My mind spun crazy fast, with more of weight adding to my shoulder every minute it seems; I could not perform well with the spell. So I intended to spend the rest of the day with ruby instead; we sat outside. Crazy it may seem I pressed her into revealing some of my birth mother's and Elisabeth's likes and dislikes; to compare to which I was more compatible. Ironically it was my mother, whom I knew nothing about
"Your mom is a very decisive and belief woman; always does what she wants"
"With you? She must be brave to not bend to your will" Ruby raised her brows at my comment and it was so true; she's the must strict individual I had ever met.
"Much like you,"
"So it seems" I laughed feeling a bit curious. What would it have been to know her in person? The image of her with me nested in her arms played in my mind, the glossiness in her eyes; love and pain. I clouded that thought with another; James and Elisabeth. It's best that I didn't; I was given more than enough by those two; I balled the necklace around my neck and smiled.
"I will brew another pot" Ruby rose with her cup and reentered the house; she left me still with that smile on my face. I looked up to see Cassuis staring at me not suspicious but somewhat between delight and curiosity
"It's true you acquire both their traits," one on his brows arched for a moment and relaxed, and then his lips curled up.
I saw and felt the emotions rise in him, "The strong gaze of the father and the beautiful, naïve of the mother" my core skipped a beat and drummed against my chest and a feeling of charm washed over my chest.
Did I just blush?
"I will go help ruby" quickly I went in and didn't even stop at the kitchen but straight to the bathroom; I closed the door behind me and breathe heavily rubbing my fingers into my face. 'Why did I do that?'
Being in the bathroom gave me a feel of my bladder being full, I eased my fastener and dropped them to the floor and emptied my bladder. I stopped by the sink and washed my hand but my eyes fixed to my face. My short auburn hair gave me a tough look; my blue eyes were more piercing and my face was more angled; I looked farther from what I thought of looking like Elisabeth. Side to side with them now will reveal the obvious questions more. I went out to meet with Ruby in the kitchen but just about the arch entrance to the kitchen I saw a blood pool and Ruby was at the sink back turned to me; the same patterned dress on her that I once saw in that vision. I rushed and grabbed her and turn her around with my heart in-between my throat yelling "Are you alright?"
"Where are you hurt?" My head pulse severely and tears dispensed out my eyes as I frantically checked her all over; but she seemed to be alright.
"What are you doing? I am fine" she said catching her breath from overly spinning that I gave her. I helped her to a seat
"The blood on the floor, where is it from?" as I was asking I saw Cassuis came into sight working the last two buttons up his shirt──Jake's shirt. He glanced at me noticing my tensed self for a moment
"What is going on here?"
he continued to button his shirt like I haven't asked a question, "Cassuis? What happened here?"
"You need not worry. Your great grandmother assisted me" he said casually pushing his hands into his pocket
"What sort of help?" I asked swinging my head from Ruby to Cassuis
"Well," he appeared to be hesitant and looked towards ruby like he was asking for permission.
"Some onlooker saw me outside with your grandmother, thinking I was here to attack her shot a cross arrow laced in Thurium. I ran off the other side of the cabin, climbed through the window and she convinced them that she was fine." I couldn't believe my own ears
"All this happened while I was inside? How?" I asked rhetorically I should be able to hear the entire ruckus outside even if I didn't have super hearing which I did. Calmly I sat in the table beside Ruby caged my forehead in my palms and apologize for nearly making her throw up.
"Why are you so worked up about some little blood?"
"It's not the blood," I said rising my gaze to her
"It was the vision I told you about" My voice still sounded upset; Ruby gasped lightly and patted my back supportively.
"It's ok, I am fine" she assured
"I will be in my room" I raised from my seat went round around him just before I did; I listened to his subtle heartbeat; it looked like the Thurium doesn't affect him anymore. I closed the door behind me with a soft thud but my heart was leaving its place; it meant that all the other horrid visions I had were all coming my way; soon.
