Page 91 of The Vampire Court

The muscle of his jaw feathers before he answers. “I knew what direction you went, and when you never returned to your room, I came looking for you. When I found your mother, I knew you couldn’t be far. You weren’t hard to find with as much as you’ve bled.” He looks down at me with an unreadable expression.

“Are you angry with me?” I ask. Though, I’m not sure why because I don’t care if he is.

“No, little bird, I’m not,” he says. “Now hold on. I need to get you somewhere safe to clean up before anyone else finds you here.”

Fisting my hands in his shirt, I dip my head, resting it on his shoulder, and close my eyes.

He moves with a sickeningly fast pace, not slowing until I hear the click of a door moments later. I peel open my eyes and take in his room.

Cassius marches over to the cushy chair next to the fireplace. The heat of the fire instantly washes over me. I hadn’t even realized I was cold until now. Shivers rack my body, and I can’t seem to control them.

He sets me down on my feet and points to the chair. “Sit. I need to heal you.”

I expected him to be furious that I wandered off and killed another vampire.

“Why are you being nice?” I demand. I don’t trust him. He’s been ordered by the queen to keep me alive from what I can tell, but the training and the rescue…

“You’ll bleed to death. It will be slow, but it will happen.”

“You could heal me without my cooperation,” I point out, unsure why I’m arguing the point.

“Is that what you want?”

“No.”

“Then sit down, and tell me where you’re hurt. There’s too much blood for me to see without undressing you completely.”

I lower myself onto the chair, sinking into the cushions, then point out my numerous injuries.

Closing my eyes, I breathe through the ache.

“I meant, why do you train me in the mornings? I already know the queen ordered you to keep watch over me, so why bother pretending to care?” I ask.

Vampires can’t be trusted, but even thinking that squeezes at my heart because the thought is directed more toward Alaric than Cassius. I trusted him, and I’m beginning to think it was a mistake.

Cassius says nothing as he pulls the material of my shirt in a way that both keeps me covered and exposes every slice on my skin.

“It’s not that bad,” I mutter. “I can wrap them myself.”

“It is, and it will bring every vampire on this floor to this room if you don’t let me heal you.”

I lift my shoulder of my uninjured arm and give a half shrug.

“These wounds are worse than anything sustained in training. This will be painful,” he warns.

I steel my jaw, bracing for what’s to come. “I’ve been healed while awake before. I understand.”

“Because of the mark, I can’t compel you to sleep.”

“I know,” I snap, irritated with his warnings, wishing he would get on with it already.

Tilting my head up, I focus on the texture of the ceiling, the unfinished beams painted white to match the walls, and the knots still visible in the wood.

Cassius lays his hands atop the open wounds. I flinch, my heartbeat kicking up. Every part of me is raw and aching. I don’t look forward to the added pain of healing.

Several endless seconds pass before the warm light of his power radiates under his palms. I pull in a breath and hold it, waiting, but all that comes is a deep ache. It’s uncomfortable but not painful. I release my breath and relax.

Cassius’s hands move to my arms next, my chest, and then to the scratches along my shoulders, healing the worst of it first. His eyes are focused, not looking up from each area until he’s finished.