Page 35 of Magic in the Music (Magic and Mysteries #4)

That had not gone well. Quite the opposite of well.

By the ice in her tone, Samantha likely hated him now. Which did not bode well for their future. If the curse wasn’t broken, he would never leave Nightshade Manor because Samantha could literally not survive without him.

He was not a fool!

He was doing what was best for her and him.

Well, best for Samantha, because what was best for him was to have her by his side. Selfish of him and unfair to her.

Cassian stormed past the open vault and ignored anyone who tried to speak with him, up the stairs then out the door leading to the terrace. There was a bloody Drakos family member everywhere and he did not want to speak to any of them.

He paused in indecision. Did he go to Iza for further clarification, which she would not likely give, or to the Sacred Grove where he could be alone.

In the end, he marched to the Sacred Grove and did not stop until he stood in the middle of the temple.

Iza was right about you, too, Cassian.

What did Samantha mean by that?

He walked to the stairs that led to the lake and sank down on them.

What all had Iza said to him?

Your soul, Cassian, is just now beginning to appreciate the beauty of a sunrise instead of lazing about as is often the case with youth. However, it is still unsatisfied, anxious, and wants more.

He wanted the estate in France and he wanted Samantha, but he could not have both, and likely would not have either.

You cannot claim what is beyond without letting go .

Cassian still did not understand what Iza had meant. To claim the estate, he needed to let go of everything here, or so he assumed. To claim Samantha, he had to let go of…pride and dignity? Of his belief in not being worthy of her?

You will reach a crossroads when you will be forced to admit the truth and humble yourself or be forever bound.

He was already bound to Nightshade Manor if the curse was not lifted, but Iza had not known about that…or had she?

But that still did not explain what he needed to do because even if he humbled himself or admitted the truth, which he had already done, the piano would not free Samantha.

Good God! Why had he walked so far away from the cellar.

What if she needed him and he was not there to hear her call out?

Yes, she may have told him to leave but without him, Samantha would starve…she would die.

With those thoughts, he returned to the house and paused only a moment to look into the vault where the witches were reviewing spell books then returned to Samantha.

“I am not leaving you.”

“I will not ask that you stay.”

“You will die without me.”

She also knew that he was correct.

“Well, then, let us hope that a way to lift the curse is found soon because I do not want to be the one to keep you from realizing your dream.”

“You will not and are not,” he insisted and, in that moment, he had true clarity. “Yes, I want to reclaim the property in France, but even if I could walk out that door and have the funds to sail to France to reclaim my heritage, I would not do so.”

“Which is why I am telling you to go. You only remain because of me and that is unfair to you.”

“Yes, I do remain for you, Samantha.” His heart pounded. It was time to be fully honest with her. She may reject him in the end, but he was also all that she had until the curse was broken, which he feared never would be.

“It is not only because that you need me but…”

Blast this was hard. He hated the vulnerability of exposing his heart to her.

Samantha crossed her arms over her breasts and started tapping her toe again. “But what, Cassian.”

This was his crossroads. He had to leave France behind, give up on it, let go of his pride and his dignity be damned.

The rest of Iza’s prediction came to him.

It will not only be your future at stake .

“I love you, Samantha. I have been in love with you.”

Her blue eyes widened as her coral lips parted.

“If I were a wealthy man. If I had an estate. If I had more that I could offer that would make me worthy of you, I would have pursued you the moment I noticed you at the Witches’ Ball.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I do not believe you, Cassian. If your heart truly loved me, you would have kissed me.”

“It is because I love you that I could not.”

“Did it ever occur to you that I may not want more?”

“I had hoped that I would still have the chance to win your heart after I was successful in France.”

“Then that is where you should go.”

“No.” His dreams for France and that future no longer mattered.

“I cannot leave you,” he said quietly as realization flooded his body and he could no longer use the excuse that she would die without him.

“I do not want to live without you, no matter where that happens to be. These circumstances have taught me that. We do not know what tomorrow will bring or how much time any of us have. I could have gone off in search of my dream, then returned to hopefully claim your heart. Had I left before this…” He gestured to the room.

“I would have returned to having lost the one thing that truly mattered and that is you.”

Tears filled her eyes and even if it would pain him to hear the words, he was prepared for her rejection, though it would change nothing.

“I love you, Samantha. You own my heart and I will not be parted from you. I can only pray that one day that I am worthy of you and can give you all that you deserve.”

The corners of her mouth tipped as a stray tear rolled down her cheek. He swiped it away with the pad of this thumb, surprised that the wetness remained when he drew away.

“I will be by your side always, if you will have me.”

