had fucked up, that Cass wasn’t quite the same as he had been, and that he wasn’t hurting anyone.
"What if I was a demon?" The words slipped out of Cass’ mouth and Fiona froze. She glanced at him, then glanced at the others. She let out a soft, long sigh before she turned to face Cass, crossing her arms under her breasts. Nothing moved since she was wearing armor.
"Well then, I would think that a demon who was on a hellbent mission, who had forced their way onto the heroes party roster, who dealt with the highest level of holy power’s pain over and over would have a very serious reason for wanting the demon king dead. I wouldn’t look down on someone like that. Who the hell am I to do so? Like you, Cassian, I didn’t really care about the gods before I was selected as a hero. I wasn’t particularly devout, but don’t tell Ava or Edgar that." She said with a wink.
Cass wasn’t all that surprised to hear that. Even if he knew how she framed her belief in the book. She had been an orphaned mercenary. There were very few who were devout believers in anything but money.
"I won’t tell them if you don’t tell them about me. I’m terrified that they’ll kill me, and then ask questions later." Cass admitted and Fiona’s jaw hardened.
"You’re still you, Cassian. You’re still Lord Blackburn. Even if the gods decided to play with your life, whether you believed in them or not, it doesn’t change the fact that in the end, your soul is still yours. I don’t know if that’s comforting or not to you, but I’ll do my best to make sure that you’re safe." Fiona said, before giving Cass a thumbs up and then reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. "You also deserve happiness, Cassian. I’m sorry for everything up until this point. It must have been hard to pretend like everything was normal." She hesitated. "The others...thought this room would be a good place to rest for the night. I’ll tell them that-" Cass shook his head, and she stopped talking.
"If we stay somewhere away from the building...it’ll be okay. It’s a good room to rest in. I’m not stupid. I know that they want me to be unsettled, afraid. I’m just pissed at this point, and trying to come to terms with what I’ve had to do. You and Lucian have given me enough shocks so far that I think I’ll manage somehow." He muttered and Fiona gave a light laugh.
"Okay. Please, if you change your mind, let me know. We’ll pack up everything quickly and continue." Cass appreciated her kindness, but now that he was a little less worked up and he wasn’t shaking, he could tell she was tired. She was doing her best to hide it, but Cass was able to tell.
"Can we tell the trio that it was a vision from the gods? That I lived a dream life out when I was unconscious? Ava would be able to explain it as ’my soul going to visit the gods’ or something like that. It’s not too far off of what happened." Cass’ chest ached at that way of describing it, but Fiona nodded easily.
"Sure. I can do that. Are you sure you want me to tell them anything? I can just use my powers as the hero to tell them it’s none of their business." Fiona stated calmly, and Cass felt his lips twitch. He was kind of...really liking this new version of Fiona. The one who was down to fight for Cass.
"Are you treating me like this because we’re both heroes?" Cass asked, curious, unable to help himself right now. Fiona’s face went red.
"No! It’s not that! Er, or not just that, I just...I’ve grown to like the pieces I’ve seen of you. I think we could be good friends, and I know I screwed up pretty bad. I’m just...trying to fix that." Fiona repeated what she’d said earlier, just in a different way and Cass took a second to actually listen to her.
It was...he appreciated her effort. Even if it was a little twisted.
"Alright. Stop trying to push Lucian and I together." Cass grumbled, and Fiona’s face flushed before she laughed.
"Ah, well, I’ll try. I just think you two would be good for each other." She muttered and Cass gave her a look.
"How would you feel if I started trying to pair you up with other women I’ve been on marriage talk dates with?" He asked and Fiona went white.
"Point made. Understood. I’ll refrain from doing so. That doesn’t mean I won’t privately encourage Lucy." She said and Cass groaned.
"He doesn’t need encouragement. He’s a damn-" Cass cut himself off, so not about to complain about his...bond partner? To his wife. It was all kinds of weird, even if they were only married for a title. Fiona giggled.
"He’s a damn what, Cassian?" She asked, her eyes bright and Cass felt his face flush. He was glad he wasn’t as shaken up as he was before, but at what damn cost? He wasn’t sure if being friends with Fiona was going to be a good thing.