The room was quiet as it always was whenever Celeana spoke. The air was tense as Cassian looked at the human girl dumbfounded.
As if trying to process what she had just said, Cassian blinked. And blinked again. "What?"
Celaena took a bite, a grin unbelievably large. "Did I stutter?"
"I just-I-" Cassian was not able to find the words. How did she do it? How did Celeana manage to always make them all speechless? "No! Of course not!"
"Really? I sense so much sexual tension though,"
At that Amren laughed. Mor looked disgusted. And Celeana, well she looked like she was having the time of her life. Of course. The little minx was having a ball while she made the rest of them squirm in discomfort. Or perhaps just Cassian. Because everyone else seemed to be enjoying her little mind games, and though more had exaggeratedly cringed, she too was entertained.
So Cassian was the only one being made a fool of.
"There was one night of passion and then it was all but forgotten," Helpfully supplied Mor. "And he's never been about to get over it,"
"Oh," Was Aelin's response, eyes shining with joy that was the lastest information before turning to him. "Couldn't get enough huh?"
At that, the Illyrian silently cursed Mor and the rest of his family for making fun of him and thus giving Celeana more to mock him with. For all his years, the general couldn't help feeling like a child again when the human taunted him. To say Cassian got flustered with her antics would be shameful, but if he was honest, he was still butt hurt that Celeana had mercilessly whipped his ass that the first day.
"Hardly," He tried, throwing back the remains of his glass, feeling the satisfying burn of the alcohol down his throat. "More like surprised that she was able to walk away from all of this,"
Just as he uttered the words, Celeana snorted and didn't even try to hide it. "Sounds like a wounded ego more than anything,"
"Who hurt you?" Cassian bites back, the liquid he had just thrown back ammunition for his sudden outburst. "Who hurt you so much that live your life like that?" He wasn't really sure what he was talking about, but then again he never really did.
Cassian had only meant it as a jokeful jab, but the girl's face fell, a somber look overtook her expression. "Many people...so many people,"
Her face looked troubled and Cassian suddenly felt horrible. He must have touched on something sensitive, he could tell by the look in her eyes as if they were about to release tears. Why was he so stupid? Why was he trying to taunt her back? She's nothing more than a child, why was he such a brute? The liquor must have made him reckless.
Just as he was about to apologize, the general caught the girl cast him a small smile. Though he was quick to realize that Celeana must have been joking, the sadness in her eyes was too real for it to have been fabricated.