Chapter 213: Can you walk?
~Alexis POV~
We found a small cave hidden behind some thick bushes. It was dry and warm inside. Most importantly, it was hidden from anyone looking for us.
Cassius checked the area around the cave to make sure we were alone. When he came back, he looked tired but relieved.
"We should be safe here for now," he said.
I was sitting on a flat rock near the back of the cave. My body still ached but I felt much better than before.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better. Much better. Thank you for saving me. Again."
He sat down across from me. There were still cuts on his face and arms from the fight.
"Why?" I asked suddenly.
"Why what?"
"Why did you go to that extent? Acting like a spy, doing things I know you must have hated. Why put yourself through all of that?"
Cassius was quiet for a long time. He stared at the ground between his feet.
"Because I had to," he said finally.
"That's not a real answer."
He looked up at me. "Nobles from Lystra are working against us. They've been planning something for months. Maybe longer."
"What kind of something?"
"They want to destroy our kingdom. Erase us completely this time."
His voice got harder as he spoke.
"It was necessary to do whatever it took to survive. To protect my people. Especially since the princess has returned."
The way he said 'the princess' made my stomach twist. His voice got softer. Sweeter. Like he was talking about someone very special to him.
It finally dawned on me. He was talking about Ava. He cared about Ava. But the thought made me feel sick anyway.
"You care about her," I said. It wasn't a question.
"Of course I do. She's my princess. It's my job to do what's best."
But it was more than that. I could hear it in his voice. See it in his eyes.
He loved her.
"The people of Lystra know she's back," he continued. "They're scared of her. Of what she can do. They want to kill her before she can become too powerful."
"So they're trying to destroy kingdom?"
"Yes. They've been sending spies and assassins. People pretending to be traders or soldiers or servants."
"And you had to pretend to be one of them to find out their plans?"
He nodded. "I had to make them trust me. Had to do things that went against everything I believed in."
"Like taking me prisoner?"
"Like taking you prisoner."
We sat in silence for a while. I tried not to think about how much he cared for Ava. How his whole face lit up when he talked about protecting her.
"Why did they want me?" I asked.
"Because they somehow knew you're close to her. They wanted to use you to get to the princess. Hurt you to hurt her."
"But you took me first."
"I couldn't let that happen."
"Even though it meant betraying your real mission?"
He looked at me with those dark eyes. "You're my mate, Alexis. That comes before everything else. Even my duty to the princess."
The words should have made me happy. But all I could think about was how he had sounded when he talked about Ava.
"How do you know about the Lystra plans?" I asked.
"I've been working undercover for months. Getting close to their leaders. Learning their secrets."
"That must have been hard."
"It was. But it was worth it to protect..."
He stopped talking suddenly. His whole body went tense.
"What is it?" I whispered.
"Shh." He held up his hand. "Listen."
I heard it then. Footsteps outside the cave. Lots of them.
"How did they find us so fast?" I breathed.
"I don't know. I was careful."
But he had been distracted while we were talking. Too focused on explaining things to me to pay attention to our surroundings.
"Come out!" a voice shouted from outside. "We know you're in there!"
Cassius stood up and drew his sword. "Stay behind me."
Men in armor came into the cave. Not the same soldiers from before. These ones looked different. Meaner.
"There they are!" one of them yelled.
"Kill the traitor! Take the girl alive!"
They rushed at us all at once.
Cassius fought like a wild animal. But there were too many of them again. And the cave was small. He couldn't move around as much as he needed to.
I tried to stay out of the way. But one of the soldiers got past Cassius and came at me.
I tried to run but my foot slipped on the rocky floor.
The soldier's sword came down toward me. I rolled to the side but not fast enough. The blade cut deep into my stomach.
Pain exploded through my body. I screamed and fell to the ground.
Blood poured out of the wound.
"Alexis!" Cassius roared.
I had never heard a sound like that come from a human throat. It was pure rage and fury.
What happened next was like watching a demon fight.
Cassius moved faster than before. Stronger than before. His sword cut through the soldiers like they were made of nothing.
In less than a minute, they were all dead.
He dropped his sword and ran to me.
"How bad is it?" he asked, kneeling beside me.
I looked down at my stomach. There was so much blood.
"Pretty bad," I whispered.
"Can you walk?"
I tried to sit up but the pain was too much. "I don't think so."
"Then I'll carry you."
He picked me up carefully. I cried out as the movement made the pain worse.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I have to get you out of here. More of them will come."
He carried me out of the cave and through the forest. I could feel my blood soaking through his shirt.
"Stay awake," he said. "Don't you dare die on me."
"I'm trying."
But I was getting weaker. The world was starting to get fuzzy around the edges.
We came to another clearing. This one had a small stream running through it.
Cassius set me down gently by the water.
"I'm going to heal you," he said. "Like before."
He bit his wrist until blood came out. Then he held it to my lips.
"Drink."
The blood tasted awful but I forced myself to swallow it.
Almost immediately, I felt the warmth spreading through my body.
The pain in my stomach started to fade. I could feel the wound closing up.
After a few minutes, I felt strong enough to sit up.
"Better?" Cassius asked.
I nodded. "Much better. Thank you."
He looked exhausted. Giving me his blood twice in one day was taking a toll on him.
"We need to keep moving," he said. "They'll track us here eventually."
"How do they keep finding us?"
"I don't know. But we can't stay in one place too long."
He helped me stand. My legs were shaky but they held me up.
"Where will we go?" I asked.
"Somewhere safe. Somewhere they won't think to look for us."
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