22 Rotten Fish

The stakes had just gotten higher.

Cassandra couldn't stop herself from pacing inside her room. All the information that Carmichael had given her was enough to blow her mind. She anchored her attention towards Carmichael who was sitting on the reclining velvet chair next to her bed.

He had pushed back the headrest of the chair and was staring at the ceiling, unblinking. "Stop staring at me like that." He said.

"You said someone attacked you and your men?" She had heard his story over and over on their way back to the mansion. But still, she wanted to confirm.

"Yes."

"And… no one else was bitten?" she added when he answered with a low hum.

"Yes."

"Did anyone else know that you were bitten?"

"No."

She sighed. "Any other changes aside from healing and stronger senses?" Carmichael claimed that he could smell something different from her and that was why he had assumed she was hiding something from everyone else.

"I'm faster and stronger."

She nodded. When he had seen them kiss, he had tackled the Prince as if he was tackling a child. Even the Prince was surprised by his sudden outburst. At first, she had thought that Prince Hunter was just pretending to be weak. But what if he wasn't pretending? What if Carmichael was indeed stronger than him?

"I don't understand it." Cassandra said. The squeaking sound of her bed as she sat opposite him followed her words. "Lycans… shouldn't exist in that part of the continent."

"Lycans?" Carmichael straightened his back, brows furrowing as his lips thinned. "You think that— "

His lack of knowledge about Lycans was understandable. After all, he had always hated reading when they were kids. "They exist, Carmichael. Hiding in plain sight. They refuse to help the humans against the demons after what happened in the past. The royalty made it their mission not to include them in the history books."

"Why?"

"Years—Hundreds of years ago—the Lycans killed a lot of people because of a war. Rogues against Lycans. Many innocents were killed. Because of that the head of the spell casters and elemental wielders agreed to launch a joint attack that obliterated most of the Lycans."

"And you know this because…"

"I know how to read," she answered. "When we were kids, mother and father asked us to read books but what did you do?"

The memories made her brother's face lighter. "I asked you to read it all," he smiled.

"You didn't ask. You bullied me into reading everything." She rolled her eyes. Carmichael had been playful and fun. He had loved to practice with other knights and show off his magic to kids from other military families in the camps.

What he hated the most was studying.

The man had always thought that he would spend all his life guarding the gates and used to argue. What was the use of learning etiquette? Can we use it to fight against demons and dark ones?

Even Cassandra smiled as she thought of their childhood together.

"So if Lycans exist and I am bitten by — does this mean I would turn into one?"

"I believe you already are one. Your fire element and the Lycan's hot tempered character has become more apparent." It meant that her brother was now a Lycan, someone whom people in the Capital hated. On the other hand, she was a Sybill, someone whom the dark ones and maybe everyone in this continent hated.

Great!

Just great!

Now, she needed to step up to protect their secret.

"Then what can I do to— "

Cassandra met his arctic blue eyes as she smiled. "I don't know."

"You seem too calm about this. Is it because you are… like me?"

"Like you?"

"The smell…"

"Oh…. You mention that you can smell me. Can you tell me what I smell like?" She wondered. Did she smell like lilacs? Or jasmine? Perhaps her body lotion which was—

"Death."

"Huh?"

"You smell like a rotten fish."

"Huh???" What the hell? She widened her eyes, prepared to argue with him.

"I'm kidding."

Cassandra frowned and reached out to pinch his leg. He laughed in response. "I mean… you smell weird." He added.

"What do you mean by weird?" Cassandra stared at him, her blue eyes radiating a fierce uncompromising intelligence. It was as if she was peeking into his soul.

Her gaze made Carmichael flinch. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I am curious. What do I smell like?" If Carmichael could smell her then the other Lycans could do it too. Cassandra hadn't thought of this before. To be fair, this was her first time meeting a Lycan and knowing that her smell was different from the others.

"Hmmm. I don't know."

"What?"

"I don't know. It's a mixture of lime and wood and rain-soaked ground. Forest-like but more… flowery."

"That is –"Flowery? "Then what about everyone else?" She wondered if he could smell Hunter too. He was a dark one, he wasn't a normal human. Did this mean he also had his own smell?

Carmichael turned silent, his head turning towards the French windows in her room where the rain could be seen.He contemplated for a few minutes. "Grandfather smells like burnt wood. The same as Uncle and Steve. Actually, all of the people who wield fire smell like fire."

Ah, so this must be why he said her smell was different.

"The Prince is different too."

Cassandra stilled, anticipating for him to say something like he smelled rotten or dead. "How different?"

"He should smell like a normal person who can't use elements. But he smelled… like blood and something fresh. Just like most people who can wield a water element."

"You mean…"

"He might be hiding his ability." His face turned grim. "This is why I told you he is hiding his strength. He should be stronger than… when he fought with the sword."

The two had a meaningful moment of eye-contact before Carmichael continued, "He is hiding his ability and is pretending to be weak. I don't know why he is doing this, but I know he is planning something against his brother and father. He is trying to drag our family into trouble. I can't allow that to happen."

Cassandra sighed. "The turmoil inside the palace is becoming a head-ache. First they wanted to suppress our people. Then they are building their own armies. One of these days, one of the four families will revolt. And you know that the four families never leave each other, right?"

Chaos, all she could see was chaos and misery.

She saw him nod, jaws clenched. "Then this marriage…"

"Must happen." Determination flashed in her eyes. She and her family would survive their upcoming doom but to do that she needed a great ally.

Someone as great as the future lord of the dark ones.

Prince Hunter.