章 17: A challenger approaches

"So? What changed your mind and made you decide to gift us with your presence?" Cass was surprised by the open hostility from the man who had basically killed Lord Blackburn.

Or, maybe he shouldn't be.

Lady Fiona bristled at his tone while Cass watched him. The man looked…comfortable. Compared to the stuffy outfits that everyone else was wearing, he was wearing a pair of leather pants that seemed to hug his legs tightly in the thighs and then were more loose around the rest of his lower body. His shirt was a soft, billowy fabric that tightened around his wrists but he didn't look disheveled in the slightest.

He looked like…well, a pirate, if Cass was honest with himself. He looked like a sexy, yellow/orange eyed pirate. He was also huge compared to not only Cass, but the two other men as well. He'd noticed it when they had been standing together, but he had to be at least 6'5 or something. Maybe even taller.

Lady Ava felt to be around the average height for a woman, while Lady Fiona was taller. Cass knew he was shorter then he'd been in his body, but that didn't mean much. Cass had been 6'1 previously, while Lord Blackburn was maybe…5'11? Still a good height, but the three other men were monsters compared to him and the others.

This man, nicknamed 'Lucy' had to be Lucian Draken. From the pirate garb and the lack of fear of anything, it all pointed to that. Add to that the elongated pupils, it was a no brainer.

How the man thought anyone considered him human was beyond him. He thought his disguise was foolproof, when Cass knew for a fact that Lady Fiona clocked him as some kind of an intelligent monster when she first met him.

Cass' head pulsed, and he did his best to keep his facial expression neutral. It fucking hurt though, but he didn't want to cause any unnecessary worry for the women he was sandwiched in between. 'Lucy' smirked, pulling out his own chair before he sat down, leaning against the arm rest to stare at him.

"Afraid to answer, Lord Blackburn?" He teased and Cass rolled his eyes. He didn't need to impress these men. He just needed to make sure they tolerated him long enough that they didn't kill him before he left the castle.

"Oh, was your question directed towards me?" Cass shot back and Lady Fiona, who had bristled, turned her head away to hide her smile. "You must be more clear, 'Lucy', since I was unaware." Cass gently tapped his head, over his injury. "You see, I was injured recently, and I don't seem to have all of my memories." He smiled at him, all teeth. "You'll have to forgive me."

Cass watched as the smirk on Draken's face slipped away, revealing his anger.

"You don't get to call me Lucy." He growled, and Cass swore he saw smoke come out of his nose. What a tricky beastie.

Cass gently hit the other side of his head with his fist, blinking his eyes at him.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know that. Forgive me, whatever your name is?" He was doing his best just to see if he could get a rise out of him, and the man took the bait. The blonde man, who had also shown hostility towards Cass, coughed, grabbing his goblet to take a huge sip.

'Lucy' slammed his hand down on the table, causing the cutlery and plates to rattle. Cass picked up his teacup as he leaned forward, his gaze sharp and his teeth bared.

"You can't be serious. You know who Lady Ava and Lady Fiona are, but not us?" Cass nodded.

"To be frank, yes. I only know their names because others said them, so that's why I only know you as Lucy." Cass didn't mind playing this minefield if it meant he could get information out of them.

The monster rolled his eyes, slamming himself back into his chair until it rocked.

"That's fucking bullshit. There's no way that such a simple fall could take away that much of your memory." Lady Ava's eyes watered at the way that Draken threw those words around. She knew a partial truth, and it was clear that she was upset at his carelessness.

"You don't know that." She told him and her voice held a thin thread to it. The blonde and Draken froze, turning to look at her.

"Ava, what do you-"

"And either way, Lucy, you should be understanding and forgiving of your companions. Have you, or have you not had your ass saved by Lord Cassian several times while we've been trying to find the Demon Lord?" Lady Fiona cut the blonde off, speaking in a tone that made the hair on Cass' arms stand up. Her stabbing a sausage with her fork almost made Cass ill. Draken flinched.

"Uh, well, that's not a fair thing to say. We're supposed to be a team. Everyone is supposed to do that." Draken defended and Lady Fiona snorted.

"While that may be true, there was a reason that Lord Cassian was sparring with you and got injured in the first place. To teach you control. In all your years of life, you've never had to learn that. You've barely learned it for me, and yet you hold no kindness in your heart for one of the few humans around who is able to hold a candle to you and your powers? I am filled with sadness, Lucian." Lady Fiona's words appeared to strike a chord in Draken, and upset him greatly.

He hung his head, his lips turned down in a frown. The energy in the room shifted, and Lady Fiona turned her head and gave Cass a wink.

Holy shit. There was a reason she was the heroine. She was able to control and manage a dragon. Girl power.

Cass made a silent fist under the table, nodding before he raised the teacup to his lip.

"So you aren't eating with us again?" It was the blonde, but for some reason, Cass couldn't remember any details about him at the moment. All he remembered was the he was pretty, which objectively, Cass could see with his own eyes, and that he had some kind of deeper connection to Lady Ava.

