Chapter 4

What and whom to believe

"What happened," I mumbled softly. Everett laughed and paced the branch.

"Nothing really, they listened to what I asked and stood in line as I had my fill of blood," he told me with a gleam in his eye and a smirk on his mouth. I swallowed uncomfortably.

"And Megan," I asked him, gritting my teeth in my anger.

"With her parents, I presume, she had the sweetest taste," he chuckled and I jumped up and slashed the side of his face. His green eyes landed on me and a snarl broke from deep within him.

"You want to play now little bitch," he growled forcefully and reached out for my ankle. I pulled it back, making him grab air. The only way to kill a vampire is to remove his heart or head, I think and look for an opportunity. My talons extended to their full length and I gouged them into his gut, unfortunately he caught me too. I coughed up blood and pushed my hand up into his chest cavity trying to locate his beating organ. I looked up at his face and he was grinning happily like a Cheshire cat.

"You're clinically insane," I spat as I pulled out one of his lungs and dropped it to the ground far below us. I could hear Cassian laughing above me and frowned. I was losing too much of my blood and my sight was getting blurred. I swiped once again connecting with his neck.and could see his head barely hanging onto his body but trying to weave itself back together.

I chuckled and felt him bury his talons further into my abdomen. I braced my feet against him and pulled my buried left arm from him and twisted in the air severing his head clean off his body. The two pieces fell apart and down to the forest floor below or so that's what my blurred eyes saw. I crumbled to the branch I was on. I didn't feel Cassian haul me over his back or see how quickly he raced me to my house.

I opened my eyes to tubes and a sleeping Cassian next to me. I opened my eyes wider and realized that we were attached by the tubing as blood flowed between us. Pudge was laying down between us. I cocked my brow at his brown eyes staring up at me.

"Not a very astute guard dog are you?" I mumbled softly and rubbed his head.

"I think he's very astute and knows a good person when he meets them," Cassian grumbled next to me, making Pudge wag his tail. I looked at them both and told Pudge he was a trader. I slowly sat up and yanked the needle from my vein.

"Thanks for the save, you want coffee," I asked him curiously. He looked at me and smiled.

"You wake up beautiful too, amazing and yes I'd love some coffee," he said, stretching his arms and resting his head on his crossed arms.

"Cream, sugar?"

"Nope, just black like my heart, dearest," he teased and I chuckled loudly and rolled my eyes as I headed towards my kitchen. I was wondering where Flora was not smelling brewed coffee and checked the fridge for a note. I spied the yellow sticky note and pulled it off to read. Saw you resting beside a sexy piece, you go girl, anyway I left for the bakery to get donuts, you'll need the sugar. I crumbled the note and filled the coffee pot, ground the beans and started the machine as Cassian sauntered into the room. He was rubbing his eyes and Pudge's head.

"So what's this beast's name? Beowulf, Fenrir?" I chewed on my lip and said Pudge. Cassian eyed me questionably and said oooookay. I watched as he kneeled before my dog and introduced himself. Pudge sat on his haunches and wagged his tail at the odd man talking to him. I exhaled harshly and went to grab a couple mugs. I headed out to my backyard to feed my koi. My ducklings of course followed. Cassian looked around excitedly and grinned slightly.

"This reminds me of the Eastern Clans land," he sighed and ran his hand through my pond water, causing the koi to swim towards his fingers. I threw out pellets and the fish swam towards them instead.

"Have you ever been there," he asked me and I nodded.

"Once when I was young, a hundred I believe. I met a dragon," I replied and he eyed me curiously.

"What color was the dragon you met," he questioned with an odd look and I raised my brow and shook my head. I walked over my tiny bridge and sighed.

"It was a stunning blue one," I sighed. Cassian frowned and walked towards me.

"Dragons don't exist Hera" he growled bitterly and I grinned.

"They do if you believe in them," I stated firmly and my heart raced in my chest as he stood before me and gazed down into my eyes with eyes so blue they reminded me of that damn dragon so long ago. Cassian's fingers brushed my skin as he tilted my chin. His mouth barely brushed against mine. I could feel his hot breath against my sensitive skin. Our lips were so close and abruptly the spell ended as we were interrupted by Flora yelling for me from the kitchen. I backed away from him as I hurried into the house to see what Flora was going on about.

"Why are you so loud, Flora," I scolded, somewhat embarrassed yet disappointed that she had interrupted Cassian from kissing me.

