Then he looked to Kaelric: “You’ll have to take care of her, protect her more than you’ve ever done for anyone before.”
Kaelric looked concerned, brows knitting together on his forehead.
That’s when I said the worst possible thing for that moment, but I was blunt, and addressing the elephant in the room was just how I rolled.
“How can I trust a marked traitor?” I asked Cassian.
Kaelric’s head swiveled slowly, eyes flashing yellow, fur running down the length of his arms.
“Drel thar va kinnar ven!” he spat into my face, and then stormed out of the room.
Cassian watched him go and then peered back at me. I sheathed Valkaryn and crossed my arms.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not trusting a traitor!” I told him. “Wolves only get that mark if they leave someone for dead in the trial, right?” I mean, I wasn’t crazy; the guy wore the mark.
Cassian nodded. “Right…” He said the word like a question, though.
“Why do you sound unsure?”
Cassian blew air through his teeth. “The trial he was in was five years ago. He must have been… seventeen? A young wolf. I was thirteen. I don’t remember much, as my parents didn’t let me watch yet, but Regalis did. He… told me stuff. Wild stuff.”
I shifted on the balls of my feet. “Wild stuff?”
The last trial? Kaelric was in the last trial. I don’t know why I didn’t put that together until now.
Cassian chewed his lip, peering over his shoulder at the closed door. “Like unbelievable stuff,” he added.
I frowned, my stomach tying into knots. I suddenly wondered if I’d made a mistake. “Tell me.” I stepped closer.
Cassian fiddled with his hair, pausing as if not wanting to say anything. “I don’t know if it’s true?—”
“Tell me, please,” I begged.
He nodded.
“That year, the heir to House of Vexalor sponsored himself. His name was Drauis Vexalor. He chose the most powerful weapon at the time, named Blood Veil, and Kaelric bonded him.”
Blood Veil. That sounded creepy. It was interesting that Kaelric seemed to be after powerful weapons.
“Was King Killer not an option five years ago?” I asked.
Cassian shook his head.
“Drauis was known for being cruel and bloodthirsty. He would win at all costs. But that year, the House of Liraeth found out that their young daughter was dating outside her cast. To punish her, they sponsored her, even though she’d never had any combat training. It was a death sentence.”
I gasped. A punishment for dating a lowborn? It was so cruel.
“What happened to her?”
Cassian eyed the door. “That’s where the story gets… crazy. My brother said that in the second trial, Drauis tried to kill Larelle Liraeth for the fun of it. She was in his way. Kaelric intervened and told Drauis to leave her alone.”
My heart began to pound heavily in my chest. Kaelric stood up for an innocent girl…
“And then…” Cassian cleared his throat. “Drauis ignored Kaelric and tried again to kill Larelle, but Kaelric jumped in front of the killing blow, blocking it, and killed Drauis instead.”
My eyes went wide.No. No. No. Guilt washed through me. All the times I’d called Kaelric a traitor… he was a traitor for a reason that I totally agreed with. But killing an Elite, one you were sworn to protect, was not okay. I was surprised they hadn’t killed Kaelric and had only branded him a traitor.
“They booed him out of the arena, branded him right then and there, and banished him,” Cassian said.
