Page 53 of The Vampire Court

Vampires and their constant need to touch.

I don’t pull away.

We remain like this for a long time. I hate that I am finding comfort in him when he’s not the one who should be comforting me.

At some point, he starts talking about places and people I’ve never heard of. I ignore him, but the steady drone of his voice rumbles though me, and distracts me from my thoughts.

I put my hand on his side and push back, looking at him—really looking. Cassius breaks off mid-sentence, watching me with a perplexed expression.

He hasn’t acted insincerely this entire time, never trying to get me to do or think what he wants. He has, as he said, just offered his presence.

“Why did you keep trying to take me from Alaric back at the manor?” I ask.

His expression darkens, jaw clenching. He takes me in, calculating what to say. I know, at best, I will get a half-truth.

I shake my head and pull away. “Don’t bother. If you’re not going to tell me—”

“I was there on orders from the queen. She asked me to see if there was a bond between you two and, if so, to break it.”

My mouth drops open. I climb to my feet, wanting to put more distance between us. I knew the truth would make me angry, and I still asked for it.

He came to Windbury to break our bond. He set me up to nearly be killed by a demon-cursed vampire. There is nothing good about this man. He is evil—a pawn for his queen.

I run my fingers through my hair and tug. Yet his actions here and last night contradict all of that. He is inconsistent.

Cassius stands with me, advancing. I retreat until my back is against the wall, and we are chest to chest.

“You’re a bastard,” I say breathlessly. “You can be my guardian if you want, but you needn’t bother pretending with me.”

Fury distorts his features. His fingers dig into my shoulders. “I’m not pretending with you. I answered your question. If I’d told you anything else,thatwould have been the lie. You need to stop thinking of yourself as pathetic and weak. You will never get what you want without power, and to get power, you must take it.”

I frown, not understanding why he’s telling me this again.

“You are devious—”

“You must learn to bend so you do not break.” He releases me. “Just as I’ve had to.”

I want to curse him, rage at him, but I can’t seem to find the words.

After a minute, he backs away. “Eat, Clara, and get some rest. You will need all your energy for the reclaiming tomorrow.”

He has gone from scolding me to acting as if we had never fought in the span of seconds.

“A servant will be here in the morning to assist you.”

Then he’s gone.

I want to hate him, to blame him for everything. But none of this is his fault. Instead, I think of what he said.

He is right. I must learn to bend so I don’t break.

I must never break.

Chapter Twenty

Clara

After Cassius leaves,I debate whether or not I should sneak out to look for Va’rin. But the halls have been continuously filled with voices. There’s no way to leave, let alone make it to the secret passage on the third floor, unseen, so I continue to lay in bed, staring at the high ceiling.