Cassian's cool gaze bore into Willow's furious thunderstorm eyes.
"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded. The metal handles of the hand cuffs clinked together. "Unlock me at once."
Cassian was transfixed. The lengthy luscious locks of hair in the deepest shade of red he had ever seen. A sweetheart face with a sharp jawline, high cheekbones and full lips. Her light gray eyes were so bright and clear that they resembled glass. His mate was all curves and lean muscles in exactly all the right places he liked them.
Despite her sickness from the injected wolfsbane, Willow still managed to look breathtakingly beautiful.
"Would you like me to pose for a portrait so you can stare at me all day?" His mate raised a mildly annoyed eyebrow.
"Why would I want a portrait when I have you." Cassian replied. He smirked when her cheeks flushed.
"Can you at least open the windows? I need a breath of fresh air." She coughed. Willow rubbed her throat and took in deep shuddering breaths.
The curve of his lips tilted down just as fast as it had gone up. His once curious expression turned cold. He walked closer until he stood directly above her. She frowned at him in question. He didn't miss the way she tried to make herself small either.
"I bet you feel really warm too, don't you mate?" He sneered. "Or should I say, Willow?"
His mate - Willow - opened her mouth and then shut it holding back whatever excuse it was that she was going to tell him. She looked away with an expression he couldn't place his finger on.
"Are you going to turn me in for trespassing the palace grounds the other night?" Willow asked him. Her tone sounded defeated. Tired.
"I wouldn't have let you escape the first time if I wanted that." Cassian said.
A cold silence passed between them. Cassian had so many questions but he didn't want to scare her away when he'd just gotten to properly meet his mate. She already did enough running away on her own without his help.
"The healers said you will have a fever until all the toxins are out of your body. There's a tonic on the bedside table. Drink it when you feel nauseated." Cassian instructed. He stood up, ready to leave when Willow's voice held him back.
"Rhea."
Cassian paused, confusion written all over his face. "What?" He asked.
"My name is Rhea. Rhea Willow Delaney."
"Rhea." Cassian repeated, testing the name on his tongue. He liked it. He suit her wild nature than something soft and demure like Willow.
"Cassian." He offered after a thought. Might as well get it out of the way while they were at it. "Cassian Asher...Valentine."
Rhea froze. Cassian noticed her repeat his name in a whisper. She turned to him with wide eyes.
"You're the Crown Prince." She whispered more to herself than to him. This time it was audible enough for Cassian to hear. All of a sudden, Rhea looked sick.
Cassian stared at her in alarm. "I'll call for the-"
"No!" Rhea said. "No, I'm fine. Can you please unlock me? I-I just need some fresh air. I promise I won't run. You know where to find me even if I did. So just, please..." She gasped uneven breaths escaping her lips.
Cassian hesitated and then gave in when Rhea fell into a coughing fit. It was torturous standing so close to her, with her scent alluring him deeper into whatever this was. He heard her heartbeat quicken as he leaned in to unlock her hand. He felt her hot breath on his neck and suppressed a shudder.
Rhea pushed past him as soon as the lock clicked open. For a moment, Cassian thought she had duped him just so she can escape as she rushed toward the balcony doors. Cassian heard her harsh breathing turn into pants and dry heaves. His eyes widened.
'She's having a panic attack.' He realised.
Cassian ran to the balcony and found Rhea curled up in a corner. Her fingers gripped the railing bars so tight that her knuckles turned pale. Cassian was used to having panic attacks when he was younger but never the person consoling somebody who was going through it. So he did the one thing his mother always did during his episodes.
Cassian hugged Rhea.
He wrapped his arms around her trembling body from the back slowly while whispering that it was him softly into her ears when she tried to jerk away from him. He felt sick himself when she clutched his bare hand but he tried not to focus too much on the feeling of her skin on his.
Instead Cassian lowered his face onto Rhea's shoulder and inhaled her scent. It was as close he could go without touching the skin on her neck. It calmed him down. Rhea's breathing was still harsh but she at least wasn't gasping and heaving for breath.
They sat there like that for a while until Rhea's breathing turned normal. Cassian was suddenly aware of how warm her body was. Her fever seemed to have increased from before. Though it was freezing cold outside, his mate's body heat was enough to keep them both warm.
"You can let go now." Rhea mumbled.
She pulled her hand away from his and shifted so she sat facing him. It was a strange feeling but Cassian somehow missed her close proximity as soon as she moved away. The lunar mate bond tugged at his heartstrings now that Rhea was so close to him.
"I've seen all sort of reactions when people realise that I am the Crown Prince but this is a first." He chuckled trying to lighten the mood.
