Chapter Text
All maids are dismissed from dinner at night.
The doors are kept sealed shut. It is clear whatever the Dimitrescus are discussing is not for ears outside of their family’s to overhear.
You are thankful for the windows you have to focus on repairing while they talk. It keeps you from overthinking and that keeps you sane.
Once everything is fixed, the only physical sign of the nightmarish day you had is Cassandra’s sickle, still embedded within what is no doubt a priceless painting.
You approach slowly, as though the weapon has a will of its own and can turn right around to finish the job of gutting you. Your fingers close around the leather handle. The first pull does nothing. The blade is so firmly lodged it won’t budge an inch.
But you are nothing if not determined.
That is what you busy yourself with until you see a familiar fly come to land on your shoulder. It doesn’t cut at your flesh, but it does bite and tug on your shirt. You understand the silent command to follow.
The insect leads you to the dining room. The table is cleaned, but the daughters are all still there, talking in hushed tones among themselves, poker faces adorning their expressions.
Three sets of yellowish eyes immediately fall to the sickle in your hand. Bela raises an amused eyebrow. The redhead whistles. “That looks sexy on you~”
“Can’t imagine it would look as good in me.” You give Cassandra a pointed look as you pull the chair beside her, but she only shrugs and leans back, motioning for you to hand it over.
“No… did you throw it at her?” Daniela guffaws. “And you missed?”
A sour grimace comes from the brunette. “I wasn’t trying that hard…”
“What if I hadn’t dodged?” you ask.
“…well. It’s good that you did.” Cassandra looks down at her manicured nails, as apologetic as she’ll let herself be in front of her sisters.
“Do I want to know what was hit instead of Alexia?” Bela carefully asks.
“You really don’t.” Cassandra shakes her head and they leave it at that for both their sake.
“So.” Bela speaks up after a brief moment of silence. “After our discussion with mother, we are to inform you that you’re free to come and go from the castle as you please. Cassandra’s key is as much hers as it is yours, now. But. Should any other maid escape using it or learn of our weakness, we’ll have to do something nobody here wants.”
“We’ll have to brutally murder you to make an example. And whoever knows.” Daniela cuts in and Cassandra gives her a glare. You aren’t looking forward to learning what their interpretation of the word ‘brutal’ is like.
“Yeah I… I could have guessed that.” you reply.
“But I’m sure you’re smart enough to not let that happen.” Bela states. “This settles everything, I think.”
“Not everything.” Cassandra retorts, a shadow around her eyes.
“Cassandra, drop it. You heard what mother said.” The blonde’s tone grows harsh.
“What did she say, other than what we already knew?” comes the sharp bite back. “Why is she so vague every time one of us asks how we came to be?”
“I’m sure she has a good reason. What does it even matter about before?”
“Because I’m sick of having nightmares about people I don’t remember!” Cassandra slams her hands onto the table. Both you and Daniela flinch back a bit.
You could have already guessed Alcina is not their biological mother. But a lot of puzzle pieces fall into place before your eyes now. And this new picture you’re starting to see of the Dimitrescu family isn’t a pretty one at all.
The tension between the two siblings is enough to electrify the air around the table.
“Did you ever consider it’s probably for the best that you never do remember them?” Bela asks, her irritation ice-cold as opposed to Cassandra’s sizzling fire. “Maybe there’s a reason nightmares are all that’s left.”
You can see your lover’s jaw clench. Cassandra’s fingers curl into white-knuckled fists as she sits back down. “Don’t you get these flashes? These almost-memories?”
“No.” Bela says as she stands to leave. “I don’t get them. And even if I did, I don’t much care for leftovers.”
“Daniela?” Cassandra asks, turning to her younger sister.
“I uh… I gotta go do a… thing. Bye now!” The redhead disperses into a swarm right there, before any more can be said.
