Cass’ legs were fucking jelly.
Edgar was right in a way. He hadn’t sucked him dry, but he had certainly sucked the soul out of him. Cass wasn’t even aware he could make the noises that he did.
With those dangerous fangs out and proud while Edgar bobbed on Cass’ cock like a damn pro and Lucian behind him, supporting him sitting up and touching and kissing him? Cass felt like a pampered fuck boy.
A boy toy.
His head was still reeling from the orgasm, the slight brush of a fang on his cock while he was so close to the edge was what sent him over. Cass had shuddered, exploding in Edgar’s mouth but the man didn’t flinch. He took it, and while Cass’ mind was still fuzzy, the two men had cleaned him up, gotten him dressed and had partially escorted him down the stairs for lunch.
They were calling it lunch, but Cass had slept so long it was almost dinner time.
Cass was flabbergasted by his own behaviour and their treatment.
They were behaving as if nothing had just happened! As if neither of them had been whispering things into his ears, touching him like he was special to them and sucking his di-
Cass cut his own line of thought off, needing a damn moment to just...not. To stop thinking.
"Hey, we have a courtyard or something here, right?" Cass asked and Lucian glanced at him, a little knowing smirk on his lips.
"We do. Why do you ask?" He asked and Cass sighed.
"Because I need to get some of this...anger inside of me out. I was hoping to get a training dummy or something out and just...hit it." Cass said. Edgar seemed surprised to hear that.
"You want to physically hit it?" Edgar asked and Lucian blinked before he gasped.
"Right! You were a brawler! I’m so sorry for neglecting that!" Lucian said and Cass waved it off.
"Why would I expect you to remember that? It’s okay. It hasn’t really been an issue until now." Cass felt his face blush as he said the next thing. "I might need some...fuel to help that. I noticed I had more strength after I had, uh, eaten." Cass said. Edgar, who had been taking a step down the last staircase, nearly tripped. Lucian let out a belly laugh.
"You know I cum on command for you, Cassy Baby." He said that. In the main stairwell.
What the fuck was up with everyone not keeping their mouths shut in the main fucking stairwells? Was it part of the book? As many major confessions as possible near the main stairwells? One could even argue that the argument that Sam and Byron had was just off the main stairwell!
Edgar groaned, covering his face while Cass did the same thing. Thankfully, he was walking on his own, thanks to the healing tonic he had forced down the day prior. Not without Lucian keeping an eye on him. He was at his elbow, making sure that Cass didn’t fall.
He should have been making sure Edgar didn’t.
"Lucian, Cass doesn’t like when everyone knows his business. You practically just announced it to everyone." Edgar scolded, and then looked towards Cass for a crumb of praise. Cass wasn’t going to give it.
He knew half of the stuff about Lady Ava because of him. Neither of them were safe in his mind.
"I don’t want to argue about this right now. Let’s just...get downstairs." Cass muttered.
"Alright. You uh, just let us know when you want your other meal, Cass." Edgar said, his face a little pink. Cass couldn’t say that his face wasn’t the same shade. It was only Lucian who seemed to be grinning.
~
They got to the dining room and found that without knowing that they were arriving, Lord Ridgewood was sitting at the far end of the table, sipping on some tea and reading a book. He seemed genuinely surprised to see them there and put his book down and got to his feet immediately.
Cass was surprised to see him there as well.
"Oh. Good afternoon, Lord Ridgewood." Cass said carefully and he inclined his head respectfully.
"Good afternoon, Cass. Are you feeling alright? You’ve slept quite late. Did the mission to the demon shrine not go as planned?" He asked carefully and Cass felt his body go rigid. He could tell that both Edgar and Lucian tensed up, but Cass wasn’t going to blame Lord Ridgewood for it. This wasn’t his fault.
There was only one bitch to blame, and it was no one in the room.
Cass let out a heavy sigh.
"Well, to say that it didn’t go to plan feels a bit like an understatement." Cass glanced at Lord Ridgewood’s set up. He should have been in a side room, a sitting room. Instead, he was in the dining room. What was up with that?
Cass didn’t have animosity for the man. Or if he did, it was all gone. He had too many more important things to worry about, and the man had signed a contract now. He wasn’t much of a threat to him.
"Come on down, Lord Ridgewood. We can discuss the meeting as we eat. If you’re alright with that." Cass added and Lord Ridgewood seemed frozen in place when Cass looked towards him.
"O-Oh. Of course! I was just a bit surprised that you invited me." He said, flustered and Cass gave a slightly bitter smile.