Rhea offered him a tired smile. "Well, atleast you can boast about it now."
"Is it really that surprising? That I am the Crown Prince?" Cassian questioned.
"I-It's not that- I mean I am surprised but - forget it. I'm sorry if I frightened you." Rhea said. She paused then added. "Your Highness."
Cassian shot her a look. "You are my lunar mate. I don't want you using titles with me."
Rhea stared at him in surprise but nod her head. She was doing that a lot. Being surprised by Cassian. His actions. It made him wonder what exactly she thought of him.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were the Crown Prince earlier? Goddess, I must have looked so stupid demanding to have an audience with you, through you!" Rhea groaned.
"Why didn't you tell me that you were my mate? And no, not stupid just really desperate." Cassian said. Rhea gasped and kicked his shin. He cursed, clutching the wounded area.
"I did not sound desperate!" She said indignantly. "I did want to...talk to you."
"Well, we are alone right now." Cassian raised an eyebrow.
"It's not important anymore. I can take care of it by myself." Rhea said. She shifted uncomfortably.
"What changed in a matter of hours?" Cassian questioned incredously. Rhea shrugged avoiding his gaze.
He didn't push her. "Let's go inside. It's freezing out here. You're sick. And you still haven't answered my question."
"Neither have you." Rhea retorted. She stumbled up on her feet and followed Cassian back inside.
Cassian glared at her. Rhea glared back. He made an annoyed noise at the back of his throat and went around pulling the curtains back to let in natural light. She sat on the window sill while Cassian made himself comfortable on his bed. The cool breeze made her shiver but also kept the contents of her stomach inside.
"Are we in your room? You really have a lot of unused, unwanted space." Rhea commented. She looked properly now that the room was well lit. "And why is the bed so large? It could fit five of us."
"You won't be saying that when I show you how useful the space can be." Cassian replied without missing a beat.
He was obviously joking. He could barely take the feeling of Rhea's bare hand on his let alone do things like that with her. But yet his ears tinged pink when he saw her flushed cheeks. She blushed so easily.
'It's adorable.'
Cassian squeezed his eyes shut. Such thoughts had no place in his head. He shouldn't be getting attached. The price of such comfort was too high. A price that even the Crown Prince of the kingdom cannot afford.
"I have to leave soon. Ursula will have my hide if I take a day off. Can I bathe before I leave? Are you okay with that?" Rhea asked him.
Cassian stared at her like she grew two heads and a third arm. "You are not going back to the Wildflower. You are my lunar mate. It's illegal."
"I asked if you were okay with me bathing here." Rhea said ignoring him.
"And I said you're not going back to that place." Cassian growled. He got up from the bed and strode toward her. "Would you like it if I worked in a brothel house?"
"Cassian, I wasn't kidding when I told you that Ursula wouldn't part with me that easily. I only hid the fact that I am your lunar mate. Everything else that I said or did is real. It was me. It is me. Iris, Willow, Rhea - they're me." Rhea said in exasperation.
"I don't care if I have to lock you up again for you to understand but in case you've forgotten, I'm the Crown Prince. Your future King. And my orders are clear. You will not work at Wildflower any longer." Cassian replied.
"I'm bound to her okay? I can't go even if I wanted to. If she wants me beside her, she will have me beside her. Whether you and I like it or not." Rhea finally said. She looked exhausted.
"What do you mean...bound? As in a contract?" Cassian asked puzzled.
"No. Not a contract." Rhea said. She looked straight into his eyes.
"An oath. Bound by a blood oath."
To say he was shocked would be an understatement. Cassian remained silent as he wordlessly gaped at Rhea.
"What is promised in this oath?" He said finally breaking the silence. Rhea hesitated and then slumped in resignation.
"I have a sister." She begun. "A twin sister."
Cassian's brow shot up his forehead. "Twin?" He said in disbelief.
Rhea nod her head. She understood his disbelief. Twins were so rare in wolven that it was almost never heard of.
"At the time of our birth, there was a complication naturally. Addy was born minutes after I did but she had a heart condition. The midwives believed she wouldn't live long enough to pass the night." Rhea said.
The air around them stayed quiet except for the slow swish of leaves and branches outside. Rhea glanced at Cassian and found him listening intently. She breathed in and continued.
"Before they could figure out her solution, our mother started to hemorrhage and passed away shortly. But Addy held on. One of midwives raised us until we were six. She told us that our mother was brought to the healers by somebody who found in labor on the streets. We never found out who our father is."