“Oh, yes, Cassian, I have loved you too, and why I so desperately hoped that you would kiss me.”

“I was a bloody fool,” he muttered right before he leaned in and placed his lips against hers.

* * *

Samantha hardly had any time to prepare before Cassian’s lips brushed across hers and then they were gone.

That was a kiss?

She expected…well, she was not certain, but the ones she’d witnessed under the mistletoe had certainly appeared to be more involved.

He pressed his forehead against hers. “I fear that your father or brother will walk in and call me out,” he whispered.

Samantha giggled. “It is not as if they can see who you are kissing.”

“Which means I probably look quite ridiculous.”

“Does it matter?” she asked quietly.

His eyes stared into hers. “No. The only thing that matters is you and hoping the witches find a way to free you from this place. Until then, I will not leave you.”

Tears welled in her eyes.

“I love you.”

“And I love you.”

He stared at her lips, as he had done in the Witches’ Garden and then leaned forward, pressing his against hers once again, but this was more than a mere brushing, but pressure and passion. When he traced the seam of her lips, she parted hers and allowed him entrance.

Heat rushed through her body and Samantha grew dizzy and had to grasp onto his shoulders.

She had not expected a kiss to be so powerful. Wind rushed around them, a swirling of music as candles flared then settled.

“Goodness!” she finally said once they parted.

“I have heard mention of magical kisses but I had not expected the air to be disturbed.”

“Me neither,” Samantha admitted then looked around, suddenly concerned. Wind and the flaring of lights should not have occurred even if those were her gifts.

“Do you think…”

“What?” she asked Cassian.

“The spell has been broken,” her mother announced as she ran into the room. “We felt the change in the air, the charge of magic, in the vault and dared to hope.”

“Can you see me?” Samantha asked.

“Yes, dear. Very much so.” She came forward and pulled Samantha into an embrace.

“We can all see you,” Petra announced.

“Try to leave the room,” Cassian said.

What if she was still held back?

“Go. I am right behind you.”

The friends and family who had filled the room parted as she passed and when Samantha reached the doorway, she took a deep breath then stepped forward, then through and walked a little further.

The relief was so great that her knees nearly gave out and she had to press her hand against the wall.

“You are free, Samantha.”

She turned to look at Cassian.

Would he leave her now despite what he had said? There was no reason for him to remain.

“You can go to France now?”

He took her hand in his. “Only if you want to and will go with me.”

“Truly?” she hated the hopefulness in her tone, but everything had happened so quickly and she feared that none of it was real.

“I was not lying to you back there. You are my heart and if you will have me, I want you to be mine whether it is living in the cottage in the Sacred Grove, or struggling to survive while we travel to France and attempt to reclaim an estate.”

He had feared that he could not give her riches, but Samantha had never wanted wealth, or to experience another Season or more gowns than she could possibly wear.

She craved love and companionship and if it meant that there would be no servants and only serviceable gowns, then so be it because she would be with Cassian and that was all that truly mattered.

“It is about time,” Petra complained as she passed them and climbed the stairs.

“For what?” Cassian called after her.

“It’s been obvious for weeks that yours is a love match.”

“How is that even possible?” Samantha asked, following her.

But Petra did not answer so they followed her up the stairs and into the dining room. Samantha’s stomach grumbled and mouth watered to see the food that had been prepared for a late luncheon.

“Sneaking looks at each other while neither thought the other was looking and not realizing that the rest of us were,” Petra answered as she took a seat at the table.

Samantha’s face burned and she sat across from her. It would be nice to feed herself for a change.

“Then there was the music,” Malcolm offered. “That should have alerted you immediately.”

Samantha frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You could not hear his music and he could not hear yours.”

“Mother says that it happens.”

“The only person she could never hear was father, nor ours, and that is still the case.”

Samantha snapped a look at her mother.

“I could not tell you or it may have altered how you and Cassian dealt with the other, especially if you decided to defy fate.” Her mother then looked at Cassian. “Nor can I hear your music. Your privacy extends to everyone related to Samantha who shares the same gift.”

“His confession was what was needed to free you, Samantha,” Lady St. Alban said as she took her seat.

“That information was translated yesterday, but if we had told Cassian, he may have made a false declaration of love thinking that it would free you, when it would have actually caused more harm. It had to come from the heart and his own true realization.”

Samantha looked at Cassian who had joined her at the table. “Everything Iza had warned us about has come true.”

“Yes well, had she been less cryptic, we might have arrived at this point much sooner.”

She would have thought him upset if he weren’t smiling.

“Only one question remains,” he announced. “How soon can we wed?”