Chapter 199: The poison? Made for Cass? That poison?
His little training session with Lady Ava wrapped up shortly after that, and Cass came face to face with the realisation that he was going to have to share a tent with Lucian again.
He didn’t need a reminder of it. Lucian had been staring at him whenever they were done with clearing parts of the dungeon all day, and throughout his session with Lady Ava, and dinner. The man didn’t look angry, and answered and turned his head when others spoke to him, but Cass could feel his constant gaze on him.
Cass was a little worried about what going to bed entailed.
"Cass, why don’t you get changed into your night clothes and then I can help you wrap your hands." Fiona said as Cass and Lady Ava approached the main circle again. Cass nodded slowly, glancing at where Lucian was standing near the tents, chatting to Vespertine.
The two of them had been at odds up until this point. Cass had a suspicious feeling that he was the reason that they were talking to each other again. At the same time, he hated thinking that he was the reason for their separation and also for their joining again. He didn’t like that he had that much sway on them.
That was supposed to be Fiona’s job, but Cass wasn’t an idiot. He could see that the relationships of the hero party were changing. They had truly changed when Vespertine found out about Lady Ava and Fiona’s ’close’ relationship.
Cass swallowed, his hands tightening as he passed Vespertine and Lucian, ducking into the tent to change himself. He almost felt like he was doing something naughty. With the two men that had him pressed between him just outside, he was trying to be as quiet as possible. He knew that they had heightened hearing, so they could probably hear each shift of fabric, the sound of it falling off of his body as he changed.
It was so damn embarrassing to imagine that they could hear it, even if they couldn’t see it. Cass could almost feel how much enjoyment Lucian would get out of watching Cass strip. He was tense the whole time changing too, half expecting the men to barge in on him while he was changing.
That tension shifted and turned into...a more uncomfortable feeling when he finished changing and nothing happened. Cass rubbed his aching chest, frowning. Why the hell was he feeling this way? It was a good thing that nothing happened. It just proved they weren’t degenerate perverts. That was a good thing Cass, and if they got any closer to you, there was a chance they wouldn’t leave you alone when you left the hero party. Remember?
You were leaving, and they were married to someone else. You couldn’t just...transfer marriages like that. Especially gay ones, and it wasn’t even like they were that into you. All of the feelings that Lucian had for you would fade when the bond faded away. Maybe the respect he had for your powers and magical abilities were real, but everything else? You can’t trust feelings that are formed from a bite mark, Cass.
Cass, feeling like he’d just punched himself, came out of the tent, some bandages and the medicine that Sam had given him in hand. Lucian and Vespertine slid their gaze towards him before looking away. Then, Lucian jerked and spun, turning and grabbing the little container that held the medicine that Sam gave to him from him quickly.
His face was twisted with fury, his nose scrunched up as he chucked the little bottle.
Cass was completely shocked, his jaw dropped as he watched Lucian throw it. Everyone else was shocked. It was such a sudden outburst that Cass didn’t know what to say.
He reached for Lucian, grabbing onto his arm and tugging, rage taking over the confusion.
"Excuse me? What the fuck do you think you’re doing?" Cass demanded angrily, furious and Lucian turned to him, his eyes such a bright shade that it hurt to look at. His face was twisted with his own anger, but Cass could tell it wasn’t directed at him.
"Who the hell gave that to you? Who was it?" He demanded and Cass didn’t back down.
"That’s none of your concern. Why did you do that?" Cass demanded, his grip tightening on Lucian’s arm. Lucian scoffed, looked like he was going to say something, but turned his face away so that he didn’t. His jaw was working, tight, tense and Cass squeezed his arm again. "Lucian Draken. Answer me." Cass growled, pissed. Lucian growled himself, his hand slamming onto Cass’ upper arm, giving it a squeeze that was almost painful.
"That was fucking poison, Cassian. Whoever gave you that gave you fucking poison. You must have tucked them away in that bag of yours before I was able to smell them last time. Have you been taking these?" He demanded and Cass blinked.
"What if it’s just poison for you?" Cass shot back, not wanting to admit to who it was. A slow, sinking feeling was filling him, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t want to doubt him. He really, really didn’t want to doubt him. Lucian scoffed.
"Cass, poison is fucking poison. I’m not retrieving that shit. Who gave it to you?" Lucian demanded and Cass hesitated to answer again. He groaned. "Do you have more of it? Where is it?" Cass covered the side bag that he kept on, but Lucian’s gaze moved down to his hip. Cass knew damn well what was about to happen, so it was a good thing that Fiona stepped in.