Cassandra huffs in an exasperated, ‘of course’ manner. Only the two of you are left in the gigantic room, but you’re not sure if you should speak up. You’re not exactly confident in your ability to comfort others, nor can you tell where she and you currently stand. It doesn’t look like either of you has the energy for any type of loaded talk.
You need each other, that much is as certain as the sun’s rise and fall.
And that’s enough, for now.
-
-
Within the next few days, Cassandra and you take your time gravitating back together.
You let the thought of her ripping you in half slowly bleed away and she probably does the same with the notion of you using her weakness against her.
It starts with little touches, on your shoulder or your hand, as you make plans to spend a night or two in your house at the village once the temperature allows it.
Then one evening she comes to your room complaining about Daniela just like the old times and it feels only natural to rub her back like you used to.
Cassandra leans into you like a purring cat.
“Oh, you’re so warm…” she sighs, resting her head atop your shoulder.
Absent-mindedly, you bring your travelling fingers up to her nape, pressing at a tiny knot of tension there with your thumb. A little moan slips past her lips –you’re aware of just how close to touching your neck they are– and it hits you straight in the gut. You’ve missed drawing these sounds out of her.
Cassandra shifts against you and every minuscule brush of her lithe form on yours brings sparks to life. Her finger reaches under your chin to tip it her way.
“If you want us to stop here I need to leave now.” she speaks with that impatience in the edges of her voice you recognize well.
“What happens if you stay?” you ask. It’s not just your body warming at the thought of keeping her close.
“Don’t tempt me, Alexia.” Her lower lip just barely traces yours as she says it. “I’m not good at resisting and you know it.”
You know it. Maybe that’s why you tempt her with another almost-kiss in the first place. You could never deny how badly you wanted her and that certainly hasn’t changed.
Cassandra crashes your mouths together hungrily, like she’s been left without it for too long and now she can’t go another second without having you. Her leg crosses over yours to lift herself into straddling you, two strong thighs bracketing your hips tight.
She’s trying, you can tell, to not tear both your clothes off and have what she craves hard and fast and right there.
You keep a smirk to yourself when you slip your tongue into her mouth and unhook the buttons of her outfit extra slow. Her nails press into your shoulders. You refuse to speed up.
“Can you go any faster?” she breathily pants once you trail your lips to her neck.
“I can.” you say. And lightly bite her.
She’s one step away from ripping your shirt off, you can tell from how her fingers curl on the fabric. So you make the smarter choice and distract her with another little bite where you know she likes it best, just underneath her ear, then guide her clothes off of her.
Cassandra pushes you back into the mattress and kisses you again while her cool hands make short work of your clothes. You let her grind her hips into you for some measure of relief as you continue to suck and nibble on her flushed, sensitive skin. Her hands find purchase on your sheets when she no longer trusts her control to have them on you.
“Will you touch me already?” she growls into your ear. You can feel how badly she needs it from the way she shakes on every caress near her center, but this is your payback for that sickle throw.
“I am.” you give her a smirk, then lightly push a fingertip into tight, wet heat to cut off her response.
“Ah. I— fuck Alexia!” You’ve never heard her curse before. And you can’t figure out why it’s so sinfully hot. “Oh, yes, darling, there!”
As much as she deserves to be tormented for the fright she gave you, you can hardly contain your own lust when she’s moving on top of you like this, calling you hers.
Both of you come undone not long after, gripping at each other, her soft cries of pleasure filling the room until she lowers her head over your heart, completely spent.
Your fingers gently comb through her wavy hair. For quite some time, Cassandra looks so relaxed you think she has fallen asleep on you.
Until she lifts her head up and nuzzles your jawline, in a way she probably knows kills you every time she does it. Her teeth trap your earlobe. That spells trouble even before she speaks up:
“You didn’t think one round would do it, did you? After all, I have yet to pay you back for sneaking into my room and stealing my key, darling…”
Well.
It turns out you won a battle and started a war that lasts throughout the night. And it’s only the first, you’re sure, of many to come.
For once in your life, you can’t wait for what’s next.