Midnight City (boyxboy)

|Twenty Eight: My Body Is a Cage|

If Cassius had a heartbeat, he knew it would have been pulsating in his chest at a million beats per minute. And from beside him, he could hear that Theo's was doing just that. The wizard was trying to prevent his fingers from shaking as he used his hand to create a portal, the place they were visiting barely visible through the dark mist. The two friends shared a look of uncertainty, before the vampire made the first move. As he stepped through the portal, not only was he physically transported, he was mentally transported, too. 

His body was pinned to that splintering, wooden beam, nails screwed into his flesh so he couldn't move. Any thought that entered his mind was hazy, too tired to cry for help, but also too aware of the eyes that raked over his exposed skin. And the sun. The sun scorched every part of him, the smell of burning flesh floating up his nostrils, filling up every sense. And those senses told him he was going to die there. 

Blinking, he found himself outside of those gates again. There was no trace of the faerie guard he had slaughtered, of the blood he had spilled onto the cobblestone. He wondered who had been the one to clean that up, and if they were aware of the spectacle he had made of it. Something told him that the faeries now feared him. All but Odessa. 

This time he didn't need to kill anyone to be let through the gates. Theo trailed behind him nervously, his footsteps heavy, as though he had magic weights in his shoes trying to slow him down, telling him to turn around before it was too late. 

However he didn't have a choice, not when that crown was on the Prince's head. Not when the clothes he wore were so fine, so regal and commanding, so much so that Theo had shuddered at the sight of him. A different kind of look was in his eyes when Cassius became the Prince, one of pure ice, so cold that he could freeze over the realm his family ruled over with one glare. 

He would hate to be on the receiving end of that stare. He had been. And he never wanted to endure that again, the feeling of the vampire's hand around his throat, deciding whether or not he deserved to breathe in the oxygen he needed. 

Any nerves Cassius had before he arrived dissipated as he entered through the doorway to the center of Five Point Peak. This time, the pews were empty. Surveying the circular courtyard, the vampire searched for any sign of danger. It was foolish of him to go anywhere dangerous without a royal guard, but he knew this was something he had to do on his own if he didn't want to get caught. 

He didn't let himself feel anxious when he finally laid eyes on Queen Odessa. Flanking her were two guards, the breastplates of their armor a polished metal, clearly an upgrade from the chainmail they had once worn. Most likely courtesy of Cassius and the spear he had used to impale that faerie, a merciless fire had burned in his veins upon the entrance to the faerie lands. 

"My dearest Cassius, I did not think you would be so brave as to actually turn up today," Odessa drawled. Lips painted a deep shade of red, almost the same shade as the blood spilled from Cassius' body when she had humiliated him, turned upwards into a conniving grin. His enhanced hearing picked up on Theo's swallow when he gulped. 

Bravely, the vampire took a step towards the faerie. She cocked a well-groomed eyebrow, amused at the serious act of the Prince. But when she looked at him, really looked at him, she saw it. A sparkle glinted in her eye, and the Queen saw it. She saw who he was, who he was to become. And she what he was to lose. And who was to take it from him. 

This menacing, royal act was not to be an act for long. And this fury he manifested whilst in her court, was going to overtake his entire being at some point or another. 

But for now... For now she was to help him. After all, his fate would surely benefit her in the long run. 

"Your angel," She began, amusement behind her cold, wicked eyes, "is alive."