For the next week Cass took what Gideon and Edgar told Cass to heart. He did not want to be out in public and flash fucking heart eyes. No fucking thank you.
So what did that mean?
Cass had two meals at every meal time. It was embarrassing, but tragically, necessary. Cass didn’t dismiss it, even if he felt like he was too damn full the whole week. He had to have afternoon naps because he was gorging himself on both types of foods.
Edgar and Gideon were happy to help. Eager, honestly. That was also the embarrassing part of it all, but it was even worse when they helped Cass get off too. He had wanted to keep it almost clinical. Like he was just having a little drink, but no. Gideon was rather insistent that they blur the lines, and Edgar was the one who followed orders easily.
The role reversal of the two of them was not something that Cass expected, but maybe he should have. They were tag-teaming him. It would be good when Lucian got back so then they could at least be a united front against the two men. At least, that was Cass’ hope.
There was a third option that Cass didn’t even want to consider. It would not happen. They wouldn’t do that to him. Lucian would not let him down like that.
While they were attempting to do this to help Cass’ demonic blood, they didn’t really have anyone around them that could monitor what was going on inside. Cass had a feeling that because of who had given him his demonic DNA that there was only one person, er, demon that truly could. That didn’t mean that they didn’t try. Sam was the one who was doing most of the legwork when it came to monitoring him.
Since Sam was supposed to be a sex demon specialist when it came to Cass, he was doing his best to keep an eye on him. It was on day three that Sam admitted that he might need some help. He had combed through the book that Cass had bought, had even gone to the store in the capital to see if he could buy a newer copy but that was the most recent one. There were also no books on sex demons, incubi or succubi because that was viewed as taboo even for demons.
That was what the current Demon King was, you didn’t look that up. That was seen as treason. So, Sam had only one option. He had to go to the demon shrine and see if he could speak to his creator and get more information.
Byron was against him going, as was Edgar. It was Cass and Gideon, surprisingly, that understood where Sam was coming from.
Gideon was not above doing anything if it meant helping out those he cared for. It was why he had betrayed them in the first place, after all, and now he would use that same driving force to protect them as well. He would have gladly gone with Sam if he wasn’t a saint or had holy power. Cass understood why Sam was going as well. Had he not done the same? He’d gone to the gods, and the demons to see what was going on with him?
Who was he to tell Sam not to do the same? Especially if the answers he was looking for would probably help him?
He did tell Byron and Edgar that he had to go with him, and Byron had to truly go with him. Let the Demon King know that Sam was protected and he couldn’t just eliminate him with ease anymore. Dragons were strange beings, not quite in control of their magic and not easily corrupted by demons.
The Demon King would probably view it positively that Sam had managed to bond with one. Cass didn’t tell them that since Byron wasn’t in the headspace to hear that. He was just too worried about Sam being in danger and he didn’t think he would take it well at the moment.
So, off Sam went with Byron and Edgar while Gideon and Cass planned how they would get back to their other home. In the days that Cass had been house bound, more fairies had arrived to the capital in secret. It was a smart thing that Cass had predicted this and had instructed Mr. Collins to buy more homes like this one.
The house was littered with fairies, and because his Aunt had spread the news that he was looking to hire maids and servants to look after this house and others, they were eager to work. Cass had been interviewing in between his normal duties and meals and finally had hired enough fairies to run all of the homes. He had also left Mr. Collins a list of names of other fairies who he could hire if more homes opened up that he thought would be good for them to stay in.
The fairies were grateful, and meal times were never boring. They insisted on eating together, so Cass, Edgar and Gideon had to do their second, uh, feedings privately. It fucking felt like they were doing something naughty, and most of the fairies would give them damn smirks like they thought they were.
It was like they were thinking that Cass and the others were trying for a kid, and Cass was too embarrassed to even think about that for too long. They were three males, and he hadn’t seen that many same sex fairy couples. Hell, Byron’s mom was in a same sex couple and she had adopted a dragon.
There was nothing wrong with adoption, and he also didn’t think that his Aunt Alysora would have told the whole damn population of fairies that he was a freak. His words, not hers. He had a feeling he might get his ears boxed if he said that in front of her.
Sir Forsythe had received Cass’ letter and had responded. He had sounded relieved in his letter that Cass was coming back. He wouldn’t say that he was lonely, but Cass could feel it in the words he wrote. He did let Cass know that a few things had happened, but nothing he couldn’t handle.