***
Cassuis saw the uneasiness in her face; the horror she displayed after she saw that blood pool on the floor; he believed she was concerned for him even if she hasn't said it yet. Just after Gia moved around him, he felt a slight warm brush against him; it felt like love all over again. His once cold face was replaced with a slight grinning face; he could not ever fully control what he felt around her. Her footsteps faded away and the sound of her closing door followed; that was when he returned his gaze to Ruby whom had been observing him all along. He walked up into the kitchen and sat by Ruby whose hand was placed against her knee to support upper body weight and the weakness she felt. Cassuis care no less about a greying wolf that he was sitting by; his hatred for them was non-dissolving no matter where the reality of them is turned. His is fixated to that hatred and that was why he felt pricked being here in a whole territory of them; or the fact that he was wearing something from one of them just to cover the raging claim mark left by Gia. He understands that Ruby was a very intelligent woman and the suspicious look on her features since the day she'd first met him never left her face; he wasn't looking for her approval anyways. But he cares for one to two things alone; her great granddaughter Gia and his coterie that's what he revolves around in not his loyalty to the royal vampire prince or to being one of the most powerful Masters around the world; that dream dissolved after she came.
He stared back into her wrinkling face and then his eyes landed just to the collar of her chest; he could not only see the major vein protrude against her skin or see it pulsing but he could hear her heartbeat. He lowered his gaze to her shaking hand and took it in his sandwiching it in-between his; Ruby noticed the change in him since after they arrived.
"Are you sure about this?" Cassuis asked firmly
"Why did you lie to her?" Ruby answered with a question; she was in a doubtful spiral and cannot bring herself to trust him even when she sees her great granddaughter doing so; unknowingly. He placed her hand back on her knee and rose to his feet
"We will be leaving tomorrow, we don't need her attention divided any further" he sounded icy just like he intended to but deep down the last he wanted to see was Gia worried out of her mind; or see tears in her eyes.
"Do you care about her?" Ruby asked also getting on her feet
"I care to have her alive after all this is over"
Ruby got frightened as her doubt was now confirmed that beloved Xena's daughter will never be able to find peace unless in her resting place. For the first time she broke down in heavy tears and drop back down onto the stool; she doesn't know how or where to start helping her out of this and neither was she able to tell her that she is dying. It wasn't Cassuis's blood and neither was an arrow shot, the elixir of life she's been holding on had stopped supporting her rusty body. She'd been around a whole lot of a long time with a defect she's gained during the constant feud in the society; she was lucky to have stumbled upon a fairly stable concoction with her witch friend that could sustain her. She had only been alive for one reason to keep Gia safe from harm and help her grow but it was all ending too soon.
Gia wasn't able to detect anything wrong with Ruby because she's just taken twice the dose she normally takes to keep her straight but Cassuis knows and only not in the position to tell her about it.
"This will be our secret"
Cassuis said before leaving the kitchen to Ruby; cried all she would want because Gia had switched herself off from the world around her. Cassuis walked down the hall and eased the door to Gia's room; he found that she was on her side, face turned the other way so he couldn't see her. As he saw her feelings arose inside of him, he walked in silently and shut the door behind him; he threaded towards one foot after the other in very light creaks; Gia hasn't slept like that in such a long time but she did felt his presence in the room. Not wanting to disrupt her sleep she neither opened her eyes nor tried to turn around and face him. She felt a dip in the bed, and his aura clouded her mind immediately.
She dug her nails into the flesh of her palms and her eyes squeezed in a little as he leaned over her. He took noticed of her heart rate rising after that, he smiled heavily knowing that she noticed him and wasn't trying to push him away. He supported his weight with one of his elbow against the pillow, half of his body on the mattress and the other leg was rooted to the floor, he leaned his head from the top of her so he was able to see her forehead and down to her chin; even her clenched fist. So close to her he felt the rush to hold her against him; he wanted to see not just how much she hated him; he wanted to see it all when he have her underneath him.
Gia was scared of the feelings she picked up from him and are equally starting to become hers in a bizarre manner. She felt her body froze and that his body on the mattress was unsafely close to her; she wanted to run out of the room but couldn't do so. She knew it was all part of the claim messing with his mind and will soon drop off to hating her more after it; she believed Cassuis is not a man to give in easily to anything and he wasn't going to give in to the pull of her claim; he will fight it off with the hatred he's had for her all these years──she thought.
Cassuis leaned in further just by her ears he used his free hand to push away the hair laying on her face and breath into it slowly.
The warmth and chill she felt at the same time electrified the signal to the length of her form, tighten around her head making her recoil and intertwine her toes tightly almost immediately as the signal dissolved but came another chill right after he spoke into her ear,
"I am here as a protection after all"