"Lucy, calm down. I know your nose is more sensitive then the rest of us, but take a few deep breaths, alright? Arguing won’t get us anywhere, and trying to force Cass won’t either." Lucian huffed, refusing to release Cass as he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Cass, who was also worked up, turned to Fiona who looked apologetic. "Cass, do you have more of the medication that he just threw away? I won’t let him throw the second one." She promised, and Cass believed her.
She was pretty much the only one in the hero party who could go against Lucian when it came to strength. Begrudgingly, Cass rifled through his bag, eventually finding out that he did have two bottles of the pills, as well as two tins of the ’healing tonic’. Cass felt sick to his stomach.
This was not something that he wanted to discover while he was in the dungeon. It also didn’t help that a shiver, familiar in the sense that it came from his fairy blood, ran down his spine. He didn’t want to ask Lucian for fucking anything right now, yet he might have to. Fuck.
Lucian for his part, didn’t react negatively to the second pill bottle. He sniffed, sniffed and sniffed before he nodded, seeming relaxed.
"You didn’t answer. Did you take any of the pills?" He demanded and Cass blinked, before he glanced away from Lucian’s gaze.
"I forgot the first night, and then I forgot yesterday as well." Cass admitted quietly, and Lucian grunted.
"Good. Fuck." Lucian grumbled before he let go of Cass’ arm and turned, marching towards where he’d thrown the other pill bottle. Cass didn’t know why he’d disappeared, and when he glanced around the group, he could tell that they were all very concerned. Vespertine stepped forward, looking over everything that was before him.
His eyes seemed to say that he was worried for Cass. Cass didn’t know why he would be. Fiona it was obvious that she was concerned about him. Lady Ava was also concerned, and even Lord Ridgewood looked disturbed.
"Someone tried to poison the weakest member of our party, and the person who is the closest to being a powerhouse outside of our party as well. This is not good." Vespertine murmured quietly, taking a metal tin from Cass’ hands and turning it. His nose wrinkled up. "This smells awful." He said quietly, before he grabbed the other tin. His nose crinkled up more. "They both smell repulsive. You drink this as a healing tonic?" He asked and Cass flushed.
"It doesn’t taste good either." Cass murmured. "But it works." Vespertine looked a little like he didn’t believe him. Lucian came back around that time, moving with an inhuman speed. He rushed towards them, yanking the pill bottle out of Fiona’s hands and comparing them to each other.
Cass watched him, his stomach in knots as Lucian’s lips pulled back over his teeth as he snarled. It was a distinctly inhuman sound, and everyone was on edge.
"They aren’t the same bottle. This one, the fake one, doesn’t have the mark of your doctor on it." Lucian rumbled, showing Cass the bottom of the bottle. In small detail, probably for this very reason, was a set of antlers marked there. A signature of sorts.
Cass felt the world spin for a second. Fiona caught him, her arm around his waist as she helped him over to a makeshift bench. Cass sat down, his mind reeling as Lucian and Vespertine towered over him.
"It was Sam. Sam gave me both bottles. Gave me...everything." Lucian’s brows furrowed at Cass’ soft response.
"Sam? No fucking way. I don’t believe it. That man is almost fanatical in supporting you." Lucian protested and even Fiona looked upset hearing those words from Cass’ lips.
"That’s why I was..." Cass trailed off. He was suddenly cold and Lucian flinched.
"Ah fuck. I acted before thinking. Of course you wouldn’t let anyone but-" Lucian grumbled, feeling apologetic and like an asshole. "I’m sorry Cass. I acted without thinking. I just panicked thinking you were going to put those pills in your mouth." Lucian apologised easily, feeling terrible. Cass only nodded.
"Cass, was there any strange behaviour on Sam’s part before we left?" Fiona asked carefully and Cass swallowed. He was trying to recall everything. Every last detail and his memory snagged on something. Something he had thought odd, but had brushed off.
"I...right before I joined you guys after I greeted Ser Hune and Sir Sanders, Sam came up and gave me...a bottle of pills and a tin of my healing tonic. I thought it was strange since I was sure we had already-he had already packed it but I didn’t think too much of it. It’s...Sam." Cass whispered and it was Lady Ava who spoke up.
"Are you sure it was Sam? You said it yourself before, demons are the best at manipulation magic, Cass." Cass felt like his heart froze, his breathing stopped as Lady Ava stared at him, her eyes warm, her face tight. "You’re probably right to trust Sam, in the same way that what the other ’Sam’ did is suspicious. Can I see those items?" She asked and Cass just hung his head.
Him? He’d gotten tricked by demons? This didn’t feel right, but at the same time, it couldn’t have been Sam, right?