The manor was cold, the pointed silence of all who worked there coating the walls in a layer of invisible frost, icing over the idea of a new master. Cassius was cold, too, perched on the edge of a settee in the great room, the fireplace left unlit. A glass filled with thick, red liquid sat on the dark, wooden table in front of him, his crown- his father's crown- next to it.
"Cassius."
Sam's voice snapped him out of his trance, the angel emerging from the darkness of the hall. His wings dragged behind him, fully healed after being battered in the fight against Gavreel, but clearly Sam didn't have the effort to hold them up. Yet he still displayed them, as if putting them away would somehow still be like submitting to the man who had held him captive.
When Sam returned, he was different. He was physically stronger, yet Cassius knew when he was away, something inside the angel had snapped. Gavreel had broken him, and Cassius did not know how to fix whatever inside him that shattered. Sam had been distant, but that was understandable. And Cassius was King now. He had duties to fulfil and an endless list of responsibilities he had never even heard of.
"Hey," he breathed.
Sam hesitantly stepped into the room, his steps deliberately quiet as he approached the fireplace. The angel took his time lighting it, as if procrastinating speaking another word to the vampire. Heat from the flames warmed his body, his feathers fluttering in delight.
Sam spoke quietly, tentatively, "I know today was hard."
"You weren't there," Cassius whispered.
"I wasn't allowed to be."
"You were Theo's friend, too," Cassius argued, as though he hadn't decided himself that Sam's presence at the funeral was a bad idea. When he had told Sam that, the angel hadn't argued, simply nodding silently before climbing into bed beside the vampire.
In the weeks away from Cassius, Sam had forgotten what his skin felt like against his, had forgotten how cold it was. The angel had placed a gentle kiss on the boy's bare chest, feeling an arm around his shoulders as he was pulled in tighter.
"Was I?"
Theo had never trusted Sam, never fully warmed to the angel. And after what he did to Claudia...
"Of course you were," Cassius said quickly.
Sam swallowed thickly, the sound audible even above the crackling fireplace. Sam's sorrowful eyes focused solely on the embers, refusing to even glance at the King before it.
"Sam," the vampire said softly.
"Hmm?" the angel hummed, still fixated on the fire.
"Sam," Cassius said again, slightly firmer.
"Cassius," Sam turned to him, eyeing the half empty glass on the table, the crown next to it. A shiver scuttled down his spine, hairs on his arm raising at the sight of the object- what it represented.
After escaping the Heavens, Sam demanded to be taken to Cassius immediately, unaware of what was taking place in Midnight City. They had landed in the square moments after the Vampire Prince decapitated the King, the clang of the sword clattering to the ground echoing off every building. Dead silence. Shock. The scent of fear and hope simultaneously rose in the air. Just mere moments after, Sam and Cassius locked eyes with each other. Dread filled the angel's gut, Aeron a looming presence beside him, realising they had landed seconds after the event of the century.
"You haven't been able to look me in the eye once since you returned home," Cassius whispered.
Home.
Was the manor really home? This sad, empty building inhabiting nothing but the King, an unwanted angel, and dozens of elves who shook at the sight of a vampire?
"Was it worth it?" Sam rasped.
"I have you back with me safely, Sam. It was worth it," Cassius stated.
"I'm going for a fly," Sam announced.
"I'm coming with you," Cassius said.
Sam sometimes forgot vampires had that ability. He added, "Alone."
-
Cassius was waiting for him on the roof when he returned, knowing that was where Sam had taken to landing every night. The vampire's legs dangled off the ledge as he sat, staring at the moon, the one constant in his life.
The angel tucked in his wings tightly, sighing deeply as he sat down next to the vampire. Sam allowed his head to rest on Cassius' shoulder, lips placing a kiss there beforehand.
"I'm confused, Cassius," Sam confessed, voice small. Cassius didn't say anything, knowing from the angel's breaths he was not finished talking, that there was more he needed to say without being asked why. And he was right, as Sam continued after a short moment of pause, "You told me a long time ago, in Midnight City, that you didn't want to be the Prince. And yet here you are, a King. I don't... understand." Sam gulped.
I don't understand how you were able to kill your father without mercy, was what Cassius knew Sam wanted to say.
Sam had shared little to no details of what happened to him in the Heavens. He told Cassius the bare minimum, knowing the information would be another heavy burden for the new King to carry. So he told him briefly of Gavreel's plan to wipe out the entire magic realm, to use Sam as a weapon, that Aeron had trained him and helped him escape in the end.
There was no mention of him being the Death Whisperer.
No mention of Aeron's ability to speak into his mind.
Only that Gavreel was rotting away in some cave somewhere.
"It was the prophecy, Sam," Cassius confessed. "I had no choice."
Sam's back stiffened, sitting up straight. "The page," Sam mumbled in understanding.
"We never found the final missing one," Cassius said. "I'm lost. I have no idea what to do next."
"I don't know either," Sam softly told him, twining their fingers. "But I'll work it out."
"We'll work it out." Cassius brushed his thumb over Sam's knuckles, using his other hand to tilt the angel's head upwards, finally looking deeply into those deep, sapphire eyes. "I love you, Sam."
Their lips collided, just as their worlds had.
And when they pulled away, Cassius stared at the angel like he was the sun, the moon and the stars- his whole world. And Sam...
Sam felt nothing.
To be continued...
A/N: Hi, omg I can't believe this is over. Obviously there will be a sequel , which I can't wait to start writing. I hope you're not disappointed with the ending.
I love this book so much.
Thank you so much for reading, from the bottom of my heart. I started writing this over a year ago, probably summer 2020, so this has been a long one. Sam and Cassius are two of my favourite characters that I've written, Parker and Will tying with them obviously, and I can't wait to continue their journey.
I think that's all I have to say, so thank you so much for reading. Lots of love- Sian <3
If you want to check out my other books, feel free! It would be much appreciated.
Socials:
IG: Sian_dickson
Twitter: Sianedickson
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Midnight City (boyxboy)
FantasyIn New York City, Samuel Harris is living a normal life. He's at university with his friends who often tell him he's too uptight. However he's happy that way, and he doesn't want anything to change. Whereas Cassius is dreaming of living a normal li...
