Cassia’s throat tightened. Of course he was interested in the most powerful, dangerous one. The one with the least amount of lore surrounding it. The oneactuallymissing for centuries. “Why would I know about that one?”
“You read more than anyone I know.”
Except there weren’t any stories about the crown. And she hadn’t picked up a book in a very long time. Not since…
Now wasnotthe time to harp on family drama.
Cassia straightened her spine. “I used to.”
“Cassia…”
Holding up her hand, she cut him off before she let him say something stupid like heknewher or something equally nostalgic. “Why don’t you tell him he needs to stop whatever idiotic plan he has to fool our father instead of focusing on an ancient toy that probably doesn’t exist anymore?”
“He’s not trying to fool anyone. Believe me, your father is well aware of the fact that Cade’s reasons for marrying Marin are ingenuine,” Castor replied. “But he doesn’t care. Not when he’s getting what he wants. AndCade… He’s going to do whatever it takes to find Quinn, especially now that he knows she still poses a threat to Bridget. If your father gets in his way…that’swhen you should be worried.”
“I’m already worried,” Cassia admitted, bile rising in her throat. “He’s not seeing the bigger picture. Do you really believe all these attacks on the border have been random? That it isn’t Quinn trying to lure him back to Cavamyne?” She paused, making sure her voice wasn’t croaky before she continued. “Quinn doesn’t care about Bridget anymore, despite what Cade now thinks about their past and fate being tied together. She wants the curse on the Sanguis broken. Which means she wants himdead.”
Castor shook his head. Grabbing her chin, he forced her to look at him. “Even though Quinn has the Bloodstone, she doesn’t have the power to orchestrate the attacks I’ve seen. That amount of magic… It would have killed her by now.”
“Then she’s not working alone,” Cassia croaked. When she realized just how close they were standing, that she’d practically wrapped her arms around him, she turned around. Wiping away the stray tear that had dared to escape her traitorous left eye, she asked, “What about your family? Is any of this happening in Tafari?”
Behind her, Castor cleared his throat. “Not like here… But my parents, they’ve felt a shift. They know it’s not long before it reaches them. If things escalate, I’ll need to go back.”
Sooner rather than later.His unspoken words pierced her soul. Time was catching up with them. All of them. It wouldn’t be long before everything changed. The future, just like the dark clouds that lingered on the horizon, hovered around them, ready to become real at any second.
“Then we better get to it,” Cassia said, trying to plaster a smile on her face. “You said you’ve been thinking… what can’t I have possibly tried before?”
Castor reached into his pocket and pulled out a small vial. “Take this witch hazel and try a summoning spell.”
“A what now?” Cassia stared at the vial, not daring to take it. Witch hazel was an aid only used by covens who specialized in pulling from the earth. She could barely channel air. A fact Castor knew. Glaring, she said, “You know I can’t.”
“You and Cade are twins,” Castor argued, prying open her fingers and forcing the vial into her palm.
After a moment of resisting his efforts, she reluctantly relented. “A fact I’ve known my entire life.”
“You were created together…”
“I learned about the birds and the bees a long time ago.”
This time, it was Castor’s turn to glare. “Marin said he’s Tuathan… that he’s exactly the same as he was back in the day, give or take a few powers. He’s an anomaly. His birth or reincarnation or whatever you want to call it happened because of a curse created hundreds of years ago… But it wasn’t just him.”
“It was me, too,” Cassia finished, barely able to speak over the knot in her throat.
She was just as an anomaly.
Cassia read the anticipation swirling in Castor’s eyes. Did he really think that whatever magic Cade possessed had transferred, even just a tiny bit, over to her?
“Maybe we’ve been going about your magic the wrong way the entire time,” Castor said as he began to pace excitedly. “There used to be another race of magical creatures. Druids.”
Cassia froze. “Their existence has always been a rumor.”
“According to who?” Castor challenged. “Your family basically rewrote history five hundred years ago.”
“Good point… Go on.”
“Fae are essentially a mixture of humans and Tuathans. We all know that. The human blood in Fae is why magic comes at such high prices.” Castor cracked his knuckles. “If I remember correctly, Druids are a mixtureof Witches and Tuathans… Just think about it, Cassia. It could explain why you’ve had such trouble with magic. Witches and Tuathans pull from the inside… from their blood. The elements and runes are just tools for them to enchant their abilities and use as leverage when it comes to the cost of magic.”
Castor started to pace.
