Chapter 37: Open your mouth, Lord Blackburn
"Those twigs don’t even look like they could carry a matchbox." The rough, grumbly voice from across the table spoke up, and Cass coughed up more blood. He was honestly surprised that Draken was even speaking to him.
"W-What?" Cass muttered, his heart pounding in his chest, his insides twisting. Cass watched as Draken winced, cupping his stomach and Cass felt his eyes widen in shock. Oh. Oh.
Draken was feeling what Cass was feeling. Maybe not to the full extent, but he was clearly able to sense that something was wrong. Cass couldn’t help the chuckle that bubbled out of him, even as it splattered more blood onto the nice white tablecloth.
"I said that those two helpers aren’t going to be enough to get you back to your rooms. I’ll help." Draken pushed his chair back, much to the surprise of Lord Vespertine and Lord Ridgewood.
"You’re going to help him?" Lord Vespertine asked, clearly confused and offended. "He and his damn servants insulted Ava. Does that not matter to you?" Lord Vespertine took the duty of being a big brother rather seriously. It was hilarious, because Lady Ava already had an older brother.
He had just been abandoned like the rest of her family back at her hometown. Tucked away in ’safety’. Mm, maybe abandoned was the wrong word. Lady Ava certainly wouldn’t view the way she left as abandoning her family, even if they did. There was a reason that they died around this point in the story. The older brother was one of the main reasons.
He made a deal with someone who he shouldn’t have. Someone by the name of Duke Blackburn.
"Honestly, no, it doesn’t. I only protect Ava because she’s weak, and Fiona likes her. You can’t tell me that Lord Blackburn isn’t weak right now." Lord Vespertine was stunned, upset, and sputtering.
"That’s why you protected Ava? Because she’s weak?" Draken shrugged, patting Lord Vespertine on the shoulder as he passed him.
"What? It’s my duty while as the head of this clan to make sure that the weaker members are well taken care of. Even if it is in name, and for a short time, I currently have two partners. One is in perfect health, while the other feels like he’s dying. I am going to make sure that one is taken care of." Cass was surprised by the words leaving his mouth.
Out of everyone, Cass did not expect Draken to be honour bound in this way, but he should have anticipated this. At least in some regard.
Draken wasn’t heartless, he was just a mythical beast in human flesh. His morals and what he followed were going to be completely different from Cass and Lord Blackburn’s human morals. And apparently, Lord Vespertine’s as well.
Cass coughed again and Sam and Byron glanced at the glass they’d placed on the table. Cass smiled grimly.
"Is it time for round two?" He asked his aides and Byron swallowed.
"Well, I-"
"Out of my way, fledgling. I’ll assist if you need to force him. You looked like you were going to be ill." Byron was shoved to the side by the much bigger Draken and Sam stared at the man with wide, horrified eyes. "Well? What is there to wait for? Pass over the foul liquid you’re feeding him and I will assist." The wound on Cass’ shoulder throbbed the closer Draken got, and Cass could not understand what would compel him to get closer to him.
They weren’t even friends when Draken had known Lord Blackburn, maybe just sparring partners. Sure, Lord Blackburn might have found this...roguish brute to be attractive, but that wasn’t the same for Cass.
Okay, he was lying, but finding someone attractive had very little to do with anything else related to them. He was sure people found serial killers attractive. That didn’t mean you wanted to date them or be intimate with them.
"Are you sure?" Cass rasped and Draken frowned heavily.
"I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t sure. Don’t you remember how I fought biting you? It’s a huge responsibility when the other party is healthy, even worse when they are unwell. Fuck, I had no idea you were so unwell. Does your body never not ache?" Draken complained and Cass stared at him, coughed, and stared as blood splattered onto his white shirt.
Draken made a face.
"Don’t answer that. I can already tell you don’t even know what it means to be well. Sam, was it? Give the glass of...you called it tonic? Give it to me. I’ll make sure he drinks." Sam nodded, shocked as well as Draken took control. Cass was worried about what he was going to do, especially when his hand came for the back of his head.
