Cassia found herself being led to the bed inside, his hand still firmly wrapped around hers as she sat. "Talk to me… please."
"Jeric… I don't know what's gotten into me," Cassia said as her heart nearly blasted through her chest. "These feelings… feel like they're my own." Lowering her head to avoid his eyes, she added, "I just don't get enough time with you to make sure…"
A loud knock on the door shattered their focus.
"Sir… your presence is requested in the meeting hall," Chancellor Tomas Verin yelled through the door. "More information has just come to light, and it requires your attention immediately."
"Dammit!" Jeric said as he stood up, cursing as he walked away. "Cassia, I… I'm leaving because I have to… not because I want to." Unlocking the bolt and turning the handle, he turned back toward her. "Goodnight… I trust you can sneak back to your room?"
Before she could respond, he was gone. The door creaked as it closed, each note sending Cassia's mind a step closer to breaking. She lay on the bed, clutching Jeric's blanket, tears forming in her eyes as the moment replayed in her mind.
She grabbed one of the pillows at the head of the bed, wrapped her arms around it tightly, and squeezed it for comfort. The faint smell of the duke permeated the fabric, causing a spike of arousal to jolt through her body.
"I could stay in here all night… maybe wait for Jeric to come back?"
Cassia sat with that idea for a few moments, mentally weighing the reward against the more than likely punishment. Deciding it best to leave the duke's room, she steadied herself and left.
The palace hall was silent and barren. No other staff could be seen, just the decorations and emblems of the house that covered the walls. Cassia had, over time, come to call this place home. She made her way to her hallway without fail, slowly creeping toward her door.
"CASSIA!" a mysterious yet familiar voice yelled. "Where have you been?" Laughter rose shortly after, the owner of the voice apparent now.
"Keep it down, Jess… you'll wake the Madam," Cassia exasperatedly whispered, lowering herself down to where she could see her friend hiding. "How long have you been waiting… who does that?" Laughter broke free after, causing the built-up tension to slowly fade away. "I thought you were Madam Flurett for a second… I nearly peed myself."
Laughing more quietly, Jess crawled out, pulling herself up next to Cassia. "I've been here since dinner… pretty sure I might have taken a nap." Slamming her mouth shut and sharpening her eyes, she pulled Cassia close. "Where have you been, Cassia… I had to cover for you twice. Honestly, we should probably get to our rooms quickly." Shivering as she looked past Cassia to check the hall, she added, "The Madam is pissed…"
"I went to see him… I went to see Jeric," Cassia said as she pulled Jess to her room. "Here, we can speak inside. Feel free to stay the night… having you around makes me feel better. Alone in that big room…" she said, closing the door behind her. "It just feels lonely in here, but up in Jeric's room—"
"You were in his room?" Jess cut in, drowning out any other voice. Letting out a shrill cry, she jumped a few times in excitement. "I knew you were doing something interesting…" Walking together over to Cassia's bed, they took a seat. "You've been really stressed lately. How was it?"
"How was what?" Cassia said, blushing at the implied accusation. "He left before I was able to get everything out. That chancellor of his came begging for him before we got to that point…" Letting out a loud sigh and falling back onto the soft mattress, she added, "I was so close to finding out, Jess. He was looking at me again… it felt so right…" "Gahhh, what do I do…"
"Ahhh… you didn't kiss or anything?" Jess asked, raising one of her eyebrows into a sharp arc. "Nothing at all?"
"Haah…" Cassia said with a sarcastic huff. "He touched my hand and led me to his bed… it was definitely coming, I know it."
Jess stared at her for a moment, then let out a slow breath through her nose. "Cassia… that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen." She leaned down to pat her friend on the back. "You gotta get these feelings out before they eat you alive."
"It already is," Cassia muttered, turning onto her side and pulling one of the blankets over herself. "Every time I get near him, I stop thinking clearly. Then, the second he's gone, all I can think about is getting back to him."
For a while, they both sat in silence, not knowing what to say. The palace beyond the walls had gone quiet again, but sleep refused to come. Not with Jeric's voice still playing in her mind. Not with the smell of him still present on her clothes. Not with the memory of his warm hands embracing hers.
"I'm gonna sneak my ass back to my room… you figure your stuff out," Jess said as she left Cassia's room, opening the door once more and poking her head back in. "Just make sure it's what you want, Cassia." Then she was gone, and the room was silent again.
Cassia walked over to her dresser, pulled out her favorite nightgown, and walked to the washroom. The quiet taps of the water falling pulled her into deep focus. She stood still until the water ran ice cold, only able to escape the thought once she found her answer.
"He picked me up and gave me an opportunity… yes, I'm grateful for that… but that magic contract feels like it's partially responsible for how my mind feels when I think about him," she said as she dried off, wrapping her towel around her hair for the night. "I still feel like I want to be with him… no, not only that, I want to help him as well."
As she walked to her bed, she steeled her nerves and made the decision she'd been wavering on for weeks.
Cassia would be the best Duchess Draevenhall would ever see.