Chapter 193


    Chapter 193: Foolish Behavior


    Cassie.


    I wasn''t quite sure what to make of what Balder had said, but the more and more I thought about it, I


    couldn''t help but wonder if he was trying to tell me something secretly without exactlying out and


    saying it, which seemed to be the usual kind of thing that happened around this ce.


    The moment the sparring games had finished for the day, I took my leave with Sansa and made my


    way down the stone steps toward the main courtyard door, eager to be able to check and see if Lucas


    was okay. It was clear he had taken a beating from Soren, and I felt incredibly bad that he had,


    especially since he was so eager to prove himself in front of everybody. And yet when he lost, it


    seemed like he was just ridiculed over it.


    Afterward, men scattered around the area talking and hanging out after everything had finished. I


    followed Sansa down the corridors toward the main door and I couldn''t help but stop next to the door


    that led to the shower areas. It must have been where Lucas had gone after everything was said and


    done. And as I halted there, Sansa looked over her shoulder at me with curiosity.


    "What are you doing?" she asked as she stood staring at me with her brows furrowed together and a


    look of confusion on her face.


    "I think I should go check and see if Lucas is okay."


    Shaking her head from side to side, she frowned. "I don''t think that''s a good idea, Cassie. He is already


    dealing with a loss... having you go in there is only going to make things worse."


    "What are you talking about?” I scoffed with annoyance, ''I''m just there checking on him."


    Crossing my arms over my chest, I frowned at the way she was acting. How could she think that I


    would make things worse? I was, at one point in time, Lucas''s mate, and he cared for me greatly. He


    would never get upset at me for checking on him.


    After a moment of the stare down, a smile crossed her face as she gestured toward the door. “Okay,


    then. By all means, go check on him. Just don''teining to mewhen it backfires.“


    Her words caused me to hesitate as I nced toward the door and then back to her. Maybe she was


    right, but at the same time, I couldn''t help but feel the pull to check. The image of him bleeding was


    imprinted in my mind, and I just had to make sure that he was safe.


    In frustration, I huffed out and moved toward the door causing Sansa to groan as she turned walking


    away and I entered the darkened pathway. The smell of rank body odor caused me to gag as I made


    my way toward the lockers and searched for the dark head of hair I had grown to love overtime.


    "Whoa! What do we have here, men?!* The hoots and hollers of multiple men made me internally wish


    I had listened to Sansa. Their testosterone levels must have been through the roof because as I walked


    past them, they licked their lips and fucked me with their eyes.


    "Get over yourselves," I snapped as I pushed past them in search of Lucas.


    A tall, muscr, and well-cut wall of godliness stepped in front of me, causing me to halt in my tracks


    as I looked up into the eyes of none other than Soren. The man who had caused Lucas harm today. He


    stood in front of mepletely naked with a smirk on his face and his arms over his chest like the


    cocky prick he was.


    "What are you doing in here, Delicious? Did you decide to reward me early for my win?"


    Disgust filled me. He was more self-centered than most men I had met and he only said one sentence


    to me.


    "If you think for one moment your trashy pick-up line was going to work, you''re sadly mistaken. Plus," I


    replied, looking him up and down thoroughly, "It doesn’t seem like there''s much to work with."


    The roar ofughter that left the mouths of the men in that locker room was enough for anyone outside


    of this building to hear it-and Soren wasn''t pleased with what I said. His eyes narrowed at me as he


    sneered at my remark. "You have a lot to say for a woman who''s being passed off as a prize to please


    the man that wins."


    cing my hands on my hips, I refused to back down and let him see me falter. It was men like him


    that made me wonder if I should just be single forever. He was nothing but a prick looking to get one off


    and any pretty face who would entertain him.


    "If that’s what you think this entire thing is then I''m afraid you’re wrong." Hearing me say he was wrong


    seemed to puzzle him, giving me the opportunity I needed to put him in his ce. “You see, the winner


    won''t win me. He will win the opportunity to please me however I see fit for the rest of his life. Granted


    you will have luxuries... but you will never be free again.“


    Silence fell over the locker rooms at myment, and as I nced around I watched every man in


    there silently question what I was saying. They had alle into this thinking that they had a chance to


    bag themselves a princess as some may say. Yet, never stopped to think that perhaps that wasn’t the


    case.


    "You''re lying," he muttered.


    Turning to him again my smile widened. "Am I?"


    It only took a moment for him to step aside and storm off without another word. He didn''t like what I had


    to say, and I didn’t care if he didn''t like it. It was the truth. I would never let a man think that just


    because he won the tournament, I was his property to do with as he pleased.


    I was no one’s property, and if that was what people thought my future was going to be, they were


    sadly mistaken. Moving through the lockers, I turned every corner until my eyesnded upon the dark


    hair of Lucas, his dark eyes connected with mine. "Cassie?"


    "Lucas, I found you," I muttered as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him close to me.


    There were cuts and bruises all over his body and I knew that with time, they would heal but it didn''t


    stop me from worrying about him.


    Theforting moment onlysted a moment before he pulled back from me with a frown. "What are


    you doing in here, Cassie?"


    "I came to make sure you were okay... aren’t you d to see me?"


    He seemed taken back that I was there, and for a moment, I thought I saw pleasure in his eyes upon


    seeing me but it quickly disappeared and was reced by something else that I didn’t understand.


