A Dragon's Treasure

22. An Unfamiliar Fire

Cassian took to the sky. Instinct took over and Cassian shot into the air. He needed to fly as fast and as far away from the Whitlock Manor as soon as possible. Running away from his problems, his thoughts, and that fight, made nothing less infuriating. Nothing could extinguish the fight left inside of him. Cassian especially hated the fact that Luke wasn't crazy. Luke came the history and the proof and the belief of this curse that would kill them both. Cassian hated his promise to never hurt Luke and just by existing and loving him, it caused the most harm to Luke.

Distance would be good.

It could give them both space to think.

Luke couldn't regret sending Cassian away if Cassian never left, but he left. This chapter of his life was over and there was a version of his story where this was the end. The final words to this book were the slamming of a door. Cassian and Luke would never meet again. He'd never see Luke again. Or would he meet Luke again, the way he saw Iris again? When it was too late. At least this time, he actually meant his final words to Luke.

"I'll always love you."

Then he recalled the look of horror on Luke's face. The last face he'd ever see Luke make. Funny how he returned the love by kicking Cassian out. An act of love, but no admission of it.

That thought sent a cold chill down Cassian's back, and his wings ached. Cassian huffed and caused a massive heat wave to rattle the forest below him. He shook his wings out, unable to wrestle the pain away. He scrapped the tops of trees, something ripping up his skin and he knew something was wrong. Descending, Cassian landed hard on a patch of clear land by a lake. Cassian had to figure out where he was going now that Luke kicked him out, and then figure out how he was going to get back into the house. Figure out how to make Luke take him back.

Pray to any Gods or Goddesses listening that Luke will let him back home.

Shifting, Cassian exhaled billows of swirling steam clouds as his monstrous form boiled down into a man, his scales and wings retracting. In his human form, Cassian never felt so small, surrounded by an army of unrecognizable trees. He could close his eyes and Iris's backyard was just in reach, the smell of wild flowers and honeysuckles in bloom. Music played in the distance. He wanted to be back there already.

With hope, Cassian checked his phone for any regretful messages from Luke, waiting for him to come back. But there were no messages. From anyone. Not even Astrid.

Closing his eyes, Cassian sighed and could hear his shameful love confession all over again. He made a motioned to chuck his phone into the lake. All his tension during their fight hasn't eased during his fight. If anything, he had only become more restless. A million ways that conversation could've gone, but it ended the way Cassian feared the most. Not knowing how Luke was coping drove Cassian even wilder.

He should've held Luke more while he had him. Should have kissed him every chance he got. Luke should've known how he felt so much earlier.

Something in his pocket buzzed, but Cassian was still holding his phone. Confused, Cassian narrowed his brow and switched out the objects, revealing a small ornate compact mirror. It squirmed inside his palms, mumbling underneath the heart-shaped encloser.

"Mirror?" Cassian asked, flipping the mirror open like an old razor cellphone.

Green light flashed as bright as a camera, and as it dimmed, The Magic Mirror appeared in its place with a deeper grimace than usual. "You two are insufferable."

The side of Cassian's lips twitched. "We're usually better."

"Oh, please." The Magic Mirror rolled his eyes. "You two have been hydroplaning for months and now you've finally crashed. Be happy you could walk away from the wreckage."