"You’re sleeping with us tonight." It was a declaration at the end of the meal, while everyone was splitting off for the night to do their own thing. They were standing in the doorway of the dining room, the fairies dispersing since they had been discussing their plans for the next day at the table.
No party for the night after the one yesterday.
Those who were far enough away to not hear what Edgar had said kept walking. Those who had, forced themselves to stop walking. Cass too, was surprised as Edgar gripped onto Gideon’s arm.
The fool had been about to leave them. To go where? Cass had no idea, but he was about to go in the opposite direction of where the rooms were. He’d had a long day, he’d been through a lot, and he was exhausted. It was written all over his face. He could do whatever he needed to in the morning. Cass was surprised by Edgar’s words, and a little confused, but he was going to support him.
"W-What?" Gideon stood there, Edgar’s firm grip on his arm, half turned to leave, his eyes as wide as saucers. He wasn’t even wearing one of his normal shirts, it was one of the billowy ones that Lucian normally wore. It showed off some of his skin, tanned because he spent so much time outside. His red hair had flopped down into his eyes, his lips opened slightly in shock.
Edgar’s expression hardened, his grip tightening.
"Do you even know what you look like right now? You need to rest, and you are not going to rest if you go back to your own room. You’re coming to ours." Edgar declared again and Gideon swallowed. His eyes slid to Cass, then to Edgar, and then he looked up at the ceiling, as if asking for patience.
"Whose to say he’s going to get any sleep going to your room?" Ailia asked, smirking as Edgar snapped his head in her direction. Edgar narrowed his pretty gaze at her, wound up still from seeing Gideon getting hurt. He probably wouldn’t calm down until tomorrow.
"He is, because I don’t lay my hands on those who are injured and exhausted." Edgar said, then hesitated. "I don’t know Cass’ stance, but I’m sure it’s the same." Cass felt like that was a low blow.
"Hey. That’s rude. I would never. Unless they begged for it." Cass felt the words leave his lips, and then his face went red. Gideon flushed, Edgar gave Cass a look, and Ailia let out a laugh.
"Cass, sweetie, you aren’t helping yourself when you say things like that." She told him, her eyes sparkling and Cass groaned. He closed his eyes, covering his face with his hands. Why the fuck had he said that? What was he thinking about?
Cass felt his face warm.
He knew exactly what he was thinking about. His mind had rolled, briefly, to a scene he’d read in a book. It had been a hot scene, where one of the main leads had been injured, a stab wound, and the other had been tending to him. They had been bickering, since the injured guy wanted to worship the other man.
Eventually, the other had given in, forcing the injured one to watch and touch only a little as he had ridden the other man into oblivion. He stopped moving whenever the other one started to buck his hips up into him, trying to control, trying to open his wound.
It had been hot, and it had also been in a book. That didn’t happen in real life, and yet Cass and his dumb mouth had opened and said something damn ridiculous.
"Just...ignore what I said and believe I think the same way as Edgar." Cass muttered. It would take too long to dig himself out of the hole that he found himself in, so he just wasn’t going to do it. "Either way Gideon, you’re coming to our room. Get used to it." Cass uncovered his face, letting out a heavy breath. "Sam, we’ll have to order a bigger bed for this room, and the room at the manor." Cass said, turning towards his aide.
Sam nodded immediately, and Cass knew he would start the process in the morning.
"I’m going to stop working for the night and just...relax and read, I think. While Gideon goes to sleep." Cass drove it home and Gideon closed his eyes painfully. He gave on, nodding, and Edgar relaxed. He gave Gideon a warm smile.
"Don’t worry, it’s a good bed. Sam wouldn’t get anything less for Cass, nor would this whole house. It’s practically made for Cass and people like him, so they get the best." Edgar assured him, as if that was even a concern on Gideon’s mind right now. When Gideon glanced at Cass, he gave him a thumbs up. Gideon’s face flushed.
"I-I wasn’t concerned about the quality of the bed, Edgar." Gideon mumbled. "I’m concerned about us sharing a bed, because I am also not going to accept either of you sleeping on the couch. It’s too small for any of us." Gideon said. "I haven’t shared a bed with anyone before, outside of dungeons or missions." Gideon confirmed. Cass and Edgar didn’t need that information, since they had been there for most of the times that he had shared a bed.
They had slept next to him, most of the time. Cass wondered how many times that Gideon and Edgar had shared a tent before this, and then brushed the thought away.
"Are you worried that you are going to do something to us because you’re in a soft bed, Gideon? Please. We’re both stronger than you." Cass brought up the truth. That amongst everyone in this house, he was the weakest.
That made Gideon drop his head, his face burning.