    "Cassie, you can''t be here. You need to leave."


    I opened and closed my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I had thought he would have been


    happy to see him considering it had been so long but instead of happiness, he was frowning and telling


    me to leave.


    "I''m not leaving," I replied tly with my hand on my hip as I stared at him in disbelief. "I came to check


    on you. It was brutal out there, and I wanted to make sure you were safe."


    Agitation and annoyance flowed off him as somewhere within the locker roomughter echoed, and I


    realized that there must have been people listening to our exchange which only made him even more


    upset that I was here. "I''m not a fucking two-year-old, Cassie. I don''t need you toe check on me.


    You being here makes me look weak, andplicates everything I''m trying to do."


    "What are you talking about?” I gasped trying to understand what was so wrong with me being here.


    “Girls do it all the time...''


    "Yes! Exactly! Girls, Cassie... fucking girls. You’re still mentally eighteen, Cassie. You may be twenty on


    earth, but you''re not on earth anymore. Not to mention twenty-year- olds don''t do shit like this and your


    immature behavior is really starting to make me wonder if you''re even ready for the future you’re


    supposed to have. Now leave, and don''t do this shit again."


    My heart ached at his words as he grabbed his white shirt from the bench and pulled it over his head.


    He was still just as gorgeous as I remembered, and yet I couldn''t understand why he seemed so cold


    toward me. I guess he had a point but at the same time, I hadn''t meant to act immature. I was


    genuinely worried for him, and he was scolding me like I was a child.


    Stepping closer to him, I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Tell me you''re only acting like this to throw


    them off. You don’t mean that..."


    He paused for a moment before his brows knitted together and a heavy breath escaped him. "I''m being


    serious, Cassie. I know what you’re looking for, but I already told you where I stood with things. I am


    participating in this contest like everyone else, and if I don''t win, then I''m not worthy of you. End of


    story. Now fucking leave and don''te back."


    "Lovers quarrel-" a mischievous and annoying voicemented behind me. ''Here I thought this


    competition was going to be fair.”


    Têxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Turning around, I took in my cousin, who stared at me with a lust-filled gaze I hadn''t wanted to see. His


    body leaned up against the far wall as he used a towel to wipe off his hands while he raked his eyes up


    and down my body. "Cousin... I don’t know what you’re referring to."


    "Oh, don''t y coy with me, Cassie. I am aware of what he is to you."


    Before I could address hisment, Lucas stepped forward with his fists clenched at his side. "I can


    assure you there is nothing going on. I was just telling Cassie it wasn''t appropriate for her to be here


    and that she didn’t need toe back."


    The tone of his voice was demanding and cold, and as I stared between the two men, I had to hold


    back tears of anger that threatened to fall down my face from the way Lucas had spoken to me, and in


    the end, all I could do wassh out in anger. ''You can both go fuck yourselves."


    I didn''t bother to hear anything else they had to say as I stormed past them back through the locker


    room and out the door back into the cool fresh air. I was a fool to


    think going in there to check on Lucas was a good idea. I had allowed myself to be made fun of and


    ridiculed and all for what? To have a man I care about speak to me as if I was nothing?


    Sansa had been right, and there was no way she was going to let me live this down.


    I walked forward toward the city from the outskirts where the arenay. My mind reeled over what had


    just happened as my heart clenched knowing that things had indeed changed between Lucas and me. I


    had hoped that he would still make exceptions toe see me even though he was in the contest, but


    of course, that had only been wishful thinking.


    The moment my feet hit the cobbled steps leading toward my building the tears of frustration that I had


    been holding back slowly began to leak through. I may have been immortal but I still had mortal


    feelings. "God, how could I be so stupid..."


    "Talking to yourself again?" a familiar voice asked from within the garden walls of wildflowers marble


    statues. Looking around, I quickly wiped the loose tears from my eyes until Finnick came into sight.


    "Are you following me?" I snapped without meaning to sound as harsh as I did. "I''m really not in the


    mood to y games, Finn.''


    The tall, godly figure of Finn came properly into view as he strode forward in loose white and blue linen


    clothing that was more ornate than what I was ustomed to seeing. His white hair was partially up,


    and loosely hung down around his face is waves highlighting his chiseled jaw and piercing eyes. Even


    with his clothing that seemed so simple but clung to him in certain areas, enting the rigid well built


    muscles of his body made me mentally pause in my steps to admire him.


    He was gorgeous, but something about him still made me wary.


    "Cassie, what’s wrong?" There was a seriousness of concern in his voice as he stepped toward me.


    His hand reached out to wipe a stray tear from my cheek as he stared into my eyes with the same


    celestial glowing hues I was so ustomed to seeing in my own reflection.


    "Nothing, I''m fine. It’s just been a very long day...” I replied trying to avoid having an awkward


    conversation with him. Typically, I wouldn''t want to speak with him at all, but right now his presence


    was honestlyforting.


    "Cassie, I can tell something is wrong with you. Let''s go to my room... I''ll have them make some tea


    and we can talk about things."


    Shaking my head, I tried to refuse him, but he took my hand nheless and pulled me forward. I


    wasn''t sure what to expect, but no matter how much I found myself uncertain about what he was


    asking of me I couldn''t help but wonder why it also felt right.