"Draken, you don-"
"Just Draken, eh? I had no idea getting bonded would make you drop my title. I should have done something like this sooner." Cass’ eyes went wide at his words, and the gentle way he was holding the back of his head. "Open your mouth for me, Lord Blackburn." The soft way he spoke and the way those orange eyes stared down at him had Cass fumbling. His heart was racing in his chest, and he wasn’t sure the poisoned food was the reason.
"D-Draken-"
"Mmm, be a good husband and swallow." Cass’ face flushed before the awful, sewage liquid touched his lips and he began to sputter. He did his best to swallow it down, knowing it was going to help him. Probably. But it was hard.
It was just so fucking gross.
Coughing and sputtering, Cass managed to get down most of the second half of the glass, only spitting up a third of it mixed with his blood. Cass was a little horrified by how dirty Draken was getting, but he did feel a little bit of satisfaction.
That’s what you get for wearing so much damn white.
Draken sighed, putting the glass down and then used his sleeve to wipe up Cass’ mouth. Cass stared up at the other man whose expression looked tense. He seemed to be in about a quarter of the pain that Cass was in, especially with the way sweat was beading on his forehead.
"You have more of that shit?" Draken asked, turning to look at Sam. Sam gave his head a jerk in a nod. "Is it here, or in his rooms?" Cass didn’t like how he was bossing Sam around, nor how he’d pushed Byron out of the way.
"Lord Draken-"
"Oh, I’m Lord Draken now?" Draken asked, turning and giving him a look before he huffed. "Don’t worry your sick little head. I’m not going to overstep like this, but your injury has me irritated. I know better than to just storm into your den now." Cass furrowed his brows, before everything clicked.
Draken was treating him like his partner. Even if he had bitten him against his will, Draken was an honour bound man. Cass had been raised in priority to stand next to Lady Fiona. Draken wasn’t going to treat him poorly because it would reflect badly on him if it got out to his own kind.
It made Cass want to laugh. A little late, wasn’t it? Now, after everything that they had done, Draken wanted to treat him well? After he was the reason that Cass had been injured once, and Lord Blackburn had been injured twice? After he was the reason that Cass could even enter this body in the first place?
It was really too fucking late.
"Oh? Now you won’t storm my den?" Cass said, smirking before another coughing fit overtook him. Draken was frowning at him. "It didn’t matter before?" Cass asked and Draken stared at him.
"No." He admitted and Sam’s soft inhale beside him had Cass glancing at him. "But things have changed." Draken said and Cass glanced back at him. "You lost your memories, right? That changes things, and while you were as powerful as me before, that has changed." Draken glanced over Cass’ body. "I had no idea you were so...small." Cass felt his face heat.
While Lord Blackburn was shorter than Cass had been in the past, he wasn’t a small man. Draken was just a giant, and Lord Blackburn had dietary restrictions and a hard time getting food sourced.
"I am not small." Cass hissed and Draken scanned him again before he smirked.
"Oh, I didn’t know that would upset you. Shall I hold you in my arms again to see if you’ve gained weight since then? I don’t think you have, looking at you right now." Cass clenched his teeth and realised that his body, as they spoke, had stopped trying to heave. The medication was working.
"Don’t you dare." Cass muttered and watched as Draken’s eyes flared.
"Are you challenging me? You should know better. This has never worked out for you in the past, Lord Blackburn." Had it? Cass had no idea. He didn’t have those memories. Cass felt his hands curl into fists and Lord Draken chuckled. "It must be because of the bond that I find you so endearing. Alright, get ready to move out, aides of Lord Blackburn. We’re heading off now." Draken scooped his arms under Cass and Cass yelped.
"P-Put me down!" Cass called into the air and Draken tossed his head back and laughed.
"No." He told him, his orange eyes glowing in his face and Cass swallowed. Fuck this damn monster. He’d find out his damn weakness. He would make damn sure of it.