"I'm sorry miss, I figured you had a rough night needing a transfusion and figured the sugar in these would help," she replied bluntly, holding a box of a dozen cream filled donuts in my face. I grinned slightly and nodded as I took the box and thanked her.

"So where is that sexy piece of meat that you had with you," she pried. I nudged my head towards the back and she smiled at me.

"Is he that Cassian fellow from the phone call," she dived in farther. I eyed her blankly and said,"yeah." Flora giggled and went to pour me a cup of coffee.

"Pour two but leave one black," I instructed her. I heard the patio door slide open and heard Pudge and Cassian walk in together. It bugged me how he won over my dog so easily, however it did mean he had no ill intentions. I exhaled harshly and leaned back against the counter still holding the box of donuts when the kitchen door opened and mister blue hair came waltzing in. Flora's eyes widened and she smiled as she hurried to him to introduce herself. I rolled my eyes and sat the donuts on the table, grabbed both coffee's and sat in a chair. I relaxed and listened to Flora.

"Miss has only allowed one other man to lay near her and that was Ezra," she announced and Cassian turned and looked at me strangely. I looked at him and raised both my hands at him and said what. He moved closer and frowned.

"Ezra was my father's name, were you one of his lovers, Hera," he asked roughly and I spit my coffee from my mouth clear across the table. I stood and shook my head.

"I'm sure there are others who share that name," I mumbled softly but then I looked hard at him and the reality hit me. They both had the same stunning blue eyes. My eyes started to water. I realized that he hadn't purposely broken my heart, he had died. I started to sob and ran back to my bedroom and fell into my bed as I cried, all my past memories poured from my eyes.

Flora explains Ezra and my past

I blocked the way to my miss when he started after her.

"Let her be sir, she is grieving," I mumbled softly and Cassian looked at me in confusion. I told him to sit and I would explain. He did and I poured him more coffee before I sat across from him.

"Hera was a wild child and her father sent her to the Eastern clans when she turned a hundred to settle herself. She met the love of her life and called him her blue dragon. They spent several months together. She gave him all of herself and he told her he would come and ask her father for her hand. Hera came back thrilled and prepared for her blue dragon to arrive but he never came and her heart died and turned black, afterwards she chose the assassin route and worked hard to become the best and wala here we are today," I mumbled softly and sighed. Cassian frowned and looked at the closed door of the kitchen.

"He was murdered not long after she left then, I wonder if," he growled and shook his head.

"Would her father have retaliated against him for bedding her," he asked roughly and I gritted my teeth and huffed.

"He's a huge asshole so yes it's possible, but might I ask why your surnames differ, his was Draco and yours isn't," I spoke honestly. Cassian nodded and explained that he changed it in order to search for answers about his fathers murder. He continued to go back to Hera and his dad's relationship like he was surprised by it.

"My father had many lovers but none as beautiful as Hera, I believe he would have eagerly come to wed her, because I would have done the same, I'm kind of miffed that I hadn't met her first and my father, got to um, well, you know," he admitted and I waved to cool myself.

"Good luck trying to win her heart now, but I do hope you can mister Cassian, she's a very decent miss and would make a lovely wife and mother of your children," I mumbled softly and asked to be excused so I could check on her. Cassian grinned slightly and nodded, allowing me to leave. My heart was racing like crazy. Trying to be a cupid was hard work. I knocked on Hera's door, opened it and headed to her side.

"Miss, even though Ezra's death is sad news, be grateful that he truly did love you and did intend to come wed you," I told her and patted her white head. She turned to look at me.

"Where is Cassian," she mumbled. I told her was still in the kitchen drinking his coffee, but wanted to come to her. Hera sat up and wiped her eyes.

"I'm going to help him find out what happened to his father so I'll be away for awhile, you'll need to take care of Pudge, okay," she stated and I grinned slightly and nodded.

"Of course miss," I replied and helped her freshen up. I brushed out her hair and wiped her tears. She hugged me tightly and said thank you. I hugged her back and said of course. I followed her back to the kitchen and watched her approach the man she was meant to be with, even though she would fight her feelings until she realized the inevitable. It was a gift all familiars had, the gift to know their master's other half.

"I want, no, I need to help you find out what happened to your father, I believe that we are meant to help each other, so let's do this together, Cassian," she stated and presented her hand to him to shake. He clasped it in his and pulled her to him and gave her a hug. I smiled and knew that I'd done my part.