There was, surprisingly, a mass exodus of people from the manor. Sir Forsythe had no idea why, but Cass knew. It was all of the spies leaving after Cass had made his grand display of what happened to those who betrayed him while working for him. Sir Forsythe did mention that he wasn’t too worried about it. People from Sir Sanders and Sir Ailia’s group had reached out and helped him hire more people to staff the manor.
He assumed that it was alright to trust them since Cass had such a favourable view of fairies, and Cass was glad that he had picked up on that. Was he going to scold him for blindly trusting them because they were fairies when he saw him in person? Yes, but only in person.
He also let Cass know that the ’people’ that were staying at the manor were doing fine. Well, even. He’d had a few scuffles with the youngest, but they had all ended well. Whatever that meant.
Sir Forsythe was just happy that he was coming back, and he also told Cass to pass on his concerns and congratulations to Ailia and Sir Sanders. Of course, he called them both by their first names but Cass didn’t feel he was on a first name basis with Sir Sanders. He might never be, and that was okay.
The man didn’t hate him anymore, at least.
Cass was planning to leave either the next week or the week after. He’d discussed this with his Aunt through letters brought by specific maids. They rotated so that no one got too curious and that no single one of them could be bribed, and they were also fairies. The humans would have to offer a second nursery tree to get them to even consider it, and that just wasn’t going to happen.
His Aunt was fine with him leaving and was helping him put things in place that would make it easy for him to do so. She knew all of his contacts, knew who to reach out to. She would probably have more information on the bad humans soon and would just send it through a fairy service.
He shouldn’t have to worry about Ailia for three reasons. She was a knight, she was well protected inside of the estate, and surprisingly, Taniora.
That was something Cass hadn’t considered. When Taniora had been so deep in discussions with the nursery tree over what they could do to help Cass, they had gotten very close. Close enough that they had realised that she might not be able to have a true form, but with the aid of the nursery tree, she could do more. She could be more than a ghost trapped in the house.
The theory was also because she was a fairy originally and a being outside of the realm of the power of the new gods. Things got a little messy when you were an undead fairy, it seemed, but Taniora was happy with it. She was able to help out more, care for her people more. She was a soft soul, a healer before she had been killed. It was good to see that she felt better and wasn’t getting sucked into the sadness that could consume her.
Cass did want to have a few conversations with her before they left, but that had been put to the wayside because hiring safe people had been more important. He had let her know that he wanted to talk with her more and Taniora had waved off his concern. She knew how important having safe people around their people was to Cass, to everyone. She was fine being a second tier priority.
So, Cass didn’t have to worry about the estate that much. The fairies would let him know if something happened, and Cass personally had used the increase of fuel and food to create a stronger, better barrier to protect the whole estate. He’d even asked for the help of the nursery tree to see how far down into the ground he needed to cast the protection magic. A magic that only dragons and other beings should be able to wield, but because Cass was Cass, he had the right to.
They had gladly given it after confirming it wouldn’t harm him. All it cost Cass was a 15 minute nap after he’d cast it, and he’d do it again.
He wouldn’t let his grandfather or other fools get any bright ideas thinking that they could harm his people. If anyone had ill will towards his people they wouldn’t even be able to step foot onto the estate. He was protective of the trees, the people, and the land. While he was away, no one would harm his people.
It also helped chase out more people who would attempt to harm his people. Several humans and others like them had been denied access to the property since he’d cast the magic. It was a very telling move, but they didn’t understand why the people working at the estate would grow so hostile once they couldn’t enter the estate. It was a litmus test they didn’t know they were failing, and Cass was glad to see it in work.
By the time that Sam, Byron and Edgar had gotten back from their adventure, Cass and Gideon had a plan plotted that could be executed at a moment’s notice, and Sam had more information.
Cass was right to be worried. He was the only of his kind, and while they had given the Demon King information about Cass, Sam had been given something in turn. His creator had given him more power, more substance, and more knowledge. Sam was still an imp, but barely. He felt bigger to Cass even if his form that he was using hadn’t changed.
Sam seemed terrified that he’d been given a boost, worried that it would become a problem to Cass, but Cass was more worried about how Sam and Gideon were going to get along.
The two had looked at each other and shrugged.
"We’ll figure it out." The two had said and Cass realised that they were far more similar than Cass had given them credit for. In fact, it was dawning on all of their faces that Gideon and Sam were practically cut from the same cloth, just different sides.
Thankfully, they had been right and they had figured out how to manage their powers so that neither of them were hurt in each other’s presence. Cass was grateful. It would have been a crime if when things were finally calming down that his family had to be separated.