"Yes, but...what if I hurt one of you? You both are weak to holy power, and I am still unable to control myself as well as I would like. I was fine when we were in the dungeon since my powers were always being used and Lucian was nearby. He would detect any change and take me away before I could hurt either of you. I am afraid because I don’t use my powers as much here that it could happen in my sleep and hurt you." Gideon’s concern was honestly very sweet of him, and made both Cass and Edgar roll their eyes.
"Gideon, no one uses their powers in their sleep." Edgar told him. Gideon did not look convinced.
"While I respect that you have more experience with magic and holy power, Edgar, I am going to have to respectfully disagree. Everyone around you has more control than I do." Gideon said. "I truly do not want to hurt either of you until I have better control of myself." Cass stepped in.
"Gideon, you know that I wake up far faster than Edgar. If I sense something, I’ll wake up. Plus, we both have resistance from the gods. Even if you leak holy power like some kind of walking talking fountain of holy power, it wouldn’t hurt us because it would go out into the air, and diffuse. We’ll be okay, and worse case scenario? I wake up Edgar, and you two go for a late night training session." Cass said.
Gideon met Cass’ gaze, clear doubt still there, and Cass gave a wry smile.
"Gideon, are you truly going to turn down an opportunity where you have both of us in the same bed?" Cass asked.
"Gideon, I know you’re old school, but come on." Ailia muttered, smirking. Cass shot the fairy a glare, and she giggled. "Don’t be like that either. Gideon, you should be running with this opportunity. Don’t be like my husband. He turned down my offers to come into my bed and I nearly gave up on him." That was news to Cass.
Sir Sanders also did not like having that information out to the public either. He turned the colour of a tomato, the first time that Cass had seen him blush.
"Ailia. Enough." Sir Sanders said, and Ailia stuck her tongue out at her protective husband.
"See? He’s like that too, and you shouldn’t be like him in this regard. Go to their bed. Live a little. We aren’t about to criticize you for doing it. Touch a booty." Gideon’s face flamed at the dirty smile on Ailia’s face and Cass truly considered slapping the arm of the pregnant woman, Sir Sanders be damned.
"Ailia." Her Mom spoke up, approaching the group from where she had been standing by, witnessing it all. "Leave the boys to handle this. Cass has it, and worse case? We just pick him up, carry him up the stairs, and tie him to the bed with fae rope." Aunt Alysora said. Cass had no idea what fae rope was, but at least he wasn’t the only one.
Sam, Edgar and Gideon also looked confused, but Byron nodded slowly.
"I forgot about fae rope." Byron muttered, but his gaze didn’t turn to Cass and the others, and instead turned to Sam. Sam’s face turned red.
"W-What’s that look supposed to mean?" Sam stuttered and Byron chuckled.
"Nothing, my love. Nothing." Cass almost swooned for Sam. That was sweet, even if he was considering bondage for Sam. In Sam’s case, he was pretty sure that was his love language. The man was...well, a demon, and was supposed to serve a sex demon.
"We won’t need it." Cass said. "One man isn’t going to be a bother for either Edgar and I. If he protests, I’ll just carry him up with magic." His aunt almost looked a little disappointed that Cass didn’t need her fae rope or whatever it was. Cass gave her a look, even as colour rode high on his cheeks. "There might be a time when we need it, but it’s not now. I’m not particularly into bondage." Cass muttered, and the fairies around him started to laugh. Even Edgar looked a little tickled.
"Understood. What time would you need it?" His aunt asked, teasing. Cass cleared his throat.
"During my heat." Cass said seriously. "I am not myself, and, well, I’m sure it would make it easier to deal with me if I couldn’t move around as much." Cass said. Edgar hmmed.
"I’m not too sure. If you’re not into it right now, you probably won’t be into it while you’re in heat, and if you start crying?" Edgar shuddered, shaking his head. "No thank you. I’m a strong man, but not when you’re begging me with tears in your eyes. I do not want to be faced with that challenge again." Edgar said seriously.
Cass froze, the fairies froze, even Gideon looked stunned.
"W-What?" Cass asked quietly, and Edgar waved a hand.
"Anyways, we’ll turn down the fae rope for now. Besides, you haven’t had help for your heats for a long time yet, so we don’t know if you’ll be in less control. You’re getting meals outside of your heat, and it might have just been a response from your body to force you to look for food. I’m sure my body would have done the same if I was starving as well. Let’s just play this next one out and see what happens, alright? Gideon, with us." Edgar said, pushing everything that he had just brought up to the side.
Cass just knew, even as they left, that the fairies would be turning all of the information that Edgar had dropped on them in their minds for the next few hours. Cass was a bit worried about what kind of questions he would get tomorrow morning.