That too, was obvious from how the two interacted.

"Oh, forgive me, that was directed at you, Lord Blackburn." Cass was on guard. Someone who could be as sassy as him? Cass met the blue gaze directed at him and unlike the last time he'd met it, it didn't feel hollow.

The man was testing him, and honestly, who was Cass to say anything about that? He was doing the same damn thing.

"Thank you for clarifying, Lord?" Cass prompted and he chuckled.

"Vespertine." He replied and Cass nodded.

"To answer your question, Lord Vespertine, I have been informed by my aid that I have a rather strict diet. As I am still in the process of regaining my memories I find it best to adhere to practises I had put into place before I lost them." He seemed mildly interested by Cass' reply. Cass put down his teacup. "That being said, I do think it was a bit…inconsiderate of me to avoid everyone entirely in the morning, so joining for tea shouldn't hurt." Cass gave him a tight smile and watched as Lord Vespertine mirrored him.

Cass was right. This man was dangerous.

"Awe. That's so sweet, Cassian. We weren't really that upset, but it makes sense if you have a strict diet." Lady Ava offered while Lord Vespertine continued to smile.

"Is it a lack of trust in our servants? Do you think someone would poison you, Lord Blackburn? While everyone is around? I didn't think you viewed us so poorly." Fuck. The damn man was a snake, too.

"Ha ha, why would I think that, Lord Vespertine? It's not so much as a lack of trust and more I have trust in my servant not to lead me astray while I am lacking in my own memories. I am not even aware of what I am allergic to, or why I have such a strict diet? What if I ate something without my knowledge and ended up hurting myself, through no fault of anyone?" Cass shrugged his shoulders. "I just don't want to cause needless worry to you. So, I'll remain drinking my tea, if that doesn't bother you." Lucy rolled his eyes. He'd already been chastised so he knew better to speak at this point.

Lord Vespertine's grin grew.

"Oh, would you stop drinking tea if it bothered me?" He asked as Cass laughed.

"Does it bother you?" He asked in turn and the two men started laughing, staring at each other. It was clear to Cass what the man meant. Stop drinking tea and get the fuck out of here. Cass, on principle alone, wasn't going to leave. Fuck this guy.

The third man? Silent. Quiet. He put his head down and ate while the two women shared a look between them.

"Uh, well, I hope your diet isn't too strict, Lord Cassian. You're so thin. I swear you're lighter than Ava." Lady Fiona joked and Lady Ava sputtered while Cass furrowed his brows.

"What? There's no way that's true." Cass replied, turning to Lady Fiona. Lady Ava's face was flushed.

"Are you saying I'm heavier than a man?" She demanded and it was clear that Lady Fiona was panicking.

"What? No! Wait, ugh! I'm saying, Ava, that Lord Cassian is too thin. He shouldn't be lighter than you. You weigh nothing as well, but he's even lighter!" Lady Fiona said and Lady Ava frowned.

"But he's a man." She replied, and Lady Fiona sighed.

"That's my whole point, Ava! He's almost sickly thin." Cass felt his face heat.

"I am not sickly thin." He protested. "I'm just…regular thin." He replied and Lady Fiona stared at him.

"Well, I can't speak to the validity of that statement, but I don't know if I believe you, Lord Cassian. It felt like I was carrying a bag shaped like a human but filled with feathers last night." Kraken started coughing, having been in the middle of a giant sip from his goblet.

"Last night? What were you two doing last night?" He demanded and Lady Ava huffed.

"Cassian came to the temple to pray and needed assistance getting back to his rooms. Sheesh." Draken's face flushed in embarrassment having been told off by Lady Ava.

"I agree with Lady Fiona." The room froze when the third man, the red head, spoke. He put his fork and knife down, his plate clean and glanced towards Lady Fiona before staring at Cass. "Lord Blackburn was far too light when I carried him up to his chambers after the incident. Almost as if he was missing something." Cass felt his eyes widen slightly as the man who had been coldly indifferent stared at him.

Wait. What was he implying?

"Well, whatever you're eating for nutrients Lord Cassian, you should probably double it. I could see your collarbones with such distinction yesterday that they were distracting." Lady Fiona said, a smile on her lips while Cass felt a cold, warning chill go down his back. The red head eventually turned his gaze away, but Cass felt worry fill him. He knew something, but Cass didn't even know what he knew. Was he like Lady Ava, only he didn't come to the same conclusion? How much trouble was Cass in?

"I'll make sure to tell Sam that." Cass told her with a smile before glancing back at Sam. He gave a nod, while Cass felt his heart race in his chest. Why was he suddenly so worried? The red head was probably the most normal out of all of them.

He was just a knight.

Cass' head pulsed as the information came to him and he winced, closing his eyes as vision blurred. Fuck. Now he knew why his head was throbbing.

The memories from the book were the reason, combined with Lord Blackburn's actual memories as well, were taking a toll on his body. He doubted he'd be able to get much done today beyond moving around the castle at this rate.