Chapter 14: Herb picking
AYLA
"So are you going to tell me what happened with my brother?"
My head swung to the side
"Nothing happened."
"Is that so?" Cassian’s blue gaze met mine. "So should I assume him looking for you and you trying to hide from him is nothing?"
"I..."
"You don’t have to tell me, Ayla if you do not want to but how about I give you a piece of advice?"
I nodded.
Cassian stopped walking so he could face me.
"My brother, Ares has had a really tough upbringing. He is not very used to society behavior and I do not blame him. My father decided he was going to be the poster child for strength and took him to war before he could even hold his sword properly. He was just ten years old."
That was shocking information to me.
I could not imagine Ares in battle, dragging his sword behind him as a child.
"Why are you telling me this?"
Cassian drew closer.
"I just thought you should understand that his less desirable traits stem from not having interacted with people but instead brute warriors."
I nodded my head, unsure of what to say.
I did not think Ares was undesirable.
He was very desirable.
So much so that seeing him with Willow had annoyed me more than it should.
I may be bound to the Alpha princes by fate but that did not mean they were bound to be faithful to me.
He and Willow have been going at it for a while so why did it bother me that they would continue to do so even with me in the picture?
Maybe because he kissed you and you want him to do it again, my traitorous mind argued.
"We are here"
Cassian’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
We had reached a clearing.
"You were right, Ayla." He pointed toward one of the patches. "I see the Moonleaf."
A smile found its way onto my face despite everything.
"I told you I knew where it was."
"You certainly did."
He crouched beside one of the plants, carefully examining its leaves.
"My mother used to send me to pick some for her to brew whenever she is feeling under the weather." I added.
"Then today I am grateful she did."
Something about Cassian always made me feel...so seen.
He listened when I spoke, never interrupted me or made me feel small.
He was patient, gentle and kind.
It was everything that Ares could never be.
"Ayla." I looked down.
Cassian was watching me carefully.
"You have drifted away again."
"I’m sorry."
"You don’t have to apologize."
His smile was warm.
"You have got a remarkable eye."
I knelt beside him and reached for another stem.
"Ow" I winced.
"Are you alright?"
"I stupidly forgot the moonleaf has sharp thorns around its stem."
Cassian’s hand closed around my wrist.
"Easy, let me see it."
He turned my hand over, examining my middle finger where a bead of blood welled up.
"Small wound," he murmured, "but moonleaf sap can irritate if left uncleaned."
Before I could ask what he meant, he lifted my hand to his mouth.
His lips parted and he slid my finger inside.
I gasped as the warmth of his mouth enveloped me.
His tongue curled around the tip of my finger, licking away the blood with slow, deliberate strokes.
His eyes held mine as he sucked gently at first, then with a little more pressure, drawing the sting out, his cheeks hollowing slightly.
The sensation shot straight through me, pooling low in my belly.
I could not breathe
He kept my finger in his mouth for a long moment, his tongue working softly, cleaning the blood, soothing the ache while I imagined them on other parts of my body which made my thighs clench.
Finally, he pulled my finger out.
"There," he said, his voice a low rumble. "All better."
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice shaky.
I jumped to my feet, willing my racing heart to calm.
Cassian followed suit, rising to his feet.
"Hold still."
He stepped closer, his fingers disappearing briefly into my hair. He had tucked a tiny pale-blue flower behind my ear.
His fingertips brushed against my hair then my cheek.
His touch was impossibly gentle that it swayed me. I felt my body soften to his touch and my mind drift to the day of the mating when he had nuzzled my neck from behind.
"You are..." He hesitated. "Ethereal, Ayla."
Heat rushed into my cheeks.
For one impossible second, I was tempted to close the distance between us and kiss him. I wondered if he would kiss me back.
Then movement caught my eye.
I looked beyond Cassian’s shoulder.
In the distance was Ares, walking towards us with purposeful strides.
My heart jumped in my chest as my gaze returned to Cassian, to his fingers still caressing my face.
Without fully thinking, I leaned forward, rose to my toes and my brushed my lips against Cassian’s
He froze at first then his hand slipped gently around my waist, pulling me flush against his body, claiming my mouth.
Kissing Cassian was like holding a warm cup of tea on a winter night. His lips moved against mine with patient care, as if he had all the time in the world, as if he wanted to memorize every curve of my mouth. His hand splayed across my lower back, pressing me closer, and I could feel the steady beat of his heart against my chest.
There was no fire or devouring but there was sweetness and a feeling of just being wanted without being consumed.
In that fleeting moment...I forgot everything else. My fingers curled lightly against his chest. I did not want it to end.
When we slowly pulled apart, Cassian’s forehead rested lightly against mine.
His breathing was uneven and his blue eyes searched mine.
That was when I remembered why I had even kissed him in the first place.
Ares.
My gaze darted toward the path I had seen him.
It was empty.
He was gone.