"You’ve signed a contract that makes it feel like you’re a servant, Lord Ridgewood. Bound to me as a hero and as one of Fiona’s husbands. Stop being weird about it, alright? We’re all part of the hero party." Cass said and watched as Lord Ridgewood seemed to fight with himself before he nodded. Lucian rumbled to show his displeasure, but didn’t say more on it.
"I’ll go make sure the food is prepared." He said, leaving the three of them behind. Cass settled himself into a spot just fine and Edgar did the same. Lord Ridgewood settled himself in a seat close, but still one seat apart from them. Cass scoffed.
It was clear that Lucian was going to sit on the other side of him. Both Edgar and Lord Ridgewood knew that. Edgar was sitting across from him because he liked to do that, and Lord Ridgewood was sitting with one chair away from Edgar.
Cass rolled his eyes, but didn’t make a comment on it. He didn’t want to make them even more awkward than they already were.
It was only a few moments later that Lucian came out with food. Too soon, in Cass’ opinion, but Lucian cleared that confusion up quickly.
"They were already preparing food. Your tree...Mom? Let them know you were awake." Lucian said with a smile and Cass felt his heart warm slightly. That was nice of the tree to do.
Lucian put down a plate in front of everyone, including Lord Ridgewood. When he tried to complain, Lucian growled at the man and Lord Ridgewood paled even more. He looked like a damn ghost.
Cass almost laughed. There were two ghosts haunting this house. The Victorian child that Cassian was, and Lord Ridgewood. What would he be? A forlorn knight lover?
What two fucking classic ghosts.
Cass was reminded of what he had mentioned earlier to the duo, and turned to Lord Ridgewood as he was cutting up his plate of meat Lucian had brought him.
"Lord Ridgewood. I feel you would know this best. Is there like, a training ground here?" Cass asked and Lord Ridgewood blinked.
"Of...course there is? Have you not been to it?" He asked and Cass waved a hand dismissively.
"I barely leave my office or my bedroom. I haven’t had time to find it after the initial showing. I’m asking because I am looking for a space to vent my anger in a physical way. Like a straw dummy or something of the sort." He said and Lord Ridgewood gave him a peculiar look.
"Is that...a safe thing for you to do? Are you strong enough yet?" He asked and it kind of surprised Cass that Lord Ridgewood of all people was worrying about his physical state.
"I’ll be fine. I have a way to maintain my health outside of eating me-" Cass cut himself off. "I eat more than just prot-" Cass cut off again. He felt his cheeks warm. He felt that there was no way he was going to be able to say it without it being some kind of an innuendo. Even if they didn’t get it, he would. "I can get by." He said tensely, and Lord Ridgewood nodded carefully.
"Yes, to answer your question. There are also several training dummies back there, a decent size training space. I’ve been utilizing it to train." He said, almost looking nervous to say that. Cass nodded.
"Of course you would. You’re a knight. You need to keep sharp." Cass said and that seemed to relax his shoulders. Lord Ridgewood glanced at the other men.
"Forgive me for asking this, but have you...wielded a sword before, Cass?" He asked.
"Watch it." Lucian said and Lord Ridgewood’s jaw tightened.
"Lucian, as much as you are a force to be reckoned with, neither you nor Eddie are trained professionals when it comes to wielding weapons." Lord Ridgewood said and Cass could see where he was going with this. He looked nervous to even be offering it.
"I haven’t had any practise when it comes to swords." Cass said and watched as Lord Ridgewood grew even more nervous.
He was glancing around, his eyes going to Edgar and then back to Cass before he let out a shaky sigh.
"If you would like some help, Cass, I am more than happy to help you so that you don’t injure yourself." He said. It looked like a giant weight had been lifted off of his shoulders as soon as he said it. Lucian growled next to Cass.
However, Lucian was wrong in this circumstance. Normally he would have said that Sir Forsythe or the other knights could help him. However, Sir Forsythe was back at their other mansion, and the two other knights were going through something rather personal.
That, and this was a perfect chance to see Lord Ridgewood for who he was now. Without his family, without his previous values, just him.
That, and he wouldn’t hurt himself in the process.
"Alright. I’ll take you up on that, Lord Ridgewood." Cass said, much to the other two’s surprise. Lord Ridgewood, however, looked relieved. Almost happy.
"Thank you, Cass. I will make sure you don’t injure yourself." He promised and Cass wondered if he should warn him that Cass was going to go hard. Nah.