Chapter 54: Is this where you take all of your snacks?
"Why now am I considered weak?" Cass asked, tears running down his face and his arms trembling. Lord Vespertine held him in his arms tightly, tight enough that Cass couldn’t wrap his arms around him in return.
Cass didn’t want to. He wasn’t going to seek comfort from this man’s arms. He wasn’t going to find comfort from any man’s arms.
"W-Well, uh, I guess you’re appealing to my desire to protect?" Lord Vespertine offered and Cass struggled in his arms. Desire to protect? Where the fuck was he when everyone was forcing a bond onto him he didn’t fucking want?
"Let me go. I don’t want such a fucking useless-" Cass felt like a sputtering, hissing cat as Lord Vespertine tightened his arms around him. Cass hated how his head slotted perfectly into the nook of his shoulder. Fucker.
"Woah woah, don’t spit in the face of my concern so easily. I probably didn’t phrase that well." Lord Vespertine tried to soothe, but Cass was pissed. He was upset. He was angry. He didn’t want to be confined. "I’m sorry, Cassian. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-shit, we shouldn’t be caught like this, everyone is going to know it’s us. Will you calm your temper long enough for me to take you somewhere quiet? Without prying eyes? I don’t care what others say about me, but I know you care about your image." Lord Vespertine’s deceivingly soothing voice washed over Cass, and against his will, he felt himself relax.
Shuddering, shaking breaths escaping from his lips, Cass eventually relented, relaxing in his grip. Lord Vespertine sighed heavily, pulling away and glancing around before taking Cass’ hand and leading him down the path. Cass didn’t question how he knew the town so well. Someone like him probably didn’t like drinking the stuff in that bottle. Cass honestly felt ill thinking about it now.
He hated blood. The sight, the smell, the texture, and yet...
Fuck.
Stop thinking, Cass.
Lord Vespertine led Cass into a quiet area, not quite a side street, but clearly an unused area of town. A lone tree tucked away, with a few benches tucked around it. Litter dotted the ground here, as well as a bunch of leaves, but Cass didn’t say anything.
His tongue felt heavy with only jabs. He didn’t want to do that right now. He just wanted to be alone, honestly, but Cass knew that Lord Vespertine wasn’t going to allow that. He was just swept along by these damn male leads’ intentions. Didn’t even matter if he was technically a male lead as well.