Chapter 659: Trying to be strong for everyone else
"Byron, you look ill. Sit down, would you?" Cass asked without looking up from his papers. Byron had been in the office for all of five minutes and he looked like he was going to pass out. The dragon, who normally never drew attention to himself, looked like he was constipated. He was sweating profusely, his limbs were jerking, and his eyes were almost white-looking. For a man who had fully black eyes, that wasn’t normal.
Byron jerked. He’d been looming over Sam like a shadow when Cass spoke and when he raised his head to look at Cass, he looked more like a demon than Cass did. That was saying something considering he was confined to his rooms for that very reason.
Sam even looked over at Cass, looking guilty for some reason.
"I’m sorry, my Lord. I didn’t realise that Byron was not looking that well." Cass didn’t buy that for a moment. Sam was observant when it came to things involving Cass. There was no way he was less observant with the dragon he had promised to spend his life with.
Cass put down his pen, raising his gaze to fully examine the dragon who’d come in with his mate. Sam had been sent off to look over the food stocks that had arrived while Byron had been...doing something important, Cass was sure, but now?
"Sam, how is Byron even standing up straight?" Cass asked and Sam flushed. It was clear he didn’t think this conversation would ever come, and Cass felt like he was a few steps behind.
It was then that someone knocked on the door, and knowing what was going on, it was either Edgar or Lucian and Gideon. It was probably Edgar, and as the door opened without hearing Cass’ responding call, it was Edgar.
He peeked into the room, glancing around before his blonde brows furrowed.
"Am I interrupting something?" He asked, sensing the tension in the air. Cass sighed, shaking his head and waving his hand, making sure that Edgar came in. He closed the door behind him as Byron swayed on his feet. Sam reached for him, but it was Cass who acted first. Being confined to these rooms had made him more aware of what he could do with his magic.
That meant he caught the dragon before he toppled over and gently carried him to the couch with his magic. Sam’s hands were over his mouth, his eyes wide with shock. Even Edgar looked stunned.
"Is something wrong with Byron?" Edgar asked and Cass stared at the dragon grimly.
"He needs to go back to his den, doesn’t he?" He asked Sam and Sam’s eyes began to overflow with tears.
"W-We thought we had at least three more days." Sam whispered. "He told me that we would." Cass stared at Sam. He had no idea why three more days were so important, but it was clear that Byron wasn’t going to make it. It was his first shed, he was a baby still. He didn’t have the experience that Lucian did.
Cass turned to Edgar, his face serious.
"I know you just got back but can you go find Lucian please? We need his help. I think he’s in the training grounds with Gideon." Cass said and Edgar put down the papers he was holding and nodding.
"Of course I can do that." Edgar said, glancing over at where Byron was lying on the couch, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "I’ll be back quickly." Edgar promised. Cass watched him leave and finally came out from behind the desk. He approached Byron and Sam. Sam, who was hovering over the edge of the couch, clearly torn between his duties and his partner, and Byron. A man, a dragon, who had never forced him to make a choice. Who had tried to push himself to a breaking point and now here they were.
Cass hated that.
It was because of Cass’ new form of possessiveness, but he hated that Sam, the man who had been with him, protected him, defended him from the moment that he’d woken up in this body felt like he had to make this kind of choice. Cass didn’t want that. Cassian wouldn’t have wanted it either.
Cass’ hand came down on Sam’s shoulder and Sam flinched.
"M-My Lord, I didn’t-"
"Enough, Sam." Cass said softly. "It’s okay. I would never ask something like this of you, you know that, right?" Cass kept his voice soft, warm, and watched as Sam crumpled. He started crying and even in the delirious state that Byron was in, his face scrunched up and he tried to get up to defend his mate.
"I’m sorry. I never meant for it to get this far. I trusted him to tell me the truth." Sam sobbed and Cass, not being a cruel man, pulled Sam closer and into a hug. Sam jerked, freezing, before he wrapped his arms around Cass and buried his face into Cass’ shirt.
"It’s alright, Sam. I’m not mad. I’m more worried than anything else." Cass told him. He meant his words. Byron was in a sorry state and Cass knew nothing about the shed. He was sure Byron did, knew that Lucian did, and Cass was worried that Lucian was going to have to step in to make sure Byron didn’t die.
Cass was worried that Byron didn’t take this seriously enough, and then Cass felt like a hypocrite. He was sure that Lucian also held back his shed as long as he could to help Cass and the others. They’d had to clear a dungeon after all, and Lucian had stayed until they had cleared it.
