Post by Regan Lassiter on Sept 19, 2022 13:59:13 GMT -5
[ For Cassian Rainecourt ]
Day four. Still nothing.
Regan was starting to panic. All the signs were there: the irritability, the animal hunger, powerful pull to stay close to Cassian’s side. She could feel the beast—be it hound or wolf—so close to the surface that it almost hurt. With every day she paled, her eyes grew more sunken. The wound in her side still bled intermittently, the teeth marks oozing, proof that something should be happening—and soon. But yet…nothing.
What if the bite hadn’t taken? What if the hellhound fire had burned away any chance she had at becoming part of Cassian’s pack? The insecurity and fear mixed with the churning fury in a toxic slew. Cassian had taken a chance on her twice now: first in making her a royal guard, second by adding her to his pack. What if she disappointed him now? Failed to live up to his faith in her? The eagerness to please had reached new heights, one that elevated her current struggle to the scale of life and death.
All she could do was wait until she turned or the bite killed her.
Regan came around the corner and headed down the long hall to Cassian’s office, brow furrowed and teeth clenched. She was trying to twist her emotions into a shape that made sense. Every sound seemed sharp, every light bright. The feeling of her tunic against her skin made her want to claw it to pieces. She’d just eaten, which had helped, and was headed back to Cassian’s study—which helped even more. It was easier to be near him than apart. More manageable, at least.
As she neared, the door to his study opened. A woman and two children exited and went the other direction with hurried footsteps. Regan saw only the backs of their heads, so couldn’t make a guess as to who they were or why they were there. The instinct for suspicion kicked in, the protectiveness that had sunk its teeth into her like a parasite. Regan arrived at the door, glancing at the royal guard before knocking for entry.