Cass sent Rudy home with the rest of the beer and locked up the apartment. Daniella was sitting on the couch sipping some tea. The cheery demeanor she had around Rudy was long gone and replaced with her usual flat affect.
She's not mad at me for not letting them use my bed is she? Surely she wasn't in the mood after everything today…and surely she's not that brazen.
"You can sleep in the bed. It should be clean. I usually pass out on the couch anyway."
She watched him walk over to his desk and sit down.
"I thought for sure you'd be long gone by now."
Cass peered over his book.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Her eyes shifted slowly to the side.
"It's nothing. A lot of people in the slums run at the first sign of trouble. That's all."
Cass cleared his throat.
"Well, believe me, if I had any decent job prospects, I'd be outta here before you could blink. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be a supervisor at the Ravenrock mines."
She guffawed, almost spitting out her tea in the process.
"You!? A supervisor? That would be something."
Cass was conflicted. It was the first time he'd made her laugh, but that tone…
"A lot of the girls seem to find you attractive. I assumed you'd become some aristocrat's kept man."
The way she phrased that…
"Look at you, when did you become so talkative? If only you could tap into that charm on the clock. Tindra could afford the repairs and several new additions."
She stood up.
"I'm going to bed."
Cass heard the door lock click and the shower start. Unfortunately, Cass's bedroom and bathroom were both behind that locked door.
Surely she'll unlock it after she showers…won't she?
He flopped on the couch and flipped on the TV. Cass had put it off long enough. Rudy's news of Lady Islay and the betrayer's engagement flitted around in his head ever since he heard it. He never really kept up with the news or world events.
Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea.
The slums and his current predicament had taken precedent, but now that he'd gotten a somewhat stable existence, keeping up with the nobles and the war might be advantageous. It didn't take long for the story to come up. The beautiful Lady Islay and a face that caused every muscle in Cass's body to tense up with hatred, posing and waving for the cameras. The glorious House Inannthas was adding the valiant Lord Cadeyrn to their ranks. Cass sneered.
I'm sure his parents must be so proud!
No doubt there would be renewed interest from powerful Blessed looking to become vassals of their land. The family's property was precarious as far as noble lands went. Usually nobles lived in safe zones and trained in the danger zones. Cass's ex-family were a lower noble family, so it stood to reason they'd have subpar land as well.
Very befitting, if I say so myself. Then again, they just married into one of the most prestigious noble families…Bastards. Bah! Does keeping up with world events always cause this much of a headache?
*knock knock knock*
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Sheesh."
He opened the door to a wild-eyed girl with curly blonde hair.
"Cass! It's Tindra! She's flippin' out!"
He sighed.
"Hi, Hilda. I'm not surprised."
Cass and the girls had managed to calm her down before she did anything rash. Once things had settled down though…Cass knew she'd be ready for a fight. All of a sudden, Cass felt a sharp pain radiate through his body. He grabbed the door frame and hunched over.
Damn that crazy woman!
"Cass? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Stay here with Daniella. She's in the shower. I'll go after Tindra."
Cass hurried out of the apartment and down the stairs. He often left his host's area when he did delivery work, so he wasn't too concerned. He always had a sense of where she was relative to him; a homing instinct. The pain however, he never seemed to get used to. Cass ran after Tindra as fast as he could. The instant relief from the pain meant he was getting close.
Huh, faster than I expected.
Cass didn't slow down though. He knew the direction she was headed.
Honestly, how can she be so stubborn? How much pride can a person have?
As he reached the next intersection, he could see Tindra walking towards the Old Ward.
"Tindra! Wait!"
She kept walking.
"Hey! I know you hear me!"
As he caught up with her, she stopped and pivoted towards him. Through gritted teeth she growled.
"What the hell are you doing here! You left those girls alone after all that!?"
"Isn't that what you did? You're standing here too."
If looks could kill…He didn't stop.
"It's an obvious provocation. You're walking right into their trap."
She sneered. Cass shrugged and added.
"Did you at least try to contact Detective Karsten?"
"That old fool ain't interested in anything goin' on here!"
Cass didn't really have a response. He wasn't sure if Karsten didn't care or if he just couldn't get anyone else on the force to.
"If Dhall's beefing himself up with sorcery, we need a better plan than barging in and-"
"Quiet! Not 'we', I didn't bring ya for a reason. So go on home now. Get!"
Cass's eyes widened. He couldn't do anything, except what she told him. Cass turned and headed home. He looked over his shoulder until she disappeared from sight. Tindra remained standing there, her gaze fixed on Cass. On the way back, the wave of pain returned. By the time he reached his apartment, he was covered in sweat. Hilda and Daniella were sitting on the couch. Hilda stood up.
"Cass! Did you get her?"
"No."
Cass slouched and dragged himself to the couch. Daniella never took her eyes off him.
"She wouldn't listen. She told me to go home."
Hilda's face dropped.
"I see. Well, thank you for trying."
Cass put his face in his hands. Hilda headed for the door.
"I should get back to the Doxy. I'll let you know when she comes home."
She left. Cass rubbed his face and leaned back on the couch.
A typical bout with Dhall…
she'd be home well within his time limit.
But if it really was a trap…
He felt Daniella's stare.
"Yeah?"
"I'm surprised you didn't follow her. Isn't that what you usually do?"
He shot a look at her and didn't say anything.
"Is it not? Every time she leaves, not long after, I see you exit your apartment and head in the same direction."
"Are you a peeping tom? You've been in the slums longer than me, you should know how perilous that can be."
"I spend a lot of time in the back lot of the Doxy, so I get a good view of who comes and goes."
"You've been hanging around Rudy too much. Did he hire you as one of his information brokers?"
"No."
"Yeah, I know. I didn't think…never mind."
Cass's breathing was labored. He picked up a napkin and wiped the sweat from his face.
"I just never expected you to let her go alone."
"I get it! It's not like I wanted to. She's a Blessed. How can I stop her?"
"You didn't go and tell anybody? Get some help for her?"
"You know anyone?"
"No."
Cass clicked his tongue and rubbed his neck.
"Yeah, thought so. Besides, are your legs broken?"
In truth, Cass had wanted to run back after her once he reached his home. But the spirit of the command was considered by his curse. She didn't want him there; she wanted him "safe" at home. In all likelihood, he'd be safer with her. Not that she knew, how could she? He'd never told her anything about his curse or even being Cursed. He was pretty sure he could trust her not to give him orders…pretty sure. But if someone found out about the separation…that could be disastrous. His body ached.
Then again, so could this.
Cass managed to force out a smile.
"It's not like we can do anything now. We might as well get some slee-"
*BOOM!*
An explosion ripped through the night's calm and a massive ball of fire erupted into the air. Cass's heart sank as the windows rattled.
"God damn it!"