Chapter 6
Sun and daisies
Elijah was afraid to move, the girl was sleeping so peacefully in his arms. She felt warm now; he closed his eyes and listened to her steady heartbeat. Her scent was very sweet, she smelled of sun and daisies… She was his brother's wife; he forced himself to remember that. Perhaps Kol was far from a good husband, at least based on what Elijah had seen, and his reasons for marry this girl had been anything but noble, but that didn't change the fact that they were married.
But who was Marco? Her brother? Probably not. She loved him. Elijah couldn't help but wonder did Kol know about that. Had she actually agreed to marry his brother if she loved someone else? Sadly things like that didn't usually matter; arranged marriages were very common for noblewomen. Kol had mentioned that her father was the wealthiest man in Venice, surely a nobleman. Why would any father promise his daughter to Kol?
Elijah did love his brother, but he wasn't blind to his faults, he couldn't imagine anyone considering Kol as a good husband candidate. Kol had never even wanted to become a husband, the whole thing seemed very odd. Elijah felt sympathy for the girl, he didn't know what had happened between Kol and her tonight, but she had seemed to be in some kind of shock. At least she was peaceful now; her body was completely relaxed against his.
He wouldn't have minded staying like this until the morning, but he did have enough decency to understand how inappropriate this was. Very carefully he laid her down on the bed, she shivered in her sleep. Was she cold? He tucked her in and picked up the extra blanket lying on the end of the bed. She sighed when he placed the blanket over her and touched her cheek in order to make sure that her skin was warm. Yes, that was definitely the only reason.
She looked incredible delicate, like the porcelain doll Rebekah had compared her to. So tiny and fragile, like some ethereal creature from fairytales. As Rebekah had pointed out, she definitely didn't seem like Kol's type, according to Elijah's experience, his brother liked very…different kind of women. Why had he chosen this particular girl? Not that Elijah could blame any man for wanting someone like her, but he still couldn't understand what had made Kol to marry her.
She definitely didn't deserve to be treated like this; Elijah doubted that she had asked for any of this. For some reason her father had thought that Kol would be a good husband for her and Elijah was determined to make sure that his brother would at least make an effort. Marriage wasn't something Elijah took lightly and neither should Kol. This girl wasn't a plaything; she was a real person with real feelings. It was Kol's responsibility to take care of her wellbeing, like a husband should.
Safe. For the first time in a very long time I had felt safe in Marco's arms. I knew it had just been a dream and I struggled for not to wake up, I wanted to stay in that dream. Finally I had no choice but to give up and open my eyes. The curtains were closed, but few sunrays managed to peak between them. What time was it?
"Good morning, my lady," a female voice suddenly said. I startled, I hadn't notice Cecily adding wood in the fireplace.
"Good morning," I muttered, I felt disoriented. Then I remembered everything that had happened last night. I had stabbed Kol. No, why had I been so stupid. I remembered the rage in his eyes; I had never seen him so angry. This was very bad, I needed to… Oh no. His brother had come here and I had… No, no, no. Dear Lord, had I called him Marco? If he would tell Kol… He probably already had, why wouldn't he?
"Are you alright, my lady?" Cecily asked. "You look very pale."
"Yes," I forced myself to say. "I am fine."
I gave myself few seconds before getting up into a sitting position.
"I would like to get dressed."
"Shall I bring you your breakfast first…"
"No, thank you, that won't be necessary."
I controlled myself perfectly again, I needed to get ready and I certainly had no appetite. Kol would be here soon, I could tell. Concentrate… It didn't matter if this would weaken me; I had no chance to defend myself if he would want to hurt me. I needed to see how badly I had angered him.
"Nice, brother, very nice."
Very slowly Kol opened his eyes and regretted it immediately. His poor head… Apparently he was lying on the sofa; Nik was standing next to him with his arms crossed.
"What?" Kol muttered and rubbed his temples.
Nik's eyes narrowed.
"Take a look around."
"Do I have to?" Kol complained, he really wanted to close his eyes.
"Yes," Nik snapped.
Reluctantly Kol turned his head. Apparently he had destroyed the parlor and there were few bodies lying on the floor. Cassandra. He had been so close to rip her in pieces. She should have known better. All he had tried to do was teach her how to be a normal woman, a normal wife, how to feel pleasure. She had stabbed him and raised her voice to him. For some incomprehensible reason, the thought made him smirk.
That had been the first time when he had seen her actually expressing any emotion. He had known that she had it in her, the fire. But he had to admit that perhaps he had gone too far, although his recollections about last night were partly hazy. Obviously she had some intimacy issues, so he had agreed on her terms, as ridiculous as they were. She would enjoy it, if she would just relax.
"Nothing to say?" Nik snorted.
Kol stretched his arms before getting up into a sitting position.
"The décor was outdated?"
"That's hilarious. I should warn you, I had a bad night and I am in no mood for…"
"Oh right, the redhead," Kol muttered, trying not to laugh.
"What?" Nik snapped.
"Nothing. Excuse me, brother; I think my little lady is expecting me."
Poor Nik, judging by his look, he had really had a bad night. Kol marched straight to his chamber and opened the door without knocking. Cassandra was sitting in the armchair in front of the fireplace, she was embroidering. Her hair was up in a plait coiffure and she was wearing one of her darker gowns.
"My lord," she greeted him without looking up, her voice held no emotion. If he had thought that she couldn't possibly be any more rigid, he had been wrong.
"Is that all?" he asked. "Nothing else you wish to say to me?"
"I apologize for hurting you," she replied with the same tone.
"And you think that is enough?"
"That is your choice to make, my lord."
She seemed completely concentrated on her embroidery, but he noticed that her hands were shaking a little. He knew what that meant and smirked.
"Tell me, darling, what will my choice be?"
"You will accept my apology," she replied.
"Will I? Are you sure about that?"
She shook her head.
"No, as I have told you, things can change very quickly."
He almost managed to startle her by zooming in front of her; she kept her face completely callous.
"Oh, darling," he hummed and bent down to touch her cheek. "Yes, I will accept your apology, but…"
"You would think twice before trying something like that again if you were me. Next time you won't be so understanding," she finished.
He smiled, he still hadn't got used to her doing that. Not that she did very often, mostly when she was trying to irritate him.
"Well said. And I do wish to apologize as well; a deal is a deal, as you said."
"Thank you, my lord."
He observed her for a brief moment before continuing.
"You know, when I think about it now, the whole stabbing thing was actually quite…arousing. And I am sober now."
Her expression didn't change; slowly she stood up and placed her embroidery onto the small table before walking to the bed.
"Very well, my lord."
The bed had already been made, she didn't pull down the cover, she simply lied down and pulled her hem up.
"Mind my hair, please," she stated. "It took Cecily almost half an hour to make this coiffure."
He rolled his eyes; she sure knew how to spoil his mood.
"Never mind," he huffed. "You have some work to do anyway, darling, you are not here on holiday."
She stood up and looked at him.
"You do remember what I told you about my…limitations? I cannot guarantee your safety if I…"
"Yes, yes, I got that. Dig up everything you can. Start with Elijah; I am pretty sure he is going to be the easier one."
Her expression tensed, clearly she wanted to say something, but didn't. He raised his eyebrows.
"Is there a problem?"
"No," she muttered. "No problem."
"Good. I think you will find him in the library, go in there and make yourself a new friend."