Rhea gripped the material of her bloodied gown tightly. Cassian fought the urge to gather her into his arms.
"The day after we turned six, Addy fell incredibly sick. Our foster mother took her to a healer but he said Addy's condition was far too advanced for him to be of any help then. When she pressed, he offered her a different solution. One far too dangerous. A root found only at the heart of the Blanche forest."
"The Blanche forest?" Cassian cut in shocked. "Nobody in their sane mind would enter that part of woods unarmed."
Rhea nod her head in agreement. A rueful smile adorned her lips. "But our mother did. She told me to stay with Addy until she returned with the medicine. And I did. Until the sun rose and set in the horizon. She returned three days later. Frozen stiff, bloodstained, blue skinned and two of her limbs missing. A group of hunters found her and brought her to us. Whatever was left of her."
Cassian felt the ache in his heart through their mate bond. Rhea didn't shed a tear but the hurt was there, buried deep under her strong walls of protection.
"There was a note in her satchel. One that even written in haste. The ink had been blotchy with tears and blood. It was an address. Here in the capital. So far away from our little town. The note said that I would find the cure for Addy at the address. Addy and I left the town the same day with only the meager saved money in my hands. The address led us straight to Wildflower. To Ursula."
"Ursula agreed to help me but on one condition. I had to make a blood oath to her in return for the medicine. The oath promised me as her property for fifteen years of my life. I would be under her command. What she ordered, I will do." Rhea said. She felt Cassian's anger through the mate bond.
"Desperate as I was, I agreed and formed the oath with her. At first, the tasks she made me do were small. I was young and untrained so heavier tasks would be impossible for me to complete. Therefore, began my training with knives and swords. Ursula quickly took a liking to Addy and joined her to a local school when we were ten."
"I was too busy with my odd jobs not that Ursula would have agreed. She despised, still despises me. We never got along. Maybe it is the fact that I am literally her slave." Rhea said, sighing softly. She looked out the window at the slow falling snowflakes.
Cassian's jaw clenched as his eyes began darkening in anger. "Rhea." He breathed slowly. She shivered and he frowned. "Are you cold?"
Rhea blushed and coughed lightly. "No, I'm fine..." She trailed when Cassian moved to her in a flash.
One moment he was sitting on the bed and the next he was draping his thick coat around her shoulders. Rhea couldn't help but breathe in deeply as his scent covered her like a warm blanket.
"How many years has it been?" Cassian asked. He leaned against the wall close to her.
"My service to her ends coming spring when I turn twenty one in the month of April." Rhea said. She visibly seemed to brighten at the fact.
Cassian nod thoughtfully. Two months. Two months until his mate's freedom. A soft smile graced his lips when he realised that his mate was a year younger than he was. It made him want to protect her more.
"But you cannot. You cannot protect her. As long as she is bonded to you, she will be mine to kill." The dark, gravely voice whispered in his ears.
"You have a creepy smile on your face." Rhea deadpanned. Cassian blinked, smile slipping into a frown. Rhea beamed at him. Cassian looked away, a flutter of nerves unraveling in his stomach.
"As much as I understand why you had to form a blood oath, they are extremely fatal if you do not keep up the conditions of the oath. And in your case, it is completing whatever Ursula orders you to do." Cassian said.
"I am good at what I do." Rhea shrugged. "You don't have to be worried on my behalf."
"I am not worried for you. I am worried-" Cassian stopped abruptly. '-worried that I will lose myself before I lose you.'
Rhea stared at him in question. Cassian breathed out a huff of air and looked away.
"What are these jobs that Ursula makes you do, that require you to wield a sword?" Cassian enquired instead. He was curious. Very curious in fact. "That requires you to sneak into the confines of the Royal Palace and almost getting yourself killed."
Rhea stilled. Her breath hitched and her eyes widened ever so slightly. Cassian was afraid he knew the answer to his own question. He wasn't blind. Rhea's body held the reflexes that one only gained from experience. Her strong lean muscles and erect posture. Her technique with weapons and the ease with which she hid them.
Cassian remembered what Rowan had told him outside his chamber doors earlier. When they safely locked Rhea in his room.
"She was grinning like the whole thing amused her while being held at knife point. Not even one of our Blood Knights would show such a reaction."
Cassian trained many wolven as Chief of the Blood Knights. He knew the difference between a wolven trained to protect and a wolven trained the kill.
And Cassian knew his mate was very much the latter from the way her eyes glinted at him with danger just then. Cassian matched the glint in her dark grey eyes. He leaned in toward her and noticed her finger twitch toward the slit of her gown.
"Who was your target that night, Buttercup?"