The house felt bigger than the last time Casian had stepped foot inside. Perhaps it was simply the absence of the other faces he had grown familiar to finding among the walls. There was an unmistakable void left by the missing members of the Grigoli family. Casian couldn’t even begin to comprehend how empty the mansion must’ve felt to Andreas.
He really needed to talk to his friend, if for no other reason to make sure the sorcerer was okay. Andreas had been through so much, and only Casian knew the full extend. What a shock it must have been to Andreas to find that people he had thought dead previously were now suddenly alive again. He must not have fully believed it yet.
Casian knew that if Andreas had finished talking to Lana, there would be only one place he’d be: his study. He doubted the conversation went well, judging by Lana’s response to the blond that was clinging to Andreas like an octopus. It didn’t take him long to find the study.
He turned the handle, but it didn’t move. “Andreas, I know you’re in there,” Casian said, knocking on the door.
The sorcerer made no reply.
Sighing, Casian used his shoulder and crashed against the door, unhinging it, allowing him access inside. He stopped mid-entry as he took in the state the study was now in. All of Andreas’ precious books that he didn’t even allow anyone to touch, were scattered about the room in messy piles, some half open, others with their pages ripped out or folded. The book cases were pushed to the floor, some even lying in piles of splintered wood right below where they crashed against his wall. The other furniture in the room was turned over, also broken. Andreas was sitting, his head in his legs, against a wall. A deep red stain circled him on the floor. Casian took a tentative step toward him.
“Your talk with Lana didn’t go so well?”
Andreas choked on a laugh devoid of any humor. “I’m that transparent, am I?” he said, not bothering to lift his head.
“Well, I have always been able to read you like a book.”
“Oh, fuck off, Casian.” Andreas raised his head, his expression now slightly amused.
Casian smiled and joined Andreas on the floor. “She’ll come around.” He placed a reassuring hand on his friend’s shoulder.
Andreas scoffed. “I wouldn’t if I were her. That’s the worst part of this whole situation. I understand her reasoning.”
“You were an idiot, no one is going to argue with you there.”
“Look at you, always being so helpful.”
Casian shrugged. “I do what I can.”
“She’s not going to forgive me. What I did to her was inexcusable.”
“Love conquers all, Andy.”
Andreas glared at him. “Don’t call me that. And I’m not in love with her.”
“Yes, you are, Andy,” Casian said gesturing at the room. “This is not the reaction of someone who is not in love.”
“I can’t be in love with her…” Andreas’ voice trailed off, barely above a whisper.
“You only say that because you are afraid of losing her.”
“I already lost her! She died in front of my eyes, Casian. I held her burnt body. Everyone close to me dies.”
“Okay, no you are just throwing yourself a pity party. She’s alive. That means something, Andy.”
Andreas massaged the bridge of his nose. “How are you alive, Casian? The last time I saw you, you were dead.”
Casian allowed Andreas to get away with changing the subject for now. He would get back around to talking about Lana, but right now he saw that Andreas needed to talk about something else. He wasn’t ready to admit just how deeply he did care for the witch. Casian recounted every moment since discovering he was a dragon lord.
“Turns out, I was still aging as a ghost because Fate knew I would be resurrected one day.”
Andreas rubbed his jaw. “It does make a lot of sense. So you have your very own dragon? That’s pretty cool.”
Casian grinned at the resurfacing of the friend he used to know so well. “Yeah, he’s still a baby though. Cute more than anything really.”
“Do I get to meet him?”
“Of course. I believe he’s in my room right at this moment.”
“I need to thank him. He’s the reason I got my friend back.”
“Now please, let’s not turn this into a mushy moment. You know neither of us are really the soft and cuddly type,” Casian added with a wry grin.
Andreas flipped him off with a smirk of his own.
“I know you don’t believe this,” Casian said, “but you aren’t too late to win Lana back. She’s right here under your roof, and you can be a charming fellow when you want to be.”
“She doesn’t trust me, Casian.”
“Then have her learn to. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but it is doable.”
“Perhaps if she had never known about Leita.”
Without thinking, Casian hit him in the jaw. Andreas was too stunned to try and block him. He stared at his friend with narrowed eyes.
“What the fuck was that for?”
“You need to snap out of this. You one of the fucking greatest sorcerers of all time and here you are sitting moping about a girl. Get off your ass and do something about it.”
Both Casian and Andreas rose to their feet at the same time. “I am not moping around. I’m accepting reality.”
“Bullshit.”
Casian could see the visible signs of anger on Andreas. The black mist was forming around his legs, causing the corner of Casian’s lips to quirk up. “You have too much pent up anger and hatred, Andy. How long has it been since you’ve sparred with anyone?”
“Too long.”
The two old friends shared a knowing grin. “Same rules count. No magic.”
“As if I ever needed magic to kick your sorry ass.”
“Bring it.”
Andreas was the first to throw a punch, catching Casian off guard. The dragon lord spun from the impact and spit blood out of his mouth. He retaliated with a kick to Andreas’ abdomen, which the latter swiftly dodged by springing out of the way. Casian quickly recovered, anticipating the sorcerer’s next move and catching him with a spin kick to the torso. Andreas stumbled, but was quick to recover.
They continued trading punches and kicks, leaving bruises and scars on each other, both refusing to stop until one of them hit the floor. All the while, they were smiling and laughing. Andreas might not be that hard to save after all, Casian had thought to himself. The friend who had talked with him about becoming a hero one day was still in there; he merely chose to hide himself when everyone was looking. Choosing to only show himself, when he thought no one was paying attention.
YOU ARE READING
Haunting Shadows (Book 2)
Fantasy"What if my sins are all I've become? Will you still love me if the Andreas you once knew is too far gone to ever get back?" Lana had survived burning on the stake, but at what cost? Every time she closes her eyes, she revisits the horror of burning...
