Page 69 of Elysian

Silence.

If only I had the key to lock it. Silly notion, since that would do nothing to stop him if he truly wanted to enter. Exhaling, I released the door and backed up, scrubbing my fingers through my plaited hair. Tendrils had escaped throughout the ride. My jerking movements thudded the grimoire against my hip, but I would keep it close. Hester had died for this, and I would be damned to Perdition if I risked leaving it behind.

My pulse continued to pound in my ears. I used the rush of anger to pull all the sheets covering the furnishings.

I exposed a bed with folded fur blankets tucked at the end. It sat upon a wooden frame holding it up from the ground. The next sheet I yanked off exposed a small vanity stained an oak-brown shade. Carved wood surrounded the mirror in intricate, swooping designs.

I bunched the sheet and tossed it over the other where I collected a pile beside the door. Next, I uncovered a wardrobe beside the door.

The shape beneath the last sheet told me it was a chaise. The angry energy keeping me moving seeped out of me in a rush. I slumped at the end of the bed.

Slowly, I leaned into my side, curling my knees to my chest as I stared at the door. Tears no longer came from my eyes, but the sensation in my chest was a pressure so intense I could drown under it.

And Cassiel did not make anything easier. I had never accounted for a bondmate, and the matter was not simple for us.

He had taken the bond meant for my wraithling. That was the only reason I felt him. If the wraithling bond was not present, what would have been the difference? Even now, his absence gnawed at my mind.

I rubbed the spot devoid of Cassiel.

Madness was what it was. I was bound to the man that had harmed me in many ways, and now I was reliant on him, not only for my life, but urges.

The flush of heat coursing throughout my body had only been soothed when he touched me. I hungered for him with an intensity that frightened me.

If not for the wraithling bond twisting to attach to him, the matter would have been different. I would have been able to escape him.

Even more sickening than that reality was this inexplicable urge to please him. I wanted to see him smile. To erase the confusion furrowing his brow. And that came from me. He had been so incredibly cold to his mother’s death. So incredibly stiff about anything that required emotion. It was almost as if he could not reach that part of himself. A sliver of pity invaded my chest.

I huffed, kicking my legs out.

Still, the thought churned like an infection.

As dawnlight turned to dusklight, I could no longer remain still. There were but a few moments before nightfall.

Where had Cassiel gone?

Exhaling in a gust, I let my arms flop to my sides. He had not returned, and that was odd in itself.

I was rather harsh.

I rubbed the spot on my chest. Worry crept forth.

The man had lost his mother after all.

Despite my utter distaste for her, there was no doubt in my mind that she loved him in her twisted way.

Not unlike the twisted manner her son showed his care.

Curiosity succeeded in making me roll off the bed. The satchel flopped against me. I strode to the window facing the front of the estate. Cassiel strode through the thick straw. It swayed as he pushed through, consuming his wide form.

Where is he going?

I turned and went to the wardrobe, finding many pairs of slippers. Even nice, fancy ones with jewels lining them. But most important was the thicker platform that would be better protection against pebbles. I put on the most simple ones and left the chamber. Crossing the rug-covered floor down to the wooden staircase, I descended. It opened to the sitting area which opened to the front entrance.

Cassiel must have left the door ajar. I exited, following the path that he had taken. My steps lightly crunched over pebbles until I reached the edge of the towering straw. Cassiel’s path had cut a swath through it until I reached a flattened area a few more steps deeper. Loud sounds of hissing echoed, masking the sounds of my steps crunching across the path. It opened near a garden area. Stone paved the path until it widened to a spot where a bench sat beside a small pond.

A few paces from the water was Cassiel huddled over a mountain lion, pinning it to the ground as he fed.

I went cold.