Sol peered at the door once more, bracing herself on her elbow.
“I’m fine, Cas. You can leave.”
“You haven’t eaten.” His voice was gentle, foreign enough to make Sol feel a little guilty for not wanting to see him.
After Winderlyn’s trial, she didn’t want to see anyone. She wanted to rot in bed until it was time for the next thing, then the next, then hopefully the end.
She fell back into bed.
Unless he tore the door down, he would eventually leave. Sol had bolted both locks, mostly for the false sense of security. Cattya could easily incinerate her way in if she felt like it.
The mere thought of the woman made Sol bite down on her jaw to keep from screaming.
“Unlock the door, Princess.”
“Leave, Cas.”
For a moment, the room was silent. Sol let her eyelids flutterclosed for a second, thanking the gods he decided to listen for once. But then the lock mechanism clicked.
Sol bolted up.
Cas's Shadows still hovered over the locks, slowly dispersing into the room as the door creaked open.
He leaned on the door frame. “Sorry to defy your wishes, Princess.”
“Neat trick,” Sol sighed. “Or should I say scary?”
Cas shrugged. “You didn’t leave me much of a choice.”
He walked into the room slowly, surely surveying the unkept mess, herself included. He wore his usual black tactical suit, his black curls slicked into a loose updo that made Sol look away. From the corner of her eyes, she watched him set a cup down on her table. “The Ketar brothers sent you this.”
Sol eyed the cup, exhaustion pulling at her eyelids. “What is it?”
“Vegetable stew.” He sat in a chair, positioned to look straight at her. “They tried finding some sort of seafood for you but settled on vegetable since that is Jonah’s specialty.”
Despite the gloom that pooled inside her, Sol let a small smile pull at her lips. “That’s sweet of them.”
“Come eat.” Cas tapped the table. “You need to be well for the trial.”
She shook her head, the motion sending spears through it. “I’m not hungry.”
He frowned, his silver eyes flickering as he grabbed the mug and walked toward her. The room was still dim, even darker as his
Shadows trailed him to the foot of her bed. “Can I sit with you?”
She looked up at him. “If I say no, will you defy my wishes?”
Holding out the mug to her, he smiled, “I do the opposite in a woman’s bed.”
A laugh tore from her, true and utterly unprompted. It instantly lightened the weight that pressed against her temples, and for a second, made her feel something other than dread. Which had obviously been Cas's intention, as he too laughed along with her.
Sol patted the spot beside her. “So many women’s beds you’ve been in to have that line saved, huh?”
“None have ever openly laughed like that, though.”
Sol took the mug of stew, and her mouth instantly watered. It could’ve been made by Lora’s own hand, with the way the herbs all blended in familiarity, making her feel slightly nostalgic as she took a sip of it. It was warm and fragrant and exactly what she needed. The steam and heat caressed her, wrapping her in a much-welcomed hug.
She took small sips in silence, Cas only a comforting presence beside her.
