30
CASSIE
“How’re you holdin’ up, spitfire?” Barrett whispered as we turned onto a dark street. “I heard what happened last night with Eris. I couldn’t believe it when Zephyr told me.”
“I’m actually feeling good,” I said, shaking most of the darkling blood from my dagger before swiping the last remnants of the black liquid on my pants.
My eyes had long adjusted to the darkness, yet it was still so dark that I could just barely make out his face hidden in the shadow of his black hood. The night had been quieter than the last few hunts I’d been on, which was a relief. Damien had been hesitant for me to hunt tonight. It probably would’ve been smarter for me to skip, but I was so antsy that I couldn’t stay behind while Damien went to patrol with the others.
I was well rested, had spent most of the day sleeping, and I wondered if it was due to Damien’s feeding the night before. I didn’t know how late we’d stayed up, or how many times we’d made love. A smile tugged at my lips as my mind wandered to the healing bite marks on my breast and the inside of my thigh. My heart fluttered at the memory—how he spoke, how he touched me. God, he was amazing, wickedly amazing.
Despite that reprieve from reality, I was afraid to be alone with my thoughts. While I relished in the peace left in Eris’ absence, the weight of her absence was heavy in my chest. In a few days, I’d find out how my body had fared over the last few months of training. How much damage had I unknowingly caused? No, if I remained behind, alone, it would be too much to bear.
“I actually wanted to ask if we could retry the flame Stoicheion lessons again,” I said, lowering my hood.
His head jerked to me, and he tugged his hood down as well, revealing his short blond hair. “You sure?”
I nodded. “I can’t explain it, but I feel... amazing, actually. Maybe it was Eris who was making it so difficult.”
We rounded the corner, and I could faintly hear Damien and Zephyr talking ahead of us, but I couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. “I don’t feel as affected by Marcus’ death anymore.” I hesitated, the weight of what I’d just said heavier than I expected. “Knowing what I know now, I can’t help but feel like it makes me a terrible person.”
Barrett let out a heavy breath. “Marcus did a lot of terrible things. Zephyr told me about Eris’ corruption. I can imagine that might make it more difficult for you to accept what you did.”
“It does in a strange way.” I turned my head to him, sliding my daggers into their sheaths. “I wonder if I’ve been struggling with it for so long because of Eris, like she’s been trying to corrupt me all this time, the way she did him.”
“It’s never easy to take a life, but you did what you had to do. Don’t think you’re a terrible person for finding the peace to move past it,” Barrett said.
“Wow,” I chuckled. “That almost sounded mature of you.”
He cracked a crooked grin. “It’s been known to happen. If you want to start training again, we can start immediately. We can do it in the afternoons after your training with Zephyr if you’re feeling up to it. Vincent can even join us. We can try water Stoicheion as well.”
“Sounds like a plan.” A realization dawned on me. “Barrett.”
He glanced back at me, brows raised.
“What if...” God, I was afraid to think it, but a part of me hoped. “What if Marcus wasn’t the only one corrupted? What if Cole was corrupted, too?”
His steel eyes fell to the pavement, and the look of sorrow and shock on Barrett’s face was enough to tear my heart in two.
“You really think it’s possible?” he asked, and I almost regretted mentioning it. There was a hint of hope in his voice, but... what if I was wrong?
“I don’t know. He was different when I saw him while I was being held. It’s difficult to let go of everything, but...” My eyes drifted along the buildings around us to the moon hidden just behind the clouds. “What if he didn’t have a choice in it all?" My voice trailed off as I came to a stop, eyes narrowing as I caught a glimpse of a figure on the rooftop.
“Cas?” Barrett said from my side, confusion lacing his tone.
I blinked, and the figure disappeared, the roof left bare. Had I imagined it? I didn’t sense any darklings nearby. My lips parted to call Damien but tensed, gripping the hilts of my daggers as Zephyr shifted into his panther form without warning, his conversation with Damien ending abruptly. I reached out to Damien’s thoughts.
Darklings?
Damien took a hesitant step back, pulling his dagger free from its sheath. His head turned to scan the darkness around us.
I don’t know. It’s... different.
What did that mean? If not a darkling, what else could it be? What else was there?
Is it Melantha? I think I saw some—
The temperature plummeted around us at such an alarming rate, I couldn’t even prepare myself. I shivered, breath spilling from my lips in white, misty puffs. It was more intense, so much more powerful than the sensations darklings gave off when they approached.