But this was different. Byron was a juvenile. A baby. Compared to however long Lucian had lived, he had no experience, no leg to stand on.
"What if we waited too long?" Sam whispered. Cass felt his jaw harden.
"We have Lucian. He’ll be able to help, Sam. Let’s just take a few moments, calm ourselves, and make sure that Byron knows that you’re here with him." Sam nodded into Cass’ shoulder, holding onto him for a second longer before he pulled back, sucking in a deep breath. He wiped at his eyes, turned, and went to Byron’s side. He went around to the side of the couch, reaching for both of Byron’s hands.
Sam’s hands shook as he took them into his, but Byron relaxed. Cass stood over them, watching, a protector, until Edgar came back with Lucian.
The door nearly came off of its hinges as Lucian smashed it open, but this was one of the few times that Cass would allow such a blatant disregard for Cass’ things.
"How is he?" Lucian asked, panicked orange eyes scanning the room until they landed on Cass, and then Byron and Sam. He moved as he spoke, Edgar trailing in behind him and softly speaking to himself to repair the door.
"I don’t know. Not good, in my opinion." Cass said, relief filling him by just having Lucian here. Sam shuffled over, letting Lucian in closer to Byron.
Silence hung in the air outside of Edgar moving quietly about. Cass remained quiet and watchful.
Lucian let out a slow exhale, his gaze rising to Cass’. From the dragon staring back, Cass already knew the answer.
"Do you know where it is?" Cass asked as Lucian rose to his feet. Lucian’s jaw tightened.
"Tragically, his Mom predicted something like this might happen, so yes, I do." Lucian muttered. "She told me as much after I explained he was close to his shed. I also explained what that meant. It was only after I explained how I knew Byron that she divulged personal information." Lucian spoke quietly, his face tight. Cass frowned, moving towards him and placing a hand on his chest.
"You did nothing wrong. Byron just made the wrong call. You’re here to help him." Cass told him and Lucian growled. It was a pained sound, like an injured animal, and Cass felt his heart ache.
"I know, but that doesn’t make this easier." Lucian muttered, closing his eyes for a moment. "Sam? I’m assuming that Byron had you prepare a few bags, yes? Go grab them. We’ll leave immediately. I’ll meet you with Byron in the foyer. I want to speak to Cass first before I go." Lucian said. Sam nodded, hesitating as he turned to Cass.
"I’m sorry, my Lord. I didn’t mean to leave this suddenly." Sam apologised and Cass gave him a smile.
"It’s fine, Sam. Go. We’ll talk when you come back." Cass promised and watched Sam scramble off. Edgar watched, his eyes sorrowful as he turned back to Lucian and Cass.
"He’ll be okay?" Edgar asked and Lucian let out a low, dangerous sound.
"He’s on the cusp, but I’ll make sure of it." Lucian promised. "Eddie, I’ll need your help getting us down there. I need to preserve my energy so I can’t use my magic to do so." Lucian said and Edgar nodded easily.
"No problem." He assured him and Cass felt more useless then he had in a while.
"I hate that I can’t see the three of you off downstairs." Cass muttered. He squeezed Lucian’s pec under his hand.
"Cass, I’m probably going to be gone for the weekend." Lucian said. "I’ll try to be back sooner, but with how far-gone Byron is, I’m going to need to help him." Lucian muttered. Cass nodded.
"I understand. We all do. We would rather you come back in one piece and Byron comes back in one piece then you rush it. It’s okay. Take your time and make sure that you rest too." Cass told him. Lucian’s expression softened slightly.
"I will do my best, but this is going to be hard. I’ve only ever been helped, not helped others before. This will be a first for both of us." Lucian muttered before turning to Edgar. "Don’t tell Sam that, Eddie." Edgar shook his head, raising his hands.
"I won’t. I don’t want to worry him either." Edgar promised before heading for the doors. "We should hurry. He’s not getting better." Edgar said. Lucian nodded, exhaling slowly before he turned, shrugging off Cass’ touch and bending to pick up Byron. It was strange to see him carry the other large man, but somehow...it was fitting. Cass made eye contact with Lucian as he was going and he gave Cass a small nod. Cass nodded back.
That was all that was said as Edgar led the way, opening the doors for Lucian so that he could move easily through the mansion.
Cass just hoped that everything went well.